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College Ledger

Statement · La Jolla, CA

University of California-San Diego

Public4-year · Bachelor's degreesCompare with other schools →

  1. Families earning under $30k paid $7,525 a year after grants and aid, against a published cost of $38,701.

  2. Students who received federal aid earned a median $84,943 ten years after entering, the 98th percentile among public 4-years.

  3. 86% of students finish within 150% of normal time.

Founded
1960
Enrollment, 2023
44,050
Website
ucsd.edu
Campus of University of California-San Diego

Alex Hansen · CC BY 2.0

AboutPublic research university in San Diego, California. Wikipedia ↗

Read the Wikipedia extract

The University of California, San Diego is a public land-grant research university in the La Jolla neighborhood of San Diego, California, United States. Established in 1960, it is the southernmost of the ten campuses of the University of California. It occupies 2,178 acres (881 ha) near the Pacific coast.

From the Wikipedia article “University of California, San Diego”, revision 1363613172, used under CC BY-SA 4.0.

What it costs

The published sticker cost is $38,701 a year; after grants, families who received aid paid between $7,525 and $28,785 a year depending on income at University of California-San Diego.

Statement of cost · University of California-San Diego

Family income (per year)
Sticker costPublished yearly cost of attendance, all students
$38,701
What families earning under $30k paidYearly net price after grants, for students receiving federal aid
$7,525
Average net price, all incomesAided students, all family incomes
$12,470
In-state tuition & feesLatest reported, 2024
$16,758

Each figure is reported separately; none is computed from another.

Net price by family income

Pick an income bracket above; the marked point follows. Dollars are what aided families paid each year after grants.

Yearly net price by family income, in dollars

under $30k: $7,525; $30–48k: $8,155; $48–75k: $9,942; $75–110k: $15,199; over $110k: $28,785. Shaded band: middle half of public 4-years, from $8,778 to $16,425; dotted line at the median, $12,780.
  • Shaded: the middle half of public 4-years (all incomes), $8,778 to $16,425. Dotted line: the median, $12,780.
Table of the same numbers
Average yearly net price by family income bracket
Family incomePaid per year
Under $30k$7,525
$30k–$48k$8,155
$48k–$75k$9,942
$75k–$110k$15,199
Over $110k$28,785

College Scorecard, 2023–24 aid cohort (students who received federal aid)

What graduates earn and owe

Ten years after entry, the median federally aided student here earns $84,943; the median graduate who borrowed owes $15,500.

Statement, continued

Earnings, 6 years after entryFederally aided (Title IV) students only. Median.
$65,669
Earnings, 8 years after entryFederally aided (Title IV) students only. Median.
$77,893
Median earnings 10 years after entryFederally aided (Title IV) students only. Median.
98th percentile among public 4-years
$84,943
Median debt, graduatesStudents who finished and borrowed federal loans.
32nd percentile among public 4-years
$15,500
Median debt, all who borrowedEveryone who borrowed, whether or not they finished.
$14,778

Earnings and debt come from federal aid records, so students who never received federal aid are not counted.

Earnings after entry

The shaded band is the middle half of public 4-years at 10 years: $42,655 to $60,720.

6 yrs after entry: $65,669; 8 yrs after entry: $77,893; 10 yrs after entry: $84,943. Median graduate debt: $15,500. Shaded band: middle half of public 4-years at 10 years, from $42,655 to $60,720; dotted line at the median, $50,178.
  • Shaded: middle half of public 4-years, 10 years out ($42,655 to $60,720); dotted line is the median.
  • Dashed: median graduate debt, $15,500.

Earnings cover federally aided (Title IV) students only. Hollow marks are rungs with no reported value, not zero.

Table of the same numbers
Earnings after entry and graduate debt
MeasureDollars
Median earnings, 6 yrs after entry$65,669
Median earnings, 8 yrs after entry$77,893
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry$84,943
Median graduate debt$15,500

College Scorecard, federal tax and aid records

What programs pay

Median earnings five years after completing, by field of study. Small programs are privacy-suppressed and shown as not reported, never zero.

