Timothy Peck July 26, 2023 10 School Comparisons,University of California, Berkeley | UC Berkeley,University of California, Irvine | UC Irvine

UCLA vs. UC Berkeley: Which College is Right for You?

What’s Covered:

• UCLA vs. UC Berkeley: A Quick Overview
• UCLA vs. UC Berkeley: A Closer Look
• How to Decide Between UCLA and UC Berkeley
• What Are Your Chances of Acceptance?

A rivalry has developed between UCLA and UC Berkeley in recent years, as the two UC system schools have vied for the top spots on a variety of “Best Public University” rankings. The fact is, both schools are fantastic institutions, ranking number four (UC Berkeley) and five (UCLA) on CollegeVine’s list of the top public universities. While both schools share academic excellence, they differ in many ways as well; keep reading to learn more about both of these incredible universities.

UCLA vs. UC Berkeley: A Quick Overview

UCLA vs. UC Berkeley: A Closer Look

Location

UCLA Location: UCLA is located in Los Angeles, California, a city of roughly four million people. Surrounding the campus are recognizable neighborhoods such as Bel Air, Brentwood, and Beverly Hills. Los Angeles is best known for being the entertainment capital of the world, thanks to its Hollywood neighborhood. The city has hosted the Olympics twice (and is slated to hold them again in 2028) and is the home to two NFL teams, two NBA teams, one MLB team, and one NHL team.  

The entertainment industry draws many students to UCLA, but so does LA itself, which is slowly becoming a center of entrepreneurship and tech that rivals its northern neighbors. Beyond entertainment, sports, and tech, students are attracted to LA for the city’s diverse global community—people from more than 140 countries, speaking 224 different identified languages, currently call Los Angeles home. 

UC Berkeley Location: Berkeley has a population of 120,000 and is well known as a liberal-thinking hub and one-time center of the counterculture. A fun and quirky city, it features tons of restaurants and an incredible number of bookstores—the city is home to numerous bookstores in Berkeley including Books Inc., which dates back to 1851! If students get tired of eating and reading their way through the city, or hanging out on the university’s immaculately landscaped grounds, escaping to major metropolises like Oakland and San Francisco is easy. 

Berkeley is the artsy backyard of the Bay Area, with more than 100 cultural arts organizations, including the Berkeley Art Museum & Pacific Film Archive, Berkeley Art Center, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, and Aurora Theatre Company. 

While creative energy buzzes through the city, Berkeley is also in close proximity to many of the nation’s leading tech companies in Silicon Valley, which is great news for students hoping to intern at Google, Apple, or Facebook. UC Berkeley counts 35 Nobel Prize winners among their alumni—look for the coveted parking spaces the university reserves for them as an added bonus for their accomplishment. 

Weather 

UCLA Weather: The weather in Los Angeles is best described as idyllic. LA has 284 days of sunshine with an average high temperature of 84°F and an average low temperature of 46°F. 

UC Berkeley Weather: Berkeley’s weather is a bit like its community: quirky. The city averages 205 sunny days a year, the average high temperature is 72°F, and the average low is 44°F. 

Size

UCLA Student Body Size: UCLA has a total enrollment of 46,430 students, 32,423 of whom are undergraduates. The rest of the student body is made up of 14,007 graduate students. UCLA boasts an 18:1 student-to-teacher ratio and roughly 50% of its classes have fewer than 20 students in them. 

UC Berkeley Student Body Size: UC Berkeley has a total enrollment of 45,307 students: 32,479 undergrads and 12,828 graduate students. The student-to-faculty ratio at UC Berkeley is 17.8 to 1 and 71% of the university’s classes have fewer than 30 students. 

Academics

UCLA Academics: UCLA offers over 125 undergraduate majors through its 12 colleges and schools:  

• School of the Arts and Architecture
• The College 
• The School of Dentistry
• The School of Education and Information Studies 
• Samueli School of Engineering
• School of Law
• Anderson School of Management 
• David Geffen School of Medicine
• Herb Alpert School of Music 
• School of Nursing
• Luskin School of Public Affairs 
• Fielding School of Public Health 
• School of Theater, Film, and Television

UCLA’s most notable school is its School of Theater, Film, and Television, one of the leading programs of its kind. Students enrolled in the School of Theater, Film, and Television have the opportunity to study everything from ancient theater to avant-garde video to high-tech film production. Graduates of the college will join an alumnus that includes Academy Award winners, Emmy winners, Golden Globe winners, and Tony winners such as Frances Ford Coppola, Tim Robbins, Rob Reiner, Jack Black, James Franco, and Ben Stiller. 

While the School of Theater, Film, and Television is one of UCLA’s most prestigious colleges, most UCLA students will enroll in The College—a whopping 85% of undergraduates. All students attending UCLA must meet certain general education requirements that are grouped into three foundational areas: Arts and Humanities, Society and Culture, and Scientific Inquiry. Regulations and procedures for declaring a major vary between UCLA’s colleges, but all students are required to declare a major by their junior year. 

