Are there any distinct differences between the University of California schools (UCLA, UCSB, UCI, UCSD ect)? Would anybody recommend one over the other based on location, safety, social environment, diversity, academic rigor, or anything of that sort?
Some majors may be available at only some of the campuses. Secondary admission to major processes, if any, would be campus and major specific. Upper level elective offerings in a major may vary at different campuses.
UCB and UCM are on the generally more common semester system, with two 15-week semesters (plus a shortened summer session). The others are on the quarter system with three 10-week quarters (plus a 10-week summer session).
UCSC and UCSD have a residential college system where students of any major may be in each residential college. Each residential college has its own set of general education requirements.
Thank you so much for your input!
All of the UC’s are different, especially in location, campus, and style. Are you a California resident? No financial aid for non-residents. Full pay for people who don’t pay taxes in the state.
UCSD- Known as UC for the socially dead, so local students avoid it. Strong in STEM.
UCI-can seem to be commuter-like. Very busy. Also strong in STEM.
UCLA-a city all on its own, with a huge variety of activities. Strong school in everything, and it “looks” like the SoCal place that Hollywood would conjure up.
UCR-up and coming. Great programs, but location can feel isolated.
UCSB-Typical beach community but strong academics.
UC Merced-Farm Country and campus is in the middle of cow pastures. STEM is growing.
UCSC-Feels NorCal beachy.
UCB-a little bit of everything. Very grass roots but very competitive, strong and something for everyone.
UCD-lots of bikes (40K), students always look happy there; in the middle of Farm community, but they forgot to tell the students that. College town.
UCSF-for grad, med and professional students only. Not for undergrad.
@aoweek: Each UC campus is unique so I suggest if possible to physically visit any campuses of interest. All also offer virtual tours so you can get an idea of the campus environment and the surrounding areas.
Link for the majors by campus: https://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/counselors/files/undergraduate_majors_list.pdf
Academics will be rigorous at all the schools, but will also depend upon your intended major and your academic strengths.
6 out of the 9 UC’s are ranked in the top 50 schools nationally. Check this link for more information: https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/uc-campuses-top-2020-us-news-world-report-rankings
If you are an in-state CA applicant, then the UC’s offer you a great education at a fairly reasonable price especially if you qualify for in-state financial aid.
OOS however, you are looking at most likely full pay at around $65K/year with little to no financial aid.
This link will show the diversity by campus: https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/sites/default/files/thefacts_diversity_0313.pdf
So what are your stats, intended major, interests and what are you looking for in your college experience?
UCSC - very woke and feels like an Ewok village. Great for things like CS and astronomy.
I agree, you should physically visit because they are all very different. I would caution that most of them are really selective for both freshman and transfer admits. Before spending time, money and emotional cycles touring, understand the stats of the admitted students and whether your kid has a decent shot at admission - and help them frame which ones are matches/reaches.
That page includes links to freshman profiles at each of the UCs.
https://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/campuses-majors/freshman-admit-data.html
**UC Forum Champion Note:
@hsadvice has been PM’d regarding CC posting etiquette and will hopefully post their own discussion along with elaborating state of residency, HS course rigor, UC Capped weighted and Fully weighted GPA, EC’s etc… so CC posters can give better recommendations. **
@hsadvice, please start your own thread. When you ask a question on another poster’s post, you are hijacking the thread, and it is not considered good form.
No one knows what campus would suit you. The only one who would know is you. See @NCalRent 's post #6
Now, start your own thread. Look for the gold box (upper right) that says: " ask your question now".
All UC’s are very very good schools. They all have their ups and downs, but they are all apart of the best public school system in the world.
UC Berkeley- Very strong in every field, especially engineering. Berkeley sits next to Oakland, so it’s not a far drive to the heart of San Francisco. Also very close to Silicon Valley so internships/job opportunities are everywhere. Most people are very competitive and driven. Housing is expensive, very dangerous area with high crime rates, and lots of homeless people. UCB is apart of the PAC-12 conference, so sports are a big thing here.
UC Los Angeles- Very strong in every field, like Berkeley. UCLA is right next to Beverly Hills, so it’s a pretty safe location. Tons of activities to do-- go to Santa Monica, Griffiths Observatory, walk around century city, etc… UCLA has great school spirit. They are also a PAC-12 school, and their football games, basketball games, baseball games, are normally packed with students. Housing is pretty expensive, but not as expensive as UCB, UCSC, UCSB. I can go on and on about the great things about this school, but many people already know them, so I’ll stop here.
UC San Diego- A very good school that is praised for its school of engineering. UCSD is in La Jolla, a very rich, nice area to live. Beaches are 10 minutes away and downtown San Diego/Gaslamp is 25 minutes away. San Diego has tons of companies, and UCSD is definitely the first school where companies go to recruit students. School spirit is almost non-existent, sports are average (NCAA Division II), and student life is pretty low. Traffic/parking is awful, especially over the weekends. Many classes are packed and hard to get into, especially engineering classes. La Jolla is a beautiful place to live and is considered to be very safe. Those who want to have fun will go to SDSU for the weekends.
UC Santa Cruz- A very good school that has world renown astrophysics, computer science, and linguistics departments. UCSC is often considered as one of the most beautiful campuses in the world. UCSC is nestled in a redwood forest that overlooks the ocean and Monterey Bay. The school is 2,000 acres, making it the second biggest UC campus, right behind UC Davis. UCSC is in NCAA Division III, so sports aren’t that popular. UCSC is also considered as one of the best party schools, normally right behind UCSB. Tons of things to do-- eat downtown, visit the boardwalk, find some hidden beaches, go to a farmers market, watch a concert, etc… Housing is extremely expensive and classes can be hard to get, especially engineering classes. Skating through a forest to class with deer and turkeys right beside you whilst overlooking the ocean is one of the most amazing things in this world.
