University

University of California-San Diego

La Jolla, California, United States

Verified · last verified 2026-09-02

University details

University of California-San Diego (UC San Diego) is a public research university located in La Jolla, California, and is a campus of the University of California system. It was established in 1960 and enrolled its first undergraduate students in 1964. The campus occupies approximately 1,200 acres near the Pacific Ocean. Its academic units include the Jacobs School of Engineering, the Halicioglu School of Data Science and Computing, the Rady School of Management, the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science, the Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, the School of Medicine, and Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Undergraduate students are affiliated with one of the university's undergraduate colleges.

Institution type: Public
Campus setting: Urban
Application platforms: Direct application
Testing policy: Test blind (2025–2026)
In-state tuition: $16,758
Out-of-state tuition: $50,958
Cost of attendance: Not available (2024–2025)
Undergraduate enrollment: 34,948

Website Admissions Financial aid

Common Data Set

Institution-reported facts by reporting cycle. Missing and withheld values are shown explicitly.

2025–2026 · most recent available

First-year admission rate

28.6%

Calculated from applications and admissions reported in CDS C1. This is a factual calculation, not a CollegePath rating.

Testing

SAT Math · 25th percentile (C9): Not reported by institution
Enrolled students submitting scores · SAT (C9): Not reported by institution
Enrolled students submitting scores · ACT (C9): Not reported by institution
SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing · 25th percentile (C9): Not reported by institution

Majors

Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering
Engineering
Anthropology
Social Sciences
Applied Mathematics
Mathematics and Statistics
Area Studies
Area, Ethnic, Cultural, Gender, and Group Studies
Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology
Physical Sciences
Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology
Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Biological/Biosystems Engineering
Engineering
Biology, General
Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology
Biological and Biomedical Sciences

Deadlines

Regular decision · 2026–2027
2026-11-30 — Fall first-year application filing deadline for the UC system.
https://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/how-to-apply/applying-as-a-first-year/dates-and-deadlines.html

View deadlines from earlier years

2025–2026

Regular decision · 2025–2026
2025-12-01 — Fall 2026 first-year applicants apply with the University of California Application. The application opens August 1; the filing period runs October 1 - December 1, 2025, and the application must be submitted by the December 1 deadline. UC uses a single filing period with no Early Decision or Early Action options.
https://admissions.ucsd.edu/first-year/application-timeline.html

Supplemental essays

How many responses?

No supplemental essays are required for this university.

View supplemental prompts from earlier years

2025–2026

Optional · first-year applicants
Describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have positively influenced others, helped resolve disputes or contributed to group efforts over time.
Limit: 350 words — One of 8 UC Personal Insight Questions; applicants must answer any 4 of the 8. Each response is limited to a maximum of 350 words.
https://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/how-to-apply/applying-as-a-first-year/personal-insight-questions.html
Optional · first-year applicants

Application requirements

2026–2027

Application fee · Required
Value: $80
First-year UC application fee for U.S. applicants; the fee is paid per campus selected.
https://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/how-to-apply/applying-as-a-first-year/
Fee waiver · Optional
Value: Available
The UC application provides a fee waiver for eligible applicants.
https://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/how-to-apply/applying-as-a-first-year/
Personal essay · Required
Value: 4 personal insight questions
UC first-year applicants answer four personal insight questions in the application.
https://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/how-to-apply/applying-as-a-first-year/

Sources

Direct sources supporting this university’s facts, with retrieval dates.

Official source · supports requirements:2026–2027
https://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/how-to-apply/applying-as-a-first-year/
Retrieved 2026-09-02 — Official UC first-year application and personal insight question requirements.
Official source · supports deadlines:2026–2027
https://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/how-to-apply/applying-as-a-first-year/dates-and-deadlines.html
Retrieved 2026-09-02 — Official UC system first-year filing dates for all campuses.
Official source · supports admissions_url
https://admissions.ucsd.edu/first-year/index.html
Retrieved 2026-07-21
Official source · supports financial_aid_url

SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing · 75th percentile (C9)

Not reported by institution

SAT Math · 75th percentile (C9)

Not reported by institution

ACT Composite · 25th percentile (C9)

Not reported by institution

ACT Composite · 75th percentile (C9)

