UC Irvine vs CSU-FC

Envision yourself immersed in the vibrant academic landscapes of the University of California-Irvine (UCI) and Colorado State University-Fort Collins (CSU). While both institutions offer exceptional educational experiences, they possess distinct characteristics that may resonate differently with prospective students. UCI, nestled in sunny Southern California, boasts a diverse student body and a strong emphasis on research, while CSU, situated in the picturesque Rocky Mountains, excels in agricultural sciences and veterinary medicine. With acceptance rates of 30% and 79%, respectively, UCI's selectivity may pose a greater challenge for admission, but both universities provide ample opportunities for academic success. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to delve into further details, including popular majors, student demographics, and graduation rates, and discover which institution aligns best with your aspirations and goals.

	Colorado State University-Fort Collins	University of California-Irvine
Overview
Location	Fort Collins, Colorado	Irvine, California
Campus setting	City: Midsize	City: Large
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	86.0%	93.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	89.6%	28.8%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $60	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $120
SAT range	1080 - 1290	N/A
ACT range	23 - 29	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	38.0%
Students submitting ACT score	17.0%
Total number of applicants	31,586	107,950
Total number of admissions given out	28,314	31,110
Admitted students who chose to enroll	5,197	6,489
Yield rate	18.4%	20.9%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	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: $27,174 Out of state: $46,456	In state: $35,033 Out of state: $64,787
Average net price	$18,320	$11,633
Tuition	In state: $9,709 Out of state: $28,991	In state: $11,442 Out of state: $41,196
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $6,186 Meal plan: $6,830	$16,869
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	70.0% Average amount $10,034	78.0% Average amount $16,868
Students receiving federal student loan	36.0% Average amount $5,018	18.0% Average amount $4,696
Students taking out private loans	7.0% Average amount $19,976	2.0% Average amount $7,702

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	24,954 Men 45.6% Women 54.4%	29,449 Men 45.4% Women 54.6%
Graduate students	7,632 Men 43.7% Women 56.3%	7,056 Men 49.8% Women 50.2%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	34.3%	13.5%
International students	4.8%	18.0%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	8,300	15,493
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Colorado California Texas Illinois Washington	California Washington Hawaii Texas New York

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Engineering Biological and Biomedical Sciences Agriculture Kinesiology & Leisure Studies	Business Biological and Biomedical Sciences Health Professions Engineering Education
Students to faculty ratio	17:1	18:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	69.1%	83.7%
Dropout rate	18.5%	6.4%
Transferred out	10.4%	9.1%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Business/Commerce, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $94,915 Year 3: $106,015 Engineering, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $82,613 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $95,296 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $74,379 Year 2: $75,706 Year 3: $93,827 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $98,747 Year 2: $80,301 Year 3: $92,215 Chemistry (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $73,256 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $89,957 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $72,253 Year 2: $73,070 Year 3: $88,889 Veterinary Medicine (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $77,603 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $88,546 Information Science/Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $76,387 Year 2: $83,546 Year 3: $86,814 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,629 Year 2: $71,778 Year 3: $83,089 Biomedical/Medical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $55,849 Year 2: $67,101 Year 3: $80,723	Health and Medical Administrative Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $122,124 Year 2: $190,536 Year 3: $178,048 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $104,708 Year 2: $90,983 Year 3: $109,642 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $109,417 Year 2: $115,339 Year 3: $102,324 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $77,451 Year 2: $97,959 Year 3: $101,335 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $72,618 Year 2: $81,929 Year 3: $95,882 Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $79,284 Year 3: $95,654 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $70,796 Year 2: $73,128 Year 3: $86,654 Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $55,841 Year 2: $65,332 Year 3: $85,004 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,056 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $80,300 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,396 Year 2: $65,387 Year 3: $80,210

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