Getting around
Triton Transit Shuttles & NightRide
Free campus buses: no fare and no ID needed.
UCSD at a glance
34,948
undergrads
27%
of applicants admitted
94%
come back for year 2
89%
graduate
19 : 1
students per teacher
$96,197
typical pay 10 years in
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard.
What a year really costs
After grants and scholarships, by family income. Average: $14,794.
Under $30k $9,229
$30k–$48k $9,965
$48k–$75k $12,147
$75k–$110k $17,235
Over $110k $32,338
Tuition, in state
$17,337
Tuition, out of state
$54,939
Typical debt at graduation
$13,000
38% of students get a Pell Grant
Free stuff most students miss
Health & safety
Counseling & Psychological Services (CAPS)
Free counseling, psychiatry, groups and workshops.
Housing
Basic Needs Center & Triton Food Pantry
Free help with food and housing security for any registered UC San Diego student, including international and undocumented students.
Eat
Dining halls, quick bites and coffee on campus.
Dining hall
Restaurants at Sixth College
Dining hall Sixth College's dining hall in the Mosaic building at North Torrey Pines Living and Learning Neighborhood.
Mosaic, 9605 Scholars Drive North Dining hall
64 Degrees
Dining hall Revelle's restaurant, right next to the Revelle residence halls.
64 Degrees, 9249 Scholars Drive South Dining hall
Ventanas
Dining hall Eleanor Roosevelt College's dining hall, with 30-foot glass walls, a wood-beam ceiling and a big outdoor patio.
Ventanas, 10006 Scholars Drive North Dining hall
Canyon Vista Marketplace
Dining hall Warren College's dining hall, which UC San Diego calls the largest halal-certified residential dining facility in the nation.
Canyon Vista, 9821 Equality Lane Dining hall
Pines
Dining hall Muir College's restaurant in Stewart Commons, across from the Muir residence halls.
Stewart Commons, 9545 Scholars Drive South
Audrey's Cafe
Cafe The cafe inside Geisel Library, so you can grab coffee without giving up your study spot.
Geisel Library, 9701 Hopkins Drive Cafe
Club Med
Cafe Weekday cafe in the heart of the School of Medicine, in the T.
T. Denny Sanford Medical Education and Telemedicine Center, 3160 Biomedical Sciences Way
Goody's Marketplace
Market Groceries and meals on the go at the Ridge Walk North neighborhood, home of Marshall College housing.
Ridge Walk North Living Learning Neighborhood
Sixth Market
Market The largest market on campus, in Mosaic at Sixth College: groceries, fresh produce, snacks, grab-and-go meals, health and beauty products and a full…
Mosaic, 9605 Scholars Drive North
Sunshine Market
Market Market on Level 1 of Price Center (room 1613) with Just Walk Out checkout: fresh produce, salads, sandwiches and sushi made daily in the Price Center…
Price Center, Level 1, Room 1613, 3135 Matthews Lane Restaurant
Roots
Restaurant Plant-based restaurant in Stewart Commons, beside Pines and across from the Muir residence halls.
Stewart Commons, 9545 Scholars Drive South
The Bistro
Restaurant Pacific Rim restaurant at The Strand in the Seventh College neighborhood, with an open kitchen and a sushi bar.
The Strand, Seventh College, 10153 Scholars Drive North Restaurant
Foodworx
Restaurant Made-to-order personal pizzas, salads and a sandwich bar, plus snacks and grocery staples, on Innovation Lane by the Matthews and Pepper Canyon…
Foodworx, 9457 Innovation Lane Restaurant
OceanView
Restaurant Fifth-floor restaurant in the Marshall/Pangea neighborhood with ocean views from the patio.
OceanView Terrace, 9788 Scholars Drive North
Price Center Food Court Open now
Food court The biggest cluster of food on campus, on Level 1 of Price Center.
Price Center, Level 1, 3135 Matthews Lane
Seventh Market Coffeehouse
Market Seventh College's market and coffeehouse: groceries, snacks, a full espresso bar and specialty sandwiches from the Northside deli counter.
Seventh College, Scholars Drive North Cafe
The Art of Espresso
Cafe Coffee stand at the Mandeville Center. Its hours are not on the HDH Dining site, so check before you go.
Mandeville Center Market
Roger's Market
Market Revelle's market, beside 64 Degrees, with an espresso bar, pastries and desserts, and grab-and-go snacks and meals.
64 Degrees building, 9249 Scholars Drive SouthWhere to live
Residence halls, apartments and help finding a place.
Eleanor Roosevelt College Housing
Residence hall Most ERC first-years live in residence hall suites (mostly doubles and triples, some singles) around a community green beside Ventanas; apartments…
Great Hall, 9810 International Lane
Revelle College Residence Halls
Residence hall First-year Revelle students live in a cluster of eight multistory residence halls overlooking Revelle Plaza, including the Argo and Blake halls and…
Argo Hall, 9257 Scholars Drive South
Warren College Housing
Residence hall Warren residence halls are suites of triple and single rooms overlooking the UCSD Ecological Reserve; some first-years live in two-bedroom apartments…
Harlan Hall, 9860 Justice Lane
Sixth College at North Torrey Pines
Residence hall Most Sixth College first-years live in double and triple rooms (some singles) across three buildings at the North Torrey Pines Living Learning…
Catalyst, 9685 Scholars Drive North Basic needs
Basic Needs Center & Triton Food Pantry
Basic needs Free help with food and housing security for any registered UC San Diego student, including international and undocumented students.
Student Center A, Eucalyptus Grove Lane Residence hall
Pangea Apartments & Residence Halls
Residence hall Two-story buildings by the Pangea Parking Structure and Ridge Walk North.
