University of Southern California (USC) vs University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC)

Envision yourself as a student, embarking on a journey of higher education. As you navigate the vast landscape of universities, two prominent institutions emerge: the University of Southern California (USC) and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC). While both offer exceptional academic opportunities, they possess distinct characteristics that may influence your decision. USC, nestled in the vibrant city of Los Angeles, boasts a highly selective admissions process, with an acceptance rate of 11%, while UNC, situated in the charming college town of Chapel Hill, welcomes a broader range of students, reflected in its 24% acceptance rate. Explore the comparison table below to delve into further details, including popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates, to determine which university aligns best with your aspirations and goals.

	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	University of Southern California
Overview
Location	Chapel Hill, North Carolina	Los Angeles, California
Campus setting	City: Small	City: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	97.0%	96.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	20.4%	12.5%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $85 Graduate: $95	Undergraduate: $85 Graduate: $90
SAT range	1140 - 1380	1410 - 1540
ACT range	22 - 27	32 - 35
Students submitting SAT score	2.0%	31.0%
Students submitting ACT score	12.0%	19.0%
Total number of applicants	50,729	71,031
Total number of admissions given out	10,348	8,884
Admitted students who chose to enroll	4,690	3,668
Yield rate	45.3%	41.3%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $24,770 Out of state: $52,633	$81,659
Average net price	$11,508	$26,021
Tuition	In state: $7,019 Out of state: $34,882	$60,446
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $6,878 Meal plan: $5,004	Room/dormitory: $10,098 Meal plan: $6,634
Available payment plans	Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	42.0% Average amount $16,076	72.0% Average amount $40,690
Students receiving federal student loan	17.0% Average amount $4,244	22.0% Average amount $4,215
Students taking out private loans	3.0% Average amount $14,032	2.0% Average amount $29,056

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	19,845 Men 39.6% Women 60.4%	20,790 Men 48.5% Women 51.5%
Graduate students	11,796 Men 41.4% Women 58.6%	28,528 Men 44.3% Women 55.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	16.2%	49.9%
International students	6.8%	23.8%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	9,984	8,700
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	North Carolina Georgia Maryland New York Pennsylvania	California Texas New York Illinois Florida

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Business Social Sciences Public Administration and Social Service Multidisciplinary Studies	Business Health Professions Engineering Computer and Information Science Public Administration and Social Service
Students to faculty ratio	15:1	9:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	90.5%	92.0%
Dropout rate	3.7%	7.2%
Transferred out	5.4%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $168,979 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $238,213 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $135,965 Year 2: $127,836 Year 3: $150,089 Dentistry (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $116,248 Year 2: $82,440 Year 3: $128,102 Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $67,961 Year 2: $103,078 Year 3: $117,488 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $89,271 Year 2: $86,036 Year 3: $96,602 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $74,162 Year 2: $72,083 Year 3: $95,204 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $74,938 Year 2: $73,823 Year 3: $89,917 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $71,557 Year 2: $57,770 Year 3: $87,057 Applied Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,899 Year 2: $67,660 Year 3: $86,155 Health and Medical Administrative Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $68,205 Year 2: $68,666 Year 3: $82,520	Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: $104,166 Year 2: $187,234 Year 3: $221,418 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $167,228 Year 2: $163,225 Year 3: $161,094 Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $106,344 Year 2: $126,683 Year 3: $148,434 Marketing (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: $113,473 Year 2: $117,572 Year 3: $147,381 Computer Science (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $110,796 Year 2: $116,083 Year 3: $146,357 Legal Professions and Studies, Other (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: $79,420 Year 2: $88,198 Year 3: $140,330 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $127,841 Year 2: $131,090 Year 3: $140,129 Public Administration and Social Service Professions, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $135,775 Year 2: $135,393 Year 3: $136,848 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $121,676 Year 2: $101,072 Year 3: $134,632 Real Estate Development (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $119,991 Year 2: $122,038 Year 3: $125,784

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