R1 ResearchPublicHSILand-grantMedical

University of California-San Diego

La Jolla, California·Public, 4-year or above·Far West·ucsd.edu
6-yr Graduation
86%
+1.0pp vs R1 Research
Total enrollment
44,256
peer median 50,180
Avg net price
$11,750
-$3.3k vs R1 Research
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AboutAdmissionsOutcomesProgram outcomesAccreditationCostFederal aidLoan defaultsAcademic programsEnrollment trendsAthleticsCampus safetyFacultyPeersIR OfficeCommon Data SetDocumentsAlumni

About

The University of California, San Diego is a public land-grant research university in the La Jolla neighborhood of San Diego, California, United States. Established in 1960, it is the southernmost of the ten campuses of the University of California. It occupies 2,178 acres (881 ha) near the Pacific coast.

Admissions & acceptance rate

First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.

IPEDS
Applied
134,450
134,450 candidates competed
Admitted
35,917
26.7% acceptance rate
Enrolled
7,330
20.4% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

IPEDS
Overall completion
86%+1.0pp vs R1 Research
4-year graduation
74%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
86%
Full-time retention
94%

Pell equity

5.0pp gap
Pell recipients
82%
Non-Pell
87%

Non-Pell students graduate at a 5.0-point higher rate than Pell recipients.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

FVT/GE

Of 188 Title IV programs, 73 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 1 fails. 114 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
188
Passing
73
38.8% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
1
0.5% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.5%
-0.1pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

188programs
  • Passing73 · 38.8%
  • No Data114 · 60.6%
  • Failing1 · 0.5%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
1
At Risk
0
Watch
2
Safe
71
No data
114

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

74
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft
Master's Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
-0.5%
$48,041 vs $48,304
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+14.7%
$41,389 vs $36,082
Ecology Evolution Systematics and Population Biology
Master's Degree · Biological And Biomedical Sciences
+23.7%
$66,412 vs $53,672
Visual and Performing Arts General
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+27.3%
$45,915 vs $36,082
Fine and Studio Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+34.4%
$48,506 vs $36,082
Music
Doctoral Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+42.2%
$68,693 vs $48,304
Psychology General
Bachelor Degree · Psychology
+43.2%
$51,679 vs $36,082
Ecology Evolution Systematics and Population Biology
Bachelor Degree · Biological And Biomedical Sciences
+46.1%
$52,701 vs $36,082

Near the line (±5%)

Programs within five points of the pass line, one cohort year from flipping.

1
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft
Master's Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
-0.5%
−$263

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

57
Medicine
Doctoral Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
84%
$99,406 debt · $118,330 earn
International Relations and National Security Studies
Master's Degree · Social Sciences
48%
$48,848 debt · $101,102 earn
Education General
Master's Degree · Education
47%
$34,742 debt · $73,566 earn
Ecology Evolution Systematics and Population Biology
Master's Degree · Biological And Biomedical Sciences
45%
$29,916 debt · $66,412 earn
Medical Clinical Sciences/Graduate Medical Studies
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
44%
$58,146 debt · $132,783 earn
Ethnic Cultural Minority Gender and Group Studies
Bachelor Degree · Area, Ethnic, Cultural, And Gender Studies
42%
$22,334 debt · $53,319 earn
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
36%
$15,000 debt · $41,389 earn
Visual and Performing Arts General
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
36%
$16,375 debt · $45,915 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

DAPIP
AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

WASC Senior College and University Commission

Accredited since 1964Next review Feb 2030

Programmatic accreditations · 6

Action history · 8

  1. Dec 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    Commission on English Language Program Accreditation · English Language
  2. Jan 2021Renewal of Accreditation
    Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education · Pharmacy (PHAR) - Professional degree programs
  3. Feb 2020Renewal of Accreditation
    WASC Senior College and University Commission
  4. Jul 2019Renewal of Accreditation
    American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology · Clinical doctoral program in Audiology
  5. Oct 2018Renewal of Accreditation
    Liaison Committee on Medical Education · Medicine (MED) - Programs leading to the M.D. degree

