A
Overall Niche Grade
How are grades calculated?
  1. Academics
    A+
  2. Value
    A
  3. Diversity
    A
  4. Campus
    B-
  5. Athletics
    B
  6. Party Scene
    B-
  7. Professors
    A
  8. Location
    B
  9. Dorms
    C
  10. Campus Food
    B+
  11. Student Life
    B
  12. Safety
    B-
View Full Report Card
University of California - San Diego is ...
Public
Athletic Division
NCAA Division II (without football)
Athletic Conference
Division II Independents
Address
9500 Gilman Dr
La Jolla, CA 92093
Website
ucsd.edu

University of California - San Diego Rankings

Niche rankings are based on rigorous analysis of key statistics from the U.S. Department of Education and millions of reviews.

Admissions

Acceptance Rate
34%
SAT Range
1220-1450
ACT Range
28-33
Application Fee
$70
SAT/ACT
Required
High School GPA
Required
Will You Get In?

Test Scores and GPA for University of California - San Diego

Cost

Net Price
$14,933/ year
National
$15,403
Average cost after financial aid for students receiving grant or scholarship aid, as reported by the college.
Net Price by Household Income
  • <$30k
    $8,424/ year
  • $30-48k
    $9,822/ year
  • $49-75k
    $13,329/ year
  • $76-110k
    $20,691/ year
  • $110k+
    $27,790/ year

Academics

Professors
A
Based on faculty accomplishments, salary, student reviews, and additional factors.
Student Faculty Ratio
19:1
Evening Degree Programs
No
71%
of students agree that professors put a lot of effort into teaching their classes.204 responses
41%
of students agree that it is easy to get the classes they want.201 responses
38%
of students agree that the workload is easy to manage.202 responses

Majors

Most Popular Majors
  • Economics
    552 Graduates
  • Computer Science
    492 Graduates
  • Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
    389 Graduates
  • Psychology
    352 Graduates
  • Anatomy
    317 Graduates
  • Biology
    310 Graduates
  • Political Science and Government
    295 Graduates
  • Communications
    293 Graduates
  • Management Sciences and Information Systems
    264 Graduates
  • Electrical and Electronics Engineering
    215 Graduates

Students

Full-Time Enrollment
25,922Undergrads
Undergrads Over 25
5%
Pell Grant
33%
Varsity Athletes
2%
Poll
What one word or phrase best describes the typical student at this school?
Based on 92 responses
Report
  • From SoCal, Asian, Bio Major, PreMed
    43%
  • Intellectual
    22%
  • STEM
    13%
  • Smart
    7%
  • Chill
    4%
  • Cool
    2%
  • Socially inadequate
    2%

Campus Life

Freshmen Live On-Campus
—
Poll
57%
of students say that Greek life is average, and no one will treat you differently if you don't join.268 responses
Poll
59%
of students say varsity sporting events are attended, but not a huge part of campus life.310 responses
Poll
What one word or phrase best describes your school?
Based on 148 responses
Report
  • If you don't get involved, you're doing it wrong
    23%
  • Great undergraduate experience
    18%
  • Can be Amazing or disappointing
    18%
  • Engineers
    14%
  • Love it or hate it
    9%
  • Awesome
    7%
  • Continuously growing and improving
    3%

After College

Median Earnings 6 Years After Graduation
$59,600/ year
National
$33,028
Graduation Rate
87%
National
48%
Employed 2 Years After Graduation
87%
National
83%
67%
of students feel confident they will find a job in their field after graduation.147 responses
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University of California - San Diego Reviews

3,146 reviews
All Categories
I love UCSD! The welcoming atmosphere, the interesting class, and all of the clubs and orgs you can be a part of. I've already made some amazing friends here, joined cool clubs, attended fun events, and learned quite a bit in class. I'm especially a fan of the 6-college system, because it creates the feel of both a small college and a big university in one place.
My only critique would be that the prices are quite high. For everything. Food is expensive, tuition, activities, and the like. It makes it especially hard for an out-of-state student to make it here.
Also, I love the fact that the school is not much of a party school, because I was looking for a university where I could hang out and party, and still feel safe. Everyone is still friendly and wonderful, and it also makes it easier to study and find cool ways to spend your time.
Review University of California - San Diego
Based on my first quarter at UCSD, I can definitely tell that they really want to help everyone. I adapted easily at UCSD because I knew I wanted to be in the type of rigorous, academic environment UCSD is know for. The friends I made so far really challenge me to do well in school but they are also very supportive and fun all around. I haven't had a hard time making friends because everyone is in the same position as you are when you are a freshman, and so everyone is friendly and open. I thought I would have a hard time finding my way around UCSD since it is a pretty big campus, but I surprisingly did not have much trouble! The campus is really clean as well.
Excellent school with excellent opportunities. Social sciences majors, particularly Political Science majors can find successful starts here and the school has faculty that truly care about your success!