University of California San Diego
A 1960s research campus on the La Jolla coast, split into eight undergraduate colleges with their own GE rules.
- Acceptance rate
- 29%
- First-year class entering fall 2025 (Common Data Set 2025-26)
- Students
- 45,087
- 35,442 undergraduates
- International
- 23%
- of students
- Student–faculty
- 19.6:1
- ratio
- Tuition
- $54,858
- 2026-27
About UC San Diego
UC San Diego was founded in 1960 as a new campus of the University of California, built around the already-famous Scripps Institution of Oceanography on the cliffs of La Jolla. It enrolled 45,087 students in fall 2025, 35,442 of them undergraduates, and sits on about 1,200 acres of coastal eucalyptus woodland. The university reports 1.7 billion dollars in sponsored research in fiscal 2025, and 16 Nobel laureates have taught there.
Its signature structural feature is the college system: every undergraduate belongs to one of eight colleges (Revelle, John Muir, Thurgood Marshall, Earl Warren, Eleanor Roosevelt, Sixth, Seventh and Eighth), each with its own general-education curriculum, residential neighbourhood, advisers and traditions, while majors are taught by the university's 12 divisions and schools. Science and engineering dominate: the Jacobs School of Engineering, biology, data science and the School of Medicine are major draws, alongside a strong social sciences division.
UC San Diego fits students who are academically driven, comfortable in a large research environment and happy to seek out community through their college and more than 700 student organizations. Admission is test-blind and runs through the University of California application, so grades, course rigor and the Personal Insight Questions carry the decision.
Fiat lux
“Let there be light” — university motto
Why students choose UC San Diego
The eight-college system gives each student a smaller home community with its own general-education philosophy while leaving them free to pursue any major.
Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the San Diego Supercomputer Center give undergraduates access to research infrastructure few campuses can match.
UC's Blue and Gold Opportunity Plan covers systemwide tuition for most California families earning up to 100,000 dollars, and cohort tuition is frozen for up to six years.
The campus sits above the Pacific in La Jolla, and ARWU 2026 places it 20th in the world for research.
Admissions
First-year class entering fall 2025 (Common Data Set 2025-26)
About 1 in 3 applicants is admitted
39,054 admitted from 136,750 applicants
The admissions office reports about 141,700 first-year applications and a 27% admit rate for fall 2026, with a middle-50% GPA of 4.12-4.28. For fall 2025, California residents made up 87,584 applicants and 21,677 admits; out-of-state 24,912 and 9,881; international 24,254 and 7,496. Data Science, Engineering and Public Health are limited-enrollment majors.
Typical entry requirements
| UC A-G courses | History/social science 2 years, English 4, math 3 (4 recommended), lab science 2 (3 recommended), language other than English 2 (3 recommended), visual and performing arts 1, college-prep elective 1; at least 11 of the 15 courses before senior year, grades of C or better |
|---|---|
| Minimum GPA (10th-11th grade A-G) | 3.0 for California residents; 3.4 for non-residents and international applicants, with no grade below C |
| English language | IELTS 7 Required only if secondary education was in a non-English-speaking country. Minimums: IELTS 7, Duolingo English Test 115, TOEFL iBT 4.5 on the new 1-6 band scale. |
Deadlines
- UC application filing period Non-binding Next deadline · In 54 daysNovember 30, 2026
Application opened August 1, 2026; submissions accepted from October 1 through November 30. No early action or early decision. Decisions posted by mid-to-late March 2027; statement of intent to register due May 1.
UC's systemwide page confirms the fall 2027 filing period ends November 30. FAFSA or California Dream Act Application and the Cal Grant GPA verification are due March 2, 2027.
How to apply
University of California application (one application for all UC campuses; $80 fee, $95 for international applicants, waivers available). Answer 4 of 8 Personal Insight Questions (350 words each), self-report A-G courses and grades, choose a major and rank the eight undergraduate colleges. No recommendations, interviews or test scores; portfolios for music, theatre and dance and visual arts are optional.
What admissions looks for
- GPA in 10th and 11th grade A-G coursework, weighed alongside the senior-year schedule.
- Rigor beyond the minimum: honors, AP, IB and college courses and how you performed in them.
- Eligibility in the Local Context (top 9% of your California high school class).
- Intellectual engagement and creative, intellectual, social or professional achievement.
- Leadership, motivation, tenacity, originality, service to others and how you have handled challenges.
Tips for applying to UC San Diego
- 1 There are no test scores, essays or recommendations beyond the four Personal Insight Questions, so use each 350-word answer to add evidence not already in your course list.
- 2 If you want Data Science, Engineering or Public Health, apply directly to that major: these are limited-enrollment and hard to switch into later.
- 3 Rank the eight colleges deliberately: each sets its own general-education curriculum, which shapes how much room you have for electives, so read each college's requirements before ranking.
- 4 Out-of-state and international applicants need at least a 3.4 A-G GPA, higher than the 3.0 minimum for Californians.
