Quad

Head-to-head

Florida Atlantic
U. California-Santa Cruz

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    U. California-Santa Cruz graduates 18 pts more of its students than Florida Atlantic (80% vs. 63%)

    Graduation rate
  2. 2

    Florida Atlantic costs about $12.2K less per year on average than U. California-Santa Cruz ($17,783 vs. $29,991, all students)

    Average cost, all students
  3. 3

    U. California-Santa Cruz grads earn $11.7K more ten years out than Florida Atlantic's ($68,396 vs. $56,746)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  4. 4

    Florida Atlantic's yield is 11 pts higher than U. California-Santa Cruz's

    Yield rate
  5. 5

    U. California-Santa Cruz is more diverse (index 0.76 vs. 0.70)

    Diversity index
  6. 6

    Florida Atlantic's grants cover 34% of its full price on average, vs. 30% at U. California-Santa Cruz

    Aid generosity

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 Cruz admits 66%, Florida Atlantic 66%; Florida Atlantic's yield is higher, at 20%.

Acceptance rate
Florida Atlantic66%
U. California-Santa Cruz66%
Quad's selectivity
  • Florida AtlanticSelective
  • U. California-Santa CruzSelective
SAT middle 50%Axis 900–1600
Florida Atlantic
1050–1220
U. California-Santa CruzTest-blind
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • Florida AtlanticRigor, GPA, rank, and tests very important61%
  • U. California-Santa CruzGPA, school record, and prep program required

Who's on each campus

Florida Atlantic is a bit larger than U. California-Santa Cruz (23,757 vs. 17,940 undergrads) and has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
Florida Atlantic23.8K
U. California-Santa Cruz17.9K
Pell Grant share
Florida Atlantic34%
U. California-Santa Cruz32%

Majors and faculty

Business Administration and Management leads at Florida Atlantic, and Computer Science at U. California-Santa Cruz.

Students per faculty member
Florida Atlantic24 to 1
U. California-Santa Cruz22 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • Florida AtlanticBusiness Administration and Management, General6%
  • U. California-Santa CruzComputer Science15%

What each costs

Florida Atlantic costs about $12.2K less a year than U. California-Santa Cruz on average, and its grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
Florida Atlantic$17.8K
U. California-Santa Cruz$30K
Aid generosity
Florida Atlantic34%
U. California-Santa Cruz30%

What each pays off

U. California-Santa Cruz's former students earn more, a median $68.4K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 60% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
Florida Atlantic$56.7K
U. California-Santa Cruz$68.4K
Graduation rate
Florida Atlantic63%
U. California-Santa Cruz80%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; U. California-Santa Cruz got less selective while Florida Atlantic held steady.

Applications, 10-year change
  • Florida AtlanticGrowing+111%
  • U. California-Santa CruzGrowing+76%
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;Florida Atlantic University Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2025;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;Florida Atlantic University Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2024;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;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023About 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