UC Santa Cruz vs University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC)

Nestled in the heart of Silicon Valley, University of California-Santa Cruz (UCSC) and the sprawling campus of University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) in the Midwest offer distinct educational experiences. UCSC boasts a lower acceptance rate, attracting a diverse student body with a strong emphasis on environmental studies and arts. UIUC, on the other hand, has a higher acceptance rate and is renowned for its engineering, business, and computer science programs. While both universities offer a vibrant campus life, UCSC's proximity to the beach and redwood forests provides a unique natural setting, while UIUC's Big Ten athletic programs and lively Greek life create a spirited college atmosphere. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to discover more about these two esteemed institutions and make an informed decision that aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	University of California-Santa Cruz	University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Overview
Location	Santa Cruz, California	Champaign, Illinois
Campus setting	City: Small	City: Small
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	89.0%	93.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	58.6%	59.7%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $120	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $70
SAT range	N/A	1320 - 1510
ACT range	N/A	29 - 34
Students submitting SAT score		43.0%
Students submitting ACT score		24.0%
Total number of applicants	61,695	47,593
Total number of admissions given out	36,177	28,395
Admitted students who chose to enroll	4,187	8,297
Yield rate	11.6%	29.2%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Not 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: $36,107 Out of state: $65,861	In state: $31,636 Out of state: $49,086
Average net price	$19,615	$14,272
Tuition	In state: $11,442 Out of state: $41,196	In state: $12,254 Out of state: $29,704
Room & board	$17,429	$12,494
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	57.0% Average amount $19,199	82.0% Average amount $11,212
Students receiving federal student loan	20.0% Average amount $4,717	33.0% Average amount $4,889
Students taking out private loans	9.0% Average amount $3,115	8.0% Average amount $7,014

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	17,864 Men 52.2% Women 47.8%	34,779 Men 54.1% Women 45.9%
Graduate students	1,977 Men 53.4% Women 46.6%	21,828 Men 55.8% Women 44.2%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	5.7%	19.1%
International students	8.0%	20.4%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	9,300	16,111
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	Yes
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	California Washington Colorado Oregon Texas	Illinois California New Jersey Texas New York

Academics
Popular study areas	Social Sciences Physical Science Engineering Biological and Biomedical Sciences Computer and Information Science	Engineering Business Computer and Information Science Agriculture Education
Students to faculty ratio	24:1	21:1
Institutional accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	78.1%	84.9%
Dropout rate	15.6%	14.2%
Transferred out	5.1%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	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	Computer Science (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $144,200 Year 2: $138,932 Year 3: $205,343 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $101,262 Year 2: $101,592 Year 3: $118,452 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $96,177 Year 2: $95,930 Year 3: $115,158 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $88,455 Year 2: $84,100 Year 3: $103,246 Human Resources Management and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $87,923 Year 2: $93,033 Year 3: $99,026 Taxation (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $96,057 Year 2: $99,404 Year 3: $96,431 Veterinary Medicine (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $83,448 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $93,057 Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $87,643 Year 2: $87,604 Year 3: $92,498 Law (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $67,633 Year 2: $74,200 Year 3: $92,189 Engineering Physics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $48,606 Year 2: $74,845 Year 3: $90,556

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