App State vs University of Central Arkansas (UCA)

Appalachian State University and University of Central Arkansas, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Appalachian State, nestled in the picturesque Blue Ridge Mountains, boasts a higher acceptance rate, attracting a diverse student body from various backgrounds. Its strengths lie in popular majors like Business, Health Professions, and Education. In contrast, University of Central Arkansas, located in the vibrant city of Conway, maintains a smaller student body, fostering a close-knit community. It excels in fields such as Business, Education, and Nursing. While Appalachian State boasts a higher graduation rate, both universities provide ample opportunities for personal and academic growth. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover which university aligns best with your aspirations and goals.
Appalachian State University logo

Appalachian State University

University of Central Arkansas logo

University of Central Arkansas

Overview

Location Boone, North Carolina Conway, Arkansas
Campus setting Town: Distant City: Small
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 86.0% 71.0%
Common app member Yes No
Religious affiliation

Admission

Acceptance rate 84.7% 92.4%
Application fees
Undergraduate: $65

Graduate: $65
Undergraduate: $25

Graduate: $45
SAT range 1130 - 1300 980 - 1160
ACT range 24 - 29 19 - 26
Students submitting SAT score 9.0% 3.0%
Students submitting ACT score 23.0% 94.0%
Total number of applicants 21,120 6,057
Total number of admissions given out 17,886 5,595
Admitted students who chose to enroll 4,099 1,854
Yield rate 22.9% 33.1%
Test scores (SAT/ACT) N/A N/A
High school GPA Required Required
Recommendation letters Not required Not required
High school transcript Not required Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL) Required Required

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price
In state: $22,220

Out of state: $37,827
In state: $25,219

Out of state: $32,089
Average net price $12,735 $14,042
Tuition
In state: $4,242

Out of state: $19,849
In state: $6,870

Out of state: $13,740
Room & board
Room/dormitory: $5,595

Meal plan: $4,086
Room/dormitory: $4,326

Meal plan: $3,570
Available payment plans
  • Guaranteed tuition plan
  • Other alternative tuition plan
  • Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

54.0%
Average amount $7,652
92.0%
Average amount $7,693
Students receiving federal student loan 45.0%
Average amount $5,054
51.0%
Average amount $5,106
Students taking out private loans 7.0%
Average amount $12,285
5.0%
Average amount $10,426

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 18,555
Men 43.3% Women 56.7%
8,244
Men 39.0% Women 61.0%
Graduate students 2,086
Men 29.6% Women 70.4%
1,861
Men 26.6% Women 73.4%
Racial/ethnic diversity
Very Low
Low
Out-of-state students 10.5% 7.9%
International students 0.5% 3.8%
Campus local/setting Town: Distant City: Small
Dormitory capacity 5,971 3,675
First year students are required to live on campus? No No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from North Carolina South Carolina Virginia Georgia Florida Arkansas Texas Oklahoma Tennessee Alabama

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Education
  • Health Professions
  • Kinesiology & Leisure Studies
  • Visual & Performing Arts
  • Public Administration and Social Service
  • Health Professions
  • Education
  • Business
  • Kinesiology & Leisure Studies
  • Visual & Performing Arts
Students to faculty ratio 17:1 15:1
Institutional accreditation Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges Higher Learning Commission

Outcome

Graduation rate 72.7% 49.4%
Dropout rate 7.6% 19.1%
Transferred out 18.3% 29.7%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)
Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $60,824
  • Year 2: $60,623
  • Year 3: $79,392
Educational Administration and Supervision (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $61,516
  • Year 3: $70,638
Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $51,462
  • Year 2: $54,382
  • Year 3: $67,337
Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $57,036
  • Year 2: $57,318
  • Year 3: $65,634
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $57,587
  • Year 2: $49,084
  • Year 3: $63,376
Construction Management (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $56,322
  • Year 2: $55,693
  • Year 3: $60,614
Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $40,088
  • Year 2: $44,989
  • Year 3: $59,659
Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $44,199
  • Year 2: $54,296
  • Year 3: $59,624
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $59,623
  • Year 2: $56,415
  • Year 3: $58,316
Public Administration (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $46,799
  • Year 2: $54,635
  • Year 3: $57,400
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

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.
Appalachian State University App State vs Jacksonville State University Jacksonville State University
Appalachian State University App State vs University of West Alabama University of West Alabama
Appalachian State University App State vs Samford University Samford University
Appalachian State University App State vs Troy University Troy University
Appalachian State University App State vs Arkansas State University Arkansas State University
Appalachian State University App State vs Arkansas Tech University Arkansas Tech University
Appalachian State University App State vs University of Central Arkansas University of Central Arkansas
Appalachian State University App State vs California State University-Chico California State University-Chico
Appalachian State University App State vs The University of Tampa The University of Tampa
Appalachian State University App State vs Clayton  State University Clayton State University
Appalachian State University App State vs Georgia Southern University Georgia Southern University
Appalachian State University App State vs Eastern Kentucky University Eastern Kentucky University
Appalachian State University App State vs Western Kentucky University Western Kentucky University
Appalachian State University App State vs University of Louisiana at Monroe University of Louisiana at Monroe
Appalachian State University App State vs Southeastern Louisiana University Southeastern Louisiana University
Appalachian State University App State vs Towson University Towson University
Appalachian State University App State vs Eastern Michigan University Eastern Michigan University
Appalachian State University App State vs Grand Valley State University Grand Valley State University
Appalachian State University App State vs SUNY College at Oswego SUNY College at Oswego
Appalachian State University App State vs East Tennessee State University East Tennessee State University
Appalachian State University App State vs Lee University Lee University
Appalachian State University App State vs Middle Tennessee State University Middle Tennessee State University
Appalachian State University App State vs The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga
Appalachian State University App State vs The University of Tennessee-Martin The University of Tennessee-Martin
Appalachian State University App State vs Sam Houston State University Sam Houston State University
Appalachian State University App State vs Old Dominion University Old Dominion University
Appalachian State University App State vs Radford University Radford University
Appalachian State University App State vs University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
Appalachian State University App State vs University of Wisconsin-La Crosse University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
Appalachian State University App State vs Florida Gulf Coast University Florida Gulf Coast University
University of Central Arkansas UCA vs University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff
University of Central Arkansas UCA vs Arkansas State University Arkansas State University
University of Central Arkansas UCA vs Arkansas Tech University Arkansas Tech University
University of Central Arkansas UCA vs University of Arkansas at Monticello University of Arkansas at Monticello
University of Central Arkansas UCA vs Ouachita Baptist University Ouachita Baptist University
University of Central Arkansas UCA vs University of Northern Colorado University of Northern Colorado
University of Central Arkansas UCA vs Columbus State University Columbus State University
University of Central Arkansas UCA vs Eastern Kentucky University Eastern Kentucky University
University of Central Arkansas UCA vs Southeastern Louisiana University Southeastern Louisiana University
University of Central Arkansas UCA vs Winona State University Winona State University
University of Central Arkansas UCA vs University of Nebraska at Kearney University of Nebraska at Kearney
University of Central Arkansas UCA vs Stockton University Stockton University
University of Central Arkansas UCA vs CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice
University of Central Arkansas UCA vs Western Carolina University Western Carolina University
University of Central Arkansas UCA vs Northeastern State University Northeastern State University
University of Central Arkansas UCA vs Lee University Lee University
University of Central Arkansas UCA vs Sam Houston State University Sam Houston State University
University of Central Arkansas UCA vs Texas Woman's University Texas Woman's University
University of Central Arkansas UCA vs Florida Gulf Coast University Florida Gulf Coast University