USC Upstate vs Murray State

Envision yourself as a student, standing at the crossroads of two esteemed institutions: University of South Carolina-Upstate and Murray State University. Both universities offer a wealth of opportunities, yet they possess distinct characteristics that may influence your academic journey. Delve into our comprehensive comparison table to uncover the nuances that set these institutions apart. Discover the differences in acceptance rates, tuition fees, student body demographics, popular majors, graduation rates, and more. Whether you thrive in a diverse or close-knit community, prefer a liberal arts or professional focus, or seek a vibrant campus life or a serene learning environment, this side-by-side analysis will guide you towards the university that best aligns with your aspirations and goals.

	Murray State University	University of South Carolina-Upstate
Overview
Location	Murray, Kentucky	Spartanburg, South Carolina
Campus setting	Town: Remote	Suburb: Midsize
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	75.0%	61.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	85.2%	75.7%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $40	Undergraduate: $45 Graduate: $45
SAT range	960 - 1200	950 - 1150
ACT range	20 - 27	19 - 23
Students submitting SAT score	16.0%	26.0%
Students submitting ACT score	86.0%	19.0%
Total number of applicants	9,144	2,893
Total number of admissions given out	7,787	2,190
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,395	597
Yield rate	17.9%	27.3%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Not required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $26,219 Out of state: $35,495	In state: $28,648 Out of state: $39,610
Average net price	$11,237	$14,816
Tuition	In state: $8,040 Out of state: $17,316	In state: $11,208 Out of state: $22,170
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,538 Meal plan: $4,330	Room/dormitory: $5,614 Meal plan: $3,714
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	99.0% Average amount $11,753	96.0% Average amount $8,974
Students receiving federal student loan	47.0% Average amount $6,997	62.0% Average amount $5,480
Students taking out private loans	7.0% Average amount $10,075	4.0% Average amount $8,248

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	7,651 Men 37.5% Women 62.5%	4,981 Men 32.7% Women 67.3%
Graduate students	1,763 Men 35.1% Women 64.9%	457 Men 13.6% Women 86.4%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	8.2%
International students	5.4%	1.2%
Campus local/setting	Town: Remote	Suburb: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	3,064	1,055
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Illinois Tennessee Indiana Missouri	South Carolina Georgia North Carolina Florida Texas

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Education Business Agriculture Engineering Technologies	Health Professions Education Business Biological and Biomedical Sciences Psychology
Students to faculty ratio	16:1	15:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	55.9%	47.4%
Dropout rate	42.8%	19.2%
Transferred out	N/A	31.9%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $162,817 Year 3: $178,780 Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $68,792 Year 2: $79,473 Year 3: $88,757 Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $65,448 Year 2: $66,969 Year 3: $69,761 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,888 Year 2: $53,775 Year 3: $66,008 Business/Commerce, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $53,643 Year 2: $59,485 Year 3: $65,410 Civil Engineering Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,121 Year 2: $55,964 Year 3: $59,977 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $54,148 Year 2: $58,142 Year 3: $55,771 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $44,974 Year 2: $59,485 Year 3: $54,238 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $51,117 Year 2: $56,641 Year 3: $52,217 Information Science/Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,964 Year 2: $50,856 Year 3: $50,840	Engineering-Related Fields (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,614 Year 2: $59,124 Year 3: $70,562 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,719 Year 2: $57,512 Year 3: $60,107 Information Science/Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,885 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $52,577 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,033 Year 2: $45,500 Year 3: $50,407 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,902 Year 2: $37,088 Year 3: $43,565 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $28,960 Year 3: $37,957 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,958 Year 2: $32,439 Year 3: $37,264 History (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $21,254 Year 2: $32,284 Year 3: $37,102 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $32,772 Year 3: $35,463 Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,350 Year 2: $23,649 Year 3: $33,671

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