Comparison tool
Rankings across 8 publishers plus admissions, cost, debt and outcome data for University of California, Santa Cruz, Washington State University, University of Utah. Every figure is sourced and dated.
| Metric | UC Santa CruzSanta Cruz, CA | Washington StatePullman, WA | UtahSalt Lake City, UT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acceptance rate | 65.8% | 86.6% | 86.0% |
| SAT middle 50% | Not reportedUniversity of California-Santa Cruz reports that it neither requires nor recommends admissions test scores, and does not report a score range to the Department of Education. | Not reportedWashington State University reports that it neither requires nor recommends admissions test scores, and does not report a score range to the Department of Education. | 1190–1380 |
| Average net price | $17,89031.6% on Pell grants | $14,97127.4% on Pell grants | $16,20019.6% on Pell grants |
| Published tuition & fees | $16,005 in-state · $50,205 outMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release | $13,391 in-state · $29,950 outMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release | $9,620 in-state · $30,860 outMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release |
| 6-year graduation rate | 75.1% | 60.5% | 65.0% |
| First-year retention | 87.9% | 78.3% | 86.2% |
| Undergraduates on Pell grants | 31.6% | 27.4% | 19.6% |
| Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry | $68,396 | $68,905 | $67,170 |
| Median federal debt at graduation | $16,666 | $19,500 | $19,000 |
| Student-faculty ratio | 22:1 | 15:1 | 18:1 |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 17,940 | 21,099 | 27,264 |
| Consensus percentile | 24Lower is better | 24Lower is better | 24Lower is better |
| Methodology sensitivity | 38 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points | 38 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points | 32 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points |
Highlighted cells mark the most favourable value in that row where a direction is meaningful. No highlight appears for metrics like enrollment or SAT range, where “better” depends entirely on what you want.
“Not ranked by this source” means that publisher’s list does not include the school — not missing data and not a poor rank.
| Source | UC Santa Cruz | Washington State | Utah |
|---|---|---|---|
| US News | #88 of 436National universitiesNational Universities · 2026 | #192 of 436National universitiesNational Universities · 2026 | #151 of 436National universitiesNational Universities · 2026 |
| Forbes | #63 of 500Top colleges (Forbes)America's Top Colleges · 2026 | #139 of 500Top colleges (Forbes)America's Top Colleges · 2026 | #99 of 500Top colleges (Forbes)America's Top Colleges · 2026 |
| Washington Monthly | #198 of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars · 2026 | #158 of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars · 2026 | #335 of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars · 2026 |
| WSJ | #253 of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)Best Colleges in the U.S. · 2026 | #150 of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)Best Colleges in the U.S. · 2026 | #149 of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)Best Colleges in the U.S. · 2026 |
| Niche | #399 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 | #148 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 | #112 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 |
| Money | Listed | Listed | Listed |
| Princeton Review | Listed | Listed | Listed |
| QS | #460 of 1,504World (QS)World University Rankings · 2026 | #426 of 1,504World (QS)World University Rankings · 2026 | #542 of 1,504World (QS)World University Rankings · 2026 |
Students comparing University of California, Santa Cruz on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.
This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
Full profileStudents comparing Washington State University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.
This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
Full profileStudents comparing University of Utah on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.
This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
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