Content Curator
University of California Los Angeles and University of Illinois Urbana Champaign are two of the reputed public research universities in the USA. Illinois is the largest university in Chicago with 16 colleges under it, located in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. UCLA is part of the University of California System.
| University of California | University of Illinois | |
|---|---|---|
| Collegedunia Score | 7.8 Out of 10 | 6 Out of 10 |
| ranking (overall) | # 42 QS World University 2025 # 15 US News 2024 # 18 Times Higher Education 2024 | # 69 QS World University 2025 # 35 US News 2024 # 42 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 | # 11 for Engineering by US News 2024 # 14 for Data Science and Analytics by QS World University 2024 # 163 for Medicine by QS World University 2024 |
| Programs | UG Programs -24 PG Programs -43 Doctorate Programs -7 | UG Programs -163 PG Programs -104 Doctorate Programs -4 |
| Acceptance Rate | 11.0 % | 66.0 % |
| Exam Score | GMAT-670 IELTS-7 SAT-1330 TOEFL-87 | IELTS-6.5 SAT-1340 TOEFL-92 |
| Cost to Study | Average Tuition Fees 42993 [For UG Program] Average Tuition Fees 26544 [For PG Program] Hostel + Meal - 36045 Per Year | Average Tuition Fees 43996 [For UG Program] Average Tuition Fees 27323.63 [For PG Program] Hostel + Meal - 14522 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.
| 89% of graduates were employed or were working within 6 months of graduation. 5,700+ companies visited for campus recruitment. Average Salaries of The Degree :
|
| Campuses and B-Schools | Anderson School of Management | NA |
| CollegeDunia Reviews | 8.0/10 Read 11 reviews | 7.6/10 Read 16 reviews |
Other Popular Comparisons
| General Facts | University of California | University of Illinois |
|---|---|---|
| Type of University | University | University |
| Established | 1919 | 1867 |
| Student:Faculty Ratio | 18:1 | 21:1 |
| Male:Female | 47% Male, 53% Female | 55% Male, 45% Female |
| Location Facts | Five mile from Pacific Ocean, Located in West-wood neighborhood of LA | UIUC is located a few hours from Chicago, Indianapolis and St. Louis in east-central Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. |
| Library | 12 million print and electronic volumes | UIUC Library is one of the largest public university collections with over 24 million resources. Consists of 14 million volumes in 37 unit libraries. 53,000,000 people visit the online catalog every year. |
| Campus Life | Over 100 Student organizations | Campus facilities include multipurpose State Farm Center (16,500 seats); Memorial Stadium (70,000 seats), site of Big Ten Conference football games; the Activities & Recreation Center (ARC), Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, Krannert Art Museum & Kinkead Pavilion, Spurlock Museum, 4 theatres, 24 residence halls, etc. |
| Hostel | #Room & Board - $17436 #Room and Board - $18609 | #Food & Housing - $14522 |
| Famous Alumni | 14 Nobel laureates, 15 Mac Authors | One of the largest alumni networks in the USA with 470,000+ alumni. 30 Nobel laureates, 2 Turing Award winners, 1 Fields medalist, 29 Pulitzer Prizes. John Bardeen (Nobel laureate); Jawed Karim and Steve Chen (Co-founders of YouTube); Jack Welch (former CEO of General Electric); Sushanth (Indian actor) |
| Weather |
Programs offered at UIUC especially engineering programs are heavily research-based whereas the same at UCLA are theoretical in nature focussing on the practical aspects. Career fairs, Hackathons are a regular affair at both the institute and they contribute a lot to the Silicon Valley. Here is an overview of the differences between the two institutes:
- International enrollment at the University of Illinois goes up to 10,000 students from more than 110 countries. On the other hand intake at UCLA of international students from around 100 countries is around 7,000.
- Illinois has more than 500 active institutional partnerships representing more than 50 countries whereas UCLA has agreements with 200 institutions in 50 countries.
- Overall rankings of UCLA as well as subject-wise rankings are higher than that of UIUC according to various ranking agencies.
- Admissions at UCLA are more selective than UIUC with an acceptance rate of 16%.
- UIUC is more budget-friendly with a lower cost of study and the campus is rated as the most "disability-friendly" campus in the USA.
- According to QS Graduate Employability Rankings 2020, UCLA ranks #3 globally while UIUC at #16.
- The average salaries of UCLA (82,000 USD) graduates are higher than UIUC (77,000 USD).
Based on the points discussed above, UCLA would be the first choice among students looking to study abroad in USA. With higher rankings, better returns on investments, students tend to choose UCLA over UIUC.
