USC Upstate vs University of Central Arkansas (UCA)

Considering higher education options? Explore the distinct characteristics of the University of South Carolina-Upstate (USC Upstate) and the University of Central Arkansas (UCA) through our comprehensive side-by-side comparison. With acceptance rates of 84% and 79% respectively, both universities welcome a diverse student body. USC Upstate boasts a higher graduation rate of 48% compared to UCA's 39%, indicating a strong commitment to student success. While USC Upstate excels in fields like Business, Education, and Nursing, UCA shines in areas such as Business, Health Professions, and Education. Delve into our detailed comparison table to uncover further insights into these institutions, including student demographics, popular majors, and additional factors that may influence your decision. Discover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	University of Central Arkansas	University of South Carolina-Upstate
Overview
Location	Conway, Arkansas	Spartanburg, South Carolina
Campus setting	City: Small	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	71.0%	61.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	92.4%	75.7%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $25 Graduate: $45	Undergraduate: $45 Graduate: $45
SAT range	980 - 1160	950 - 1150
ACT range	19 - 26	19 - 23
Students submitting SAT score	3.0%	26.0%
Students submitting ACT score	94.0%	19.0%
Total number of applicants	6,057	2,893
Total number of admissions given out	5,595	2,190
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,854	597
Yield rate	33.1%	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: $25,219 Out of state: $32,089	In state: $28,648 Out of state: $39,610
Average net price	$14,042	$14,816
Tuition	In state: $6,870 Out of state: $13,740	In state: $11,208 Out of state: $22,170
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,326 Meal plan: $3,570	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)	92.0% Average amount $7,693	96.0% Average amount $8,974
Students receiving federal student loan	51.0% Average amount $5,106	62.0% Average amount $5,480
Students taking out private loans	5.0% Average amount $10,426	4.0% Average amount $8,248

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	8,244 Men 39.0% Women 61.0%	4,981 Men 32.7% Women 67.3%
Graduate students	1,861 Men 26.6% Women 73.4%	457 Men 13.6% Women 86.4%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	7.9%	8.2%
International students	3.8%	1.2%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	Suburb: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	3,675	1,055
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Arkansas Texas Oklahoma Tennessee Alabama	South Carolina Georgia North Carolina Florida Texas

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Education Business Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Visual & Performing Arts	Health Professions Education Business Biological and Biomedical Sciences Psychology
Students to faculty ratio	15:1	15:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	49.4%	47.4%
Dropout rate	19.1%	19.2%
Transferred out	29.7%	31.9%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $92,284 Year 2: $92,358 Year 3: $96,070 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $72,491 Year 2: $70,736 Year 3: $76,640 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $61,696 Year 2: $67,548 Year 3: $65,753 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,174 Year 2: $58,842 Year 3: $59,396 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $52,787 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $57,030 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $51,827 Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: $55,240 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,080 Year 2: $45,305 Year 3: $52,677 Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $48,462 Year 2: $47,729 Year 3: $52,542 Library Science, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $46,140 Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: $49,838 Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $40,755 Year 2: $48,432 Year 3: $49,837	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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