Universities in California Bachelors in Computer Science

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of California - GENERAL
1

I would like the experts to rank the below Universities for B.S. Computer Science.

UC San Diego
UC Santa Barbara
UC Davis
UC Irvine

I have applied to these universities and they are hopefully my reach universities for my GPA and SAT.

2

Depending upon whom you ask and which rankings you use, here is how these schools are ranked.

  1. UCSD
  2. UCI
  3. UCD
  4. UCSB

The rankings between these schools which I have seen are very close so they can be interchangeable.

What is more important is how you rank these schools based on academics, social life and financial costs. CS is a very marketable major so your job prospects will not be dependent upon the CS program ranking but what you do while you are attending these schools in terms of courses and internships.

3

What are the chances of getting into?

SAT - 1490.
In-State
GPA - 3.93 / 4.20 / 4.47 (Unweighted / Weighted Capped / Weighted)

4

I do not have specifics by major for the UC campuses and since CS is highly competitive the admit rates below will be lower than posted for CS.

UCI shows for CS enrolled students average SAT of 1365 and GPA of 4.04 (capped weighted). Enrolled stats are always lower than admitted stats.

I think you are a competitive applicant based on stats only so best of luck and you will be hearing within the next few weeks.

2019 Freshman admit rates for UC GPA of 4.20 or above capped weighted and not major specific:
UCB: 38%
UCLA: 35%
UCSD: 71%
UCSB: 73%
UCD: 84%
UCI: 55%
UCSC: 85%
UCR: 97%
UCM: 98%

2019 UC capped weighted GPA averages along with 25th-75th percentile range:
UCB: 4.23 (4.15-4.30)
UCLA: 4.25 (4.18-4.32)
UCSD: 4.16 (4.03-4.28)
UCSB: 4.16 (4.04-4.28)
UCI: 4.13 (4.00-4.25)
UCD: 4.13 (4.00-4.26)
UCSC: 3.96 (3.76-4.16)
UCR: 3.90 (3.69-4.11)
UCM: 3.73 (3.45-4.00)

2019 Data:
25th - 75th percentiles for SAT totals:
UCB: 1340-1540

UCLA: 1330-1550
UCSD: 1300-1520
UCSB: 1280-1520
UCD: 1230-1490
UCI: 1250-1510
UCSC: 1200-1450
UCR: 1130-1400
UCM: 1020-1290

5

@Gumbymom Where do you place Cal Poly -SLO in the above rankings?

6

I would SLO on par with UCSD in selectivity but I would also compare program curriculums. A smaller school like SLO may have less CS electives of interest than a larger UC. There is no bad school for CS out of all these schools.

My son graduated from SDSU as a CS major and is doing very well in the job market. It is more about the opportunities than the school.

7

@Gumbymom i did not get my 1st choice at UCSD. I got into Data Science at UCSD.
How do you compare DS at UCSD vs Comp Sc at UCI, UCSB, UCD, CP-SLO?

8

I do not know much about Data Science but I know that it is a hot new field with great job prospects.

What I would do and what I did with my own son’s is set up a spreadsheet and compare the program courses for each school. Is there an specific emphasis you are interested in pursing as a CS major? AI, SE, Computional Science, Cybersecurity? Check which schools offer these emphasis courses.

After evaluating the academics, then figure out which school’s environment along with finances would work best for you.

There is no wrong or bad choice out of all the schools but you need to be happy to be successful.