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

College Scorecard

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$7,487
$30–48k$7,864
$48–75k$10,389
$75–110k$17,131
$110k+$28,113

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price
$11,750
-$3,340vs R1 Research median $15,090
Federal loans
24.1%
In-state tuition
$15,265
Out-of-state
$46,042

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

Federal Student Aid

In AY 2024–25, 13,489 students received $89.4M in Pell grants, alongside $140.2M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
13,489
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$89.4M
$89,396,223 total
Direct Loans
$140.2M
15,425 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

11k
’20
11k
’21
11k
’22
12k
’23
13k
’24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$28.2M
6,657 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$17.4M
5,034 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$26.1M
1,092 loan awards
Parent PLUS$51.0M
1,998 loan awards
Grad PLUS$17.6M
644 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Cohort Default Rate

Of 4,673 borrowers who entered repayment, 31 (0.6%) defaulted within three years — below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
0.6%
-1.7pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
4,673
Defaulted
31
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
1.7%
2017
1.5%
2018
1.0%
2019
0.6%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at UCSD

Top program areas ranked by completions.

IPEDS
Distinct CIP programs159
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

11,414 total completions
01Biological Sciences
2,15218.9%
02Engineering
1,90116.7%
03Multi/Interdisciplinary
1,70414.9%
04Computer Sciences
1,1289.9%
05Social Sciences
1,1129.7%
06Psychology
8877.8%
07Business
7366.4%
08Health Professions
6906.0%
09Mathematics
6055.3%
10Physical Sciences
4994.4%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

IPEDS
Fall total
44,256
12-mo unduplicated
44,416
Undergraduate
35,563
Graduate
8,853

Gender split

Men
48%21,437
Women
52%22,979

Race / ethnicity composition

Asian
34.3%
Hispanic
25.3%
White
18.2%
Non-resident
11.8%
Two or more
6.3%
Unknown
2.2%
Black
1.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.1%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

EADA
Athletes
552
288 M · 264 W
Women athletes
47.8%
Athletic aid
$5.2M
Total student aid
Budget
$30.3M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$2.5M
$2.7M
Recruiting expense
$187K
$194K
Head-coach salaries
$101K
$90K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 12

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
53 M · 67 W
$1.4M
Rowing
36 M · 48 W
$1.0M
Water Polo
30 M · 28 W
$1.2M
Soccer
29 M · 29 W
$2.2M
Swimming
23 M · 24 W
$906K
Volleyball
23 M · 18 W
$1.8M

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Clery Act
Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
14.12
593 offenses · 42,006 students

3-year trend

4.652 yrs ago9.931 yr ago14.12Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
1,193
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
166
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
3
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
24

Criminal offenses by type

Motor vehicle theft
482
Burglary
37
Fondling
21
Rape
20
Aggravated assault
19
Arson
10
Robbery
4

By location

593total
  • On campus556
  • Non-campus24
  • Public property13

Includes 44 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

18
Domestic violence
8
Dating violence
15
Stalking
41 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

  • Sexual orientation1

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons163
Drugs6769
Liquor2333

Residence-hall fires

  • ERC-Earth Hall North1 fire
    Person lit restroom supplies/equipment on fire.Damage $100-$999
  • Seventh College West Apts. Bldg 11 fire
    OtherDamage $100-$999
  • Mesa Nueva Apts. Bldg C (Cresta)3 fires
    Person lit cardboard/paper on fire.Damage $50,000-$99,999
  • Mesa Nueva Apts. Bldg C (Cresta)3 fires
    Person lit cardboard/paper on fire.Damage $100-$999
  • Mesa Nueva Apts. Bldg C (Cresta)3 fires
    Person lit cardboard/paper on fire.Damage $1,000-$9,999
  • Sixth College - Building 2 - Catalyst1 fire
    Smoking materialsDamage $50,000-$99,999
  • Central Mesa Apts. Bldg 92561 fire
    ElectricalDamage $100-$999
  • Central Mesa Apts. Bldg 92581 fire
    CookingDamage $0-$99
  • Marshall-Residence Halls - Bldg V - Voice1 fire
    Person lit a chicken bone on fire.Damage $100-$999
  • One Miramar Street Apts. - Bldg 42 fires
    ElectricalDamage $100-$999
  • One Miramar Street Apts. - Bldg 42 fires
    CookingDamage $1,000-$9,999

Data quality: 12 reports were later determined unfounded across the reporting period and are excluded from the totals above.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

IPEDS
Student-to-faculty
19.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
3,203

UCSD vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions UCSD selected for federal comparison reporting.

