Quad

Head-to-head

Rutgers University-New Brunswick
U. California-Davis

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    U. California-Davis's grants cover 31% of its full price on average, vs. 21% at Rutgers University-New Brunswick

    Aid generosity
  2. 2

    U. California-Davis grads earn $6.4K more ten years out than Rutgers University-New Brunswick's ($80,838 vs. $74,479)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  3. 3

    U. California-Davis has 6 pts more first-gen students than Rutgers University-New Brunswick (41% vs. 35%)

    First-generation students
  4. 4

    U. California-Davis admits 42% vs. 58% at Rutgers University-New Brunswick

    Acceptance rate
  5. 5

    U. California-Davis graduates 4 pts more of its students than Rutgers University-New Brunswick (89% vs. 84%)

    Graduation rate
  6. 6

    Rutgers University-New Brunswick's yield is 4 pts higher than U. California-Davis'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

U. California-Davis admits 42%, Rutgers University-New Brunswick 58%; Rutgers University-New Brunswick's yield is higher, at 21%.

Acceptance rate
Rutgers University-New Brunswick58%
U. California-Davis42%
Quad's selectivity
  • Rutgers University-New BrunswickVery selective
  • U. California-DavisVery selective
SAT middle 50%Axis 1200–1600
Rutgers University-New Brunswick
1310–1500
U. California-DavisTest-blind
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • Rutgers University-New BrunswickRigor and GPA very important
  • U. California-DavisGPA, school record, and prep program required

Who's on each campus

Rutgers University-New Brunswick is a bit larger than U. California-Davis (37,751 vs. 32,253 undergrads); U. California-Davis has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
Rutgers University-New Brunswick37.8K
U. California-Davis32.3K
Pell Grant share
Rutgers University-New Brunswick28%
U. California-Davis31%

Majors and faculty

Computer and Information Sciences leads at Rutgers University-New Brunswick, and Research and Experimental Psychology at U. California-Davis.

Students per faculty member
Rutgers University-New Brunswick16 to 1
U. California-Davis22 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • Rutgers University-New BrunswickComputer and Information Sciences, General11%
  • U. California-DavisResearch and Experimental Psychology, Other10%

What each costs

Rutgers University-New Brunswick and U. California-Davis cost about the same a year on average; U. California-Davis's grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
Rutgers University-New Brunswick$32.2K
U. California-Davis$32.4K
Aid generosity
Rutgers University-New Brunswick21%
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 80% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
Rutgers University-New Brunswick$74.5K
U. California-Davis$80.8K
Graduation rate
Rutgers University-New Brunswick84%
U. California-Davis89%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; selectivity held steady at both.

Applications, 10-year change
  • Rutgers University-New BrunswickGrowing+115%
  • 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;Rutgers University-New Brunswick Common Data Set 2023–24, Fall 2025 applicants;Rutgers University-New Brunswick Common Data Set 2023–24, Fall 2023;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