Quad

Head-to-head

UT Austin
Berkeley

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    Berkeley grads earn $17.3K more ten years out than UT Austin's ($92,446 vs. $75,121)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  2. 2

    Berkeley's grants cover 31% of its full price on average, vs. 16% at UT Austin

    Aid generosity
  3. 3

    Berkeley is 2.0× more selective than UT Austin

    Acceptance rate
  4. 4

    Berkeley graduates 9 pts more of its students than UT Austin (94% vs. 85%)

    Graduation rate
  5. 5

    UT Austin costs about $6.5K less per year on average than Berkeley ($29,224 vs. $35,699, all students)

    Average cost, all students
  6. 6

    Berkeley has 7 pts more first-gen students than UT Austin (35% vs. 28%)

    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

Berkeley admits 11%, UT Austin 22%; UT Austin's yield is higher, at 49%.

Acceptance rate
UT Austin22%
Berkeley11%
Quad's selectivity
  • UT AustinHighly selectivefrom TexasUltra selectivefrom other states
  • BerkeleyUltra selective
SAT middle 50%Axis 1100–1600
UT Austin
1250–1510
BerkeleyTest-blind
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • UT AustinSchool record and prep program required
  • BerkeleyGPA and school record required

Who's on each campus

UT Austin is a bit larger than Berkeley (42,855 vs. 33,068 undergrads); Berkeley has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
UT Austin42.9K
Berkeley33.1K
Pell Grant share
UT Austin26%
Berkeley29%

Majors and faculty

Biology/Biological Sciences leads at UT Austin, and Computer and Information Sciences at Berkeley; both have 18 students per faculty member.

Students per faculty member
UT Austin18 to 1
Berkeley18 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • UT AustinBiology/Biological Sciences, General7%
  • BerkeleyComputer and Information Sciences, Other10%

What each costs

UT Austin costs about $6.5K less a year than Berkeley on average; Berkeley's grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
UT Austin$29.2K
Berkeley$35.7K
Aid generosity
UT Austin16%
Berkeley31%

What each pays off

Berkeley's former students earn more, a median $92.4K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 80% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
UT Austin$75.1K
Berkeley$92.4K
Graduation rate
UT Austin85%
Berkeley94%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; both got more selective.

Applications, 10-year change
  • UT AustinGrowing+88%
  • BerkeleyGrowing+68%
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:The University of Texas at Austin (Fall 2025), Fall 2025;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;The University of Texas at Austin 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;University of California-Berkeley (Fall 2026), Fall 2026;University of California-Berkeley Common Data Set, 2024-25;University of California-Berkeley Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2025;University of California-Berkeley 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