UC Irvine vs Iowa State

Envision yourself immersed in the vibrant academic landscapes of the University of California-Irvine (UCI) and Iowa State University (ISU), two esteemed institutions offering distinct educational experiences. UCI, nestled in the heart of Orange County, California, boasts a diverse student body and a reputation for academic excellence in fields like engineering, biological sciences, and social sciences. In contrast, ISU, located in the heartland of Ames, Iowa, prides itself on its strong agricultural and engineering programs, attracting students seeking a hands-on, research-intensive education. While both universities share a commitment to providing a transformative educational experience, they differ in acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, and graduation rates. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to discover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Iowa State University	University of California-Irvine
Overview
Location	Ames, Iowa	Irvine, California
Campus setting	City: Small	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	88.0%	93.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	91.1%	28.8%
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	107,950
Total number of admissions given out	18,550	31,110
Admitted students who chose to enroll	5,387	6,489
Yield rate	29.0%	20.9%
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: $35,033 Out of state: $64,787
Average net price	$15,422	$11,633
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	$16,869
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	87.0% Average amount $8,833	78.0% Average amount $16,868
Students receiving federal student loan	47.0% Average amount $5,202	18.0% Average amount $4,696
Students taking out private loans	11.0% Average amount $11,630	2.0% Average amount $7,702

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	25,808 Men 56.1% Women 43.9%	29,449 Men 45.4% Women 54.6%
Graduate students	4,900 Men 50.6% Women 49.4%	7,056 Men 49.8% Women 50.2%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	13.5%
International students	8.2%	18.0%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	9,400	15,493
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 Hawaii Texas New York

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

Outcome
Graduation rate	76.0%	83.7%
Dropout rate	6.1%	6.4%
Transferred out	16.7%	9.1%
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 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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