UC San Diego vs U of A

Envision yourself immersed in the vibrant academic landscapes of the University of California-San Diego (UCSD) and the University of Arizona (UA). While both institutions offer exceptional educational experiences, they possess distinct characteristics that may resonate differently with prospective students. UCSD boasts a highly selective admissions process, with an acceptance rate of 30.4%, while UA offers a more accessible pathway, accepting 81.3% of applicants. UCSD's student body is predominantly composed of California residents, whereas UA attracts a diverse population from across the nation and the globe. Explore the comparison table to delve into further details regarding popular majors, graduation rates, and other crucial factors that will aid you in selecting the university that best aligns with your aspirations and goals.

	University of Arizona	University of California-San Diego
Overview
Location	Tucson, Arizona	La Jolla, California
Campus setting	City: 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	84.0%	95.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	87.3%	34.2%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $85	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $120
SAT range	1120 - 1370	N/A
ACT range	21 - 29	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	13.0%
Students submitting ACT score	19.0%
Total number of applicants	48,065	118,386
Total number of admissions given out	41,946	40,493
Admitted students who chose to enroll	8,436	7,544
Yield rate	20.1%	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)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $30,136 Out of state: $54,658	In state: $35,116 Out of state: $64,870
Average net price	$17,242	$15,632
Tuition	In state: $11,299 Out of state: $35,821	In state: $11,442 Out of state: $41,196
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,400 Meal plan: $5,050	$16,145
Available payment plans	Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	92.0% Average amount $13,790	48.0% Average amount $18,083
Students receiving federal student loan	24.0% Average amount $4,845	21.0% Average amount $4,545
Students taking out private loans	3.0% Average amount $20,814	7.0% Average amount $4,851

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	37,434 Men 44.3% Women 55.7%	33,343 Men 48.7% Women 51.3%
Graduate students	10,840 Men 44.5% Women 55.5%	8,542 Men 57.6% Women 42.4%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	48.8%	16.6%
International students	6.5%	21.3%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	7,036	17,765
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Arizona California Washington Illinois Colorado	California Washington Texas New York Illinois

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Business Engineering Education Biological and Biomedical Sciences	Engineering Biological and Biomedical Sciences Computer and Information Science Health Professions Social Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	17:1	19:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	64.3%	89.4%
Dropout rate	14.3%	9.7%
Transferred out	19.6%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Physics (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $88,673 Year 2: $123,527 Year 3: $127,192 Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $110,426 Year 2: $117,473 Year 3: $122,962 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $110,630 Year 2: $103,746 Year 3: $104,908 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $100,116 Year 2: $83,388 Year 3: $98,461 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $91,677 Year 2: $92,743 Year 3: $98,271 Chemistry (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $84,653 Year 3: $96,308 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $89,806 Year 2: $75,518 Year 3: $89,884 Mining and Mineral Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $76,657 Year 2: $73,035 Year 3: $87,557 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $72,627 Year 2: $79,199 Year 3: $86,387 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $77,284 Year 2: $74,953 Year 3: $83,742	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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