PlainCollege

University of California-Santa Barbara vs Columbia University in the City of New York

Santa Barbara, CA · New York, NY · largest Scorecard gap: acceptance rate

Scorecard match plate

Pair CA:NY

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

  • MIXED-SECTOR Mixed sector
  • CROSS-STATE CA × NY
  • ACCEPT-GAP Admission gap
  • NET-SPLIT Net-price split
  • EARN-SPLIT Earnings split
  • 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 · single · 2013–2023 decade-path stamp below, not a ranking or recommendation.

Decade path · College Scorecard

Both enrollments grew, different paces

ENROLL-RACE · single · 2013–2023

Undergraduate headcount rose at both University of California-Santa Barbara and Columbia University in the City of New York across 2013–2023 on similar paces, while acceptance rates tightened on both sides, a growth-under-squeeze pattern rather than a pure size race.

  • University of California-Santa Barbara: enrollment grew +19.8% over 2013–2023; fitted +397 students/yr fitted, r² 0.83.
  • 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-Santa Barbara: acceptance rate tightened -37.5% across 2013–2023 (r² 0.63).
  • 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-Santa Barbara vs Columbia University in the City of New York

  1. ACCEPTANCE-RATE Columbia University in the City of New York leads on acceptance rate (4.0% vs 33.0% at University of California-Santa Barbara)
  2. IN-STATE-TUITION University of California-Santa Barbara leads on in-state tuition ($16,414 vs $71,845 at Columbia University in the City of New York)
  3. MEDIAN-EARNINGS-(6 Columbia University in the City of New York leads on median earnings (6 yr) ($88,535 vs $56,852 at University of California-Santa Barbara)

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

Acceptance Rate and other Scorecard questions

On acceptance rate, who leads between University of California-Santa Barbara 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 33.0% at University of California-Santa Barbara. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
On in-state tuition, who leads between University of California-Santa Barbara and Columbia University in the City of New York?▼
University of California-Santa Barbara leads on in-state tuition at $16,414 versus $71,845 at Columbia University in the City of New York. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
On median earnings (6 yr), who leads between University of California-Santa Barbara and Columbia University in the City of New York?▼
Columbia University in the City of New York leads on median earnings (6 yr) at $88,535 versus $56,852 at University of California-Santa Barbara. 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