UC Davis vs Iowa State

Envision yourself immersed in the vibrant college towns of Davis, California, and Ames, Iowa, home to the prestigious University of California-Davis (UC Davis) and Iowa State University (ISU), respectively. While both universities share a commitment to academic excellence and offer a diverse range of programs, they possess unique characteristics that cater to different student aspirations. UC Davis boasts a lower acceptance rate, indicating its highly selective admissions process, while ISU welcomes a broader range of applicants. Explore the nuances of each institution, from their popular majors and student demographics to graduation rates, in the comprehensive comparison table provided. Discover which university aligns best with your academic pursuits, personal preferences, and future goals.

	Iowa State University	University of California-Davis
Overview
Location	Ames, Iowa	Davis, California
Campus setting	City: Small	Suburb: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Quarter
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	88.0%	91.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	91.1%	48.8%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $60	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $120
SAT range	1083 - 1330	N/A
ACT range	21 - 28	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	13.0%
Students submitting ACT score	63.0%
Total number of applicants	20,357	87,120
Total number of admissions given out	18,550	42,475
Admitted students who chose to enroll	5,387	7,482
Yield rate	29.0%	17.6%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $22,152 Out of state: $37,964	In state: $32,584 Out of state: $62,338
Average net price	$15,422	$16,640
Tuition	In state: $8,324 Out of state: $24,136	In state: $11,442 Out of state: $41,196
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,590 Meal plan: $4,498	$17,018
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	87.0% Average amount $8,833	59.0% Average amount $17,628
Students receiving federal student loan	47.0% Average amount $5,202	23.0% Average amount $4,043
Students taking out private loans	11.0% Average amount $11,630	11.0% Average amount $3,360

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	25,808 Men 56.1% Women 43.9%	31,657 Men 39.8% Women 60.2%
Graduate students	4,900 Men 50.6% Women 49.4%	8,393 Men 43.8% Women 56.2%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	7.5%
International students	8.2%	17.0%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	Suburb: Small
Dormitory capacity	9,400	11,142
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	California Washington Illinois Texas Hawaii

Academics
Popular study areas	Engineering Agriculture Education Business Biological and Biomedical Sciences	Biological and Biomedical Sciences Business Agriculture Engineering Family and Consumer Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	18:1	21:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	76.0%	86.9%
Dropout rate	6.1%	11.8%
Transferred out	16.7%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $85,739 Year 2: $94,408 Year 3: $101,292 Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $80,956 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $95,081 Industrial Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $99,120 Year 2: $89,059 Year 3: $92,521 Veterinary Medicine (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $77,573 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $85,108 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $74,299 Year 2: $73,321 Year 3: $83,452 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $72,598 Year 2: $73,839 Year 3: $83,292 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $71,184 Year 2: $71,734 Year 3: $81,196 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $83,223 Year 2: $70,680 Year 3: $79,916 Construction Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $71,580 Year 2: $70,083 Year 3: $77,479 Chemical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $70,534 Year 2: $67,156 Year 3: $76,113	Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $121,903 Year 2: $135,393 Year 3: $137,917 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $127,500 Year 2: $125,015 Year 3: $135,009 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $106,299 Year 2: $116,258 Year 3: $127,335 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $76,488 Year 2: $81,609 Year 3: $103,694 Veterinary Biomedical and Clinical Sciences (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $80,669 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $100,961 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $112,976 Year 2: $98,186 Year 3: $99,585 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $81,487 Year 2: $82,440 Year 3: $98,364 Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $87,604 Year 3: $94,032 Engineering, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $74,487 Year 2: $70,370 Year 3: $89,594 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $73,514 Year 2: $74,262 Year 3: $87,586

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