Pangea Drive Apartment
Pepper Canyon West
Apartment Two towers with single bedrooms in 6- or 8-bedroom apartments, each with a kitchen, living room and bathrooms.
Rya, 9620 Gilman Drive
Rita Atkinson Residences
Apartment Apartments for incoming and continuing transfer students and some continuing undergraduates, within walking distance of shopping and restaurants.
9165 Pharmacy Lane Shopping
Target at Price Center
Shopping A small Target on Level 2 of Price Center West, stocked for students, with a CVS Pharmacy inside. Open daily 8 AM to 9 PM.
Price Center West, Level 2, Room 2.101, 3135 Matthews Lane
The Trove (Student Mail)
Mail Student mail hub and postal annex in Price Center on Library Walk, directly across from Geisel Library.
Price Center, Level 2, Room 2.401, 3135 Matthews Lane
Muir College Housing
Residence hall On the west side of campus, within walking distance of the beach.
Tioga Hall, 9485 Scholars Drive South
Marshall College at Ridge Walk North
Apartment Thurgood Marshall College students live at the Ridge Walk North Living Learning Neighborhood, built on the site of the old Marshall Lower apartments…
Umoja, 3025 Voigt Drive
Seventh College Apartments
Apartment Every Seventh College student can live in modern apartments with full kitchens, many with ocean views, a few blocks from the ocean and next door to…
North Star, 10176 Scholars Drive North
Pepper Canyon East & Matthews Apartments
Apartment Apartments for incoming and continuing transfer students and some continuing undergraduates, close to the trolley.
Pepper Canyon Apartments Lodge, 9416 Innovation Lane
Eighth College Housing
Residence hall Eighth College lives next to Revelle on the southwest side of campus, in the Theatre District Living and Learning Neighborhood, with a mix of…
Pulse, 9175 Scholars Drive SouthGet around
Shuttles, parking and accessible rides.
Triton Transit Shuttles & NightRide
Transit Free campus buses: no fare and no ID needed.
Inside Loop & Outside Loop Shuttles
Transit The two free Triton Transit loops around central campus: the Inside Loop runs clockwise and the Outside Loop counterclockwise.
UC San Diego Health La Jolla Station
Transit Blue Line trolley station on the east side of campus at 3783 Voigt Drive, serving the UC San Diego Health La Jolla medical center.
3783 Voigt Drive
VA Medical Center Station
Transit Blue Line trolley station at 3380 La Jolla Village Drive, on the south edge of campus by the VA hospital. One stop from Central Campus Station.
3380 La Jolla Village Drive, San Diego, CA
UC San Diego Blue Line Trolley
Transit The MTS trolley line that runs from campus to Old Town, downtown San Diego and on to the San Ysidro border.
Central Campus Station, 9482 Innovation Lane
Parking & Commuter Services
Parking Parking is not available to undergraduates who live on campus unless they get an approved exception.
Gilman Parking Structure, 9375 Russell Lane
Triton U-Pass
Transit Unlimited rides on MTS and NCTD buses, the trolley and the COASTER, paid for by the Student Transportation Fee for every undergraduate and graduate…
Majors that pay most at UCSD
Typical pay 4 years after graduating. Top 6 of 47 bachelor's majors with published pay.
Computer Science $159,487
Computer Engineering $149,139
Mathematics and Computer Science $137,218
Biomathematics $123,320
Electrical Engineering $118,150
Biological/Biosystems Engineering $111,677
Source: College Scorecard, field-of-study data.
Your UCSD checklist
5 things worth doing early
When you need help
5 things UCSD freshmen wish they knew sooner
Watch the video1 Drop a lab after meeting 2? It is a W
"Note : Students who drop certain laboratory courses after the second scheduled meeting period will receive a W grade." The usual rule is different: "A course dropped before the end of the fourth week of instruction will not appear on the student’s transcript."
2 Took US history in high school? Done
"A knowledge of American history and of the principles of American institutions under federal and state constitutions is required of all candidates for the bachelor’s degree." One way to meet it: "By having passed with a grade of C or better one high-school unit in American history, or one-half high-school unit in American history and one-half high-school unit in civics or American government." Confirm it on your degree audit.
3 No double major inside engineering
"The two majors may not be within the School of Engineering, nor, except with the approval of the Undergraduate Council, within a single department." Even an allowed double major has a floor: "the equivalent of at least ten upper-division courses (forty units) must be unique to each major."
4 Your college does not limit your major
"At UC San Diego, however, any undergraduate may select from the full range of majors available. The choice of a college is not based on a student’s major, but on preferences in terms of the various educational philosophies and environments offered by the colleges." The colleges differ in general-education requirements, housing and advising; college individualized majors are the one exception.
5 Record the lecture — Gus makes the notes, flashcards and quiz
Gus is an AI college companion built around your actual classes. Record a lecture and it writes the notes, pulls out the key topics, builds a flashcard deck, and makes a practice quiz from what was actually said. The flashcards come back on a spaced-review schedule, so the thing you missed shows up again right before you would have forgotten it. It is free to try.
One more thing
Writing not done? No upper division
"A student may register in an upper-division course only if the student has satisfactorily completed the writing requirement of the student’s college or has obtained the consent of the instructor of the upper-division course."
UC San Diego Catalog — Academic RegulationsEvery UCSD degree needs a DEI class
"This requirement shall be satisfied by passing, with a grade not lower than C– or P, a one-quarter, four-unit course expressly approved by the Undergraduate Council for that purpose."
UC San Diego Catalog — Undergraduate Degree RequirementsGus is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by UC San Diego (the University of California San Diego). Tips checked against UCSD's own pages in October 2026. Campus info last updated October 2026. Stats from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Something out of date? hello@meetgus.app · All campus guides