UCSC vs. UC Merced vs. ASU vs. Drexel

Should I go to University of California Santa Cruz or University of California Merced? Compare 50+ facts and figures about the colleges to help you determine if UCSC or UC Merced 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 Cruz vs. University of California Merced vs. Arizona State University vs. Drexel University comparison
University of California Santa Cruz University of California Merced Arizona State University Drexel University
University of California Santa Cruz University of California Merced Arizona State University Drexel University
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Overview

 UCSC UC Merced ASU Drexel
Location Santa Cruz, CA Merced, CA Tempe, AZ Philadelphia, PA
Setting Small City Rural Fringe Midsize City Large City
Enrollment 19,764 9,147 79,593 21,703
Type Public 4 Year Public 4 Year Public 4 Year Private 4 Year
National Ranking #251 #542 #384 #109
Religious Affiliation - - - -
Status Non-profit Non-profit Non-profit Non-profit
Website ucsc.edu ucmerced.edu asu.edu drexel.edu
Team Colors                                        

Costs

 UCSC UC Merced ASU Drexel
Tuition (In State) $11,834 $11,834 $11,308 $58,293
Tuition (Out of State) $42,611 $42,611 $31,450 $58,293
Room & Board $18,785 $20,293 $16,091 $17,550
Avg Net Price $16,526 $13,232 $16,401 $42,342
Avg Grant Aid $21,564 $24,868 $11,992 $33,654
% Receiving Grant Aid 65% 81% 89% 99%

Admission

 UCSC UC Merced ASU Drexel
Applied 68,845 67,891 68,840 40,204
Admitted 43,054 26,598 62,084 31,171
Acceptance Rate 62.5% 39.2% 90.2% 45.3%
Enrolled % 10.2% 9.1% 22.7% 4.6%
Avg High School GPA 3.63 3.55 3.54 3.67
Typical High School Grades B+ B+ B+ B+
Admissions Standards Very High Very Easy Challenging Very High
Applicant Competition Low High
ACT Range 25/33 19/24 21/28 27/33
SAT Range 1160/1360 960/1140 1100/1320 1230/1430
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 required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional)
Application Deadline Nov 30, 2025 Nov 30, 2025 Jan 15, 2026

Academics

 UCSC UC Merced ASU Drexel
Student to Faculty Ratio 22:1 21:1 18:1 9:1
Popular Majors
  • Social Sciences (17%)
  • Biology (14%)
  • Psychology (11%)
  • Visual and Performing Arts (10%)
  • Business (9%)
  • Psychology (22%)
  • Biology (21%)
  • Engineering (14%)
  • Social Sciences (13%)
  • Business (12%)
  • Business (20%)
  • Social Sciences (8%)
  • General Studies (8%)
  • Education (7%)
  • Communication (7%)
  • Health Professions (5%)
  • Business (4%)
  • Engineering (4%)
  • Visual and Performing Arts (2%)
  • Computer and Information Sciences (1%)

Outcomes

 UCSC UC Merced ASU Drexel
Graduation Rate 73% 58% 57% 68%
Median Earnings (After 10 years) $50,400 N/A $52,600 $77,400
Making Student Loan Payments 74% 64% 57% 77%
Median Student Loan Debt $19,959 $19,899 $20,278 $26,243
Median Loan Payment $206 $205 $209 $271

Diversity

 UCSC UC Merced ASU Drexel
% Men 5% 5% 10% 14%
% Women 5% 4% 8% 23%
Racial Diversity Very High Very High High High
HBCU No No No No
% White 33% 13% 52% 54%
% Black 2% 5% 4% 7%
% Hispanic 31% 48% 19% 6%
% Native American 0% 0% 1% 0%
% Pacific Islander 0% 1% 0% 1%
% Two or More Races 7% 4% 4% 3%
% International 4% 5% 12% 13%
% Unknown Race 2% 1% 1% 2%

Students

 UCSC UC Merced ASU Drexel
% In-State 91% 99% 61% 48%
% Out-of-State 7% 0% 32% 44%

Campus

 UCSC UC Merced ASU Drexel
Campus Housing Yes Yes Yes Yes
Freshman Dorm Required No No No No
Meal Plan Yes Yes Yes Yes
Weekend/Evening Classes No No Yes Yes
Daycare Facility Yes Yes Yes No
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Comparable Facts

  • University of California Santa Cruz is larger than than UC Merced based on total student enrollment (19,764 students vs. 9,147 students)

UCSC vs. UC Merced Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, UCSC or UC Merced?

  • University of California Santa Cruz and UC Merced 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 UCSC as University of California Merced ($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 Merced than UCSC ($13,232 vs. $16,526)
  • Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at University of California Santa Cruz are 8% lower than costs at University of California Merced ($18,785 vs. $20,293)
  • More students receive financial grant aid at University of California Merced than University of California Santa Cruz (81% vs. 65%)
  • The average total grant financial aid received by University of California Merced students is 15.3% larger than aid received University of California Santa Cruz ($24,868 vs. $21,564)

UCSC vs. UC Merced Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

  • The average SAT score at University of California Santa Cruz (1201) is 176 points higher than at UC Merced (1025)
  • Incoming UCSC students have a 5 point higher average ACT score (28) than students at UC Merced (23)
  • Accepted freshman UCSC students have a 0.08 point higher average high school GPA (3.63) than students at UC Merced (3.55)
  • UCSC has a higher acceptance rate (62.5%) than UC Merced (39.2%)

UCSC vs. UC Merced Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, UCSC or UC Merced? 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 UC Merced and UCSC.

  • The graduation rate at UCSC is higher than University of California Merced (73% vs. 58%)
  • University of California Merced students graduate with a $60 lower median federal student loan debt than UCSC graduates. ($19,899 vs. $19,959)
  • UC Merced graduates are paying $1 less per month on federal student loans than UCSC graduates. ($205 vs. $206)
  • More UCSC graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former UC Merced students, three years after graduation. (74% vs. 64%)

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