University of California, San Diego

University of California San Diego is one of 10 public state schools in the UC system. Founded in 1960, the campus is in an urban setting on 1,900 acres of land. UC San Diego consists of six undergraduate colleges with about 30,000 students, five graduate schools and two medical schools, which serve over 7,000 postgraduate students. Two of the most well-renowned schools are the School of Medicine and the Jacobs School of Engineering. UCSD also runs four research institutes, including the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology, the San Diego Supercomputer Center, the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and the UC San Diego Health System.

Two think tanks are also located on the UCSD campus: the Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation and the Center for Comparative Immigration Studies. The six undergraduate residential colleges have their own housing facilities for students. First-year students are guaranteed housing, although they are not required to live on campus.

There are more than 200 undergraduate degrees. The student to faculty ratio is 19 to 1, and only about 43% of classes have fewer than 20 students. The most popular majors at UCSD are engineering; social sciences; biological/life sciences; and mathematics and statistics. There are many opportunities for extracurricular activities on campus, with over 600 student organizations. UCSD has an active Greek life with 25 fraternities and 21 sororities on campus. About 14% of women belong to a sorority and 14% of men to a fraternity.

The campus also has an aquarium, public museum, and the Large High Performance Outdoor Shake Table, which is one of the nation’s largest facilities to test a structure’s ability to withstand simulated earthquakes. A popular annual tradition at UCSD is the Sun God Festival. Beginning in 1983, the festival brings students together for concerts, carnival attractions, vendors, and student booths. Additionally, the campus is well-known for their International House, which allows around 350 students from over 30 different countries to live together.

The UCSD mascot is the Triton. They compete in 23 sports in Division II of the NCAA. Their teams have also won championships in soccer, volleyball, golf, water polo, tennis, softball, swimming, and diving. Students interested in attending a campus near the beach with many extracurricular opportunities will enjoy what UCSD has to offer.

Freshmen Admissions
Number of 2019 (Class of 2023) applicants: 97,898
Enrolled: 6,707
Yield: 22.8%
Acceptance rate (overall): 30.1%

In-state applicant acceptance rate: 26.5%
Out-of-state domestic applicant acceptance rate: 50.9%
International applicant acceptance rate: 28.8%

Waitlist Admission Statistics
Number of waitlisted applicants: 5,998
Waitlisted applicants admitted: 967
Waitlist acceptance rate: 16.1%

Transfer Admissions
Number of transfer applicants: 17,823
Transfer applicants admitted: 9,682
Transfer acceptance rate: 54.3%

Academic Qualifications
Average GPA: 4.07
Top 10% of High School: 96%

Middle SAT Range (25 to 75 Percentile)
SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing: 620-700
SAT Math: 630-770

Middle ACT Range (25 to 75 Percentile)
ACT Composite: 26-33
ACT English: 25-34
ACT Math: 25-33

SAT/ACT required

Writing portion required

SAT Subject Tests recommended for engineering, biology and physical science majors

Graduation Rates
4 years: 61.6%
5 years: 82.0%
6 years: 86.3%

Loan default rate: 2.1%

Rhodes Scholars: 0

Salary after attending: $59,900

R&D Expenditures: $1.133 billion

Campus Safety
Sex offenses: 19
Robberies: 3
Aggravated assaults: 8
Burglaries: 17
Car thefts: 13

In-state tuition, room and board (2019-2020): $28,746

Total Estimated Cost of Attendance (2019-2020)
In-state: $31,887
Out-of-state: $61,641

Net Cost (in-state)
Average: $13,452

By income
$0 to $30,000: $8,452
$30,001 to $48,000: $9,674
$48,001 to $75,000: $12,898
$75,001 to $110,000: $19,247
$110,001 and more: $27,508

Graduates with student debt: 45%

Average student debt at graduation: $21,061

Student to Faculty Ratio: 19 to 1

Women: 50%

Undergraduate Class Sizes
Under 20: 43%
20 to 39: 22%
40 to 99: 15%
100+: 20%

Student Population
Total: 37,877
Undergraduate: 30,285

Student Residence
In State: 78%
Out of State: 7%
International: 15%