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University of California-San Diego
University of California-San Diego turned away roughly 75% of its 130,771 applicants in the Fall 2023 cycle — selective enough that the middle-50% ranges below deserve a careful read.
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University of California-San Diego sits in La Jolla proper — a public campus woven into the city rather than walled off from it. It carries a land-grant charter — the 1862 mandate that ties it to agricultural and practical education. The university runs its own medical system, which colors both its budget and its biggest programs.
Its highest-earning path is Computer Science, where graduates median $159,487 four years out. Faculty pay averages $229,404 a year here — a rough proxy for what the school spends on the teaching itself. With 34,948 undergraduates and a residential core, weekends happen on campus — and 94% of first-years come back for a second year.
University of California-San Diego won't look at test scores — here the GPA calculator is the tool that matters. Bring your saved semester numbers and see what they average.
Admissions
University of California-San Diego does not use test scores in admissions at all: the 26.7% who got into University of California-San Diego did it on GPA, coursework and application alone. No score range exists to publish.
In the Fall 2023 cycle, University of California-San Diego received 130,771 applications and admitted 32,062 (24.5%), with 7,005 enrolling.
How University of California-San Diego compares
| University of California-San Diego | California median | National median | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acceptance rate | 26.7% | 75.7% | 77.2% |
| Tuition (in-state) | $16,758 | $23,000 | $19,591 |
| Median earnings (10 yr) | $84,943 | $64,778 | $53,781 |
Ten years after enrolling, the median University of California-San Diego student earns $84,943 — 31% above the California median of $64,778 for college-goers.
Cost, size & completion
As a public university, University of California-San Diego prices by residency: $16,758 in-state versus $50,958 out-of-state — a $34,200 gap that makes state lines part of the decision.
34,948 undergraduates make University of California-San Diego a large campus: broad course catalogs and big intro lectures come as a package.
86.1% of University of California-San Diego students finish a bachelor's within six years — 31.2 points above the national 54.9% — and the single best predictor that the $16,758 price above buys a degree, not just enrollment.
Top majors by earnings at University of California-San Diego
| Bachelor's program | Median earnings, 4 yrs after completion |
|---|---|
| Computer Science | $159,487 |
| Computer Engineering | $149,139 |
| Mathematics and Computer Science | $137,218 |
| Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology | $123,320 |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | $118,150 |
| Biological/Biosystems Engineering | $111,677 |
| Mechanical Engineering | $104,229 |
| Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering | $100,173 |
| Biomedical/Medical Engineering | $98,687 |
| Chemical Engineering | $96,798 |
| Statistics | $96,746 |
| Physics | $95,018 |
| Civil Engineering | $91,745 |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods | $89,451 |
| Engineering, Other | $88,159 |
| Economics | $87,307 |
| Applied Mathematics | $85,233 |
| International/Globalization Studies | $81,174 |
| Cognitive Science | $81,160 |
| Mathematics | $79,015 |
| Chemistry | $77,249 |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology | $72,491 |
| Urban Studies/Affairs | $71,380 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research | $69,061 |
| Political Science and Government | $67,713 |
| Communication and Media Studies | $67,302 |
| Public Health | $66,110 |
| Visual and Performing Arts, Other | $64,822 |
| Biology, General | $64,437 |
| Microbiological Sciences and Immunology | $64,428 |
| Research and Experimental Psychology | $63,130 |
| Neurobiology and Neurosciences | $61,799 |
| History | $61,745 |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services | $61,262 |
| Music | $58,071 |
| English Language and Literature/Letters, Other | $57,900 |
| Anthropology | $56,982 |
| English Language and Literature, General | $56,097 |
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology | $56,000 |
| Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services | $55,776 |
| Sociology | $55,534 |
| Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies | $53,319 |
| Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology | $52,701 |
| Psychology, General | $51,679 |
| Fine and Studio Arts | $48,506 |
| Visual and Performing Arts, General | $45,915 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft | $41,389 |
Median earnings for these 47 University of California-San Diego programs come from a different federal cohort than the campus-wide $84,943 above — compare rows to each other, not to that 10-year figure. 25 additional University of California-San Diego programs have earnings withheld under federal privacy rules.
Frequently asked questions
What GPA and test scores do you need for University of California-San Diego?
University of California-San Diego doesn't look at test scores; its 26.7% admission rate turned on transcripts, coursework rigor and the application itself.
What is University of California-San Diego's acceptance rate?
24.5% in the Fall 2023 cycle — 32,062 admitted from 130,771 applicants.
How much does University of California-San Diego cost?
In-state tuition is $16,758; out-of-state students pay $50,958. Fees, housing and aid move the real total in both directions.
What do University of California-San Diego graduates earn?
Federal data puts median earnings at $84,943 ten years after enrolling. The table above breaks this down by major.
Similar colleges in California
- University of California-Santa Barbara — 33% admitted
- University of California-Irvine — 28.6% admitted
- California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo — 31.3% admitted
- California Institute of the Arts — 32.3% admitted
Run your own numbers
Data: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (Jun 2026), IPEDS ADM2023/HD2024. Retrieved 2026-09-01. Figures reflect the latest federal cohorts, which lag the current admissions cycle.