University of California, San Diego
Academics

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How strong are the academics at University of California, San Diego?

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

75%
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.

Honors Programs

University of California, San Diego 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 San Diego'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, San Diego:

94%
First-year retention rate
75%
4-year grad rate
88%
6-year grad rate

Majors

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

Cognitive Science, General
Anatomy
Computer Science
International/Globalization Studies
Psychology, General
252
333.6
415.2
496.8
578.4
660

The Full List

Major Graduates
Architecture And Related Services
  • Real Estate Development 51
Area
  • Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies, Other 20
  • Japanese Studies 7
  • Latin American Studies 2
  • Russian, Central European, East European and Eurasian Studies 1
  • Chinese Studies 1
  • Russian Studies 0
  • German Studies 0
  • Italian Studies 0
  • Area Studies, Other 0
  • African-American/Black Studies 0
Biological And Biomedical Sciences
  • Anatomy 546
  • Biology/Biological Sciences, General 315
  • Cell/Cellular and Molecular Biology 201
  • Neurobiology and Neurosciences, Other 169
  • Biochemistry 126
  • Marine Biology and Biological Oceanography 79
  • Bioinformatics 70
  • Microbiology, General 61
  • Ecology, Evolution, Systematics and Population Biology, Other 48
  • Biostatistics 4
  • Neurobiology and Anatomy 4
  • Biophysics 3
  • Molecular Biology 3
  • Animal Physiology 0
Business
  • Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods, Other 190
  • Management Science 66
Communication
  • Communication and Media Studies 211
  • Communication, General 211
Computer And Information Sciences And Support Services
  • Computer Science 516
  • Information Technology 200
Education
  • Education, General 48
  • Mathematics Teacher Education 8
Engineering
  • Electrical and Electronics Engineering 189
  • Computer Engineering, General 171
  • Mechanical Engineering 147
  • Chemical Engineering 99
  • Structural Engineering 93
  • Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering 92
  • Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering, General 87
  • Engineering, Other 27
  • Biological/Biosystems Engineering 21
  • Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering 6
  • Engineering Physics/Applied Physics 3
  • Engineering Science 0
English Language And Literature/Letters
  • English Language and Literature/Letters, Other 52
  • English Language and Literature, General 35
Family And Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences
  • Human Development and Family Studies, General 49
Foreign Languages
  • Linguistics 10
  • Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics 3
  • Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General 3
  • Spanish Language and Literature 1
  • Russian Language and Literature 0
  • French Language and Literature 0
  • Italian Language and Literature 0
  • Hispanic and Latin American Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General 0
Health Professions And Related Programs
  • International Public Health/International Health 116
  • Public Health, Other 107
  • Public Health, General 62
  • Community Health and Preventive Medicine 19
  • Environmental Health 0
History
  • History, General 60
Liberal Arts And Sciences
  • Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities, Other 2
Mathematics And Statistics
  • Mathematics, Other 137
  • Applied Mathematics, General 113
  • Mathematics, General 77
  • Statistics, Other 57
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
  • Cognitive Science, General 660
  • International/Globalization Studies 465
  • Mathematics and Computer Science 288
  • Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other 46
Natural Resources And Conservation
  • Environmental Studies 73
Philosophy And Religious Studies
  • Philosophy 33
  • Religion/Religious Studies 3
  • Jewish/Judaic Studies 0
Physical Sciences
  • Chemistry, Other 147
  • Chemistry, General 77
  • Physics, General 33
  • Physics, Other 21
  • Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology, Other 17
  • Geology/Earth Science, General 15
  • Physical Sciences, Other 10
  • Chemical Physics 0
  • Geochemistry 0
  • Geophysics and Seismology 0
Psychology
  • Psychology, General 320
  • Clinical Psychology 164
  • Psychology, Other 104
  • Health/Medical Psychology 41
  • Social Psychology 35
  • Cognitive Psychology and Psycholinguistics 31
  • Developmental and Child Psychology 30
Social Sciences
  • Econometrics and Quantitative Economics 318
  • Political Science and Government, General 280
  • Sociology, General 131
  • Political Science and Government, Other 66
  • Social Sciences, Other 50
  • Anthropology, General 32
  • Urban Studies/Affairs 28
  • Anthropology, Other 26
  • Economics, Other 5
  • International Relations and Affairs 5
  • Economics, General 0
  • American Government and Politics (United States) 0
Visual And Performing Arts
  • Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General 59
  • Visual and Performing Arts, General 58
  • Fine/Studio Arts, General 39
  • Design and Visual Communications, General 17
  • Music, General 12
  • Art History, Criticism and Conservation 9
  • Dance, General 2

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