IPEDS
GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

Carnegie
SubjectUniversity of California-San Diego
86%—44,256$11,750R1 Research
Arizona State University Campus Immersion
68%89.9%79,818$13,670R1 Research
Florida International University
74%54.7%54,723$9,133R1 Research
Florida State University
86%24.2%43,889$10,997R1 Research
Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus
94%14.1%53,363$13,289R1 Research
Indiana University-Bloomington
80%78.2%48,424$15,342R1 Research
Michigan State University
81%84.8%52,089$20,751R1 Research
Ohio State University-Main Campus
88%60.6%61,443$18,292R1 Research
Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus
86%60.6%50,737$32,598R1 Research
Purdue University-Main Campus
83%49.9%58,658$13,945R1 Research
Rutgers University-New Brunswick
84%58.1%52,269$23,519R1 Research
Texas Tech University
69%72.6%40,757$20,071R1 Research
The University of Texas at Arlington
54%79.9%44,956$15,235R1 Research
The University of Texas at Austin
89%26.6%53,864$19,678R1 Research
University of Arizona
68%86.1%56,365$15,960R1 Research
University of California-Berkeley
93%11.0%45,882$14,979R1 Research
University of California-Davis
86%41.8%40,065$15,288R1 Research
University of California-Irvine
87%28.6%37,297$12,840R1 Research
University of California-Los Angeles
93%9.0%47,335$14,013R1 Research
University of Central Florida
78%40.1%69,713$10,650R1 Research
University of Cincinnati-Main Campus
75%85.3%45,026$23,156R1 Research
University of Florida
91%24.2%56,311$6,351R1 Research
University of Georgia
90%37.7%43,146$13,816R1 Research
University of Houston
65%73.9%47,980$13,853R1 Research
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
85%42.4%59,238$15,201R1 Research
University of Maryland-College Park
89%44.8%41,725$15,590R1 Research
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
93%15.6%52,855$14,832R1 Research
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
85%79.7%56,666$17,139R1 Research
University of North Texas
61%72.2%46,864$14,352R1 Research
University of South Carolina-Columbia
79%60.2%38,532$24,532R1 Research
University of South Florida
77%43.2%49,622$10,043R1 Research
University of Washington-Seattle Campus
85%39.1%56,997$13,485R1 Research
University of Wisconsin-Madison
90%45.2%51,044$16,928R1 Research
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
86%54.8%38,857$23,790R1 Research
Peer group median85%49.9%50,180$15,090

Institutions like UCSD

Explore the federal data for institutions in UCSD's comparison group.

IPEDS

UCSD Institutional Research office

The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.

Office
Office of Institutional Research
Email
ir [at] ucsd.edu
Phone
858-534-2230
Address
University of California San Diego, Student Services Center (SSC), 4th floor, Mail Code 0003, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093-0003

Facilitate data-informed decision-making through actionable research & analytics.

Visit IR office page

Common Data Set

UCSD's own annual Common Data Set: the most detailed self-reported reference for selectivity, cost, outcomes, and the student body.

Acceptance rate
28.6%
Selective
Yield
20.0%
of admitted students enroll
Total enrollment
45,087
35,442 UG · 9,645 grad
6-yr graduation rate
86%
First-year retention
95%
Student–faculty ratio
0 to 1
01

Selectivity & Admissions

Admissions funnel

C1
Applied
136,750
Admitted
39,054
Enrolled
7,801

136,750 applied → 39,054 admitted (28.6%) → 7,801 enrolled.

Selectivity

C1
Acceptance rate
28.6%

Selective — 28.6% acceptance rate.

Admit rate by gender

C1
male26.1%
female30.5%
unknown33.1%

Admit rate varies by gender.

