University of South Carolina-Columbia (UofSC) vs Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU)

When it comes to higher education, University of South Carolina-Columbia and Virginia Commonwealth University stand out as two prominent institutions with distinct characteristics. With acceptance rates of 69% and 78%, respectively, both universities offer accessible pathways for aspiring students. While USC-Columbia boasts a larger student body, VCU's diverse student population reflects its commitment to inclusivity. Explore the comparison table to delve into further details, including popular majors, graduation rates, and additional factors that may influence your decision. Whether you're drawn to USC-Columbia's strong engineering and business programs or VCU's renowned arts and nursing offerings, this comprehensive comparison will guide you towards finding the ideal academic environment to nurture your aspirations.

	University of South Carolina-Columbia	Virginia Commonwealth University
Overview
Location	Columbia, South Carolina	Richmond, Virginia
Campus setting	City: Midsize	City: 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	87.0%	84.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	61.6%	92.8%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $65 Graduate: $50	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $70
SAT range	1150 - 1360	1070 - 1300
ACT range	26 - 31	20 - 29
Students submitting SAT score	38.0%	29.0%
Students submitting ACT score	26.0%	5.0%
Total number of applicants	42,045	17,579
Total number of admissions given out	25,884	16,308
Admitted students who chose to enroll	6,174	4,084
Yield rate	23.9%	25.0%
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)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $29,398 Out of state: $50,638	In state: $36,861 Out of state: $58,199
Average net price	$21,898	$19,656
Tuition	In state: $12,288 Out of state: $33,528	In state: $12,094 Out of state: $32,742
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,010 Meal plan: $3,980	Room/dormitory: $6,953 Meal plan: $5,820
Available payment plans	Other alternative tuition plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	93.0% Average amount $7,055	78.0% Average amount $13,623
Students receiving federal student loan	48.0% Average amount $5,340	44.0% Average amount $5,174
Students taking out private loans	10.0% Average amount $17,657	8.0% Average amount $17,903

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	26,864 Men 44.9% Women 55.1%	21,394 Men 36.9% Women 63.1%
Graduate students	8,607 Men 37.4% Women 62.6%	7,200 Men 33.7% Women 66.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	7.0%
International students	4.8%	3.6%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	9,377	5,958
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Virginia Maryland North Carolina New Jersey Pennsylvania

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Health Professions Education Engineering Communication and Journalism	Health Professions Visual & Performing Arts Business Public Administration and Social Service Multidisciplinary Studies
Students to faculty ratio	18:1	18:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	78.2%	67.6%
Dropout rate	5.3%	10.5%
Transferred out	16.0%	19.2%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $102,315 Year 2: $132,531 Year 3: $124,225 Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $103,612 Year 2: $114,145 Year 3: $117,580 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $104,414 Year 2: $95,102 Year 3: $107,403 Human Resources Management and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $92,505 Year 2: $91,986 Year 3: $97,806 International Business (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $82,202 Year 2: $90,049 Year 3: $93,323 Chemical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $65,370 Year 2: $70,680 Year 3: $79,846 Public Health (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $77,526 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $71,229 Year 2: $71,854 Year 3: $76,713 International Business (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $66,365 Year 2: $70,776 Year 3: $73,730 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,632 Year 2: $66,670 Year 3: $72,857	Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $234,763 Year 3: $225,432 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $166,030 Year 2: $181,454 Year 3: $181,915 Dentistry (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $87,586 Year 2: $106,935 Year 3: $134,578 Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $101,582 Year 2: $119,256 Year 3: $121,903 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $94,371 Year 2: $93,178 Year 3: $105,544 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $94,094 Year 2: $93,467 Year 3: $97,893 Information Science/Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $100,759 Year 2: $86,867 Year 3: $94,244 Health and Medical Administrative Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $73,726 Year 2: $82,440 Year 3: $90,664 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $77,993 Year 2: $89,305 Year 3: $82,470 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $70,920 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $82,210

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