CU Boulder vs. UCSC vs. Purdue

University of Colorado Boulder vs. University of California Santa Cruz vs. Purdue University Main Campus comparison

	University of Colorado Boulder	University of California Santa Cruz	Purdue University Main Campus	College 4
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Overview	CU Boulder	UCSC	Purdue
Location	Boulder, CO	Santa Cruz, CA	West Lafayette, IN
Setting	Small City	Small City	Midsize Suburban
Enrollment	41,432	19,764	52,905
Type	Public 4 Year	Public 4 Year	Public 4 Year
National Ranking	#197	#251	#103
Religious Affiliation	-	-	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	colorado.edu	ucsc.edu	purdue.edu
Team Colors

Comparable Facts

• University of Colorado Boulder is larger than than UCSC based on total student enrollment (41,432 students vs. 19,764 students)

CU Boulder vs. UCSC Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, CU Boulder or UCSC?

• University of Colorado Boulder is 24.9% more expensive to attend than UCSC for in-state tuition ($14,784.00 vs. $11,834.00)
• Out of state tuition is 5.7% higher at UCSC than University of Colorado Boulder ($42,611.00 vs. $40,297.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at University of California Santa Cruz than CU Boulder ($16,526 vs. $22,640)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at University of Colorado Boulder are 10.8% lower than costs at University of California Santa Cruz ($16,950 vs. $18,785)
• More students receive financial grant aid at University of California Santa Cruz than University of Colorado Boulder (65% vs. 54%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by University of California Santa Cruz students is 99% larger than aid received University of Colorado Boulder ($21,564 vs. $10,838)

CU Boulder vs. UCSC Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

• The average SAT score at University of Colorado Boulder (1212) is 11 points higher than at UCSC (1201)
• Incoming UCSC students have a 1 point higher average ACT score (28) than students at CU Boulder (27)
• Accepted freshman CU Boulder students have a 0.05 point higher average high school GPA (3.68) than students at UCSC (3.63)
• CU Boulder has a higher acceptance rate (83.3%) than UCSC (62.5%)

CU Boulder vs. UCSC Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, CU Boulder 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 CU Boulder.

• The graduation rate at UCSC is higher than University of Colorado Boulder (73% vs. 68%)
• Graduates from University of Colorado Boulder earn on average $6,500 more per year than UCSC graduates after ten years. ($56,900 vs. $50,400)
• University of Colorado Boulder students graduate with a $459 lower median federal student loan debt than UCSC graduates. ($19,500 vs. $19,959)
• CU Boulder graduates are paying $5 less per month on federal student loans than UCSC graduates. ($201 vs. $206)
• More UCSC graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former CU Boulder 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/