USC Upstate vs Western Carolina University (WCU)

When it comes to choosing the right university, it's essential to compare institutions to find the best fit. University of South Carolina-Upstate and Western Carolina University, both located in the beautiful state of South Carolina, offer unique educational experiences. With acceptance rates of 84% and 76%, respectively, both universities welcome a diverse student body. While USC-Upstate boasts a higher graduation rate of 48%, Western Carolina follows closely with a 44% success rate. Explore the comparison table to delve into further details, including popular majors, student demographics, and more, to make an informed decision that aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	University of South Carolina-Upstate	Western Carolina University
Overview
Location	Spartanburg, South Carolina	Cullowhee, North Carolina
Campus setting	Suburb: Midsize	Town: Distant
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	61.0%	75.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	75.7%	79.4%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $45 Graduate: $45	Undergraduate: $65 Graduate: $65
SAT range	950 - 1150	1060 - 1230
ACT range	19 - 23	19 - 25
Students submitting SAT score	26.0%	12.0%
Students submitting ACT score	19.0%	43.0%
Total number of applicants	2,893	12,308
Total number of admissions given out	2,190	9,775
Admitted students who chose to enroll	597	1,729
Yield rate	27.3%	17.7%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $28,648 Out of state: $39,610	In state: $19,349 Out of state: $23,349
Average net price	$14,816	$13,082
Tuition	In state: $11,208 Out of state: $22,170	In state: $1,000 Out of state: $5,000
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,614 Meal plan: $3,714	Room/dormitory: $6,403 Meal plan: $5,029
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	96.0% Average amount $8,974	73.0% Average amount $5,772
Students receiving federal student loan	62.0% Average amount $5,480	56.0% Average amount $4,850
Students taking out private loans	4.0% Average amount $8,248	9.0% Average amount $9,396

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	4,981 Men 32.7% Women 67.3%	10,145 Men 43.6% Women 56.4%
Graduate students	457 Men 13.6% Women 86.4%	1,732 Men 32.1% Women 67.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Very Low
Out-of-state students	8.2%	17.7%
International students	1.2%	1.7%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Midsize	Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity	1,055	3,815
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	South Carolina Georgia North Carolina Florida Texas	North Carolina South Carolina Georgia Florida Tennessee

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Education Business Biological and Biomedical Sciences Psychology	Health Professions Education Business Public Administration and Social Service Engineering Technologies
Students to faculty ratio	15:1	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	47.4%	61.4%
Dropout rate	19.2%	10.2%
Transferred out	31.9%	27.5%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	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	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $97,321 Year 2: $103,913 Year 3: $103,661 Human Resources Management and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $55,207 Year 2: $64,990 Year 3: $72,372 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $54,769 Year 2: $53,775 Year 3: $72,367 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $65,460 Year 2: $67,324 Year 3: $68,635 Construction Engineering Technologies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,202 Year 2: $58,221 Year 3: $64,334 Engineering Technology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,173 Year 2: $54,996 Year 3: $63,171 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $64,798 Year 2: $55,286 Year 3: $61,637 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $53,571 Year 2: $55,512 Year 3: $59,030 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $55,835 Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: $58,930 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,362 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $57,003

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