University of California-San Diego: Statistics
Updated:
EliteDegrees
| Position | Category |
|---|---|
| # 25 of 14,131 | In the World |
| # 21 of 2,597 | In North America |
| # 20 of 2,496 | In the United States |
| # 4 of 249 | In California |
| # 1 of 20 | In San Diego |
| # 4 of 1,002 | For Cosmetology |
| Top 1-3 | For 12 other topics |
Quick Review
Acceptance rate
27%
Enrollment
47,335
Average SAT
1,500
Average ACT
34
Aid receiving
66%
Undergraduates
34,955
Graduates
9,301
Male:Female Ratio
47:53
Type
Public
not-for-profit
not-for-profit
Highest Degree
Doctor's degree
Website
Acceptance rate & Admissions
University of California-San Diego has an acceptance rate of 27% and is among the top 1% of the most difficult universities to gain admission to in the United States. The university reports the admission statistics without distinguishing between local and international students.
| Total | Men | Women | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acceptance Rate | 27% | 27% | 27% |
| Applicants | 134,450 | 63,349 | 71,101 |
| Admissions | 35,917 | 14,810 | 21,107 |
| Freshmen enrolled full time | 7,317 | 3,148 | 4,169 |
Admissions requirements
| College-preparatory program | Required |
|---|---|
| Secondary school GPA | Required |
| Secondary school record | Required |
| TOEFL | Required |
| Formal demonstration of competencies | Neither required nor recommended |
| Other Tests | Neither required nor recommended |
| Recommendations | Neither required nor recommended |
| SAT/ACT | Neither required nor recommended |
| Secondary school rank | Neither required nor recommended |
Enrollment demographics by race or ethnicity
| â– White | 18% |
|---|---|
| â– Nonresident Alien | 18% |
| â– Asian | 31% |
| â– Hispanic | 23% |
| â– Black or African American | 2% |
| â– Two or more races | 6% |
| â– Unknown | 3% |
Tuition
Below is the standard credit pricing for the various degree levels offered at University of California-San Diego.
| Degree Level | Cost Per Credit |
|---|---|
| Associate Degree | 1,749 CR |
| Bachelor Program | 1,950 CR |
| Master Program | 2,149 CR |
| Ph.D. / Doctoral | 2,850 CR |
Final tuition fees may vary based on specific department requirements, residency status, and selected elective courses. Please contact the admissions office for a detailed financial breakdown.
University of California-San Diego majors
University of California-San Diego has granted 8,923 bachelor's degrees across 91 programs, 2,419 master's across 66 programs, and 846 doctorate degrees across 64 programs. Below is a table with majors that lead to degrees at University of California-San Diego.
| Major | Bachelor | Master | Doctoral |
|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Science | 415 | 393 | 46 |
| Cognitive Science, General | 689 | 8 | 11 |
| Anatomy | 600 | - | - |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods, Other | 396 | 179 | 4 |
| Biology & Biological Sciences, General | 351 | 93 | 32 |
| International & Globalization Studies | 384 | - | - |
| Psychology, General | 351 | - | - |
| Mathematics and Computer Science | 338 | - | - |
| Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering | 126 | 142 | 54 |
| Political Science and Government, General | 268 | 8 | 9 |
| Electrical and Electronics Engineering | 176 | 90 | 16 |
| Mechanical Engineering | 180 | 83 | 15 |
| Computer Engineering, General | 207 | 62 | 5 |
| Econometrics and Quantitative Economics | 223 | 11 | 26 |
| Information Technology | 234 | - | - |
| Cell & Cellular and Molecular Biology | 229 | - | - |
| Communication, General | 220 | 5 | 3 |
| Neurobiology and Neurosciences, Other | 185 | - | - |
| Biochemistry | 174 | - | - |
| Structural Engineering | 96 | 58 | 10 |
| Chemistry, General | 65 | 55 | 43 |
| Marine Biology and Biological Oceanography | 96 | 53 | 10 |
| Clinical Psychology | 158 | - | - |
| Public Health, Other | 142 | 11 | - |
| Psychology, Other | 147 | - | 1 |
| Sociology, General | 138 | 5 | 3 |
| Medicine | - | - | 143 |
| Management Science | 33 | 109 | - |
| Mathematics, Other | 128 | - | 9 |
| Financial Mathematics | - | 133 | - |
| Education, General | 52 | 54 | 19 |
| International Public Health & International Health | 96 | 18 | 5 |
| Applied Mathematics, General | 116 | 2 | - |
| Bioinformatics | 98 | - | 20 |
| Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical & Space Engineering, General | 88 | 22 | 5 |
| Chemical Engineering | 89 | 21 | 4 |
| Mathematics, General | 66 | 23 | 25 |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering, Other | - | 100 | 5 |
| International Relations and Affairs | 6 | 87 | - |
| Engineering, Other | 45 | 33 | 13 |
| Chemistry, Other | 88 | - | - |
| Public Health, General | 55 | 25 | - |
