Quad

Head-to-head

U. California-Davis
U. California-Santa Barbara

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    U. California-Davis grads earn $5.9K more ten years out than U. California-Santa Barbara's ($80,838 vs. $74,915)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  2. 2

    U. California-Davis is a bit larger (32,253 vs. 23,113)

    Undergrads
  3. 3

    U. California-Santa Barbara admits 33% vs. 42% at U. California-Davis

    Acceptance rate
  4. 4

    U. California-Davis has 3 pts more Pell recipients than U. California-Santa Barbara (31% vs. 28%)

    Pell Grant recipients
  5. 5

    U. California-Davis's grants cover 31% of its full price on average, vs. 28% at U. California-Santa Barbara

    Aid generosity
  6. 6

    U. California-Davis's yield is 3 pts higher than U. California-Santa Barbara's

    Yield rate

The shape of each school

Each axis is a national rank among 4-year colleges; further out = more of it.

SelectivityTest scoresSizePell shareFirst-genDiversity

Hollow dots at the center mean that measure isn't reported.

Who's hardest to get into

U. California-Santa Barbara admits 33%, U. California-Davis 42%; U. California-Davis's yield is higher, at 16%.

Acceptance rate
U. California-Davis42%
U. California-Santa Barbara33%
Quad's selectivity
  • U. California-DavisVery selective
  • U. California-Santa BarbaraVery selective
SAT middle 50%
U. California-DavisTest-blind
U. California-Santa BarbaraTest-blind
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • U. California-DavisGPA, school record, and prep program required
  • U. California-Santa BarbaraGPA, school record, and prep program required

Who's on each campus

U. California-Davis is a bit larger than U. California-Santa Barbara (32,253 vs. 23,113 undergrads) and has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
U. California-Davis32.3K
U. California-Santa Barbara23.1K
Pell Grant share
U. California-Davis31%
U. California-Santa Barbara28%

Majors and faculty

Research and Experimental Psychology leads at U. California-Davis, and Econometrics and Quantitative Economics at U. California-Santa Barbara.

Students per faculty member
U. California-Davis22 to 1
U. California-Santa Barbara17 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • U. California-DavisResearch and Experimental Psychology, Other10%
  • U. California-Santa BarbaraEconometrics and Quantitative Economics11%

What each costs

U. California-Davis costs about $1.5K less a year than U. California-Santa Barbara on average, and its grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
U. California-Davis$32.4K
U. California-Santa Barbara$34K
Aid generosity
U. California-Davis31%
U. California-Santa Barbara28%

What each pays off

U. California-Davis's former students earn more, a median $80.8K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 80% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
U. California-Davis$80.8K
U. California-Santa Barbara$74.9K
Graduation rate
U. California-Davis89%
U. California-Santa Barbara87%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; U. California-Santa Barbara got more selective while U. California-Davis held steady.

Applications, 10-year change
  • U. California-DavisGrowing+63%
  • U. California-Santa BarbaraGrowing+65%
All the numbersEvery figure for these colleges in one table, with differences highlighted.
Sources for this comparisonEvery dataset and year behind the numbers in this comparison; tap any ⓘ for one number's source

Sources:IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard, 2023–24;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)

Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why