UC San Diego vs NorthWestern

Nestled in the vibrant city of San Diego, University of California-San Diego (UCSD) and Northwestern University, located in the heart of Evanston, Illinois, stand as two prominent institutions of higher learning. While both universities share a commitment to academic excellence and offer a diverse range of programs, they also possess distinct characteristics that set them apart. UCSD boasts a higher acceptance rate, making it a more accessible option for prospective students. Northwestern, on the other hand, has a lower acceptance rate, indicating a more selective admissions process. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve into further details regarding acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, graduation rates, and more, empowering you to make an informed decision that aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Northwestern University	University of California-San Diego
Overview
Location	Evanston, Illinois	La Jolla, California
Campus setting	City: Small	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	99.0%	95.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	7.0%	34.2%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $75 Graduate: $95	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $120
SAT range	1470 - 1570	N/A
ACT range	34 - 35	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	43.0%
Students submitting ACT score	39.0%
Total number of applicants	47,636	118,386
Total number of admissions given out	3,321	40,493
Admitted students who chose to enroll	2,086	7,544
Yield rate	62.8%	18.6%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not 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	$83,838	In state: $35,116 Out of state: $64,870
Average net price	$29,999	$15,632
Tuition	$60,276	In state: $11,442 Out of state: $41,196
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $11,271 Meal plan: $6,993	$16,145
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	57.0% Average amount $51,087	48.0% Average amount $18,083
Students receiving federal student loan	23.0% Average amount $4,625	21.0% Average amount $4,545
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $38,595	7.0% Average amount $4,851

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	8,847 Men 46.1% Women 53.9%	33,343 Men 48.7% Women 51.3%
Graduate students	14,562 Men 47.3% Women 52.7%	8,542 Men 57.6% Women 42.4%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	16.6%
International students	17.8%	21.3%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	4,409	17,765
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	California Washington Texas New York Illinois

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Communication and Journalism Engineering Health Professions Legal Profession	Engineering Biological and Biomedical Sciences Computer and Information Science Health Professions Social Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	6:1	19:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	95.2%	89.4%
Dropout rate	4.2%	9.7%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Medical Clinical Sciences/Graduate Medical Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $150,242 Year 2: $188,472 Year 3: $221,242 Business/Commerce, General (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $188,472 Year 3: $216,176 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $187,194 Year 2: $170,971 Year 3: $206,288 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $120,709 Year 2: $189,565 Year 3: $194,961 Business/Commerce, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $162,478 Year 2: $163,561 Year 3: $177,652 Engineering-Related Fields (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $111,200 Year 2: $157,779 Year 3: $159,304 Engineering, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $140,321 Year 2: $141,586 Year 3: $154,556 Medical Illustration and Informatics (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $88,288 Year 2: $118,465 Year 3: $132,325 Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $118,780 Year 2: $111,323 Year 3: $130,124 Community Organization and Advocacy (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $115,760 Year 2: $113,668 Year 3: $128,046	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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