PlainCollege

University of California-San Diego vs University of California-Los Angeles

La Jolla, CA · Los Angeles, CA · largest Scorecard gap: acceptance rate

Scorecard match plate

Pair CA:CA

PUBLIC-PAIR · SAME-STATE · ACCEPT-GAP · NET-PAR · EARN-PAR · DEBT-SPLIT · COMPLETE-HIGH · GAP-ACCEPT

  • PUBLIC-PAIR Public pair
  • SAME-STATE Same state · CA
  • ACCEPT-GAP Admission gap
  • NET-PAR Net near-par
  • EARN-PAR Earnings near-par
  • DEBT-SPLIT Debt split
  • COMPLETE-HIGH High completion
  • GAP-ACCEPT Largest gap · Acceptance Rate

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-San Diego and University of California-Los Angeles 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-San Diego: enrollment grew +42.0% over 2013–2023; fitted +1,028 students/yr fitted, r² 0.97.
  • University of California-Los Angeles: enrollment grew +15.3% over 2013–2023; fitted +389 students/yr fitted, r² 0.94.
  • University of California-San Diego: acceptance rate tightened -34.6% across 2013–2023 (r² 0.46).
  • University of California-Los Angeles: acceptance rate tightened -60.3% across 2013–2023 (r² 0.93).

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-San Diego vs University of California-Los Angeles

  1. ACCEPTANCE-RATE University of California-Los Angeles leads on acceptance rate (9.0% vs 26.7% at University of California-San Diego)
  2. MEDIAN-EARNINGS-(6 University of California-San Diego leads on median earnings (6 yr) ($65,669 vs $59,063 at University of California-Los Angeles)
  3. MEDIAN-DEBT-AT-GRA University of California-Los Angeles leads on median debt at graduation ($14,000 vs $15,500 at University of California-San Diego)

University of California-San Diego profile · University of California-Los Angeles profile · Compare other colleges

Also on the Scorecard board

Acceptance Rate and other Scorecard questions

On acceptance rate, who leads between University of California-San Diego and University of California-Los Angeles?▼
University of California-Los Angeles leads on acceptance rate at 9.0% versus 26.7% at University of California-San Diego. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
On median earnings (6 yr), who leads between University of California-San Diego and University of California-Los Angeles?▼
University of California-San Diego leads on median earnings (6 yr) at $65,669 versus $59,063 at University of California-Los Angeles. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
On median debt at graduation, who leads between University of California-San Diego and University of California-Los Angeles?▼
University of California-Los Angeles leads on median debt at graduation at $14,000 versus $15,500 at University of California-San Diego. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

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