University of California - Berkeley vs California State University - Los Angeles

The University of California, Berkeley is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. California State University, Los Angeles is a public university in Los Angeles, California.

Overview Comparison
University of CaliforniaCalifornia State University
Collegedunia Score8.4 Out of 104.1 Out of 10
ranking (overall)# 9 Times Higher Education 2024
# 10 QS World University 2024
# 15 US News 2024
# 1401 QS World University 2024
# 1201 QS World University 2023
# 1629 Center for World University Rankings 2022
Subject Strength# 3 for Engineering by US News 2024
# 24 for Medicine by QS World University 2023
# 6 for Law by Times Higher Education 2024
# 671 for Engineering by Round University Ranking 2020
ProgramsUG Programs -19
PG Programs -39
Doctorate Programs -13
UG Programs -73
PG Programs -68
Acceptance Rate16.8 %46.0 %
Exam ScoreGMAT - 680
GRE updated - 310
IELTS - 6.5
SAT - 1330
TOEFL - 80
IELTS - 6
SAT - 890
TOEFL - 80
Cost to StudyAverage Tuition Fees   41196
[For UG Program]
Average Tuition Fees  26544
[For PG Program]
Hostel + Meal - 57578 Per Year
Average Tuition Fees   16862
[For UG Program]
Average Tuition Fees  18296
[For PG Program]
Hostel + Meal - 30822 Per Year
placement (average package)

Some programs and the average salary are:

Degree                            Average Salary

Executive Masters           $195,000 

MBA                               $150,000 

Masters in Finance         $144,000 

PhD                                 $143,000 

Doctorate                        $140,000 

Bachelor (Other)            $121,000 


Around 71% of the graduates get employement within six months of graduation. Some of the field of employment and starting salary of the graduates are as follows:

Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services: $50,300

Health Professions and Related Programs: $49,600

Social Sciences: $45,900

Education: $54,600

Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting and Related Protective Services: $43,800


application requirements

LORs (usually three);
SOP;
Resume;
Test Scores (such as TOEFL, IELTS, SAT, GRE, etc.)

Submit official transcripts 

Submit English proficiency test scores

Check program specific requirements

Campuses and B-SchoolsHaas School of Business
NA
CollegeDunia Reviews6.9/10 Read 11 reviews7.8/10 Read 4 reviews
General Facts Comparison
General FactsUniversity of CaliforniaCalifornia State University
Type of UniversityUniversity
University
Established1868
1947
Student:Faculty Ratio18:1
24:1
Male:Female0% Male, 0% Female43% Male, 57% Female
Location Facts

Overlooking the San Francisco Bay, UC Berkeley campus is spread over approximately 1,232 acres of land. It is the oldest of the ten campuses of University of California.


The university is a part of the California state university system and is located in Los Angeles. 


Library

UCB Library is the fourth largest library in USA comprising 24 libraries, 325 employees and 832 student employees. UCB Library has 13 million volumes in 300+ languages which includes printed books, journals, e-books, etc.


The Library provides access to over 230 subscription databases, approximately 60,000 journals, 300,000 eBooks, 700,000 print volumes, over 1 million digitized dissertations and theses, as well as special collections covering all subject disciplines to support teaching, learning, research, creative activities, community engagement, and career development. The Library has close to 600,000 print books for circulation.


Campus Life

UCB consists of the Sather Tower, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Lawrence Hall of Science, Space Sciences Laboratory, UC Botanical Garden, UC Museum of Paleontology, UC Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA).


California State University, Los Angeles offers a number of student services including nonremedial tutoring, a women's center, a job placement service, a day care, health services, and health insurance. Cal State LA also offers campus safety and police services like 24-hour foot and vehicle patrols, late night transport/escort service, 24-hour emergency telephones, lighted pathways/sidewalks, and student patrols. Associated Students Incorporated (ASI) is the student government of California State University, Los Angeles. ASI represents the interests of the student body and acts as the officially recognized voice of the students. In addition, ASI sponsors a number of campus events and activities using mandatory student fees.Students can become a member in one of the university's 100 student clubs and organizations. 


Hostel#Room & Board - $16242
#Room & Board--Apartment - $20168
#Room & Board--Residence Hall - $21168
#On campus - $13356
#Off campus (not with family) - $14502
#Off campus (with family) - $2964
Famous Alumni

With a total of 520,566 alumni, UCB has 31 Nobel Laureates, 207 Turing Award, 20 Academic Awards, 20 Pulitzer Prize winners.
Steve Wosniak (co-founder of Apple Inc.);
Gordon Moore (co-founder of Intel);
Chris Pine (Actor);
Prithviraj Chavan (17th CM of Maharashtra, India)


James A. Bell  – CFO of the Boeing Company
Warren Bryant  – Chairman and CEO of Longs Drugs
Donald Sterling – former owner of the Los Angeles Clippers

Suzanna Guzmán mezzo soprano, an original associate artists of Los Angeles Opera
Dustin Lee Abraham – producer and screenwriter
Al Anthony – LA area radio personality


City Life

Berkeley is in close proximity to San Francisco which is only a 20 minutes ride with public transport. You can hike up to Beverly Hills, explore the oldest museums, Victorian architecture, and more. Flying to Vegas and Los Angeles is also easy or drive to lake Tahoe, Berkeley’s location is within close distance to most locations. There are a lot of bars, restaurants, coffee shops, parks, etc. The unemployment rate for Nov 2022 was 3.3%.


The cost of living in Los Angeles is 43% higher than the national average. Though expensive, living in Los Angeles is cheaper than living in New York City, which is a plus. To live comfortably in Los Angeles, an average annual salary of $75,000 for one person is recommended. As part of the California Mediterranean climate, residents enjoy mild to hot and dry weather all year round with virtually no humidity. One of the many reasons why people want to move to Los Angeles is for the weather alone. The job market in Los Angeles is very competitive. The most popular jobs in Los Angeles may be in the movie and entertainment industries, but that is tough to break into on their own. One of the hottest industries on the rise in the city is the technology industry. Some top tech companies in Los Angeles include Google, Hulu, Headspace, Postmates, and ChowNow. Surprisingly, Los Angeles is home to over 500 technology companies and start-ups and is making a name for itself as one of the top technology hubs in the world.


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