Comparison tool
Rankings across 8 publishers plus admissions, cost, debt and outcome data for University of California, San Diego, University of California, Irvine, University of Florida. Every figure is sourced and dated.
| Metric | UC San DiegoLa Jolla, CA | UC IrvineIrvine, CA | UFGainesville, FL |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acceptance rate | 26.7% | 28.6% | 24.2% |
| SAT middle 50% | Not reportedUniversity of California-San Diego reports that it neither requires nor recommends admissions test scores, and does not report a score range to the Department of Education. | Not reportedUniversity of California-Irvine reports that it neither requires nor recommends admissions test scores, and does not report a score range to the Department of Education. | 1320–1480 |
| Average net price | $12,47034.2% on Pell grants | $14,25136.1% on Pell grants | $6,54121.7% on Pell grants |
| Published tuition & fees | $16,758 in-state · $50,958 outMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release | $15,722 in-state · $49,922 outMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release | $6,381 in-state · $28,659 outMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release |
| 6-year graduation rate | 86.1% | 86.9% | 91.1% |
| First-year retention | 94.0% | 94.0% | 97.7% |
| Undergraduates on Pell grants | 34.2% | 36.1% | 21.7% |
| Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry | $84,943 | $80,735 | $71,588 |
| Median federal debt at graduation | $15,500 | $15,000 | $15,000 |
| Student-faculty ratio | 19:1 | 18:1 | 16:1 |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 34,948 | 30,197 | 35,629 |
| Consensus percentile | 5Lower is better | 9Lower is better | 9Lower is better |
| Methodology sensitivity | 6 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points | 17 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points | 15 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points |
Highlighted cells mark the most favourable value in that row where a direction is meaningful. No highlight appears for metrics like enrollment or SAT range, where “better” depends entirely on what you want.
“Not ranked by this source” means that publisher’s list does not include the school — not missing data and not a poor rank.
| Source | UC San Diego | UC Irvine | UF |
|---|---|---|---|
| US News | #29 of 436National universitiesNational Universities · 2026 | #32 of 436National universitiesNational Universities · 2026 | #30 of 436National universitiesNational Universities · 2026 |
| Forbes | #20 of 500Top colleges (Forbes)America's Top Colleges · 2026 | #31 of 500Top colleges (Forbes)America's Top Colleges · 2026 | #30 of 500Top colleges (Forbes)America's Top Colleges · 2026 |
| Washington Monthly | #109 of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars · 2026 | #139 of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars · 2026 | #113 of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars · 2026 |
| WSJ | #30 of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)Best Colleges in the U.S. · 2026 | #31 of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)Best Colleges in the U.S. · 2026 | #83 of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)Best Colleges in the U.S. · 2026 |
| Niche | #45 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 | #69 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 | #31 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 |
| Money | Listed | Listed | Listed |
| Princeton Review | Listed | Listed | Listed |
| QS | Not ranked by this source | #293 of 1,504World (QS)World University Rankings · 2026 | #213 of 1,504World (QS)World University Rankings · 2026 |
Students comparing University of California, San Diego on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.
This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
Full profileStudents comparing University of California, Irvine on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.
This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
Full profileStudents comparing University of Florida on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.
This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
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