San Diego
UC San Diego’s high academic rankings reflect its status as one of the leading universities in the country. The award-winning faculty includes Nobel laureates and a Pulitzer Prize winner.
The School of Engineering and the School of Medicine were recently ranked among the top 15 in America’s Best Graduate Schools by the publishers of U.S. News & World Report. Plus, the National Research Council places most of UC San Diego’s rated programs among the top 20, with Biological Sciences, Bioengineering, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Biomedical Sciences and Neurosciences in the top four.
Nearly 200 companies have been created from campus inventions, which have helped to transform greater San Diego into one of the leading biotechnology and telecommunications regions in the world.
Life on campus
UC San Diego has a bit of everything. On campus, the Birch Aquarium brings to life an undersea world of sharks, seahorses and living coral reefs. For an evening of art, take in classic and modern productions at the Tony-award winning La Jolla Playhouse or enjoy the eclectic performances of ArtPower! Surfers and sun worshippers will appreciate easy access to beautiful sandy beaches mere moments away.
One of the country’s leading green campuses, UC San Diego recently opened the LEED Gold Certified Rita Atkinson’s Residences, on-campus graduate student housing.
San Diego’s mild, sunny weather is ideal for outdoor activities. The area offers 70 miles of Pacific coastline, a national forest, mountain ranges and California’s largest state park, along with SeaWorld and the world-famous San Diego Zoo and Safari Park.
Campus snapshot
- Student body: 29,176 total;
5,513 graduate students - Graduate programs: 70+
- Setting: Urban
Undergraduate research programs
Completing a research project before you apply to graduate school can help you be a competitive applicant. You don't have to be a UC San Diego student to take advantage of the campus's programs.