UC San Diego vs Florida State

Envision yourself immersed in the vibrant culture of San Diego or the captivating charm of Tallahassee as you embark on a journey to compare the University of California-San Diego (UCSD) and Florida State University (FSU). While both universities offer a world-class education, they possess distinct characteristics that may influence your academic and personal growth. UCSD boasts a lower acceptance rate, indicating its highly selective admissions process, while FSU welcomes a more diverse student body, fostering an inclusive and welcoming environment. Explore the contrasting popular majors, such as UCSD's strength in engineering and FSU's focus on business and education, to align with your academic aspirations. Delve into the graduation rates, revealing the institutions' commitment to student success, and uncover the unique opportunities available at each university. This comprehensive comparison will guide you in making an informed decision, ensuring you find the perfect fit for your educational journey.

	Florida State University	University of California-San Diego
Overview
Location	Tallahassee, Florida	La Jolla, California
Campus setting	City: Midsize	City: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Quarter
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	94.0%	95.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	37.1%	34.2%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $30 Graduate: $30	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $120
SAT range	1180 - 1340	N/A
ACT range	26 - 30	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	65.0%
Students submitting ACT score	36.0%
Total number of applicants	65,235	118,386
Total number of admissions given out	24,183	40,493
Admitted students who chose to enroll	7,619	7,544
Yield rate	31.5%	18.6%
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)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $23,476 Out of state: $36,606	In state: $35,116 Out of state: $64,870
Average net price	$12,684	$15,632
Tuition	In state: $4,022 Out of state: $16,540	In state: $11,442 Out of state: $41,196
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,020 Meal plan: $4,856	$16,145
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	94.0% Average amount $10,620	48.0% Average amount $18,083
Students receiving federal student loan	19.0% Average amount $4,996	21.0% Average amount $4,545
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $13,430	7.0% Average amount $4,851

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	33,593 Men 42.9% Women 57.1%	33,343 Men 48.7% Women 51.3%
Graduate students	11,537 Men 38.4% Women 61.6%	8,542 Men 57.6% Women 42.4%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	15.7%	16.6%
International students	4.2%	21.3%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	6,709	17,765
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Florida Georgia New Jersey New York Illinois	California Washington Texas New York Illinois

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Business Education Visual & Performing Arts Legal Profession	Engineering Biological and Biomedical Sciences Computer and Information Science Health Professions Social Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	22:1	19:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	83.2%	89.4%
Dropout rate	10.9%	9.7%
Transferred out	5.3%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $86,926 Year 2: $92,632 Year 3: $102,429 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,442 Year 2: $71,015 Year 3: $89,448 Chemical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $66,610 Year 2: $68,305 Year 3: $78,263 Business/Commerce, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $64,971 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $78,057 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $84,179 Year 2: $83,177 Year 3: $77,718 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $78,794 Year 2: $74,576 Year 3: $77,527 Finance and Financial Management Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $64,567 Year 2: $61,516 Year 3: $75,845 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $69,881 Year 2: $68,918 Year 3: $74,476 Chemistry (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: N/A Year 3: $74,364 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $63,216 Year 2: $60,325 Year 3: $72,686	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

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.

Florida State

The University of Alabama