Address

9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093 (GOOGLE Street View)

 

Website

https://ucsd.edu/

 

What's Special

UCSD (University of California, San Diego) ranks in the top 34 among all universities in the United States (data sourced from U.S. News & World Report 2022-2023). It holds a reputation as a public Ivy. It is one of the leading research-focused universities in the United States and is often compared to the Ivy League universities. One of its notable characteristics is its college system, which emulates the collegiate systems of Oxford and Cambridge universities.

 

About

UCSD was founded in 1959 and locates La Jolla, a coastal area in the southwest of San Diego, California. It is situated near the sixth-largest city in the United States, San Diego International Airport. Known for its pleasant climate, beautiful beaches, theme parks, and cultural and historical landmarks, it is considered one of the best and safest cities in the United States. Beyond its appeal as a tourist destination, its proximity to Silicon Valley’s high-tech industry positions it to be one of the fastest-growing cities in terms of economy and education on the West Coast over the next decade.

 

UCSD is a vital hub for academic development and research in the United States. It invests over $600 million annually in research, making it the sixth-largest research spender in the country, according to the National Science Foundation. Among the University of California system, UCSD is the university with the highest research expenditure. The university's strength in technology and commercialization is substantial, with several colleges, especially in medicine and life sciences, ranking among the top ten in the United States. In 2004 alone, the university produced over 300 innovative technological achievements. In terms of technology commercialization, it has given rise to more than 80 startups, and its faculty, students, and alumni have established nearly 200 companies in the San Diego region, including over a third of the local biotech companies.

 

The school also features an art museum, a marine research center, a center for U.S.-Mexico relations, a music research center, an electron microscopy laboratory, and sports facilities, including two swimming pools, over 20 tennis courts, a gym, a soccer field, basketball courts, two running tracks, an athletic field, a volleyball court, and a sports arena.

 

UCSD boasts numerous accomplished alumni, faculty, and researchers. As of October 2018, it has produced 227 Nobel laureates, 3 Fields Medalists, 8 recipients of the National Medal of Science, 8 MacArthur Fellows, and 2 Pulitzer Prize winners. Furthermore, in the current faculty and staff, there are 29 members of the National Academy of Engineering, 70 members of the National Academy of Sciences, 45 members of the National Academy of Medicine, and 110 members of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. The number of members in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences ranks sixth in the United States.

 

Notable UCSD alumni include Bill Atkinson, one of the developers of the Macintosh computer; renowned opera singer Priti Gandhi; California State Senator Steve Peace; Superior Court Judge DeAnn Salcido; Los Angeles City Councilman Christian A. Garcia; and author Khaled Hosseini, known for “The Kite Runner.”

 

Majors and Schools