Santa Clara U vs University of San Diego

Santa Clara University and University of San Diego, both esteemed private institutions in California, offer distinct educational experiences. Santa Clara, nestled in the heart of Silicon Valley, boasts a higher acceptance rate (56%) compared to USD's selective admissions (44%). While USD's student body is slightly larger, both universities share a vibrant and diverse community. Explore their contrasting popular majors—Santa Clara excels in engineering and computer science, while USD shines in business and biological sciences. Discover the nuances in their graduation rates, financial aid packages, and notable alumni. Delve into our comprehensive comparison table to uncover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Santa Clara University	University of San Diego
Overview
Location	Santa Clara, California	San Diego, California
Campus setting	City: Midsize	City: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Quarter	4-1-4
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	94.0%	92.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Catholic	Catholic

Admission
Acceptance rate	54.0%	52.7%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $73	Undergraduate: $55 Graduate: $45
SAT range	1330 - 1490	N/A
ACT range	30 - 33	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	23.0%
Students submitting ACT score	16.0%
Total number of applicants	16,848	14,326
Total number of admissions given out	9,095	7,550
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,549	1,166
Yield rate	17.0%	15.4%
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	$78,999	$75,982
Average net price	$48,469	$34,155
Tuition	$55,224	$52,120
Room & board	$16,533	$16,246
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	73.0% Average amount $23,770	82.0% Average amount $34,413
Students receiving federal student loan	24.0% Average amount $5,138	33.0% Average amount $5,216
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $30,446	5.0% Average amount $12,155

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	5,895 Men 52.7% Women 47.3%	5,702 Men 43.9% Women 56.1%
Graduate students	3,023 Men 46.0% Women 54.0%	3,339 Men 42.4% Women 57.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	44.6%	45.5%
International students	12.6%	6.2%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	3,551	2,484
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	California Washington Colorado Oregon Texas	California Washington Colorado Arizona Nevada

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Engineering Legal Profession Education Psychology	Legal Profession Business Education Health Professions Law Enforcement and Firefighting
Students to faculty ratio	11:1	13:1
Institutional accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	90.9%	80.0%
Dropout rate	9.0%	19.5%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $125,643 Year 2: $128,588 Year 3: $140,820 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $83,523 Year 2: $103,449 Year 3: $131,051 Computer Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $125,788 Year 2: $104,192 Year 3: $129,018 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $74,729 Year 2: $68,379 Year 3: $100,639 Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $99,066 Year 2: $86,424 Year 3: $96,312 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $74,547 Year 2: $74,576 Year 3: $94,288 Law (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $86,424 Year 3: $93,193 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,821 Year 2: $70,456 Year 3: $90,013 Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $79,473 Year 3: $88,047 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,828 Year 2: $69,740 Year 3: $87,254	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $114,672 Year 2: $117,572 Year 3: $115,744 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $95,123 Year 2: $89,672 Year 3: $102,690 Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $91,786 Year 2: $84,653 Year 3: $98,598 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $96,329 Year 2: $91,744 Year 3: $93,985 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $71,367 Year 2: $73,391 Year 3: $92,346 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $72,417 Year 2: $75,706 Year 3: $84,924 Real Estate (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,970 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $84,277 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,809 Year 2: $61,962 Year 3: $75,083 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,424 Year 2: $67,324 Year 3: $72,729 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,434 Year 2: $61,069 Year 3: $72,310

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Santa Clara U vs University of San Diego

Santa Clara University

University of San Diego

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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