UC San Diego vs Dartmouth

Envision yourself immersed in the vibrant, coastal city of San Diego or nestled amidst the serene landscapes of Hanover, New Hampshire. University of California-San Diego (UCSD) and Dartmouth College, two prestigious institutions of higher learning, offer distinct experiences that cater to diverse academic aspirations. While UCSD boasts a sprawling campus brimming with research opportunities and a focus on science and engineering, Dartmouth's liberal arts curriculum emphasizes critical thinking and interdisciplinary exploration. With acceptance rates of 30% and 8%, respectively, both universities attract top-notch students from around the globe. Dive into our comprehensive comparison table to uncover further distinctions in popular majors, student demographics, graduation rates, and more, empowering you to make an informed decision that aligns with your unique academic goals and personal preferences.

	Dartmouth College	University of California-San Diego
Overview
Location	Hanover, New Hampshire	La Jolla, California
Campus setting	Town: Remote	City: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Public
Calendar system	Quarter	Quarter
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	98.0%	95.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	6.2%	34.2%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $80 Graduate: $50	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $120
SAT range	1440 - 1560	N/A
ACT range	33 - 35	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	47.0%
Students submitting ACT score	30.0%
Total number of applicants	28,356	118,386
Total number of admissions given out	1,750	40,493
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,221	7,544
Yield rate	69.8%	18.6%
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	$81,501	In state: $35,116 Out of state: $64,870
Average net price	$24,078	$15,632
Tuition	$58,953	In state: $11,442 Out of state: $41,196
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $10,569 Meal plan: $6,792	$16,145
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	48.0% Average amount $56,106	48.0% Average amount $18,083
Students receiving federal student loan	20.0% Average amount $5,066	21.0% Average amount $4,545
Students taking out private loans	37.0% Average amount $5,335	7.0% Average amount $4,851

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	4,556 Men 50.7% Women 49.3%	33,343 Men 48.7% Women 51.3%
Graduate students	2,205 Men 50.4% Women 49.6%	8,542 Men 57.6% Women 42.4%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	97.3%	16.6%
International students	17.0%	21.3%
Campus local/setting	Town: Remote	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	3,733	17,765
First year students are required to live on campus?	Yes	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	California New York Mississippi New Jersey Texas	California Washington Texas New York Illinois

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Health Professions Engineering Social Sciences Mathematics and Statistics	Engineering Biological and Biomedical Sciences Computer and Information Science Health Professions Social Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	7:1	19:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	93.6%	89.4%
Dropout rate	4.9%	9.7%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $160,724 Year 2: $167,295 Year 3: $180,970 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $111,259 Year 2: $113,015 Year 3: $128,856 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $85,069 Year 2: $87,604 Year 3: $98,252 Public Health (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $77,715 Year 3: $88,684 Engineering Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $76,341 Year 2: $78,343 Year 3: $81,883 Engineering, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,277 Year 2: $64,990 Year 3: $81,813 Area Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $47,302 Year 2: $48,432 Year 3: $80,946 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,095 Year 2: $62,192 Year 3: $75,463 Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $76,013 Year 2: $103,078 Year 3: $71,100 Medicine (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $58,996 Year 2: $61,728 Year 3: $70,914	Computer Science (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $127,768 Year 2: $162,463 Year 3: $194,475 Computer Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $122,641 Year 2: $127,993 Year 3: $153,118 Physics (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $94,408 Year 3: $124,326 Engineering, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $118,445 Year 2: $113,668 Year 3: $123,569 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $97,196 Year 2: $94,408 Year 3: $113,628 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $112,603 Year 2: $101,406 Year 3: $109,783 Education, General (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $106,421 Year 3: $108,034 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $87,738 Year 2: $86,972 Year 3: $105,245 Biomedical/Medical Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $78,610 Year 2: $75,706 Year 3: $102,296 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $79,476 Year 2: $79,688 Year 3: $99,630

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