What programs pay at University of California-San Diego
ProgramCredentialGraduatesEarnings, 5 yrsMedian debt
Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical SciencesBachelor's Degree749not reportednot reported
Cognitive ScienceBachelor's Degree722$85,159$17,481
Computer ScienceBachelor's Degree518$160,463$16,550
International/Globalization StudiesBachelor's Degree511$73,765$16,500
Computer ScienceMaster's Degree499$301,159not reported
Political Science and GovernmentBachelor's Degree383$69,947$16,030
EconomicsBachelor's Degree364$84,118$15,000
Psychology, GeneralBachelor's Degree350$56,911$16,124
Public HealthBachelor's Degree338$67,103$15,280
Management Sciences and Quantitative MethodsMaster's Degree323not reportednot reported
Biology, GeneralBachelor's Degree316$69,381$17,667
Mathematics and Computer ScienceBachelor's Degree299not reported$18,887
Show all 27 programs
Remaining programs
ProgramCredentialGraduatesEarnings, 5 yrsMedian debt
Management Sciences and Quantitative MethodsBachelor's Degree273$86,000$17,500
Communication and Media StudiesBachelor's Degree244$65,361$14,568
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications EngineeringMaster's Degree239$141,515not reported
MathematicsBachelor's Degree227$70,456$16,250
ChemistryBachelor's Degree227$83,272$16,100
Clinical, Counseling and Applied PsychologyBachelor's Degree218$63,237$15,000
Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralBachelor's Degree207not reportednot reported
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications EngineeringBachelor's Degree189$120,436$20,342
Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralMaster's Degree28not reportednot reported
Computer EngineeringMaster's Degree89$206,109not reported
PhysicsDoctoral Degree21$153,107not reported
Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and AdministrationDoctoral Degreenot reportednot reportednot reported
Engineering, OtherMaster's Degree37not reportednot reported
Business Administration, Management and OperationsMaster's Degree0$156,032not reported
Computer EngineeringBachelor's Degree174$154,498$18,497

Source: College Scorecard field-of-study data.

Who goes here

University of California-San Diego: 34,948 undergraduates; 34% of students receive Pell grants; 27% of applicants are admitted.

Admission rate

27%

3rd percentile among public 4-years

Undergraduates

34,948

97th percentile among public 4-years

Pell share

34%

of undergraduates receive Pell grants

57th percentile among public 4-years

Completion

86%

finish within 150% of normal time

97th percentile among public 4-years

First-generation

40%

parents did not attend college

Median family income

$35,914

55th percentile among public 4-years

Students by family income

Share of students in each family-income bracket, for students who received federal aid.

  • Under $30k36%
  • $30k–$48k19%
  • $48k–$75knot reported
  • $75k–$110knot reported
  • Over $110knot reported
Show as a table
Students by family income
Family incomeShare of students
Under $30k36%
$30k–$48k19%
$48k–$75knot reported
$75k–$110knot reported
Over $110knot reported

Who Wikipedia remembers

Wikidata records 4,680 people who studied at University of California-San Diego, most often in science & academia (76%). That is the archive's memory, not a census.

What the recorded alumni are remembered for

Share of recorded people by field, in a fixed order so schools compare.

Fields of the people the archive recorded for this school, in a fixed order: science & academia 76% (2,984 people); medicine 1.4% (54 people); law 0.3% (12 people); politics & gov 0.9% (35 people); business 1.2% (46 people); engineering & tech 7.4% (290 people); writing & journalism 3.5% (137 people); film & stage 2.9% (113 people); music 1.8% (69 people); visual arts 1.8% (71 people); sports 2.3% (88 people); religion 0.1% (6 people); military 0.3% (13 people). These are shares of people recorded in Wikidata, the archive's memory, not a census of alumni.
Table of the same numbers
Fields of the people the archive recorded for this school (the archive's memory, not a census)
FieldPeople recordedShare
science & academia2,98476.2%
medicine541.4%
law120.3%
politics & gov350.9%
business461.2%
engineering & tech2907.4%
writing & journalism1373.5%
film & stage1132.9%
music691.8%
visual arts711.8%
sports882.3%
religion60.1%
military130.3%

Source: Wikidata, via the archive's memory (not a census).

most recorded occupationsresearcher (2,188) · university teacher (402) · computer scientist (231) · economist (96) · mathematician (88) · writer (74) · physicist (68) · basketball player (62)

Women among recorded alumni, by birth decade

Counts reflect who the archive records, not a census.

Share of women among recorded alumni, from 50% for the 1900s to 27% for the 2000s. Decades with fewer than 5 recorded people are not drawn. The line breaks at every decade not drawn.

Counts only people the archive records with a gender. Hollow marks are decades with no women reported or fewer than 5 recorded, not zero.

Table of the same numbers
Recorded alumni by birth decade
BornWomenMenShare women
1900s4450%
1920s4450%
1930s71927%
1940s2510020%
1950s6614232%
1960s5812731%
1970s497041%
1980s394049%
1990s121055%
2000s133627%

Source: Wikidata, via the archive's memory (not a census).

