Quad

Head-to-head

U. California-Santa Barbara
Berkeley

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    Berkeley's yield is 32 pts higher than U. California-Santa Barbara's

    Yield rate
  2. 2

    Berkeley grads earn $17.5K more ten years out than U. California-Santa Barbara's ($92,446 vs. $74,915)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  3. 3

    Berkeley is 3.0× more selective than U. California-Santa Barbara

    Acceptance rate
  4. 4

    U. California-Santa Barbara has 8 pts more first-gen students than Berkeley (42% vs. 35%)

    First-generation students
  5. 5

    Berkeley graduates 7 pts more of its students than U. California-Santa Barbara (94% vs. 87%)

    Graduation rate
  6. 6

    Berkeley is a bit larger (33,068 vs. 23,113)

    Undergrads

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

Berkeley admits 11%, U. California-Santa Barbara 33%; Berkeley's yield is higher, at 46%.

Acceptance rate
U. California-Santa Barbara33%
Berkeley11%
Quad's selectivity
  • U. California-Santa BarbaraVery selective
  • BerkeleyUltra selective
SAT middle 50%
U. California-Santa BarbaraTest-blind
BerkeleyTest-blind
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • U. California-Santa BarbaraGPA, school record, and prep program required
  • BerkeleyGPA and school record required

Who's on each campus

Berkeley is a bit larger than U. California-Santa Barbara (33,068 vs. 23,113 undergrads) and has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
U. California-Santa Barbara23.1K
Berkeley33.1K
Pell Grant share
U. California-Santa Barbara28%
Berkeley29%

Majors and faculty

Econometrics and Quantitative Economics leads at U. California-Santa Barbara, and Computer and Information Sciences at Berkeley.

Students per faculty member
U. California-Santa Barbara17 to 1
Berkeley18 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • U. California-Santa BarbaraEconometrics and Quantitative Economics11%
  • BerkeleyComputer and Information Sciences, Other10%

What each costs

U. California-Santa Barbara costs about $1.7K less a year than Berkeley on average; Berkeley's grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
U. California-Santa Barbara$34K
Berkeley$35.7K
Aid generosity
U. California-Santa Barbara28%
Berkeley31%

What each pays off

Berkeley's former students earn more, a median $92.4K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 80% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
U. California-Santa Barbara$74.9K
Berkeley$92.4K
Graduation rate
U. California-Santa Barbara87%
Berkeley94%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; both got more selective.

Applications, 10-year change
  • U. California-Santa BarbaraGrowing+65%
  • 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: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