| Environmental Studies | 79 | - | - |
| History, General | 65 | 3 | 10 |
| Data Science, General | - | 73 | 1 |
| Multi- & Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | 72 | - | - |
| Physics, General | 29 | 14 | 29 |
| Visual and Performing Arts, General | 61 | 10 | - |
| English Language and Literature & Letters, Other | 42 | 21 | 6 |
| Public Policy Analysis, General | - | 67 | - |
| Drama and Dramatics & Theatre Arts, General | 64 | - | 2 |
| Pharmacy | - | - | 66 |
| Real Estate Development | 64 | - | - |
| Anthropology, General | 50 | 8 | 3 |
| Microbiology, General | 57 | - | - |
| Human Development and Family Studies, General | 52 | - | - |
| Materials Engineering | - | 21 | 31 |
| Geology & Earth Science, General | 21 | 23 | 6 |
| Urban Studies & Affairs | 50 | - | - |
| Political Science and Government, Other | 46 | - | 3 |
| Ecology, Evolution, Systematics and Population Biology, Other | 46 | - | - |
| Health & Medical Psychology | 44 | - | - |
| Fine & Studio Arts, General | 43 | - | - |
| Oceanography, Chemical and Physical | - | 26 | 17 |
| Physics, Other | 38 | 1 | 4 |
| Developmental and Child Psychology | 42 | - | - |
| Statistics, Other | 42 | - | - |
| Social Psychology | 39 | - | - |
| Social Sciences, Other | 36 | - | - |
| Clinical and Industrial Drug Development | - | 34 | - |
| Design and Visual Communications, General | 31 | - | - |
| Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies, Other | 15 | 11 | 5 |
| Systems Engineering | - | 19 | 12 |
| Cognitive Psychology and Psycholinguistics | 29 | - | - |
| English Language and Literature, General | 27 | - | - |
| Philosophy | 18 | 1 | 8 |
| Music, General | 14 | 4 | 8 |
| Neuroscience | - | 9 | 16 |
| Anthropology, Other | 23 | - | - |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology, Other | - | 16 | 6 |
| Biological & Biosystems Engineering | 22 | - | - |
| Community Health and Preventive Medicine | 22 | - | - |
| Medical Science & Scientist | - | 19 | - |
| Computer and Information Sciences, Other | - | 18 | - |
| Engineering Science | - | 10 | 8 |
| Computer Hardware Engineering | - | 17 | - |
| Information Technology Project Management | - | 17 | - |
| Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology, Other | 16 | - | - |
| Biomedical Sciences, General | - | - | 16 |
| Art History, Criticism and Conservation | 12 | - | 3 |
| Computational Science | - | 15 | - |
| Physical Sciences, Other | 11 | - | 3 |
| Experimental Psychology | - | 4 | 9 |
| Biostatistics | 1 | 10 | 1 |
| Latin American Studies | 4 | 7 | - |
| Engineering Physics & Applied Physics | 2 | 5 | 3 |
| Statistics, General | - | 9 | - |
| Acting | - | 8 | - |
| Behavioral Aspects of Health | - | 6 | 2 |
| International Economics | - | 8 | - |
| Japanese Studies | 7 | - | - |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities, Other | 7 | - | - |
| Mathematics Teacher Education | 7 | - | - |
| Research and Experimental Psychology, Other | - | - | 7 |
| Audiology & Audiologist | - | - | 6 |
| Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Other | - | 5 | 1 |
| Health & Health Care Administration & Management | - | 6 | - |
| Biophysics | 4 | - | - |
| Directing and Theatrical Production | - | 4 | - |
| Substance Abuse & Addiction Counseling | - | - | 4 |
| Technical Theatre & Theatre Design and Technology | - | 4 | - |
| Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General | 3 | - | - |
| Dance, General | 3 | - | - |
| Epidemiology | - | - | 3 |
| Music Performance, General | - | - | 3 |
| Spanish Language and Literature | 3 | - | - |
| Computational Mathematics | - | - | 2 |
| Economics, Other | 2 | - | - |
| Environmental Health | 2 | - | - |
| Environmental & Environmental Health Engineering | 2 | - | - |
| Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering | - | 2 | - |
| Literature, Other | - | - | 2 |
| Russian, Central European, East European and Eurasian Studies | 2 | - | - |
| African-American & Black Studies | 1 | - | - |
| Animal Physiology | 1 | - | - |
| Chinese Studies | 1 | - | - |
| Education, Other | - | - | 1 |
| Geophysics and Seismology | - | - | 1 |
| Music, Other | - | - | 1 |
| Playwriting and Screenwriting | - | 1 | - |
| Religion & Religious Studies | 1 | - | - |
| Sociology, Other | - | - | 1 |
| Grand Total | 8,923 | 2,419 | 846 |
Publications & Citations
University of California-San Diego is a world-class research university with 313,402 scientific papers published and 16,907,719 citations received. The research profile covers a range of fields, including Biology, Medicine, Chemistry, Computer Science, Engineering, Physics, Genetics, Biochemistry, Liberal Arts & Social Sciences, and Environmental Science.