Wikipedia attention, by month

Wikipedia attention

monthly views

Monthly Wikipedia article views from 2015-07 to 2026-06; peak 50,249 in 2025-03.
Table of the same numbers
Wikipedia article views by month
MonthViews
2026-0611,569
2026-0514,920
2026-0415,643
2026-0317,203
2026-0213,279
2026-0115,991
2025-1215,969
2025-1116,578
2025-1015,936
2025-0916,259
2025-0815,366
2025-0713,854
2025-0616,032
2025-0519,897
2025-0418,616
2025-0350,249
2025-0216,151
2025-0119,597
2024-1217,066
2024-1119,444
2024-1019,797
2024-0920,261
2024-0818,461
2024-0716,356
2024-0616,318
2024-0521,147
2024-0422,897
2024-0325,313
2024-0218,554
2024-0122,167
2023-1219,586
2023-1122,317
2023-1019,870
2023-0921,023
2023-0821,926
2023-0720,013
2023-0621,186
2023-0523,217
2023-0425,871
2023-0327,355
2023-0217,728
2023-0118,027
2022-1217,212
2022-1119,982
2022-1019,785
2022-0920,056
2022-0820,234
2022-0719,176
2022-0618,897
2022-0520,214
2022-0423,319
2022-0323,782
2022-0217,339
2022-0118,885
2021-1217,836
2021-1120,824
2021-1020,519
2021-0921,902
2021-0821,381
2021-0720,950
2021-0616,375
2021-0518,883
2021-0422,155
2021-0324,397
2021-0214,916
2021-0116,172
2020-1217,558
2020-1118,469
2020-1018,530
2020-0916,868
2020-0817,354
2020-0715,909
2020-0618,018
2020-0523,414
2020-0424,856
2020-0323,768
2020-0219,853
2020-0122,207
2019-1224,704
2019-1123,663
2019-1023,421
2019-0923,104
2019-0820,566
2019-0719,231
2019-0619,374
2019-0521,867
2019-0424,761
2019-0328,805
2019-0219,242
2019-0123,852
2018-1219,469
2018-1120,191
2018-1020,963
2018-0920,852
2018-0820,040
2018-0719,299
2018-0618,822
2018-0521,363
2018-0424,894
2018-0327,740
2018-0218,230
2018-0119,788
2017-1218,767
2017-1119,798
2017-1020,143
2017-0919,763
2017-0819,713
2017-0718,749
2017-0619,092
2017-0523,229
2017-0425,131
2017-0327,991
2017-0219,491
2017-0121,446
2016-1225,537
2016-1125,598
2016-1026,772
2016-0923,185
2016-0821,984
2016-0721,190
2016-0622,625
2016-0529,488
2016-0429,944
2016-0333,176
2016-0222,808
2016-0122,368
2015-1222,149
2015-1123,684
2015-1031,189
2015-0923,080
2015-0820,996
2015-0719,007

Source: Wikimedia pageviews.

Nobel laureates who studied here

  • Susumu Tonegawa Medicine 1987
  • Venkatraman Ramakrishnan Chemistry 2009
  • Bruce Beutler Medicine 2011
  • Fred Ramsdell Medicine 2025

The portrait wall

Ordered by Wikipedia footprint (language editions).

Show all 15 portraits

Similar schools

These are the nearest neighbors in the same sector. The list is not an ordering.

Sources & caveats

Figures come from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Built 2026-07-17.

not reported
Not reported: suppressed for privacy or never collected. It is not zero, and nothing has been filled in.
Percentiles
A percentile compares this school with others in its own sector (for example, public 4-year schools). It describes position, not quality.
Earnings
Earnings cover students who received federal (Title IV) aid, measured from the year they entered. Students who never received federal aid are not included.
Provenance notes
  • U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard, 2026-06 release. Earnings cover federally aided (Title IV) students only. Suppressed values are null, never imputed.
  • Annual Scorecard files 1996-2026. A null in early years usually means the measure was not yet collected, not zero.
  • Coordinates and locale describe the campus address, not where students live.
  • Wikidata is not an alumni census: a person appears only when volunteer editors record them. Counts measure the archive's memory - access x achievement x documentation - never placement rates or institutional quality.
  • Images are from Wikimedia Commons under free licenses. Render the credit line (artist + license) with every image.

Lead text from Wikipedia (revision 1363613172), licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.