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
    A-
  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
33%
SAT Range
1190-1430
ACT Range
27-32
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
$13,693/ year
National
$15,431
Average cost after financial aid for students receiving grant or scholarship aid, as reported by the college.
Net Price by Household Income
  • <$30k
    $8,362/ year
  • $30-48k
    $9,832/ year
  • $49-75k
    $12,831/ year
  • $76-110k
    $20,286/ year
  • $110k+
    $26,932/ 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.199 responses
38%
of students agree that the workload is easy to manage.200 responses

Majors

Most Popular Majors
  • Economics
    492 Graduates
  • Psychology
    461 Graduates
  • Political Science and Government
    328 Graduates
  • Computer Science
    322 Graduates
  • Biology
    300 Graduates
  • Communications
    284 Graduates
  • Management Sciences and Information Systems
    278 Graduates
  • Anatomy
    274 Graduates
  • Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
    264 Graduates
  • Chemistry
    246 Graduates

Students

Full-Time Enrollment
24,159Undergrads
Undergrads Over 25
5%
Pell Grant
32%
Varsity Athletes
2%
Poll
What one word or phrase best describes the typical student at this school?
Based on 90 responses
Report
  • From SoCal, Asian, Bio Major, PreMed
    43%
  • Intellectual
    22%
  • STEM
    12%
  • Smart
    7%
  • Chill
    4%
  • Cool
    2%
  • Socially inadequate
    2%

Campus Life

Freshmen Live On-Campus
—
Poll
58%
of students say that Greek life is average, and no one will treat you differently if you don't join.266 responses
Poll
60%
of students say varsity sporting events are attended, but not a huge part of campus life.308 responses
Poll
What one word or phrase best describes your school?
Based on 146 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
    10%
  • Awesome
    6%
  • Continuously growing and improving
    3%

After University of California - San Diego

Median Earnings 6 Years After Graduation
$59,600/ year
National
$33,028
Graduation Rate
86%
National
47%
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
Colleges like University of California - San Diego
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University of California - San Diego Reviews

3,113 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.
I love my university! It is academically challenging, but I feel that I am genuinely learning and growing with each class that I take. The professors are wonderful and inspiring. Some logistical/organizational things can get rather frustrating. For example, the parking on campus is extremely scare and extremely expensive. Despite constant requests from students for solutions or improvement, prices continue to be raised and student parking spots continue to be removed. But other than that I absolutely love it!