Publication / Citation count by topic
| Biology |
198,994
/ 12,340,971
|
|---|---|
| Medicine |
166,179
/ 9,358,753
|
| Chemistry |
157,490
/ 9,938,204
|
| Computer Science |
134,358
/ 7,762,622
|
| Engineering |
121,057
/ 6,229,794
|
| Physics |
120,130
/ 6,203,456
|
| Genetics |
114,930
/ 7,777,496
|
| Biochemistry |
105,401
/ 7,476,164
|
| Liberal Arts & Social Sciences |
103,466
/ 5,381,066
|
| Environmental Science |
90,413
/ 4,897,851
|
| Psychology |
89,190
/ 5,198,150
|
| Quantum and Particle physics |
78,240
/ 3,960,260
|
| Pathology |
72,509
/ 4,190,539
|
| Organic chemistry |
61,438
/ 3,738,838
|
| Psychiatry |
55,995
/ 3,277,926
|
| Mathematics |
53,656
/ 2,830,068
|
| Geology |
53,456
/ 2,991,510
|
| Materials Science |
51,916
/ 2,673,314
|
| Neuroscience |
47,212
/ 3,112,662
|
| Philosophy |
46,543
/ 2,582,641
|
| Geography and Cartography |
46,220
/ 2,456,887
|
| Surgery |
45,303
/ 1,988,877
|
| Statistics |
44,788
/ 2,407,750
|
| Political Science |
41,839
/ 1,920,343
|
| Law |
39,784
/ 1,869,746
|
| Immunology |
39,476
/ 2,459,901
|
| Sociology |
38,976
/ 1,924,116
|
| Artificial Intelligence (AI) |
37,787
/ 2,100,248
|
| Optics |
37,749
/ 1,780,626
|
| Paleontology |
32,525
/ 1,940,334
|
| Ecology |
31,233
/ 1,912,137
|
| Radiology |
30,868
/ 1,448,531
|
| Business |
28,689
/ 1,532,264
|
| Electrical Engineering |
26,519
/ 1,158,504
|
| History |
26,204
/ 1,311,026
|
| Linguistics |
25,257
/ 1,383,840
|
| Oncology |
24,556
/ 1,443,611
|
| Anatomy and Physiology |
22,915
/ 1,215,965
|
| Bioinformatics / Computational biology |
22,906
/ 1,785,444
|
| Economics |
22,187
/ 1,257,907
|
Annual publication & citation counts
100 Notable alumni
1. Ian Agol
1970-. (aged 56)
university teacher
mathematician
topologist
Ian Agol is an American mathematician who deals primarily with the topology of three-dimensional manifolds.
2. Brian Druker
1955-. (aged 71)
hematologist
oncologist
university teacher
Brian J. Druker, M.D. is an American physician-scientist and JELD-WEN Chair of Leukemia Research at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) in Portland, Oregon. In 2025, he was named the inaugural president of the newly independent Knight Cancer Group, a self-governing entity formed by the Oregon Health & Science University's Knight Cancer Institute following a record $2 billion gift from...
+ show more
3. Xiaoliang Sunney Xie
1962-. (aged 64)
university teacher
biochemist
chemist
Xiaoliang Sunney Xie is a Chinese biophysicist well known for his contributions to the fields of single-molecule biophysical chemistry, coherent Raman Imaging and single-molecule genomics. In 2023, Xie renounced his U.S. citizenship in order to reclaim his Chinese citizenship.
+ show more
4. Dana Shell Smith
1970-. (aged 56)
diplomat
Dana Shell Smith is a former American diplomat and career Foreign Service Officer who served as the United States Ambassador to Qatar from July 2014 to June 2017. She was confirmed by the Senate as the U.S. Ambassador to Qatar on July 10, 2014. Previously, she served as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Public Affairs from 2011 to 2014 and...
+ show more
All 100 notable alumni
General Info & Contacts
Alternative names
UCSDUC San Diego
Founded
1960
Motto
Fiat LuxLet there be light
Colors
navy blue, gold
Academic calendar
September to June
Total staff
18,295
Classification
Doctoral Universities: Very High Research Activity
Address
9500 Gilman Dr La Jolla, California, 92093 United States
City Population
1,387,000
Phone
8585342230
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