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Best College Rankings

Public · Urban campus · verified rankings · federal data

University of California, San Diego

Students comparing University of California, San Diego on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

CompareOfficial site
La Jolla, California34,948 undergraduatesMean consensus percentile 5Public universitySelectiveUrban campus

The short answer

University of California, San Diego: U.S. News ranks it #29 on National Universities (2026); Forbes ranks it #20 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #109 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #30 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #45 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 5 stars; Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 34,948 undergraduates, admits 26.7% of applicants, and posts a 86.1% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $50,958; aid recipients pay $12,470 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $84,943.

The six numbers that matter most

Acceptance rate
26.7%

Below the dataset median of 76%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Average net price
$12,470

82% below the $69,928 published price

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardAverage for full-time first-time aid recipients, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median earnings, 10 yrs
$84,943

Above the dataset median of $54,053

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian earnings 10 years after entry, working and not enrolled, College Scorecard June 2026 release

6-year graduation rate
86.1%

Above the dataset median of 56%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent six-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median debt at graduation
$15,500

Above the dataset median of $23,250

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian federal loan debt of completers, College Scorecard June 2026 release

SAT middle 50%
Not reportedUniversity of California-San Diego reports that it neither requires nor recommends admissions test scores, and does not report a score range to the Department of Education.

U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard

Where UC San Diego ranks, and why the answers differ

Each publisher's position, the list it belongs to, and how many institutions it was drawn from.

SourceListRank
US News2026National Universities#29of 436National universities
Forbes2026America's Top Colleges#20of 500Top colleges (Forbes)
Washington Monthly2026Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars#109of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)
WSJ2026Best Colleges in the U.S.#30of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)
Niche2026Best Colleges (Overall)A+#45of 2,605Overall (Niche)
Money2026Best Value Colleges5 starsListedBest value (Money)
Princeton Review2026Best Colleges (Overall)ListedOverall (Niche)
QS2026World University RankingsNot ranked by this source

Methodology sensitivity: UC San Diego's position moves 6 percentile points depending on which published list you read. That is a moderate spread; the ranking you look at changes the answer somewhat. How we compute this

Ranking positions are the editorial property of their publishers and are reproduced here with attribution for comparison and commentary. Follow each source link for its full list and methodology.

About UC San Diego

University of California, San Diego is a public institution in La Jolla, California. Federal data show 94.0% first-year retention and a 19:1 student-faculty ratio. Figures on this page come from College Scorecard and IPEDS; publisher rankings shown here are transcribed from named sources and checked in our dataset.

Strengths and honest considerations

Strengths

  • Cost and outcome metrics on this profile come directly from federal collections, not self-reported marketing sheets.
  • Net price $12,470 reflects what aid recipients actually paid in the most recent federal reporting year.

Considerations

  • This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
  • Compare $69,928 sticker cost against $12,470 net price before ruling a school in or out on price alone.
  • Publishers we have not loaded yet, or lists that omit this school, show as “not ranked by this source” — that is expected.

Who this school genuinely fits

Students comparing University of California, San Diego on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

What it costs

Published price, then what families actually pay after grants and scholarships.

In-state tuition & fees
$16,758

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Out-of-state tuition & fees
$50,958

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Room & board
$18,970

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Published cost of attendance comes to roughly $69,928 a year, but the average family pays $12,470 — a 82% difference. 34.2% of undergraduates receive Pell grants, the federal marker of low family income.

Net price varies enormously by income band, so run UC San Diego's net price calculator for your own household before drawing conclusions. Why net price is the only cost number that matters.

Programs and academics

Most popular majors

  1. 1Business
  2. 2Biology
  3. 3Psychology
  4. 4Computer Science
  5. 5Economics

Standout programs

    Student-faculty ratio
    19:1

    IPEDS / National Center for Education StatisticsIPEDS 2023 fall enrollment

    First-year retention
    94.0%

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent first-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Undergraduate enrollment
    34,948

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    UC San Diego: questions families ask

    Out-of-state tuition is $50,958 and on-campus room and board is $18,970, for a published total of $69,928 before aid. The average net price for first-time full-time students receiving aid is $12,470.

    The most recent federal admissions rate reported to the Department of Education is 26.7%. Test policy as reported in IPEDS: see the admissions section on this page for the institution's own category.

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    Acceptance rate
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    Average net price
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    Median earnings (10 yr)
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    6-yr graduation rate
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    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

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