UC Santa Cruz vs Berkeley

Nestled in the heart of Silicon Valley, University of California-Berkeley (UCB) and the coastal gem, University of California-Santa Cruz (UCSC), stand as two distinct beacons of higher education within the prestigious University of California system. While both institutions share a commitment to academic excellence, they offer unique experiences that cater to diverse student aspirations. UCB, renowned for its rigorous academics and vibrant campus life, boasts a lower acceptance rate and a higher graduation rate compared to UCSC. On the other hand, UCSC, known for its relaxed atmosphere and focus on undergraduate education, attracts a more diverse student body and offers a wider range of undergraduate majors. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to delve into the specifics of each university, including acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, and graduation rates, to help you make an informed decision that aligns with your academic goals and personal preferences.

	University of California-Berkeley	University of California-Santa Cruz
Overview
Location	Berkeley, California	Santa Cruz, California
Campus setting	City: 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	96.0%	89.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	14.4%	58.6%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $120	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $120
SAT range	N/A	N/A
ACT range	N/A	N/A
Students submitting SAT score
Students submitting ACT score
Total number of applicants	112,843	61,695
Total number of admissions given out	16,295	36,177
Admitted students who chose to enroll	6,931	4,187
Yield rate	42.5%	11.6%
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: $37,920 Out of state: $67,674	In state: $36,107 Out of state: $65,861
Average net price	$17,652	$19,615
Tuition	In state: $11,442 Out of state: $41,196	In state: $11,442 Out of state: $41,196
Room & board	$20,236	$17,429
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	52.0% Average amount $21,406	57.0% Average amount $19,199
Students receiving federal student loan	15.0% Average amount $4,586	20.0% Average amount $4,717
Students taking out private loans	6.0% Average amount $7,122	9.0% Average amount $3,115

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	31,814 Men 45.4% Women 54.6%	17,864 Men 52.2% Women 47.8%
Graduate students	13,222 Men 51.7% Women 48.3%	1,977 Men 53.4% Women 46.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	16.9%	5.7%
International students	18.0%	8.0%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	9,630	9,300
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	California New Jersey Texas Virginia New York	California Washington Colorado Oregon Texas

Academics
Popular study areas	Engineering Business Computer and Information Science Legal Profession Health Professions	Social Sciences Physical Science Engineering Biological and Biomedical Sciences Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio	20:1	24:1
Institutional accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	92.8%	78.1%
Dropout rate	6.3%	15.6%
Transferred out	N/A	5.1%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $171,936 Year 3: $191,597 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $122,038 Year 3: $167,052 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $125,250 Year 2: $125,388 Year 3: $161,399 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $126,367 Year 2: $128,868 Year 3: $160,666 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $160,390 Year 2: $142,470 Year 3: $143,984 Information Science/Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $119,358 Year 3: $143,516 Chemistry (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $107,442 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $112,973 Optometry (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $74,750 Year 2: $91,363 Year 3: $104,601 Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $95,600 Year 2: $85,760 Year 3: $103,738 Applied Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $71,282 Year 2: $65,387 Year 3: $102,543	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

Compare Similar Colleges

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UC Santa Cruz vs Berkeley

University of California-Berkeley

University of California-Santa Cruz

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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