UC Berkeley Academics: UC Berkeley offers more than 150 different undergraduate majors and minors through its 14 schools and colleges:

• Haas School of Business
• College of Chemistry
• College of Computing, Data Science, and Society 
• Graduate School of Education 
• College of Engineering 
• College of Environmental Design
• Graduate School of Journalism
• School of Law
• College of Letters and Science
• Rausser College of Natural Resources
• School of Optometry 
• School of Public Health
• Richard and Rhoda Goldman School of Public Policy
• School of Social Welfare 

Berkeley is best known for cutting-edge programs like electrical engineering and computer sciences, molecular and cell biology, and economics, but there’s also a lot of opportunity to study more obscure subject matter. For example, students can take Scandinavian and learn about the history, literature, and cultural achievements of the Nordic region from medieval to modern times.

Housing

UCLA Housing: UCLA guarantees up to four years of university housing to incoming freshmen (98% of freshmen live on campus) and is the first UC System school to do so. Transfer students at UCLA are guaranteed two years of housing. Accommodations range from traditional residence halls to on-campus apartments. UCLA also offers a variety of focused living-learning communities: 

• Afrikan Diaspora
• American Indian and Pacific Islander
• Chicanx/Latinx
• Creative Collective
• First to Go
• Gender, Sexuality, & Society
• Global Health
• Interfaith 
• Pilipinx
• Public Service and Civic Engagement
• Sustainability
• Technology & Innovation
• Transfer Experience

UC Berkeley Housing: About 95% of freshmen live on campus at UC Berkeley, but only about 22% of undergraduates live on campus. UC Berkeley has both traditional residence halls and suite-style living arrangements in addition to various themed housing options. To live in themed housing, you must enroll in a weekly for-credit seminar and participate in community service and leadership activities. UC Berkeley’s themed housing options are:  

• African American 
• Bloom Asian Pacific American 
• Casa Magdalena Mora
• Global Environment Theme House 
• Native American 
• South Asian, Southwest Asian, and North African Living Community Pilot Program
• Unity Theme Program 
• Empowering Womxn in STEAM  

Food

UCLA Food: UCLA has a variety of dining options for its students, including three all-you-can-eat residential dining halls which serve up to 10 different entrees at each meal buffet-style. In addition to the residential options, UCLA also has seven quick-serve restaurants. 

Five of UCLA’s dining options are “Green Restaurant Certified,” a rating based on a food service operation’s environmental accomplishments in seven categories: water efficiency, waste reduction and recycling, sustainable furnishings and building materials, sustainable food, energy, disposables, and chemical and pollution reduction.

UCLA diners will find something for all types of diets and taste buds with offerings that meet kosher and halal requirements along with those following vegetarian and vegan diets. Students are quick to praise the food at UCLA—it’s frequently at the top of the website Niche’s Best College Food in America rankings.  

UC Berkeley Food: UC Berkeley offers students a wide variety of food options, with four all-you-care-to-eat dining commons. These accommodate everything from different tastes and specialized diets (such as vegan and vegetarian) to providing an entire menu prepared without the top allergens (peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy, eggs, milk, wheat, sesame) and without gluten, pork, and alcohol. 

If those options aren’t enough, UC Berkeley also boasts four on-campus restaurants, including the Golden Bear, which is committed to serving local foods grown, milled, preserved, and processed within 250 miles of the UC Berkeley campus whenever possible. UC Berkeley has the distinction of being the first dining station in the UC system that was certified kosher. It also offers halal options.

Financial aid

UCLA Financial Aid: The sticker price of UCLA is $38,517 for in-state students and $71,091 for out-of-state students. Forbes ranks UCLA fourth on its list of America’s Best Value Colleges. Just under half (45%) of UCLA undergraduates receive grants and scholarships to help them cover their University of California system-wide tuition and fees.

Through the Blue and Gold Opportunity Plan, UCLA students who are California residents from families whose total family income is less than $80,000 don’t have to pay for tuition or fees. 

For the 2023-2024 academic year, the sticker price at UCLA is: 

*Waived if proof of insurance is provided 

UC Berkeley Financial Aid: The sticker price for UC Berkeley is $46,008 for in-state students and $78,582 for out-of-state students. More than 60% of UC Berkeley students receive financial aid. Berkeley ranked right behind UCLA on Forbes’ list of America’s Best Value Colleges. 

For California residents, the University of California Blue and Gold Opportunity Plan allows eligible students from families with annual incomes below $80,000 to pay no tuition at all after grants and scholarships. 

