UC Santa Cruz vs Binghamton University

Nestled in the vibrant coastal town of Santa Cruz, California, and the bustling city of Binghamton, New York, University of California-Santa Cruz (UCSC) and Binghamton University (BU) stand as two distinct academic powerhouses. While both institutions share a commitment to academic excellence and student success, they offer unique experiences shaped by their diverse locations, student demographics, and academic strengths. UCSC boasts a higher acceptance rate, attracting a more diverse student body, while BU's smaller size fosters a close-knit community. Explore the detailed comparison table below to delve into the specifics of each university, including popular majors, graduation rates, and additional factors that may influence your college decision. Discover which institution aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences, setting the stage for a transformative educational journey.

	Binghamton University	University of California-Santa Cruz
Overview
Location	Vestal, New York	Santa Cruz, California
Campus setting	Suburb: Midsize	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	91.0%	89.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	44.2%	58.6%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $75	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $120
SAT range	1310 - 1470	N/A
ACT range	30 - 33	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	54.0%
Students submitting ACT score	13.0%
Total number of applicants	39,533	61,695
Total number of admissions given out	17,455	36,177
Admitted students who chose to enroll	3,089	4,187
Yield rate	17.7%	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: $29,454 Out of state: $45,484	In state: $36,107 Out of state: $65,861
Average net price	$17,881	$19,615
Tuition	In state: $7,070 Out of state: $23,100	In state: $11,442 Out of state: $41,196
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $11,433 Meal plan: $5,631	$17,429
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	60.0% Average amount $10,858	57.0% Average amount $19,199
Students receiving federal student loan	47.0% Average amount $5,434	20.0% Average amount $4,717
Students taking out private loans	6.0% Average amount $15,234	9.0% Average amount $3,115

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	14,307 Men 48.7% Women 51.3%	17,864 Men 52.2% Women 47.8%
Graduate students	3,748 Men 48.6% Women 51.4%	1,977 Men 53.4% Women 46.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	9.0%	5.7%
International students	9.0%	8.0%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Midsize	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	7,449	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 Mississippi	California Washington Colorado Oregon Texas

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Engineering Health Professions Computer and Information Science Biological and Biomedical Sciences	Social Sciences Physical Science Engineering Biological and Biomedical Sciences Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio	19:1	24:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	83.8%	78.1%
Dropout rate	3.5%	15.6%
Transferred out	12.2%	5.1%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $97,610 Year 2: $101,406 Year 3: $108,777 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $80,050 Year 2: $84,161 Year 3: $92,325 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $69,644 Year 2: $75,921 Year 3: $89,400 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $55,544 Year 2: $72,214 Year 3: $85,921 Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $71,035 Year 2: $75,518 Year 3: $83,024 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,692 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $82,373 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $66,297 Year 2: $67,886 Year 3: $81,290 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $69,124 Year 2: $68,443 Year 3: $79,790 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $66,746 Year 2: $69,002 Year 3: $76,626 Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $52,800 Year 2: $73,949 Year 3: $76,330	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 Binghamton University

Binghamton University

University of California-Santa Cruz

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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