UC San Diego vs University at Buffalo (UB)

Envision yourself immersed in the vibrant culture of San Diego or the spirited atmosphere of Buffalo, as you embark on a journey to compare two esteemed institutions: University of California-San Diego (UCSD) and University at Buffalo (UB). While both universities share a commitment to academic excellence, they offer distinct experiences shaped by their unique locations, student demographics, and academic strengths. UCSD boasts a higher acceptance rate, attracting a diverse student body from across the globe, while UB maintains a strong regional presence with a focus on undergraduate education. Explore their contrasting popular majors, ranging from engineering and biological sciences at UCSD to health professions and business at UB. Discover the nuances in their graduation rates, reflecting the dedication of each university to student success. Delve into the comparison table to uncover further insights and determine which university aligns best with your aspirations and goals.

	University at Buffalo	University of California-San Diego
Overview
Location	Buffalo, New York	La Jolla, California
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	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	83.0%	95.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	70.1%	34.2%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $75	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $120
SAT range	1180 - 1360	N/A
ACT range	25 - 31	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	29.0%
Students submitting ACT score	5.0%
Total number of applicants	30,750	118,386
Total number of admissions given out	21,552	40,493
Admitted students who chose to enroll	4,309	7,544
Yield rate	20.0%	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: $30,240 Out of state: $48,160	In state: $35,116 Out of state: $64,870
Average net price	$17,954	$15,632
Tuition	In state: $7,070 Out of state: $24,990	In state: $11,442 Out of state: $41,196
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,952 Meal plan: $6,500	$16,145
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	71.0% Average amount $8,810	48.0% Average amount $18,083
Students receiving federal student loan	45.0% Average amount $5,071	21.0% Average amount $4,545
Students taking out private loans	8.0% Average amount $13,892	7.0% Average amount $4,851

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	21,467 Men 54.3% Women 45.7%	33,343 Men 48.7% Women 51.3%
Graduate students	10,865 Men 47.5% Women 52.5%	8,542 Men 57.6% Women 42.4%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	3.2%	16.6%
International students	18.3%	21.3%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	7,711	17,765
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	New York New Jersey Pennsylvania Connecticut Florida	California Washington Texas New York Illinois

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Engineering Computer and Information Science Education Social Sciences	Engineering Biological and Biomedical Sciences Computer and Information Science Health Professions Social Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	13:1	19:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	73.8%	89.4%
Dropout rate	8.7%	9.7%
Transferred out	16.4%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $140,469 Year 2: $159,761 Year 3: $146,042 Dentistry (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $70,533 Year 2: $67,772 Year 3: $132,503 Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $95,335 Year 2: $104,510 Year 3: $123,979 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,109 Year 2: $61,020 Year 3: $82,514 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $70,415 Year 2: $68,499 Year 3: $78,884 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,859 Year 2: $67,101 Year 3: $76,613 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $54,249 Year 2: $61,078 Year 3: $75,877 Civil Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $63,773 Year 2: $66,653 Year 3: $75,097 Industrial Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,581 Year 2: $59,350 Year 3: $74,704 Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,797 Year 2: $59,485 Year 3: $72,822	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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