University of California, Berkeley vs University of California, San Diego: Acceptance Rate, SAT & Net Price

University of California, Berkeley is the more selective of the two, admitting 11.0% of applicants versus 26.8% at University of California, San Diego. For a family earning $48,001–$75,000, the average net price is about $12,890 per year at University of California, Berkeley versus $9,942 at University of California, San Diego.

University of California, Berkeley vs University of California, San Diego: admissions and cost statistics from the most recent Common Data Set, IPEDS, and College Scorecard
MetricUniversity of California, BerkeleyUniversity of California, San Diego
Overall acceptance rate11.0%26.8%
Avg unweighted GPA3.93.7
Yield rate46.0%21.0%
Class size6,2727,330
Net price, $48,001–$75,000 income$12,890$9,942
Net price, over $110,000 income$29,890$28,785

Admissions and cost data as of July 3, 2026 (CDS 2024–25 cycle), from the most recent Common Data Set, IPEDS, and College Scorecard. Rows appear only where both colleges report the statistic.

Frequently asked questions

Is University of California, Berkeley harder to get into than University of California, San Diego?

Yes. University of California, Berkeley admits 11.0% of applicants, compared with 26.8% at University of California, San Diego, making it the harder school to get into, based on the most recent Common Data Set.

Which is cheaper for a middle-income family, University of California, Berkeley or University of California, San Diego?

For a family earning $48,001–$75,000, the average net price is about $12,890 per year at University of California, Berkeley and $9,942 at University of California, San Diego, so University of California, San Diego is the lower-cost option at that income level (source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard/IPEDS data).

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