UC Davis vs. Cal Poly vs. San Diego State

University of California Davis vs. California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo vs. San Diego State University comparison

	University of California Davis	California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo	San Diego State University	College 4
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Overview	UC Davis	Cal Poly	San Diego State
Location	Davis, CA	San Luis Obispo, CA	San Diego, CA
Setting	Small Suburban	Small Suburban	Large City
Enrollment	39,707	22,485	39,241
Type	Public 4 Year	Public 4 Year	Public 4 Year
National Ranking	#99	#146	#337
Religious Affiliation	-	-	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	ucdavis.edu	calpoly.edu	sdsu.edu
Team Colors

Comparable Facts

• University of California Davis is larger than than Cal Poly based on total student enrollment (39,707 students vs. 22,485 students)

UC Davis vs. Cal Poly Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, UC Davis or Cal Poly?

• University of California Davis is 106.1% more expensive to attend than Cal Poly for in-state tuition ($11,834.00 vs. $5,742.00)
• Out of state tuition is 141.8% higher at UC Davis than California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo ($42,611.00 vs. $17,622.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo than UC Davis ($16,888 vs. $17,315)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo are 10.7% lower than costs at University of California Davis ($17,220 vs. $19,068)
• More students receive financial grant aid at University of California Davis than California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo (51% vs. 48%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by University of California Davis students is 67.3% larger than aid received California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo ($21,258 vs. $12,707)

UC Davis vs. Cal Poly Admissions Difficulty Comparison

Which college is harder to get into, UC Davis or Cal Poly? Average SAT and ACT scores plus acceptance rates offer good insight into the difficulty of admission between Cal Poly or UC Davis .

• The average SAT score at California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo (1259) is 33 points higher than at UC Davis (1226)
• Incoming Cal Poly students have a 1 point higher average ACT score (29) than students at UC Davis (28)
• Accepted freshman UC Davis students have at the same average high school GPA (4.0) as students at Cal Poly (4.0)
• UC Davis has a higher acceptance rate (41.6%) than Cal Poly (29.8%)

UC Davis vs. Cal Poly Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, UC Davis or Cal Poly? Graduation rate, salary and amount of student loan debt are indicators of a college which offers better outcomes for its graduates. Compare the following outcomes facts between Cal Poly and UC Davis.

• The graduation rate at UC Davis is higher than California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo (82% vs. 75%)
• Graduates from California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo earn on average $4,200 more per year than UC Davis graduates after ten years. ($69,400 vs. $65,200)
• University of California Davis students graduate with a $3,990 lower median federal student loan debt than Cal Poly graduates. ($14,676 vs. $18,666)
• UC Davis graduates are paying $42 less per month on federal student loans than Cal Poly graduates. ($151 vs. $193)
• More Cal Poly graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former UC Davis students, three years after graduation. (85% vs. 82%)

Sources: U.S. Department of Education https://nces.ed.gov IPEDS and College Scorecard https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/