Quad

Head-to-head

UCLA
Berkeley

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    Berkeley grads earn $9.9K more ten years out than UCLA's ($92,446 vs. $82,511)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  2. 2

    UCLA costs about $3.5K less per year on average than Berkeley ($32,201 vs. $35,699, all students)

    Average cost, all students
  3. 3

    UCLA has 4 pts more first-gen students than Berkeley (38% vs. 35%)

    First-generation students
  4. 4

    UCLA admits 9.0% vs. 11% at Berkeley

    Acceptance rate
  5. 5

    Berkeley's grants cover 31% of its full price on average, vs. 28% at UCLA

    Aid generosity
  6. 6

    UCLA's yield is 2 pts higher than Berkeley'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

UCLA admits 9.0%, Berkeley 11%; UCLA's yield is higher, at 48%.

Acceptance rate
UCLA9.0%
Berkeley11%
Quad's selectivity
  • UCLAUltra selective
  • BerkeleyUltra selective
SAT middle 50%
UCLATest-blind
BerkeleyTest-blind
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • UCLAGPA, school record, and prep program required
  • BerkeleyRigor and GPA very important

Who's on each campus

UCLA and Berkeley are about the same size; Berkeley has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
UCLA33.5K
Berkeley33.1K
Pell Grant share
UCLA28%
Berkeley29%

Majors and faculty

Econometrics and Quantitative Economics leads at UCLA, and Computer and Information Sciences at Berkeley; Berkeley has 18 students per faculty member to UCLA's 20.

Students per faculty member
UCLA20 to 1
Berkeley18 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • UCLAEconometrics and Quantitative Economics8%
  • BerkeleyComputer and Information Sciences, Other10%

What each costs

UCLA costs about $3.5K less a year than Berkeley on average; Berkeley's grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
UCLA$32.2K
Berkeley$35.7K
Aid generosity
UCLA28%
Berkeley31%

What each pays off

Berkeley's former students earn more, a median $92.4K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 90% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
UCLA$82.5K
Berkeley$92.4K
Graduation rate
UCLA93%
Berkeley94%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; both got more selective.

Applications, 10-year change
  • UCLAGrowing+69%
  • BerkeleyGrowing+68%
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:University of California-Los Angeles (Fall 2026), Fall 2026;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 2018;University of California-Berkeley (Fall 2026), Fall 2026;University of California-Berkeley Common Data Set, 2024-25;University of California-Berkeley Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2025;University of California-Berkeley Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2024About 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