The Ideal Campus Location
See the campus from home with a virtual walking tour!
... and register for more information or to take an in-person tour—welcome!
Point of connection
San Diego is located on the eastern edge of the Pacific Rim, focused on the economic and business opportunities of the future. A center for innovative hi-tech and biotech companies, San Diego is your ideal point of connection, not only to the Americas, but to Japan, Korea, China, Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand.
We are 19 kilometers north of Mexico; 200 kilometers south of Los Angeles (or 2 hours by train or automobile); and 7 hours east of Hawaii (by air).
UC San Diego is also a safe campus. With a low crime rate, a dedicated police force and campus safety programs, our university helps to ensure all students feel secure on campus.
Environmental stewardship
UC San Diego has long been at the forefront of the climate change movement. The university’s beginnings more than 100 years ago were through a marine research facility that would become as Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
Find out more about our research and sustainability research and programs at the Sustainability 2.0 website or on campus, visit our wellness lounge called The Zone.
All new major construction projects are designed and built to meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver or Gold standards. An additional 1 million square feet of existing building space has been renovated to improve energy-efficiency. Students are an important part of this goal as they help gather data and documentation for each project.
Get involved in your residence hall, too, with recycling programs. Visit Major Planet to find out how you can be part of the solution!
Safe campus
Amazing on-campus resources
The School of International Relations and Pacific Studies (IR/PS)
- Only professional program of its type in the US that focuses on Asia and the Americas
- Ranked in the top 10 for foreign affairs by Foreign Policy
Scripps Institution of Oceanography
- World leader in climate change and ocean ecosystems research and studies
- Undergraduate & graduate programs
Conrad Prebys Music Center
- State-of-the-art acoustics in a brand new theatre
- Rehearsal, performance and recording facilities
- Home to the Music Department
San Diego Supercomputer Center
- Among the top 25 fastest computers in the world
- Facility is available to undergraduates for research assistance
Libraries
- 7 libraries and special collections
- Bio-Medical Library is on the School of Medicine campus, adjacent to the main campus
- Geisel Library, with its distinctive architecture as a symbol of UC San Diego and a cult film icon, is located in the heart of campus
About Us
Admissions and Relations with Schools
International specialists
Phone:
+1 858 534 4831
Fax:
+1 858 534 5629
Email
Fun, Famous, and Local
The San Diego Zoo and Safari Park are world-famous
Balboa Park offers:
- theatre
- museums for art, history and photography
- Space Center and planetarium
- Centro Cultural de la Raza
Day trips by train or car can take you to:
- Anza-Borrego Desert State Park
- Hollywood
- Las Vegas
Let's eat! Indulge in delicious and authentic food from around the Pacific Rim in downtown San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter.
International Students
Tritons Talk
Allison
General Biology / Music
“We live in one of the most beautiful cities in CA, so if people think it’s socially dead, I don’t really know where they get that perception from because there are so many things to do… “ read more