Quad

Head-to-head

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    Saint Mary's College of California grads earn $18.2K more ten years out than Pacific's ($78,812 vs. $60,583)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  2. 2

    Saint Mary's College of California's grants cover 54% of its full price on average, vs. 50% at Pacific

    Aid generosity
  3. 3

    Saint Mary's College of California graduates 4 pts more of its students than Pacific (76% vs. 72%)

    Graduation rate
  4. 4

    Pacific's yield is 4 pts higher than Saint Mary's College of California's

    Yield rate
  5. 5

    Saint Mary's College of California is a bit larger (1,947 vs. 1,516)

    Undergrads
  6. 6

    Pacific has 3 pts more first-gen students than Saint Mary's College of California (29% vs. 26%)

    First-generation students

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

Saint Mary's College of California admits 87%, Pacific 90%; Pacific's yield is higher, at 13%.

Acceptance rate
Pacific90%
Saint Mary's College of California87%
Quad's selectivity
  • PacificOpen
  • Saint Mary's College of CaliforniaAccessible
SAT middle 50%Axis 800–1600
Pacific
900–1240
Saint Mary's College of CaliforniaTest-blind
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • PacificGPA and school record required
  • Saint Mary's College of CaliforniaGPA, school record, and prep program required

Who's on each campus

Saint Mary's College of California is a bit larger than Pacific (1,947 vs. 1,516 undergrads); Pacific has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
Pacific1.5K
Saint Mary's College of California1.9K
Pell Grant share
Pacific28%
Saint Mary's College of California27%

Majors and faculty

Exercise Science and Kinesiology leads at Pacific, and Business/Commerce at Saint Mary's College of California; both have 10 students per faculty member.

Students per faculty member
Pacific10 to 1
Saint Mary's College of California10 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • PacificExercise Science and Kinesiology13%
  • Saint Mary's College of CaliforniaBusiness/Commerce, General14%

What each costs

Pacific and Saint Mary's College of California cost about the same a year on average; Saint Mary's College of California's grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
Pacific$36.1K
Saint Mary's College of California$35.6K
Aid generosity
Pacific50%
Saint Mary's College of California54%

What each pays off

Saint Mary's College of California's former students earn more, a median $78.8K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 70% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
Pacific$60.6K
Saint Mary's College of California$78.8K
Graduation rate
Pacific72%
Saint Mary's College of California76%

How each has changed

Applications grew at Pacific but held steady at Saint Mary's College of California; both got less selective.

Applications, 10-year change
  • PacificGrowing+12%
  • Saint Mary's College of CaliforniaSteady+6%
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

Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why