Quad

Head-to-head

U. South Florida
U. California-Davis

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    U. California-Davis grads earn $23.1K more ten years out than U. South Florida's ($80,838 vs. $57,743)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  2. 2

    U. South Florida costs about $13.7K less per year on average than U. California-Davis ($18,790 vs. $32,441, all students)

    Average cost, all students
  3. 3

    U. California-Davis graduates 14 pts more of its students than U. South Florida (89% vs. 75%)

    Graduation rate
  4. 4

    U. South Florida's yield is 7 pts higher than U. California-Davis's

    Yield rate
  5. 5

    U. California-Davis has 5 pts more first-gen students than U. South Florida (41% vs. 36%)

    First-generation students
  6. 6

    U. California-Davis is more diverse (index 0.78 vs. 0.73)

    Diversity index

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-Davis admits 42%, U. South Florida 43%; U. South Florida's yield is higher, at 23%.

Acceptance rate
U. South Florida43%
U. California-Davis42%
Quad's selectivity
  • U. South FloridaVery selective
  • U. California-DavisVery selective
SAT middle 50%Axis 1000–1600
U. South Florida
1130–1320
U. California-DavisTest-blind
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • U. South FloridaGPA and school record required
  • U. California-DavisGPA, school record, and prep program required

Who's on each campus

U. South Florida is a bit larger than U. California-Davis (37,207 vs. 32,253 undergrads); U. California-Davis has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
U. South Florida37.2K
U. California-Davis32.3K
Pell Grant share
U. South Florida29%
U. California-Davis31%

Majors and faculty

Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences leads at U. South Florida, and Research and Experimental Psychology at U. California-Davis.

Students per faculty member
U. South Florida22 to 1
U. California-Davis22 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • U. South FloridaHealth Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General11%
  • U. California-DavisResearch and Experimental Psychology, Other10%

What each costs

U. South Florida costs about $13.7K less a year than U. California-Davis on average, and its grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
U. South Florida$18.8K
U. California-Davis$32.4K
Aid generosity
U. South Florida32%
U. California-Davis31%

What each pays off

U. California-Davis's former students earn more, a median $80.8K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 70% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
U. South Florida$57.7K
U. California-Davis$80.8K
Graduation rate
U. South Florida75%
U. California-Davis89%

How each has changed

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

Applications, 10-year change
  • U. South FloridaGrowing+174%
  • U. California-DavisGrowing+63%
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