University of California, San Diego

University of California, San Diego Overview

University of California, San Diego is a public, state school in a suburban setting in La Jolla, California. UC San Diego was founded in 1959 and the school enrolls around 41,368 students per year, which includes 33,343 undergraduate students. UC San Diego offers on-campus housing for up to 17,598 students. The majority of students live on campus, and first year-students are required to live in campus housing.

📆 Mark your calendar! The deadline to apply regular decision to UC San Diego for Fall 2023 is November 30. Regular decision applicants for Fall 2023 should hear from UC San Diego by March 31.

There are many ways for students to get involved at UC San Diego!

Interested in music or performing? At UC San Diego you can join a campus band, sing in a chorus, or perform with one of the school's theater groups.

Interested in journalism or communications? UC San Diego students can write for the campus newspaper, host a radio show or be a producer for the student-run television channel.

Interested in joining a fraternity or sorority? UC San Diego has both fraternities and sororities.

Planning to play sports? UC San Diego has many options for athletes. See them all and learn more about life at UC San Diego on the Student Life page.

Is UC San Diego a Good School?

There is no one way to define a "good" college or university. Admissions criteria, acceptance rate and average GPA are good indicators of how competitive an institution is.

Let's take a look at these factors to get a better idea of what UC San Diego offers and if the school could be a good choice for you.

2022 Acceptance Rate for University of California, San Diego

UC San Diego is very difficult to get into. The university admitted 34% of all applicants in 2022. Last year, 118,410 students applied to UC San Diego and 40,629 were admitted.

Retention and Graduation Rates at UC San Diego

Retention refers to the number of students that stay enrolled at a school over time. This is a way to get a sense of how satisfied students are with their school experience, and if they have the support necessary to succeed in college.

Out of all the first-year, full-time undergrads who start at UC San Diego, around 95% return for their sophomore year. 89% of UC San Diego undergrads graduate within six years. The average six-year graduation rate for U.S. colleges and universities is 61% for public schools, and 67% for private, non-profit schools.

Job Outcomes for UC San Diego Grads

Job placement statistics for recent graduates can give you a sense of the return on investment a school offers.

Check with UC San Diego directly, for information on any information on starting salaries for recent grads.

UC San Diego's Endowment

An endowment is the total value of a school's investments, donations, and assets. Endowment is not necessarily an indicator of the quality of a school, but it can give you a sense of how much money a college can afford to invest in expanding programs, improving facilities, and support students.

As of 2022, the total market value of University of California, San Diego's endowment was $2.6 billion. The average college endowment was $905 million in 2021. For each full-time student, UC San Diego spends about $28,775 a year.

Tuition and Financial Aid at UC San Diego

Cost is another important factor when choose a college. Some colleges may have high tuition, but do a better job at meeting students' financial need.

UC San Diego meets 83.5% of the demonstrated financial need for undergraduates. The average financial aid package for a full-time, first-year student is around $25,036 a year.

Students in the class of 2022 who had taken out student loans graduated with an average of $19,357 of debt. For context, compare this number with the average national debt, which is around $36,000 per borrower.

The 2023-2024 FAFSA Opened on October 1st, 2022

Some aid is awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, so fill out the FAFSA early. Visit the FAFSA website to apply for student aid. Remember, the first F in FAFSA stands for FREE! No one should ever pay to fill out the FREE Application for Federal Student Aid, (FAFSA), so don't give your money (or info!) to any website that claim you do.

Learn more about Tuition and Financial Aid at UC San Diego.

Based on this information, is UC San Diego the school for you? Remember, a school that is perfect for one person may not be the right school for someone else! So ask yourself: Is UC San Diego a good school for you?

If University of California, San Diego seems like a school you want to apply to, click the heart button to save it to your college list.

Still Looking for Schools?

Click below to find out more about the admissions requirements and deadlines, student life, academics, majors and more.

Admissions

Student Life

Academics

Tuition & Aid

UC San Diego Community Forums

Then use the college admissions predictor to take a data science look at your chances of getting accepted at some of the schools in the U.S.

Where is UC San Diego?

UC San Diego is located in the suburban setting of La Jolla, California, in the suburbs of San Diego.

If you would like to see UC San Diego for yourself, plan a visit. The best way to reach campus is to take Interstate 5 to La Jolla, or book a flight to the nearest airport, San Diego International.

You can also take a virtual campus tour to get a sense of what UC San Diego and La Jolla are like without leaving home.

Considering Colleges and Universities in California?

See a full list of colleges in California and save your favorites to your college list.