What are your chances?
Sign up to see your personalized admission chances for University of California San Diego
Sign up to see your chancesCosts & financial aid
2026-27 · figures in USD
California residents with family income up to 100,000 dollars typically have UC tuition fully covered by the Blue and Gold Opportunity Plan, provided they file the FAFSA or California Dream Act Application by March 2. Out-of-state students are not eligible for California aid, and international students cannot receive federal or state aid and must show funds to cover all costs.
- UC tuition covered for most California families earning up to $100,000
- Blue and Gold Opportunity Plan
- Tuition frozen for each entering cohort for up to six years
- Tuition Stability Plan
- $3,195 per year unless waived
- Mandatory health insurance (2026-27)
Academics
Academic calendar: Quarters
Oceanography and Earth sciences (Scripps)
Scripps Institution of Oceanography predates the campus itself and gave UC San Diego its founding identity.
Engineering (Jacobs School)
A limited-enrollment admission pathway; the campus profile lists US News graduate rankings including 4th for biomedical engineering.
Data Science
One of three capped majors, housed in the School of Computing, Information, and Data Sciences alongside the San Diego Supercomputer Center.
Biology
About 17.5% of undergraduates study biology, feeding a campus with a School of Medicine, pharmacy and public health school.
Social Sciences
The largest undergraduate field (36.6% of students), including economics, political science and cognitive science.
Research
- 1.7 billion dollars in sponsored research in fiscal 2025, per the campus profile.
- The San Diego Supercomputer Center, founded in 1985, is a national computing facility on campus.
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the seed from which the university grew, runs its research from a shoreline campus in La Jolla.
- The Qualcomm Institute and the Center for Astrophysics and Space Sciences are among its interdisciplinary research units.
Schools & faculties
- Jacobs School of Engineering
- School of Biological Sciences
- School of Physical Sciences
- School of Social Sciences
- School of Arts and Humanities
- School of Computing, Information, and Data Sciences
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography
- Rady School of Management
- School of Global Policy and Strategy
- School of Medicine
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
- Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health
Student life
Life at UC San Diego is organised around the college you pick: each of the eight colleges has its own residence halls, dining, advisers, orientation and traditions, which gives a very large campus a neighbourhood feel. Beyond the colleges there are more than 700 student organizations, a large Associated Students government, Greek chapters and more than a dozen student-run media outlets. The Tritons compete in NCAA Division I in the Big West Conference. The campus is known for being academically intense, and many students balance coursework with research in campus labs.
- Eight undergraduate residential colleges, each with its own general-education curriculum and traditions.
- More than 700 student organizations and over a dozen student-run publications and production teams.
- NCAA Division I athletics in the Big West Conference since 2020.
- Undergraduate research access through Scripps, the School of Medicine and campus institutes.
Housing. Housing is organised by college, with residence halls and apartments in each college neighbourhood and a flexible dining plan.
Location
The campus sits on coastal mesa above the Pacific in La Jolla, a wealthy seaside community in the north of the city of San Diego. The weather is mild all year, beaches and the Torrey Pines reserve are close by, and the trolley links the campus area to downtown San Diego. San Diego is expensive, so many upper-year students share apartments in nearby neighbourhoods.
Nearest airport: San Diego International Airport (SAN)
Notable alumni
- CV Craig VenterGenomics pioneer who led Celera Genomics' sequencing of the human genome
- BB Bruce BeutlerImmunologist; Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
- NW Nick WoodmanFounder of GoPro
- RD Ryan DahlCreator of Node.js
- MJ Mike JudgeCreator of Beavis and Butt-Head, King of the Hill and Silicon Valley
- KH Khaled HosseiniNovelist, author of The Kite Runner (MD from UC San Diego)
- BB Billy BeaneBaseball executive behind the Moneyball-era Oakland Athletics
- DE David E. ShawFounder of the investment firm D. E. Shaw & Co.
Frequently asked questions
What is UC San Diego's acceptance rate?
About 28.6% for fall 2025 (39,054 admits from 136,750 applicants), and the admissions office reports roughly 27% from about 141,700 applicants for fall 2026.
Does UC San Diego look at SAT or ACT scores?
No. UC San Diego is test-blind and does not consider SAT or ACT scores for admission or scholarships.
What GPA do you need for UC San Diego?
The minimum A-G GPA is 3.0 for California residents and 3.4 for others, but the middle 50% of fall 2026 admits had UC-calculated GPAs of 4.12-4.28.
When is the UC San Diego application deadline?
The UC application must be submitted by November 30, 2026 for fall 2027 entry. There is no early action or early decision.
How do the UC San Diego colleges work?
You rank the eight undergraduate colleges on your application; your college sets your general-education requirements and residential community, but you can major in anything regardless of college.
Sources & methodology
Figures on this page were checked against official university publications, national application services and ranking publishers in September 2026. Each number is shown with the year or admissions cycle it describes. Always confirm deadlines and fees on the university's own website before applying.
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