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In California, public universities are divided into three tiers: Community colleges, CSUs, and UCs.

Community colleges are pretty simple: they’re local 2-year schools that can get you an associates degree and/or help you transfer up to a 4-year university. On the other hand, both CSUs and UCs are both 4-year universities.

When I was a senior, people from all three tiers came to talk to us. I listened to both what the CSU representatives and the UC representative had to say.

The basic difference is that UCs are the next tier above CSUs. That’s not to say that UCs are necessarily better, but that the main focus is different. CSUs are more oriented towards practical use, whereas UCs are much more research-based. Take a look at the majors offered by both types of schools: you’ll see what I mean.

Here’s a further break-down about the differences:

CSUs

A map showing the CSUs in California

• Short for “California State University”.
• There are 23 CSU campuses in California, making it the largest university system in the United States. See the map to the right for the exact locations.
• CSUs tend to be less selective. In theory, CSUs will admit roughly the top 1/3rd of high school graduates. Some CSUs (Cal Poly, Long Beach, San Diego) are more picky due to the large amount of applications.
• Most CSUs are on the semester system, not the quarter system.
• Typically, about 40-70% of applicants are admitted.
• Enrollment per campus ranges anywhere from several thousand to as much as 35,000 students.
• Located all over California, with a whole bunch in southern California, around the Los Angeles area.
• Cheaper than a UC.
• Extremely underrated. A lot of students don’t want to ’settle’ for a CSU, but CSU’s are actually very great schools.

UCs

Map of UC Campuses

• Short for “University of California”
• The UC system contains a total 10 campuses. However, UC San Francisco is only a graduate school, leaving only different 9 undergraduate campuses.
• UCs are more selective than CSUs, attempting to admit roughly the top 1/8th of high school graduates.
• Admission rates vary greatly based on campus. UC Berkeley, for example, is far more selective than UC Merced. Admission rates are usually around 50%, give or take.
• Enrollment ranges from 15,000 - 35,000, typically being around 25,000. Merced is the exception, with only about 1,000 2,500 students as of now.
• Most UCs are on the quarter system.
• UCs tend to have more of a statewide reputation, whereas CSUs tend to have more of a local reputation (with some exceptions).
• UCs are more expensive than a CSU.
• The ELC program for admitting students early is done by the UC system.

As a whole, both systems offer quite a lot. Just because UCs are more selective does not make them necessarily better. You should decide which system you want to be in based on what it can offer you in the future. If you’re interested in research and attending graduate school, a UC is more for you, but if you want to get right into a career without a massive debt, don’t overlook the CSUs.

And, as an additional note, please pardon my maps. Google Maps + me guessing where places are = probably a few mistakes. The campuses are all mapped at least somewhat close to where they really are, at least =p

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