University of California, Irvine
Academics

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How strong are the academics at University of California, Irvine?

Let's cover class sizes, graduation rates, and outcomes.

18:1
Student to faculty ratio
31
Average class size
73%
4-year grad rate

Class Sizes

Class sizes likely stayed the same for you through high school. You'll find that college is much different. Some of the largest universities have classes that can seat hundreds of students in giant lecture halls. Conversely, as they progress and their focus narrows, higher-level courses can sometimes have just a handful of students.

UC Irvine has an average student-to-faculty ratio of 18:1. The typical school is 14:1. While this ratio is important, what’s more important is how big a typical class is.

Class Sizes
2-9
588
10-19
675
20-29
390
30-39
125
40-49
74
50-99
252
100+
238

Honors Programs

University of California, Irvine has an honors program and/or honors college. Specifics of these programs vary, but benefits of being in an Honors Program might include priority registration, being part of a tight-knit community, and accessing unique learning opportunities.

Learn more about honors options on UC Irvine's website.

Outcomes

It’s critical to understand a school’s outcomes to understand if your four (or more) years at the school will be worth it. Here are some key statistics about the outcomes of students who enroll at University of California, Irvine:

94%
First-year retention rate
73%
4-year grad rate
86%
6-year grad rate

Majors

Many students choose a school largely based on the what they want to study. The are University of California, Irvine's most popular majors, ranked by how many people graduated with the concentration in the most recent year:

Biology/Biological Sciences, General
Business/Managerial Economics
Research and Experimental Psychology, Other
Computer Science
Psychology, General
371.2
450.16
529.12
608.08
687.04
766

The Full List

Major Graduates
Architecture And Related Services
  • Environmental Design/Architecture 0
Area
  • Hispanic-American, Puerto Rican, and Mexican-American/Chicano Studies 13
  • Chinese Studies 11
  • East Asian Studies 8
  • Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies, Other 8
  • African-American/Black Studies 4
  • European Studies/Civilization 1
  • Near and Middle Eastern Studies 1
  • German Studies 1
  • Asian-American Studies 0
  • Women's Studies 0
Biological And Biomedical Sciences
  • Biology/Biological Sciences, General 766
  • Neurobiology and Anatomy 55
  • Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 30
  • Microbiology and Immunology 22
  • Ecology, Evolution, Systematics and Population Biology, Other 15
  • Exercise Physiology and Kinesiology 12
  • Cell/Cellular Biology and Histology 10
  • Genetics, General 9
  • Botany/Plant Biology 0
  • Microbiological Sciences and Immunology, Other 0
  • Bioinformatics 0
  • Neuroscience 0
Business
  • Business/Managerial Economics 575
  • Business Administration and Management, General 360
  • Information Resources Management 64
Communication
  • Journalism, Other 28
  • Journalism 0
Computer And Information Sciences And Support Services
  • Computer Science 454
  • Informatics 87
  • Modeling, Virtual Environments and Simulation 55
  • Computer Game Programming 4
  • Computer and Information Sciences, General 0
  • Computer and Information Sciences, Other 0
  • Information Science/Studies 0
Education
  • Education, General 272
  • Biology Teacher Education 15
Engineering
  • Mechanical Engineering 283
  • Computer Engineering, General 185
  • Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering 119
  • Civil Engineering, General 110
  • Electrical and Electronics Engineering 96
  • Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering, General 79
  • Chemical Engineering 58
  • Computer Software Engineering 52
  • Materials Engineering 23
  • Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering 14
  • Engineering, General 0
English Language And Literature/Letters
  • English Language and Literature, General 142
Foreign Languages
  • Spanish Language and Literature 27
  • Comparative Literature 5
  • Korean Language and Literature 5
  • Japanese Language and Literature 3
  • French Language and Literature 3
  • Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics 1
  • Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General 1
  • Linguistics 0
  • Applied Linguistics 0
  • Chinese Language and Literature 0
Health Professions And Related Programs
  • Public Health, Other 392
  • Pharmaceutical Sciences 116
  • Nursing Science 47
  • Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration, Other 0
History
  • History, General 63
Liberal Arts And Sciences
  • Humanities/Humanistic Studies 0
Mathematics And Statistics
  • Mathematics, General 249
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
  • International/Globalization Studies 108
  • Human Biology 104
  • Mathematics and Computer Science 44
  • Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other 44
  • Cognitive Science, General 31
  • Classical, Ancient Mediterranean, and Near Eastern Studies and Archaeology 0
Natural Resources And Conservation
  • Environmental Studies 62
  • Environmental Science 0
Philosophy And Religious Studies
  • Philosophy 34
  • Religion/Religious Studies 0
Physical Sciences
  • Chemistry, General 116
  • Physics, General 50
  • Physics, Other 30
  • Geology/Earth Science, General 24
Psychology
  • Research and Experimental Psychology, Other 566
  • Psychology, General 437
  • Cognitive Psychology and Psycholinguistics 40
  • Social Psychology 24
Social Sciences
  • Criminology 367
  • Economics, General 302
  • Political Science and Government, General 252
  • Sociology, General 207
  • Econometrics and Quantitative Economics 82
  • Anthropology, General 51
  • Urban Studies/Affairs 50
  • Social Sciences, General 18
Visual And Performing Arts
  • Film/Cinema/Media Studies 166
  • Art/Art Studies, General 96
  • Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General 89
  • Dance, General 29
  • Art History, Criticism and Conservation 24
  • Music, General 17
  • Music Performance, General 13
  • Musical Theatre 7
  • Fine/Studio Arts, General 2
  • Game and Interactive Media Design 0

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