Quad

Head-to-head

U. Rochester
Santa Clara

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    Santa Clara grads earn $30.1K more ten years out than U. Rochester's ($109,183 vs. $79,042)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  2. 2

    U. Rochester's grants cover 38% of its full price on average, vs. 24% at Santa Clara

    Aid generosity
  3. 3

    U. Rochester costs about $9.9K less per year on average than Santa Clara ($53,024 vs. $62,874, all students)

    Average cost, all students
  4. 4

    U. Rochester has 6 pts more Pell recipients than Santa Clara (17% vs. 11%)

    Pell Grant recipients
  5. 5

    U. Rochester's SAT midpoint is 55 points higher than Santa Clara's

    SAT midpoint
  6. 6

    Santa Clara's yield is 4 pts higher than U. Rochester'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

Who's hardest to get into

U. Rochester admits 42%, Santa Clara 48%; Santa Clara's yield is higher, at 17%.

Acceptance rate
U. Rochester42%
Santa Clara48%
Quad's selectivity
  • U. RochesterVery selective
  • Santa ClaraVery selective
SAT middle 50%Axis 1200–1600
U. Rochester
1400–1510
Santa Clara
1330–1470
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • U. RochesterRigor and GPA very important56%
  • Santa ClaraGPA, school record, and prep program required54%

Who's on each campus

Santa Clara is a bit larger than U. Rochester (6,552 vs. 5,882 undergrads); U. Rochester has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
U. Rochester5.9K
Santa Clara6.6K
Pell Grant share
U. Rochester17%
Santa Clara11%

Majors and faculty

Biology/Biological Sciences leads at U. Rochester, and Finance at Santa Clara; U. Rochester has 9 students per faculty member to Santa Clara's 11.

Students per faculty member
U. Rochester9 to 1
Santa Clara11 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • U. RochesterBiology/Biological Sciences, General13%
  • Santa ClaraFinance, General14%

What each costs

U. Rochester costs about $9.9K less a year than Santa Clara on average, and its grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
U. Rochester$53K
Santa Clara$62.9K
Aid generosity
U. Rochester38%
Santa Clara24%

What each pays off

Santa Clara's former students earn more, a median $109.2K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 80% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
U. Rochester$79K
Santa Clara$109.2K
Graduation rate
U. Rochester88%
Santa Clara90%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; U. Rochester got less selective while Santa Clara held steady.

Applications, 10-year change
  • U. RochesterGrowing+23%
  • Santa ClaraGrowing+27%
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:University of Rochester Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2025;College Scorecard, most recent release;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;University of Rochester Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2027 applicants;IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;University of Rochester 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;Santa Clara University (Fall 2025), Fall 2025;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;Santa Clara University Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2027 applicants;Santa Clara University 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