UCSC vs. Mount St. Mary's College

Should I go to University of California Santa Cruz or Mount St. Mary's College? Compare 50+ facts and figures about the colleges to help you determine if UCSC or Mount St. Mary's College is the better college for you. The CollegeSimply comparison tool allows side-by-side comparison of 50+ statistics and facts for over 2,500 colleges and universities.
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University of California Santa Cruz vs. Mount St. Mary's College comparison
University of California Santa Cruz Mount St. Mary's College College 3 College 4
University of California Santa Cruz Mount St. Mary's College
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Overview

 UCSC Mount St. Mary's College
Location Santa Cruz, CA Los Angeles, CA
Setting Small City Large City
Enrollment 19,764 2,308
Type Public 4 Year Private 4 Year
National Ranking #251 #493
Religious Affiliation - Roman Catholic - -
Status Non-profit Non-profit
Website ucsc.edu la.edu
Team Colors                    

Costs

 UCSC Mount St. Mary's College
Tuition (In State) $11,834 $46,726
Tuition (Out of State) $42,611 $46,726
Room & Board $18,785 $14,154
Avg Net Price $16,526 $27,434
Avg Grant Aid $21,564 $37,117
% Receiving Grant Aid 65% 100%

Admission

 UCSC Mount St. Mary's College
Admission Chances Calculate Calculate
Applied 68,845 3,430
Admitted 43,054 2,357
Acceptance Rate 62.5% 68.7%
Enrolled % 10.2% 19%
Avg High School GPA 3.63 3.59
Typical High School Grades B+ B+
Admissions Standards Very High Extremely Easy
Applicant Competition Low Low
ACT Range 25/33 18/23
SAT Range 1160/1360 900/1110
Submit Test Scores Not considered for admission, even if submitted (Test Blind) Not considered for admission, even if submitted (Test Blind)
Application Deadline Nov 30, 2025

Academics

 UCSC Mount St. Mary's College
Student to Faculty Ratio 22:1 11:1
Popular Majors
  • Social Sciences (17%)
  • Biology (14%)
  • Psychology (11%)
  • Visual and Performing Arts (10%)
  • Business (9%)
  • Health Professions (49%)
  • Social Sciences (16%)
  • Business (10%)
  • Psychology (8%)
  • Liberal Arts and Humanities (6%)

Outcomes

 UCSC Mount St. Mary's College
Graduation Rate 73% 47%
Median Earnings (After 10 years) $50,400 $59,000
Making Student Loan Payments 74% 59%
Median Student Loan Debt $19,959 $25,000
Median Loan Payment $206 $258

Diversity

 UCSC Mount St. Mary's College
% Men 5% 5%
% Women 5% 18%
Racial Diversity Very High Medium
HBCU No No
% White 33% 9%
% Black 2% 7%
% Hispanic 31% 62%
% Native American 0% 0%
% Pacific Islander 0% 0%
% Two or More Races 7% 2%
% International 4% 0%
% Unknown Race 2% 3%

Students

 UCSC Mount St. Mary's College
% In-State 91% 94%
% Out-of-State 7% 6%

Campus

 UCSC Mount St. Mary's College
Campus Housing Yes Yes
Freshman Dorm Required No No
Meal Plan Yes Yes
Weekend/Evening Classes No Yes
Daycare Facility Yes No
Learn More Details Details

Comparable Facts

  • University of California Santa Cruz is larger than than Mount St. Mary's College based on total student enrollment (19,764 students vs. 2,308 students)

UCSC vs. Mount St. Mary's College Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, UCSC or Mount St. Mary's College?

  • Mount St. Mary's College is 294.8% more expensive to attend than UCSC for in-state tuition ($46,726.00 vs. $11,834.00)
  • Out of state tuition is 9.7% higher at Mount St. Mary's College than University of California Santa Cruz ($46,726.00 vs. $42,611.00)
  • The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at University of California Santa Cruz than Mount St. Mary's College ($16,526 vs. $27,434)
  • Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Mount St. Mary's College are 32.7% lower than costs at University of California Santa Cruz ($14,154 vs. $18,785)
  • More students receive financial grant aid at Mount St. Mary's College than University of California Santa Cruz (100% vs. 65%)
  • The average total grant financial aid received by Mount St. Mary's College students is 72.1% larger than aid received University of California Santa Cruz ($37,117 vs. $21,564)

UCSC vs. Mount St. Mary's College Admissions Difficulty Comparison

Which college is harder to get into, UCSC or Mount St. Mary's College? Average SAT and ACT scores plus acceptance rates offer good insight into the difficulty of admission between Mount St. Mary's College or UCSC .

  • The average SAT score at University of California Santa Cruz (1201) is 286 points higher than at Mount St. Mary's College (915)
  • Incoming UCSC students have a 9 point higher average ACT score (28) than students at Mount St. Mary's College (19)
  • Accepted freshman UCSC students have a 0.04 point higher average high school GPA (3.63) than students at Mount St. Mary's College (3.59)
  • Mount St. Mary's College has a higher acceptance rate (68.7%) than UCSC (62.5%)

UCSC vs. Mount St. Mary's College Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, UCSC or Mount St. Mary's College? Graduation rate, salary and amount of student loan debt are indicators of a college which offers better outcomes for its graduates. Compare the following outcomes facts between Mount St. Mary's College and UCSC.

  • The graduation rate at UCSC is higher than Mount St. Mary's College (73% vs. 47%)
  • Graduates from Mount St. Mary's College earn on average $8,600 more per year than UCSC graduates after ten years. ($59,000 vs. $50,400)
  • University of California Santa Cruz students graduate with a $5,041 lower median federal student loan debt than Mount St. Mary's College graduates. ($19,959 vs. $25,000)
  • UCSC graduates are paying $52 less per month on federal student loans than Mount St. Mary's College graduates. ($206 vs. $258)
  • More UCSC graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Mount St. Mary's College students, three years after graduation. (74% vs. 59%)

Sources: U.S. Department of Education https://nces.ed.gov IPEDS and College Scorecard https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/