Not reported by institution

Enrollment

Undergraduate enrollment (B1): 35,442 students
Full-time undergraduate enrollment (B1): 34,514 students
Part-time undergraduate enrollment (B1): 928 students

First-year admission

First-year applications (C1): 136,750 applicants
First-year students admitted (C1): 39,054 students
First-year students enrolled (C1): 7,801 students
High-school GPA distribution · GPA 4.0 (C11): 31%
High-school GPA distribution · GPA 3.75-3.99 (C11): 54%
High-school GPA distribution · GPA 3.50-3.74 (C11): 13%
High-school GPA distribution · GPA 3.25-3.49 (C11): 2%
High-school GPA distribution · GPA 3.00-3.24 (C11): 0%
High-school GPA distribution · GPA 2.50-2.99 (C11): 0%
High-school GPA distribution · GPA 2.00-2.49 (C11): 0%
High-school GPA distribution · GPA 1.00-1.99 (C11): 0%
High-school GPA distribution · GPA below 1.0 (C11): 0%
Average high-school GPA (C12): 3.88 GPA; The CDS reports an average and distribution, not GPA percentiles.

Academics and class size

Student-to-faculty ratio (I2): Not reported by institution; The official 2025-2026 CDS leaves the Fall 2025 ratio blank.

Source: University of California, San Diego Common Data Set 2025-2026 · Retrieved 2026-09-01

Open the official institutional source

Document ID: sha256:44ee75e78b7905cd03ed661727b428fed7a6907f7a9901b55422b30bfa0fc007 · Import: cds-2026-09-v29

Biomedical/Medical Engineering

Engineering

Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences

Biological and Biomedical Sciences

Chemical Engineering

Engineering

Chemistry

Physical Sciences

Civil Engineering

Engineering

Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics

Foreign Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics

Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology

Psychology

Cognitive Science

Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies

Communication and Media Studies

Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs

Computer and Information Sciences, General

Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services

Computer Engineering

Engineering

Computer Science

Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services

Dance

Visual and Performing Arts

Design and Applied Arts

Visual and Performing Arts

Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft

Visual and Performing Arts

Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology

Biological and Biomedical Sciences

Economics

Social Sciences

Education, General

Education

Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering

Engineering

Engineering Physics

Engineering

Engineering Science

Engineering

Engineering, Other

Engineering

English Language and Literature, General

English Language and Literature/Letters

English Language and Literature/Letters, Other

English Language and Literature/Letters

Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering

Engineering

Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies

Area, Ethnic, Cultural, Gender, and Group Studies

Fine and Studio Arts

Visual and Performing Arts

Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences

Physical Sciences

Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services

Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences

International Relations and National Security Studies

Social Sciences

International/Globalization Studies

Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies

Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities

Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services

Foreign Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics

Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods

Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services

Mathematics

Mathematics and Statistics

Mathematics and Computer Science

Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies

Mechanical Engineering

Engineering

Microbiological Sciences and Immunology

Biological and Biomedical Sciences

Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other

Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies

Music

Visual and Performing Arts

Natural Resources Conservation and Research

Natural Resources and Conservation

Neurobiology and Neurosciences

Biological and Biomedical Sciences

Philosophy

Philosophy and Religious Studies

Physical Sciences, Other

Physical Sciences

Physics

Physical Sciences

Political Science and Government

Social Sciences

Psychology, General

Psychology

Psychology, Other

Psychology

Public Health

Health Professions and Related Programs

Real Estate Development

Architecture and Related Services

Religion/Religious Studies

Philosophy and Religious Studies

Research and Experimental Psychology

Psychology

Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics

Foreign Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics

Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics

Foreign Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics

Social Sciences, Other

Social Sciences

Sociology

Social Sciences

Statistics

Mathematics and Statistics

Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas

Education

Urban Studies/Affairs

Social Sciences

Visual and Performing Arts, General

Visual and Performing Arts

Visual and Performing Arts, Other

Visual and Performing Arts

Zoology/Animal Biology

Biological and Biomedical Sciences

Financial aid · 2025–2026

2026-03-02 — Priority deadline to submit the FAFSA or California Dream Act Application and the GPA Verification Form for the 2026-27 academic year.

https://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/how-to-apply/applying-as-a-first-year/dates-and-deadlines.html

Every person has a creative side, and it can be expressed in many ways: problem solving, original and innovative thinking, and artistically, to name a few. Describe how you express your creative side.