Quad

Head-to-head

University at Buffalo
U. California-Santa Cruz

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    U. California-Santa Cruz has 9 pts more first-gen students than University at Buffalo (37% vs. 28%)

    First-generation students
  2. 2

    U. California-Santa Cruz graduates 8 pts more of its students than University at Buffalo (80% vs. 72%)

    Graduation rate
  3. 3

    U. California-Santa Cruz's grants cover 30% of its full price on average, vs. 23% at University at Buffalo

    Aid generosity
  4. 4

    University at Buffalo's yield is 5 pts higher than U. California-Santa Cruz's

    Yield rate
  5. 5

    University at Buffalo costs about $2.5K less per year on average than U. California-Santa Cruz ($27,514 vs. $29,991, all students)

    Average cost, all students
  6. 6

    University at Buffalo grads earn $2.4K more ten years out than U. California-Santa Cruz's ($70,814 vs. $68,396)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs

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%, University at Buffalo 74%; University at Buffalo's yield is higher, at 14%.

Acceptance rate
University at Buffalo74%
U. California-Santa Cruz66%
Quad's selectivity
  • University at BuffaloSelective
  • U. California-Santa CruzSelective
SAT middle 50%Axis 1100–1600
University at Buffalo
1210–1380
U. California-Santa CruzTest-blind
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • University at BuffaloGPA and school record required50%
  • U. California-Santa CruzGPA, school record, and prep program required

Who's on each campus

University at Buffalo is a bit larger than U. California-Santa Cruz (20,112 vs. 17,940 undergrads) and has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
University at Buffalo20.1K
U. California-Santa Cruz17.9K
Pell Grant share
University at Buffalo33%
U. California-Santa Cruz32%

Majors and faculty

Business Administration and Management leads at University at Buffalo, and Computer Science at U. California-Santa Cruz.

Students per faculty member
University at Buffalo11 to 1
U. California-Santa Cruz22 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • University at BuffaloBusiness Administration and Management, General14%
  • U. California-Santa CruzComputer Science15%

What each costs

University at Buffalo costs about $2.5K less a year than U. California-Santa Cruz on average; U. California-Santa Cruz's grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
University at Buffalo$27.5K
U. California-Santa Cruz$30K
Aid generosity
University at Buffalo23%
U. California-Santa Cruz30%

What each pays off

University at Buffalo's former students earn more, a median $70.8K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 70% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
University at Buffalo$70.8K
U. California-Santa Cruz$68.4K
Graduation rate
University at Buffalo72%
U. California-Santa Cruz80%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; both got less selective.

Applications, 10-year change
  • University at BuffaloGrowing+67%
  • 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;University at Buffalo Common Data Set 2024–25, Fall 2024;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