Quad

Head-to-head

U. North Carolina Wilmington
U. South Carolina-Columbia

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    U. South Carolina-Columbia has 2.0× as many undergrads as U. North Carolina Wilmington

    Undergrads
  2. 2

    U. South Carolina-Columbia is more diverse (index 0.46 vs. 0.37)

    Diversity index
  3. 3

    U. South Carolina-Columbia grads earn $7.2K more ten years out than U. North Carolina Wilmington's ($62,177 vs. $54,967)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  4. 4

    U. South Carolina-Columbia's grants cover 19% of its full price on average, vs. 12% at U. North Carolina Wilmington

    Aid generosity
  5. 5

    U. North Carolina Wilmington has 6 pts more first-gen students than U. South Carolina-Columbia (26% vs. 20%)

    First-generation students
  6. 6

    U. North Carolina Wilmington has 5 pts more Pell recipients than U. South Carolina-Columbia (24% vs. 19%)

    Pell Grant recipients

The shape of each school

Each axis is a national rank among 4-year colleges; further out = more of it.

SelectivityTest scoresSizePell shareFirst-genDiversity

Who's hardest to get into

U. South Carolina-Columbia admits 57%, U. North Carolina Wilmington 65%; U. South Carolina-Columbia's yield is higher, at 23%.

Acceptance rate
U. North Carolina Wilmington65%
U. South Carolina-Columbia57%
Quad's selectivity
  • U. North Carolina WilmingtonSelective
  • U. South Carolina-ColumbiaSelectivefrom South CarolinaVery selectivefrom other states
SAT middle 50%Axis 1100–1600
U. North Carolina Wilmington
1240–1350
U. South Carolina-Columbia
1200–1360
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • U. North Carolina WilmingtonRigor and GPA very importantweighted GPAs
  • U. South Carolina-ColumbiaGPA very important48%

Who's on each campus

U. South Carolina-Columbia is twice U. North Carolina Wilmington's size; U. North Carolina Wilmington has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
U. North Carolina Wilmington14.9K
U. South Carolina-Columbia29.8K
Pell Grant share
U. North Carolina Wilmington24%
U. South Carolina-Columbia19%

Majors and faculty

Business Administration and Management leads at U. North Carolina Wilmington, and Public Health at U. South Carolina-Columbia.

Students per faculty member
U. North Carolina Wilmington17 to 1
U. South Carolina-Columbia19 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • U. North Carolina WilmingtonBusiness Administration and Management, General20%
  • U. South Carolina-ColumbiaPublic Health, General8%

What each costs

U. North Carolina Wilmington and U. South Carolina-Columbia cost about the same a year on average.

Average cost, all students
U. North Carolina Wilmington$26.9K
U. South Carolina-Columbia$27.5K
Aid generosity
U. North Carolina Wilmington12%
U. South Carolina-Columbia19%

What each pays off

U. South Carolina-Columbia's former students earn more, a median $62.2K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 70% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
U. North Carolina Wilmington$55K
U. South Carolina-Columbia$62.2K
Graduation rate
U. North Carolina Wilmington74%
U. South Carolina-Columbia77%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; U. South Carolina-Columbia got more selective while U. North Carolina Wilmington got less.

Applications, 10-year change
  • U. North Carolina WilmingtonGrowing+77%
  • U. South Carolina-ColumbiaGrowing+126%
All the numbersEvery figure for these colleges in one table, with differences highlighted.
Sources for this comparisonEvery dataset and year behind the numbers in this comparison; tap any ⓘ for one number's source

Sources:University of North Carolina Wilmington (Fall 2025), Fall 2025;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;University of North Carolina Wilmington Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2027 applicants;IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;University of North Carolina Wilmington Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2024;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard, 2023–24;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018;University of South Carolina-Columbia (Fall 2025), Fall 2025;University of South Carolina-Columbia Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2027 applicants;University of South Carolina-Columbia Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2024About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)

Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why