University of California vs Yale University Comparison

University of California, Los Angeles vs Yale University

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Yale University is a private Ivy League research university located in New Haven, Connecticut. It is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States. The University of California on the other hand is a public research university based in Los Angeles, California. Ranking among the top 50 universities of the world, UCLA and Yale rank at #20 and #3 in USA respectively according to US News and World Report National University Rankings 2020.

Overview Comparison
University of CaliforniaYale University
Collegedunia Score7.8 Out of 108.1 Out of 10
ranking (overall)# 42 QS World University 2025
# 15 US News 2024
# 18 Times Higher Education 2024
# 23 QS World University 2025
# 5 US News 2024
# 10 Times Higher Education 2024
Subject Strength# 16 for Engineering by US News 2024
# 14 for Medicine by QS World University 2024
# 14 for Law by US News 2024
# 18 for Engineering by Times Higher Education 2024
# 10 for Medicine by US News 2024
# 1 for Law by US News 2024
ProgramsUG Programs -24
PG Programs -43
Doctorate Programs -7
UG Programs -33
PG Programs -57
Doctorate Programs -13
Acceptance Rate11.0 %6.2 %
Exam ScoreGMAT-670
IELTS-7
SAT-1330
TOEFL-87
GMAT-690
GRE-315
IELTS-7
SAT-1460
TOEFL-100
Cost to StudyAverage Tuition Fees   42993
[For UG Program]
Average Tuition Fees  26544
[For PG Program]
Hostel + Meal - 36045 Per Year
Average Tuition Fees   67250
[For UG Program]
Average Tuition Fees  44500
[For PG Program]
Hostel + Meal - 19900 Per Year
placement (average package)

Graduate Employability rank: QS-#3

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is one of the top public universities in Los Angeles, United States. It is ranked #44 in QS World University Rankings 2023.

  • Masters in Finance : $180,000 
  • MBA : $150,000 
  • Executive Masters:  $146,000 
  • Doctorate :  $136,000 
  • Executive MBA : $135,000 
  • Masters in Science : $101,000 

Top recruiters include Yale University, Microsoft Corp, Deloitte Consulting LLP, Harvard University, Kaiser Permanente, etc. 

  • MBA: $150,000 
  • Doctorate: $124,000 
  • PhD: $115,000 
  • Bachelor of Arts: $95,000 
  • Bachelor of Science: $90,000 
  • Masters of Arts: $83,000 

Campuses and B-SchoolsAnderson School of Management
Yale School of Management
CollegeDunia Reviews8.0/10 Read 11 reviews7.6/10 Read 3 reviews
General Facts Comparison
General FactsUniversity of CaliforniaYale University
Type of UniversityUniversity
University
Established1919
1701
Student:Faculty Ratio18:1
4:1
Male:Female47% Male, 53% Female49% Male, 51% Female
Location Facts

Five mile from Pacific Ocean, Located in West-wood neighborhood of LA
Bordered by Beverly hill and Bel-Air


A 1015 acre campus at the heart of downtown New Haven, Connecticut. Closest airports including Tweed New Haven Regional Airport and Bradley International Airport. Located not too far from New York, Boston, etc. A number of restaurants, clubs, etc. located near campus. Connecticut has an unemployment rate of 4.6 


Library

12 million print and electronic volumes
700 subscription database
100,00 current serial titles
950,000 e-books
Largest on-campus student employer


3rd largest academic library in USA with over 15 million volumes including print and electronic resources housed in 15 libraries that include Sterling Memorial, Beibecke, Bass Libraries, Max Science and Social Science Library and other school and department libraries.


Campus Life

Over 100 Student organizations
220 student groups
Around 60 sororities and fraternities
118 NCA Titles and 261 Olympic Medals
Theatre and Film School
Midnight Yells during finals week (break to study)
 


Campus includes Vanderbilt Hall, Nathan Hall, Connecticut Hall, Battell Chapel, Payne Whitney Gymnasium, Peabody Museum of Natural History, Yale Center for British Art, Yale Bowl, and other renowned research centers, labs, institutes, museums, etc. There are over 50 students clubs and societies. There are 10 museums and galleries for students to visit and exhibit with. You can enjoy and indulge in various athletic and recreational activities. 


Hostel#Room & Board - $17436
#Room and Board - $18609
#Housing and Food - $19900
Famous Alumni

14 Nobel laureates, 15 Mac Authors
Taylor Wang (astronaut), Randy Schekman (Nobel laureate-Physiology/medicine), Richard Heck (Nobel laureate-chemistry), Kay Ryan (US Poet laureate), Tom Bradley (1st African-American mayor of LA), Ralph Bunche (Nobel Peace Prize), Kareem Abdul (NBA superstar)


62 Nobel laureates, 5 field medalists, 3 Turning Award winners, 5 US Presidents, 31 living billionaires, 19 US Supreme Court Justices, 78 Mac Arthur Fellows, Rhodes Scholars, 119 Marshall Scholars, Meryl Streep (Actress), Hillary Clinton (former US Secretary of State), George W. Bush (43rd US President), Indra Nooti (Pepsico).


City Life

Los Angeles (LA) is the second most populous city of USA; Hollywood is located here; 841 Museums and art galleries, California Beaches, Disneyland park, Los Angeles offers various concert halls, regular festivals, and bustling nightlife; Ranked 7th on Global City Index and 9th on Global Economic Power Index; Unemployment rate in December 2019 was 4%; Industries employing maximum number of people are healthcare, retail, hospitality, and manufacturing


 A coastal city in Connecticut- New Haven. First planned city in the USA. An economy based on education and health care. Yale is the 2nd largest employer and the best-known feature in the city. The city has a lot of ethnically diverse restaurants, museums, art galleries, live music, and other places to be at. The unemployment rate was around 3.7%


Weather
Comparison Notes

Yale University is an extremely selective and highly ranked prestigious private university in Connecticut while UCLA is a public research university in Los Angeles.

Why choose UCLA?

  • UCLA is the best universities in USA according to US News and World Reports.
  •  Admissions at UCLA are comparatively very lenient than Yale with an acceptance rate of about 16% and lower score requirements for GMAT, TOEFL, SAT, ACT, etc.
  • UCLA has an intake of nearly 7000 international students every year. The cost of study at UCLA is about 11,000 USD less than Yale. 
  • The institute offers average financial aid of $18,913 annually.
  • According to Forbes America's Best Value Colleges 2019, UCLA (#4) ranks higher than Yale University (#15).
  • According to QS Graduate Employability Rankings 2020, UCLA (#3) ranks higher than Yale (#13).

Why Choose Yale University?

  • Yale University is part of the Ivy League and ranks #3 in National Universities 2020 rankings by US News and World Reports.
  • The university welcomes over 5,000 international students and scholars from more than 120 countries.
  • Global rankings for Yale University are higher than UCLA according to various ranking agencies. According to Financial Times Global MBA Rankings 2020, Yale School of Management (#14) ranks higher than UCLA (#25).
  • The average financial aid provided by Yale University is around $49,051.
  • Although the graduate employability rankings are higher for UCLA, the average annual salary of Yale University graduates is about 7,000 USD higher than UCLA graduates.

UCLA seems accessible due to low cost to study in USA, high acceptance rate and good ROI but the prestige of Yale University, its highly selective nature and international recognition make it a preferable choice for students. Numbers cannot portray the entire picture and be the deciding factors, cultural nuances, program preferences, and moreover eligibility are factors that are to be surely considered.