PAFA School vs Berkeley

Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) and University of California-Berkeley (UC Berkeley) stand as distinct institutions of higher learning, each offering unique opportunities and experiences to their students. PAFA, a private art school located in the heart of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, focuses exclusively on visual arts education, fostering a creative and collaborative environment for aspiring artists. UC Berkeley, a public research university situated in the vibrant city of Berkeley, California, boasts a comprehensive range of academic programs, including renowned offerings in the arts, sciences, and engineering, attracting a diverse student body from around the world. While both institutions share a commitment to academic excellence, they differ significantly in terms of acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, and graduation rates. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover which institution aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts	University of California-Berkeley
Overview
Location	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	Berkeley, California
Campus setting	City: Large	City: Midsize
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	84.0%	96.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	83.6%	14.4%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $60 Graduate: $60	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $120
SAT range	N/A	N/A
ACT range	N/A	N/A
Students submitting SAT score
Students submitting ACT score
Total number of applicants	122	112,843
Total number of admissions given out	102	16,295
Admitted students who chose to enroll	10	6,931
Yield rate	9.8%	42.5%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$66,804	In state: $37,920 Out of state: $67,674
Average net price	$29,925	$17,652
Tuition	$38,926	In state: $11,442 Out of state: $41,196
Room & board		$20,236
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $29,528	52.0% Average amount $21,406
Students receiving federal student loan	61.0% Average amount $5,864	15.0% Average amount $4,586
Students taking out private loans	0.0% Average amount $0	6.0% Average amount $7,122

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	121 Men 24.0% Women 76.0%	31,814 Men 45.4% Women 54.6%
Graduate students	57 Men 21.1% Women 78.9%	13,222 Men 51.7% Women 48.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	16.9%
International students	6.7%	18.0%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	37	9,630
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	California New Jersey Texas Virginia New York

Academics
Popular study areas	Visual & Performing Arts	Engineering Business Computer and Information Science Legal Profession Health Professions
Students to faculty ratio	4:1	20:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	47.2%	92.8%
Dropout rate	33.3%	6.3%
Transferred out	16.7%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,722 Year 2: $19,749 Year 3: $28,395 Fine and Studio Arts (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $27,413 Year 2: $22,764 Year 3: $26,502	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $171,936 Year 3: $191,597 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $122,038 Year 3: $167,052 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $125,250 Year 2: $125,388 Year 3: $161,399 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $126,367 Year 2: $128,868 Year 3: $160,666 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $160,390 Year 2: $142,470 Year 3: $143,984 Information Science/Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $119,358 Year 3: $143,516 Chemistry (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $107,442 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $112,973 Optometry (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $74,750 Year 2: $91,363 Year 3: $104,601 Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $95,600 Year 2: $85,760 Year 3: $103,738 Applied Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $71,282 Year 2: $65,387 Year 3: $102,543

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