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University of California-San Diego
About University of California-San Diego
The University of California San Diego is a four-year, public university that is part of the University of California system. Located in La Jolla, California, a beachside community in San Diego, the school offers an array of research-focused graduate degrees across disciplines. For students interested in engaging in rigorous academic studies and learning how to apply their skills to local, national, and global needs and issues, UC San Diego could be a great choice.
Type
4 yr
Public 
Tuition
Student-to-Faculty Ratio
19:1
Financial Aid Percent
58%
Graduation Rate
87%
Status
Accredited
Why Consider the University of California San Diego?
Part of the University of California system, UC San Diego is a research institution that dedicates itself to learning, teaching, and serving society through research, education, and public service. The school has an entrepreneurial and cooperative nature, and UC San Diego staff, faculty, and students are encouraged to be creative and achieve success individually and collaboratively. UC San Diego strives to cultivate a climate of cooperation, fairness, and professionalism to foster a great environment for working and learning.
Here are some other great reasons to consider UC San Diego among your top choices for San Diego universities:
Research Initiatives
UC San Diego scholars engage in multidisciplinary collaborations that ignite new discoveries and transform lives. Experimentation and fresh thinking guide UC San Diego’s research initiatives, and research projects in areas such as climate, robotics, and microbiomes contribute to global knowledge and change. Research work at UC San Diego connects students to the community and impact people worldwide.
Diversity- and Community-focused Education
The UC San Diego Graduate Division strives to cultivate a diverse graduate student body to ensure that students are exposed to a wide range of ideas and perspectives in a way that’s educationally beneficial. The personal experiences, values, and worldviews that arise from differences in circumstance and culture are just some of the dynamics the graduate department values. More specifically, the Graduate Division at UC San Diego embraces differences in race, ethnicity, religion, language, age, abilities, disabilities, sexual orientation, geographic region, socioeconomic status, and more.
Financial Support for Graduate Students
The UC San Diego campus offers a variety of financial support to incoming graduate students:
- Students can apply for fellowships and traineeships, each of which offers opportunities to develop professional and academic skills and earn money for tuition or other expenses. Fellowships and traineeships may be offered by the school, federal government, or a private agency.
- Students can apply for student employment specifically designated for graduate students.
- Student-parents can apply for financial support for child care and other child-related costs that impact their ability to attend school.
- UC San Diego helps administer third-party billing, through which the school bills third parties, such as employers, the military, or government agencies for tuition and fees.
Financial supports like these can help make attending graduate school possible.
University of California Campuses
The University of California has campuses throughout the state, enabling students to choose from a variety of University of California locations. If you are considering universities in California, and this is your first stop, also consider UC locations such as:
- UC Davis
- UC Berkeley
- UCLA (UC Los Angeles)
- UC Irvine
- UC Santa Cruz
- UCSB (UC Santa Barbara)
- UC Riverside
These are just some colleges in California that are part of the UC system. Look through programs here and then move on to other UC colleges to consider your options.
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Mission, Vision and Values
The UC San Diego Graduate Division is devoted to helping graduate students navigate their academic, scholastic, and professional path from admission to graduation to beyond. It works behind the scenes and in collaboration with students, faculty, and staff to help today’s scholars become tomorrow’s leaders.
Admissions:
Each of the graduate programs at the University of California San Diego has unique admissions requirements and application due dates. In general, however, in addition to submitting an application online, prospective students need to upload academic records and transcripts, a statement of purpose, required test scores, and contact information for recommenders. Official transcripts do not need to be submitted until applicants are offered admission by UC San Diego. In addition:
- Applicants must already hold a bachelor’s degree or the equivalent from an accredited institution in the U.S. or abroad and at least a 3.0 GPA at the time of application
- International students may have to meet additional requirements, such as submitting a satisfactory TOEFL score to prove their proficiency in using the English language at the graduate level of education
- U.S. citizens and permanent resident applicants must pay an application fee of $105; international applicants must pay an application fee of $125. Application fee waivers are available to those who qualify.
Enrollment, Attendance, Retention Rates and Graduation
University of California-San Diego has a total graduate enrollment of 7942
Graduate attendance rate of 7% part-time and 93% full-time
For the years 2018-2019 University of California-San Diego awarded: 7609 bachelor's degrees, 1965 master's degrees, 183 doctor's degrees - professional practice, 528 doctor's degrees - research/scholarship
Graduate attendance rate of 7% part-time and 93% full-time
For the years 2018-2019 University of California-San Diego awarded: 7609 bachelor's degrees, 1965 master's degrees, 183 doctor's degrees - professional practice, 528 doctor's degrees - research/scholarship
Financial Aid
Cal State San Diego graduate students can apply for need-based aid by submitting a FAFSA and working with the UCSD financial aid office. Doing so could qualify them to receive federal student loans. In addition, graduate students could pay their UC San Diego tuition by securing a fellowship, award, or academic employment opportunity that grants stipends or tuition payments.
Accreditation is a rigorous examination of how well institutional structures, processes, and resources align with declared scholastic outcomes. The process is conducted by an independent institution and helps ensure that higher education institutions meet rigorous academic and quality standards. The University of California San Diego has institutional accreditation from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior College and University Commission. It has additional specialized accreditation from:
- The Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education
- The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology
- The Commission on English Language Program Accreditation
- The Liaison Committee on Medical Education
Campus Locations
- University of California - San Diego: La Jolla, CA9500 Gilman Drive, San Diego, CA, 92093
The Graduate Division at UC San Diego offers nine areas of study, including Arts and Humanities, Biology, Health Sciences, Engineering, Physical Sciences, Management, Global Policy and Strategy, Oceanography, and Social Sciences. The UC San Diego School of Medicine and Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences have distinct, individual websites dedicated to their majors.
Within these areas of studies, UC San Diego offers multiple options for master’s and doctorate degrees. Many programs offer opportunities to conduct research, engage in internships, connect with professionals in the field, and otherwise engage with the topic at hand.
At the graduate level, U.S. News gave the following UC San Diego ranking in 2018:i
- #2 in Neuroscience/Neurobiology
- #4 in Behavioral Neuroscience
- #4 in Econometrics
- #8 in Public Finance
- #9 in Political Science
- #10 in Biochemistry
- #12 in Best Medical Schools: Primary Care
- #18 in Best Medical Schools: Research (tie)
- #13 in Best Engineering Schools
The University of California San Diego ranking is relatively high in these and other areas.
The University of California San Diego Highlights: Online MBA Programs
One of the most popular master’s degree-level UC San Diego majors, Computer Science, helps students advance their understanding of the fundamental aspects of computer science and engineering. It also enables students to refine their knowledge through a research emphasis in areas such as:
- Algorithms and Complexity
- Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
- Bioinformatics
- Computer Architecture and Compilers
- Computer Graphics
- Software Engineering
- Human-Computer Interaction
These are just some of the many areas for master’s degree level emphasis. The computer science major at UC San Diego is housed by the Jacob’s School of Engineering, which also offers a master’s degree or Ph.D. in Computer Engineering.