High-school class rank

C10
top tenth100%
top quarter100%
top half100%

Share of enrolled first-years by HS class-rank band.

Waitlist outcome

C2
Offered
36,709
Accepted spot
25,411
Admitted
5,284

36,709 offered a waitlist spot, 25,411 accepted it, 5,284 admitted (20.8% of those who stayed on).

What matters in admission

C7
Very Important2
rigor of secondary school recordacademic GPA
Considered8
class rankapplication essayextracurricular activitiestalent/abilitycharacter/personal qualitiesstate residencyvolunteer workwork experience
Not Considered8
standardized test scoresrecommendationsinterviewfirst generationalumni/ae relationgeographical residencereligious affiliation/commitmentlevel of applicant’s interest

Relative importance of each admission factor.

02

Affordability & Value

Cost of attendance

G
Total$42,249
Tuition
$14,93435%
Fees
$5,79314%
Room & board
$20,31948%
Books
$1,2033%

Total sticker cost of attendance is $42,249 (2026-2027).

03

Outcomes & Equity

Graduation & retention

B
6-yr grad rate
86%
Retention
95%

6-year graduation rate 86%; first-year retention 95%.

Equity: Pell graduation gap

B4
All students86%
Pell recipients81%

Pell-grant recipients graduate 5 pts below the overall rate (81% vs 86%).

04

Academic Experience

Faculty profile

I
Student–faculty ratio
0 to 1

Key faculty indicators.

Degrees by discipline

J
Biological/life sciences19.6%
Interdisciplinary studies16.6%
Engineering11.5%
Psychology9.3%
Social sciences9%
Computer and information sciences7.2%
Business/marketing6.5%
Health professions and related programs3.6%

STEM-dominant: ~44% of bachelor's degrees are in computing, engineering, math & sciences.

05

Student Body & Diversity

Undergraduate race/ethnicity

B2
Asian, non-Hispanic34.6%
Hispanic/Latino26.8%
White, non-Hispanic16.0%
Nonresidents12.1%
Two or more races, non-Hispanic6.4%
Race and/or ethnicity unknown2.4%
Black or African American, non-Hispanic1.6%
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic0.1%
American Indian or Alaska Native, non-Hispanic0.1%

Undergraduate enrollment by race/ethnicity.

International students

B2
International UG
4,304
Share
12%

12% of undergraduates are international (nonresident).

Undergrad vs graduate

B1
Undergraduate
35,44279%
Graduate
9,64521%

35,442 undergraduates and 9,645 graduate students.

06

Transfer Path

Transfer admissions

D1
Applied
23,577
Admitted
12,440
Enrolled
3,591

23,577 transfer applicants → 12,440 admitted (52.8%) → 3,591 enrolled

Source publications

Reports & documents (3)

Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.

Notable alumni of UCSD (30)

A curated list of alumni recognized for notable achievements across industries.

  • Lizet Benrey
    Art and architecture
  • Micha Cárdenas
    Art and architecture
  • Joyce Cutler–Shaw
    Art and architecture
  • Hung Liu
    Art and architecture
  • Dan Santat
    Art and architecture
  • Mark Allen
    Athletics
  • Billy Beane
    Athletics
  • Garrett Gruener
    Business
  • Robert J. Pera
    Business
  • Nick Woodman
    Business
  • Bill Atkinson
    Computer science
  • Ryan Dahl
    Computer science
Showing 1–12 of 30
1 / 3

Frequently asked questions about University of California-San Diego

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about UCSD.

What is the graduation rate at University of California-San Diego?

University of California-San Diego reports a 6-year graduation rate of 86% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend University of California-San Diego?

University of California-San Diego reports a total enrollment of 44,256 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at University of California-San Diego?

The average net price at University of California-San Diego is $11,750 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at University of California-San Diego?

University of California-San Diego's yield rate is 20.4%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is University of California-San Diego located?

University of California-San Diego is located in La Jolla, California 92093.

Who runs Institutional Research at University of California-San Diego?

University of California-San Diego's IR work is done by the Office of Institutional Research.

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