UC Santa Cruz vs SUNY Albany

Envision yourself immersed in the vibrant coastal town of Santa Cruz or the historic charm of Albany, New York. University of California-Santa Cruz (UCSC) and SUNY at Albany (SUNYA) offer distinct experiences for students seeking higher education. UCSC boasts a lower acceptance rate, attracting a diverse student body with a strong emphasis on environmental studies and arts. In contrast, SUNYA welcomes a larger and more ethnically diverse student population, excelling in fields like business, social sciences, and health professions. While both universities offer a rich campus life, UCSC's proximity to the beach and redwood forests sets it apart, while SUNYA's urban location provides easy access to cultural attractions and internships. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to discover more about these institutions' acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, and graduation rates, and make an informed decision that aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	SUNY at Albany	University of California-Santa Cruz
Overview
Location	Albany, New York	Santa Cruz, California
Campus setting	City: Small	City: Small
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	82.0%	89.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	68.0%	58.6%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $75	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $120
SAT range	1090 - 1280	N/A
ACT range	22 - 29	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	15.0%
Students submitting ACT score	2.0%
Total number of applicants	21,265	61,695
Total number of admissions given out	14,458	36,177
Admitted students who chose to enroll	3,030	4,187
Yield rate	21.0%	11.6%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	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	In state: $26,578 Out of state: $44,418	In state: $36,107 Out of state: $65,861
Average net price	$17,350	$19,615
Tuition	In state: $7,070 Out of state: $24,910	In state: $11,442 Out of state: $41,196
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $9,558 Meal plan: $5,495	$17,429
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	84.0% Average amount $10,460	57.0% Average amount $19,199
Students receiving federal student loan	54.0% Average amount $5,299	20.0% Average amount $4,717
Students taking out private loans	8.0% Average amount $13,629	9.0% Average amount $3,115

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	12,654 Men 46.4% Women 53.6%	17,864 Men 52.2% Women 47.8%
Graduate students	4,421 Men 35.0% Women 65.0%	1,977 Men 53.4% Women 46.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	4.4%	5.7%
International students	6.6%	8.0%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	6,867	9,300
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 Maryland	California Washington Colorado Oregon Texas

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Business Public Administration and Social Service Health Professions Social Sciences	Social Sciences Physical Science Engineering Biological and Biomedical Sciences Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio	18:1	24:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	66.3%	78.1%
Dropout rate	8.5%	15.6%
Transferred out	24.4%	5.1%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Taxation (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $70,203 Year 2: $74,307 Year 3: $95,473 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $63,947 Year 2: $74,576 Year 3: $92,782 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $62,191 Year 2: $60,256 Year 3: $75,996 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,841 Year 2: $49,962 Year 3: $69,785 Public Administration (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $54,012 Year 2: $55,964 Year 3: $63,462 Public Health (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $54,175 Year 2: $49,270 Year 3: $61,387 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,902 Year 2: $40,510 Year 3: $58,543 Curriculum and Instruction (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $55,701 Year 2: $52,733 Year 3: $55,488 Information Science/Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $43,798 Year 3: $52,904 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,404 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $52,601	Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $75,207 Year 2: $79,150 Year 3: $93,848 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,040 Year 2: $63,530 Year 3: $85,557 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $66,378 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $82,012 Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $54,725 Year 2: $60,185 Year 3: $70,114 Biomedical/Medical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $53,515 Year 2: $48,823 Year 3: $68,276 Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,252 Year 2: $31,941 Year 3: $65,929 Economics (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $61,516 Year 3: $62,051 Business/Managerial Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,826 Year 2: $51,607 Year 3: $61,441 Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $53,511 Year 2: $54,894 Year 3: $57,162 Chemistry (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,243 Year 2: $36,938 Year 3: $54,748

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UC Santa Cruz vs SUNY Albany

SUNY at Albany

University of California-Santa Cruz

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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