UC San Diego vs UW-Madison

Nestled on the sunny shores of California and amidst the vibrant city of Madison, University of California-San Diego (UCSD) and University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison) stand as two prominent beacons of higher education. While both institutions share a commitment to academic excellence and offer a diverse range of programs, they also possess unique characteristics that set them apart. UCSD boasts a lower acceptance rate, a larger student body, and a higher graduation rate, while UW-Madison offers a wider array of undergraduate majors and a more affordable tuition for in-state students. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to delve into the specifics and discover which university aligns best with your aspirations and preferences.

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

Admission
Acceptance rate	34.2%	60.4%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $120	Undergraduate: $60 Graduate: $75
SAT range	N/A	1320 - 1500
ACT range	N/A	26 - 32
Students submitting SAT score		15.0%
Students submitting ACT score		55.0%
Total number of applicants	118,386	53,781
Total number of admissions given out	40,493	32,459
Admitted students who chose to enroll	7,544	8,465
Yield rate	18.6%	26.1%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $35,116 Out of state: $64,870	In state: $27,418 Out of state: $55,306
Average net price	$15,632	$13,484
Tuition	In state: $11,442 Out of state: $41,196	In state: $9,273 Out of state: $37,161
Room & board	$16,145	Room/dormitory: $7,367 Meal plan: $4,100
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	48.0% Average amount $18,083	54.0% Average amount $10,932
Students receiving federal student loan	21.0% Average amount $4,545	26.0% Average amount $5,175
Students taking out private loans	7.0% Average amount $4,851	6.0% Average amount $16,550

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	33,343 Men 48.7% Women 51.3%	34,561 Men 47.5% Women 52.5%
Graduate students	8,542 Men 57.6% Women 42.4%	12,455 Men 46.6% Women 53.4%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	16.6%	50.6%
International students	21.3%	13.8%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	17,765	9,226
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	California Washington Texas New York Illinois	Wisconsin Illinois Minnesota California New York

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

Outcome
Graduation rate	89.4%	89.2%
Dropout rate	9.7%	10.0%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	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	Finance and Financial Management Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $107,256 Year 3: $131,458 Marketing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $113,083 Year 2: $111,992 Year 3: $130,357 Business/Commerce, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $112,390 Year 2: $113,091 Year 3: $124,360 Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $96,320 Year 2: $117,042 Year 3: $123,777 Engineering, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $110,338 Year 2: $106,421 Year 3: $111,424 Real Estate (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $115,339 Year 3: $104,219 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $115,387 Year 2: $100,213 Year 3: $103,937 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $78,839 Year 2: $81,997 Year 3: $97,306 Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $85,538 Year 3: $94,093 Real Estate (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $69,730 Year 2: $73,949 Year 3: $91,306

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