Similar & reach alternatives
Schools Similar to University of California-San Diego
Compare alternatives to UC San Diego
The comparison groups for University of California-San Diego cover higher reported admission rates, similar admissions profiles, lower reported cost with similar earnings and options in the same state or region. Choose the question that matters to you, then compare the schools within that group.
Each decision angle has its own candidate list and ordering. A school may appear in more than one group, and a first-place match in one group should not be ranked against a first-place match in another.
Related institutional profiles are a separate comparison. Use the source notes to check the measures and reporting periods behind each list.
- Similar admissions profiles · 5 matches
- Higher admission rates · 5 matches
- Nearby alternatives · 5 matches
- Lower cost with similar earnings · 2 matches
- Similar overall profiles · 10 matches
Similar admissions profiles
This group compares colleges with admission rates within 10 percentage points of University of California-San Diego’s. Where comparable test-score data are available, the matching rules also limit the score difference.
Those reported school-level profiles are not application cutoffs or evidence that the same applicant would receive the same decision.
| School | UC San Diego · admission rate | Admission rate | Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of California-Irvine | 26.7% | 28.6% | $74,438 4 years after completion |
| Pitzer College | 26.7% | 25.2% | $69,786 4 years after completion |
| San Diego Christian College | 26.7% | 30.8% | $50,741 4 years after completion |
| California Institute of the Arts | 26.7% | 32.3% | $35,256 4 years after completion |
| University of California-Santa Barbara | 26.7% | 33.0% | $70,323 4 years after completion |
Higher admission rates
This group looks for colleges with a reported admission rate at least 10 percentage points above University of California-San Diego’s and four-year earnings within 15% of University of California-San Diego’s figure. It offers another starting point for an application list; a higher school-wide admission rate does not establish your chance of admission.
| School | UC San Diego · admission rate | Admission rate | Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Concordia University-Irvine | 26.7% | 66.0% | $83,064 4 years after completion |
| University of San Diego | 26.7% | 52.4% | $85,309 4 years after completion |
| University of Redlands | 26.7% | 82.7% | $75,863 4 years after completion |
| University of the Pacific | 26.7% | 71.3% | $81,820 4 years after completion |
| Stony Brook University | 26.7% | 49.0% | $81,850 4 years after completion |
Nearby alternatives
This group looks within University of California-San Diego’s state or the region defined by the matching source, with four-year earnings within 20% of University of California-San Diego’s. The ordering gives local candidates priority when available.
Sharing a state or region does not establish a particular commute, housing arrangement or available program.
| School | State | Earnings |
|---|---|---|
| University of California-Irvine | CA | $74,438 4 years after completion |
| Concordia University-Irvine | CA | $83,064 4 years after completion |
| University of San Diego | CA | $85,309 4 years after completion |
| University of California-Davis | CA | $73,086 4 years after completion |
| University of the Pacific | CA | $81,820 4 years after completion |
Lower cost with similar earnings
This group looks for a reported net price at least 15% below University of California-San Diego’s, with four-year earnings within 15% of University of California-San Diego’s figure. It can help identify schools worth comparing on cost, but the school-wide net price is not an aid offer or a matched price for your income band.
| School | UC San Diego · average annual net price | Average annual net price | Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| CUNY Bernard M Baruch College | $12,470 | $3,033 | $82,748 4 years after completion |
| CUNY Hunter College | $12,470 | $2,984 | $73,236 4 years after completion |
Similar overall profiles
Related-profile colleges come from a separate comparison. The source requires the same institution type, a bounded enrollment range and a nearby composite score, then orders the matches using composite score, four-year earnings, enrollment and region.
Program-mix flags describe the returned comparison; they are not additional terms in this list’s ordering formula.
| School | State | Earnings |
|---|---|---|
| University of California-Los Angeles | CA | $77,677 4 years after completion |
| University of Washington-Seattle Campus | WA | $82,515 4 years after completion |
| University of California-Berkeley | CA | $96,018 4 years after completion |
| University of California-Davis | CA | $73,086 4 years after completion |
| University of California-Irvine | CA | $74,438 4 years after completion |
| San Jose State University | CA | $89,614 4 years after completion |
| San Diego State University | CA | $68,268 4 years after completion |
| University of Colorado Boulder | CO | $76,850 4 years after completion |
| California State University-Long Beach | CA | $63,140 4 years after completion |
| California State University-Fullerton | CA | $63,753 4 years after completion |
Matching methods and sources
Data & methodology
Sources and reporting periods: methodology.
Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.
Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.
Figure notes link to sources and limitations. About College Azimuth.