For the 2023-2024 academic year, the sticker price at UC Berkeley is: 

*May be waived if the student has an equivalent or better plan 

Extracurriculars

UCLA Extracurriculars: UCLA has a long and storied history of athletics. Students can participate in Division I sports, and athletes from the school have won 261 Olympic medals. The men’s basketball team went on an iconic run in the 1960s and 1970s led by legendary coach John Wooden where they won 10 national championships and had four undefeated seasons.  

UCLA is home to 66 national and local Greek-letter organizations with 13% of the undergraduate population participating. The campus is also home to more than 1,200 different organizations encompassing an enormous spectrum of interests and activities. 74% of UCLA students participate in clubs and organizations. 

UC Berkeley Extracurriculars: UC Berkeley offers Division I sports and falls just behind UCLA on the list of colleges whose alumni have the most Olympic medals—Berkeley alumni have received 185 total medals: 105 gold, 47 silver, and 33 bronze. UC Berkeley plays in the Pac-12 conference and has a long-standing rivalry with Stanford. 

There are over 60 fraternities and sororities at UC Berkeley and roughly 2,800 students are members (approximately 9% of undergraduates). UC Berkeley is home to a vibrant collection of clubs and organizations on campus; over 1,400 student groups cover all types of interests and activities.

Culture and Diversity 

UCLA Culture and Diversity: The majority of UCLA’s undergraduates come from California, but the university maintains an ethnic and culturally diverse community. Students come to UCLA from nearly all 50 states and over 100 countries. Campus Pride Index (a benchmarking tool for colleges to create more LQBQT-friendly campuses) also ranks UCLA 4.5 out of 5 stars.

UC Berkeley Culture and Diversity: Given UC Berkeley’s notoriously left-leaning beliefs and close proximity to San Francisco (the LGBT cultural capital of the U.S.), it should come as no surprise that it is very LGBTQ-friendly—the school supports numerous LGBTQ groups on campus, is home to Sigma Epsilon Omega (a fraternity specifically for gay students), and offers an LGBT studies minor.  

The school is also ethnically diverse, with the majority of students identifying as people of color.

Student Outcomes

UCLA Student Outcomes: Payscale’s College Salary Report found that UCLA had the 74th highest salary potential out of 1,539 universities surveyed nationwide. The survey found that “early-career” UCLA graduates (those with 0-5 years experience) earned a median salary of $66,500, while “mid-career” alumni (10+ years experience) earned a median salary of $129,300.

UC Berkeley Student Outcomes: According to Payscale’s College Salary Report, UC Berkeley had the 21st highest salary potential among the 1,539 universities surveyed. The Payscale survey found that the “early-career” median salary of UC Berkeley alumni was $77,400, while their “mid-career” median salary was $147,300.

How to Decide Between UCLA and UC Berkeley  

When choosing a college, rankings are helpful but only paint part of the picture. After all, knowing that Princeton University is the top-rated national university is of little value if your dream school is a small, rural college. When going through the college selection process, it’s important to find a school that meets your particular needs—whether it’s a major, extracurricular, study abroad, or something such as the college’s cafeteria catering to your diet.  

Both UCLA and UC Berkeley are part of the UC systems; because of this, there are a lot of similarities between the two institutions. However, the two schools are separated by about 400 miles—about double the distance between New York City and Boston—which also means the universities have abundant characteristics that make them unique. 

UCLA is especially strong for students who… 

UCLA is popular for a host of reasons—there is no denying that the school’s ideal weather plays a part in its appeal. In addition to fun in the sun, the school’s gorgeous campus, diversity, and affordability (for in-state students in particular) make it a dream school for many. UCLA academics are like their campus: diverse. The top six most popular undergraduate majors are biology, business economics, political science, psychology, psychobiology, and economics. Off-campus, Los Angeles is enticing for students looking to pursue careers in entertainment, tech, and business. Or simply, for those looking to live in a global city.

UC Berkeley is especially strong for students who… 

Unlike the sun of SoCal, Berkely is better known for the finicky weather of the Bay area (think fog). The school is also known for its diverse student body—whether it’s founders of high-tech companies like Apple and Intel, activists like Abbie Hoffman, actors like Gregory Peck, and authors of great American novels such as Jack London, UC Berkeley offers a blend of the eclectic and entrepreneurial. The university is also known for science; the Berkeley Physics Department counts nine long-term faculty members and seven alums as Nobel Prize winners. 

The city of Berkeley offers the charm of a small city filled with a wide range of eating and entertainment options while also offering easy access to large global cities such as San Francisco and Oakland—and for the tech-minded, Silicon Valley is just an hour away. 

What Are Your Chances of Acceptance? 

UCLA and UC Berkeley are both very selective institutions. However, your odds of acceptance at either of them depend on the strength of your profile. CollegeVine can help you better understand your chances of getting into UCLA, UC Berkeley, and more than 1,600 colleges nationwide. Our free chancing engine uses your individual data points—like grades, extracurriculars, and demographics—to estimate your odds of admission and allow you to see how you stack up against other applicants.