Quad

Head-to-head

U. Maryland-Baltimore County
U. California-Santa Cruz

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    U. Maryland-Baltimore County's yield is 12 pts higher than U. California-Santa Cruz's

    Yield rate
  2. 2

    U. California-Santa Cruz graduates 10 pts more of its students than U. Maryland-Baltimore County (80% vs. 70%)

    Graduation rate
  3. 3

    U. California-Santa Cruz has 9 pts more first-gen students than U. Maryland-Baltimore County (37% vs. 27%)

    First-generation students
  4. 4

    U. California-Santa Cruz has 1.7× as many undergrads as U. Maryland-Baltimore County

    Undergrads
  5. 5

    U. Maryland-Baltimore County costs about $5.1K less per year on average than U. California-Santa Cruz ($24,925 vs. $29,991, all students)

    Average cost, all students
  6. 6

    U. California-Santa Cruz's grants cover 30% of its full price on average, vs. 26% at U. Maryland-Baltimore County

    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%, U. Maryland-Baltimore County 72%; U. Maryland-Baltimore County's yield is higher, at 22%.

Acceptance rate
U. Maryland-Baltimore County72%
U. California-Santa Cruz66%
Quad's selectivity
  • U. Maryland-Baltimore CountySelective
  • U. California-Santa CruzSelective
SAT middle 50%Axis 1100–1600
U. Maryland-Baltimore County
1240–1420
U. California-Santa CruzTest-blind
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • U. Maryland-Baltimore CountyGPA, school record, and prep program required
  • U. California-Santa CruzGPA, school record, and prep program required

Who's on each campus

U. California-Santa Cruz has 1.7× as many undergrads as U. Maryland-Baltimore County and has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
U. Maryland-Baltimore County10.7K
U. California-Santa Cruz17.9K
Pell Grant share
U. Maryland-Baltimore County30%
U. California-Santa Cruz32%

Majors and faculty

Computer Science leads at both; U. Maryland-Baltimore County has 17 students per faculty member to U. California-Santa Cruz's 22.

Students per faculty member
U. Maryland-Baltimore County17 to 1
U. California-Santa Cruz22 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • U. Maryland-Baltimore CountyComputer Science14%
  • U. California-Santa CruzComputer Science15%

What each costs

U. Maryland-Baltimore County costs about $5.1K less a year than U. California-Santa Cruz on average.

Average cost, all students
U. Maryland-Baltimore County$24.9K
U. California-Santa Cruz$30K
Aid generosity
U. Maryland-Baltimore County26%
U. California-Santa Cruz30%

What each pays off

U. Maryland-Baltimore County's former students earn more, a median $70K ten years after enrolling; both graduate at least 70% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
U. Maryland-Baltimore County$70K
U. California-Santa Cruz$68.4K
Graduation rate
U. Maryland-Baltimore County70%
U. California-Santa Cruz80%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; both got less selective.

Applications, 10-year change
  • U. Maryland-Baltimore CountyGrowing+40%
  • 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;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