UC Santa Barbara- A very good school that has many amazing departments, such as their school of engineering, physics, and math. UCSB, is also considered as one of the most beautiful campuses in the world. Almost everyone who goes here either lives in the dorms or lives in IV/DP, so you are surrounded by tons of college students. UCSB is considered as the best party school in the UC system. Downtown Santa Barbara is also a very nice, fun place to go to. There aren’t many downsides to this school. Housing is very expensive and that’s about it. You will never find yourself bored at UCSB. If you want an ocean front dorm room your freshman year, go to UCSB and try to get the Santa Cruz dorm. Once your time in the dorms is over, head on over to DP where you can get an apartment right on the cliff. The vibe here is amazing, similar to its sister school UCSC. I’d consider UCSB to be the most vibrant school out of all the UC’s.
UC Irvine- A very good school that is strong in pretty much every field. Irvine is a wealthy city with a decent amount of things to do such as going to Disneyland, watching an Angels baseball game, going to a concert at the Irvine Amphitheater, etc… Most students go to Newport beach or Los Angeles to have fun, so it can be kind of a hassle. Despite many living on campus, UCI is still considered as a commuter school. If you want the “fun college experience,” this may not be the best school to go to. Many companies are based in Irvine, so recruiters will flood the school when career fairs happen. The campus is very well maintained and is often compared to UCLA’s campus. UCI is the only UC school with an e-sports team, so if gaming is your thing, UCI might be a good fit for you.
UC Davis- A very good school that specializes in agriculture and veterinary medicine. They also have a great law school, business school, and engineering school. Davis, while kind of in the middle of nowhere, is an awesome town that’s pretty much run by the school. UCD has some decent sports teams, with many being NCAA D1 but the school is technically under NCAA D2. Davis is just two hours away is San Francisco, so a day trip down there on the weekends is pretty common. Silicon Valley companies also hire students here often because of its proximity to San Jose. While living on a farmland surrounded by cows and tomatoes doesn’t sound too appealing, you’ll have plenty of fun things to do here.
UC Riverside- A very good school that is rapidly growing. They now have a great business and engineering school. Despite it being in a bad location (in a desert, very smoggy, extremely high crime rates, etc…) UCR is much more like a community than any other UC. UCR is very diverse, so it will be very easy to find and make friends. UCR is also known to have some good parties, so this may be the school for you if you want to get a top tier education while having a good time.
UC Merced- A school that’s still growing. For a school that’s so highly regarded for being just FIFTEEN YEARS OLD is extremely impressive. They are already expanding their campus, introducing new programs, and becoming more and more respected. 25 years from now, it will be one of the best schools in the nation. Aside from that, UCM is very close to Lake Tahoe, so if you’re into snowboarding or skiing, this will be the school for you. Like its sister school UCR, UCM is very diverse and feels much more like a community than the other UC’s. Give UCM some time to build, and it will eventually be just as prestigious as the other UC’s.
If you consider a 3.7 hour drive “very close”…
@Justinbecause Berkeley is a “very dangerous area”??? I would beg to differ.
Agree with @ucbalumnus, I wouldn’t consider UC Merced to be “very close” to Tahoe especially with the traffic and smaller roadways. I’ve been driving back, and forth from SoCal to Sac-499 miles. They are currently repairing 99 and I-5. With the fire damage and weather issues, the traffic has been a nightmare.
Davis and Sacramento are an easier drive to Tahoe.
With good traffic, Davis is a good drive.
UC Davis has a unique advantage in that many of its programs are sponsored by the wineries in Napa, which have funded $$million dollar buildings and it’s strong vintner programs.
Silicon Valley is not that close, especially with traffic on the I-80.
UCSD is a commuter’s nightmare. The university is constantly under construction, or the local streets are under construction. The irony is that to get to anywhere in San Diego, within an hour of UCSD, you need a car, and they are currently constructing access to the public trolley system. (I just drove through the area on Wednesday 9/23/20.) It has detours, cranes, no access areas and is a complete MESS!
Most students can’t afford to live in La Jolla. It is very expensive. They stay in the University City area (near University Town Center Mall) and pack themselves into the tiny area condos.
Agree with @nanosec.
It’s a busy, eclectic area.
@ucbalumnus Sorry, I meant Yosemite. Not sure why I said Lake Tahoe.
Berkeley is 10 minutes away from Oakland, one of the most dangerous cities in America. I know Berkeley isn’t Oakland, but Berkeley’s crime rate has been increasing dramatically over the years. The campus itself is well protected, but the area outside, not so much.
Source: https://www.alarms.org/top-100-most-dangerous-cities-in-america/
True, Berkeley is 10 minutes from Oakland, but that part of Oakland has much lower crime like near Piedmont, Montclair, Rockridge, North Oakland, etc. The dangerous parts of Oakland are along the Highway 880 corridor, i.e., Fruitvale, Colosseum, West Oakland, etc.
Depending on the person, Berkeley may feel dangerous. It’s an opinion. We all have different opinions.
FWIW, coincidently, I have relatives who live in Berkeley (Oakland too) and their car was just broken into. 
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Never had any problems with crime of any kind at UC Riverside (other than a transient hassling us at Del Taco off University Avenue) when I was there back when only Berkeley and UCR had BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION which have always been great! Now has the first new Medical School in California in 50 years. Is one of the few UC’s still having that personal touch and a more collaborative education. Riverside County is the third fastest growing county in the nation with growth projected through year 2065…the campus (barely recognize it now) is positioned well to continue upward and onward in a big way!