PlainCollege

University of California-Berkeley vs Columbia University in the City of New York

Berkeley, CA · New York, NY · largest Scorecard gap: in-state tuition

Scorecard match plate

Pair CA:NY

MIXED-SECTOR · CROSS-STATE · ACCEPT-TIGHT · NET-SPLIT · EARN-SPLIT · DEBT-SPLIT · COMPLETE-HIGH · GAP-TUITION

  • MIXED-SECTOR Mixed sector
  • CROSS-STATE CA × NY
  • ACCEPT-TIGHT Tight admission
  • NET-SPLIT Net-price split
  • EARN-SPLIT Earnings split
  • DEBT-SPLIT Debt split
  • COMPLETE-HIGH High completion
  • GAP-TUITION Largest gap · In-State Tuition

Instrument codes from this pair's College Scorecard ownership, geography, acceptance, net price, earnings, debt, and completion, plus the ENROLL-RACE · wide · 2013–2023 decade-path stamp below, not a ranking or recommendation.

Decade path · College Scorecard

Both grew, one campus expanded much faster

ENROLL-RACE · wide · 2013–2023

Undergraduate headcount rose at both University of California-Berkeley and Columbia University in the City of New York across 2013–2023, with a wide pace gap, while acceptance rates tightened on both sides. Growth plus a shared selectivity squeeze is the board's distinctive shape.

  • University of California-Berkeley: enrollment grew +27.4% over 2013–2023; fitted +670 students/yr fitted, r² 0.92.
  • Columbia University in the City of New York: enrollment grew +11.7% over 2013–2023; fitted +92 students/yr fitted, r² 0.74.
  • University of California-Berkeley: acceptance rate tightened -35.2% across 2013–2023 (r² 0.59).
  • Columbia University in the City of New York: acceptance rate tightened -43.0% across 2013–2023 (r² 0.79).

College Scorecard institution series; dollars are nominal. Direction claims require r² ≥ 0.40 on the fitted annual slope, otherwise the page reports the observed range. Descriptive history, not a recommendation.

Scorecard metrics

Cards ordered by relative gap on this pair. Teal = better side.

Largest gaps: University of California-Berkeley vs Columbia University in the City of New York

  1. IN-STATE-TUITION University of California-Berkeley leads on in-state tuition ($16,347 vs $71,845 at Columbia University in the City of New York)
  2. ACCEPTANCE-RATE Columbia University in the City of New York leads on acceptance rate (4.0% vs 11.0% at University of California-Berkeley)
  3. MEDIAN-DEBT-AT-GRA University of California-Berkeley leads on median debt at graduation ($13,000 vs $21,500 at Columbia University in the City of New York)

University of California-Berkeley profile · Columbia University in the City of New York profile · Compare other colleges

Also on the Scorecard board

In-State Tuition and other Scorecard questions

On in-state tuition, who leads between University of California-Berkeley and Columbia University in the City of New York?▼
University of California-Berkeley leads on in-state tuition at $16,347 versus $71,845 at Columbia University in the City of New York. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
On acceptance rate, who leads between University of California-Berkeley and Columbia University in the City of New York?▼
Columbia University in the City of New York leads on acceptance rate at 4.0% versus 11.0% at University of California-Berkeley. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
On median debt at graduation, who leads between University of California-Berkeley and Columbia University in the City of New York?▼
University of California-Berkeley leads on median debt at graduation at $13,000 versus $21,500 at Columbia University in the City of New York. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard College Scorecard institution outcomes (earnings, completion, debt); in-state tuition focus for this pair · 2025