UCSB vs. UCSC vs. San Diego State vs. Cal State Fullerton

Should I go to University of California Santa Barbara or University of California Santa Cruz? Compare 50+ facts and figures about the colleges to help you determine if UCSB or UCSC is the better college for you. The CollegeSimply comparison tool allows side-by-side comparison of 50+ statistics and facts for over 2,500 colleges and universities.
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University of California Santa Barbara vs. University of California Santa Cruz vs. San Diego State University vs. California State University Fullerton comparison
University of California Santa Barbara University of California Santa Cruz San Diego State University California State University Fullerton
University of California Santa Barbara University of California Santa Cruz San Diego State University California State University Fullerton
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Overview

 UCSB UCSC San Diego State Cal State Fullerton
Location Santa Barbara, CA Santa Cruz, CA San Diego, CA Fullerton, CA
Setting Midsize Suburban Small City Large City Midsize City
Enrollment 26,068 19,764 39,241 41,962
Type Public 4 Year Public 4 Year Public 4 Year Public 4 Year
National Ranking #112 #251 #337 #786
Religious Affiliation - - - -
Status Non-profit Non-profit Non-profit Non-profit
Website ucsb.edu ucsc.edu sdsu.edu fullerton.edu
Team Colors                                        

Costs

 UCSB UCSC San Diego State Cal State Fullerton
Tuition (In State) $11,834 $11,834 $5,742 $5,742
Tuition (Out of State) $42,611 $42,611 $17,622 $17,622
Room & Board $18,684 $18,785 $21,630 $18,348
Avg Net Price $15,283 $16,526 $19,500 $6,283
Avg Grant Aid $21,732 $21,564 $5,459 $10,445
% Receiving Grant Aid 50% 65% 94% 78%

Admission

 UCSB UCSC San Diego State Cal State Fullerton
Applied 110,871 68,845 82,800 48,591
Admitted 30,804 43,054 28,517 42,149
Acceptance Rate 27.8% 62.5% 34.4% 50.9%
Enrolled % 16.4% 10.2% 21.6% 24.8%
Avg High School GPA 3.82 3.63 3.82 3.77
Typical High School Grades A- B+ A- A-
Admissions Standards Exceptional Very High Challenging Very Easy
Applicant Competition High Low High
ACT Range 28/34 25/33 22/29 18/23
SAT Range 1230/1460 1160/1360 1090/1300 1000/1180
Submit Test Scores Not considered for admission, even if submitted (Test Blind) Not considered for admission, even if submitted (Test Blind) Not considered for admission, even if submitted (Test Blind) Not considered for admission, even if submitted (Test Blind)
Application Deadline Nov 30, 2025 Nov 30, 2025 Nov 30, 2025 Nov 30, 2025

Academics

 UCSB UCSC San Diego State Cal State Fullerton
Student to Faculty Ratio 17:1 22:1 22:1 22:1
Popular Majors
  • Social Sciences (20%)
  • Business (11%)
  • Psychology (10%)
  • Biology (7%)
  • Visual and Performing Arts (7%)
  • Social Sciences (17%)
  • Biology (14%)
  • Psychology (11%)
  • Visual and Performing Arts (10%)
  • Business (9%)
  • Business (23%)
  • Social Sciences (13%)
  • Psychology (8%)
  • English and Literature (7%)
  • Health Professions (7%)
  • Business (26%)
  • Communication (15%)
  • Social Sciences (8%)
  • Health Professions (7%)
  • Psychology (6%)

Outcomes

 UCSB UCSC San Diego State Cal State Fullerton
Graduation Rate 80% 73% 66% 50%
Median Earnings (After 10 years) $59,000 $50,400 $53,400 $49,000
Making Student Loan Payments 73% 74% 65% 69%
Median Student Loan Debt $16,451 $19,959 $15,349 $15,000
Median Loan Payment $170 $206 $158 $155

Diversity

 UCSB UCSC San Diego State Cal State Fullerton
% Men 6% 5% 5% 4%
% Women 5% 5% 8% 7%
Racial Diversity Very High Very High Very High Very High
HBCU No No No No
% White 35% 33% 34% 22%
% Black 2% 2% 4% 2%
% Hispanic 26% 31% 31% 40%
% Native American 0% 0% 0% 0%
% Pacific Islander 0% 0% 0% 0%
% Two or More Races 8% 7% 7% 4%
% International 7% 4% 6% 6%
% Unknown Race 3% 2% 4% 4%

Students

 UCSB UCSC San Diego State Cal State Fullerton
% In-State 80% 91% 75% 99%
% Out-of-State 9% 7% 23% 1%

Campus

 UCSB UCSC San Diego State Cal State Fullerton
Campus Housing Yes Yes Yes Yes
Freshman Dorm Required No No No No
Meal Plan Yes Yes Yes Yes
Weekend/Evening Classes No No No No
Daycare Facility Yes Yes Yes Yes
Learn More Details Details Details Details

Comparable Facts

  • University of California Santa Barbara is larger than than UCSC based on total student enrollment (26,068 students vs. 19,764 students)

UCSB vs. UCSC Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, UCSB or UCSC?

  • University of California Santa Barbara and UCSC cost the same to attend based on in-state tuition ($11,834.00 vs. $11,834.00)
  • Out of state tuition is the same at UCSB as University of California Santa Cruz ($42,611.00 vs. $42,611.00)
  • The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at University of California Santa Barbara than UCSC ($15,283 vs. $16,526)
  • Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at University of California Santa Barbara are 0.5% lower than costs at University of California Santa Cruz ($18,684 vs. $18,785)
  • More students receive financial grant aid at University of California Santa Cruz than University of California Santa Barbara (65% vs. 50%)
  • The average total grant financial aid received by University of California Santa Barbara students is 0.8% larger than aid received University of California Santa Cruz ($21,732 vs. $21,564)

UCSB vs. UCSC Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

  • The average SAT score at University of California Santa Barbara (1248) is 47 points higher than at UCSC (1201)
  • Incoming UCSB students have a 1 point higher average ACT score (29) than students at UCSC (28)
  • Accepted freshman UCSB students have a 0.19 point higher average high school GPA (3.82) than students at UCSC (3.63)
  • UCSC has a higher acceptance rate (62.5%) than UCSB (27.8%)

UCSB vs. UCSC Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, UCSB or UCSC? 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 UCSC and UCSB.

  • The graduation rate at UCSB is higher than University of California Santa Cruz (80% vs. 73%)
  • Graduates from University of California Santa Barbara earn on average $8,600 more per year than UCSC graduates after ten years. ($59,000 vs. $50,400)
  • University of California Santa Barbara students graduate with a $3,508 lower median federal student loan debt than UCSC graduates. ($16,451 vs. $19,959)
  • UCSB graduates are paying $36 less per month on federal student loans than UCSC graduates. ($170 vs. $206)
  • More UCSC graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former UCSB students, three years after graduation. (74% vs. 73%)

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