Colleges University of California—San Diego

UC San Diego www.ucsd.edu

University of California—San Diego is a public institution that was founded in 1960. The 1,976-acre campus is located in the vibrant southwestern city of San Diego alongside the Pacific Ocean in the La Jolla community. The campus has an aquarium and is home to the Large High Performance Outdoor Shake Table, which tests structures’ ability to withstand simulated earthquakes. UCSD includes six undergraduate colleges, five academic divisions and five graduate and professional schools.

Academics

UCSD utilizes a quarter-based academic calendar, which gives students the chance to explore a broad range of shorter classes. Undergraduates learn side-by-side with researchers, artists, activists, and experts, extending their academic experience well beyond the classroom. Research Experience and Applied Learning (REAL), or “learning by doing,” is a way to find opportunities to practice your classroom knowledge in real-world settings. UCSD’s Library is ranked among the nation’s top 25 public academic libraries. UCSD’s student-faculty ratio is 19:1, and the school has 43% of its classes with fewer than 20 students. Popular majors include Computer Science, Economics, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and Anatomy.

Special Highlights

EducationCorps. The EducationCorps Program encourages UC San Diego students to get involved in their community by sharing their time and skills with youth. Our mission is to improve education equity in San Diego by supporting learning, promoting a college going culture, and improving attitudes towards school at underserved K-12 schools in our local community.

The Basement. The Basement is UC San Diego’s campus-wide innovation and entrepreneurial hub dedicated to supporting all students. Alumni, postdocs, faculty, staff and community members can also connect with The Basement through its various open access event programs. In alignment with UC San Diego’s innovation, entrepreneurial and change maker focus, The Basement provides creative innovation space, mentorship, entrepreneurship programming centered on experiential learning, and innovation resources.

School Mission & Unique Qualities

In just four decades, this young campus has rapidly risen in status to become one of the top ranked research universities in the nation. UCSD, with its six unique undergraduate colleges, each offering personalized student opportunities and services, plus distinct educational philosophies, has become one of the most popular campuses in the nation. One UCSD tradition is the Sun God Festival, which includes concerts featuring popular musicians, carnival activities, vendors and student booths. UCSD is also known for its International House, where approximately 350 students from more than 30 countries live and learn together.

Student Reviews…

“The academics here are amazing and although classes are generally pretty hard, professors are very supportive. You will always feel safe here. Socially it can be challenging to make new friends because it is a STEM heavy school but the socialites are out there if you look.”