University of California - San Diego Campus
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University of California - San Diego Campus Rankings 2026

Shiksha popularity ranking
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#37 in World

#18 in USA

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  • Institute Icon1200 acre campus
  • Estd. 1960
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UC San Diego
University of California - San Diego Campus Ranking

#18

Country level
Shiksha Popularity Rank
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World rank by different ranking providers

Shiksha

#37

ARWU Ranking

#20

US News Ranking

#21

THE Ranking

#47

QS Ranking

#66
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UC San Diego
University of California - San Diego Campus Course Ranking

Showing 3 Courses
#14
Shiksha popularity ranking

MS

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Shiksha

#14

US News

#8

QS

#9

THE

#27

ARWU

#42
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Specializations in MS Program

Biomedical Engineering

Shiksha

#9

US News

#8
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Biology

Shiksha

#12

QS

#9

THE

#27
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#92
Shiksha popularity ranking

MBA/PGDM

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Shiksha

#92

US News

#68

QS

#151
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#13
Shiksha popularity ranking

B.E. / B.Tech

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Shiksha

#13

US News

#7
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Specializations in B.E. / B.Tech Program

Biomedical Engineering

Shiksha

#9

US News

#7
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Electrical Engineering

Shiksha

#14

US News

#13
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UC San Diego Ranking by US News and World Report 2025

Ranked by202420252026
Global Universities
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2121– / –
National University282929
Aerospace Engineering PG1818– / –
Best Graduate Medical Schools21– / –– / –
Best UG Biomedical Engineering Schools887
Biomedical Engineering PG88– / –
Chemical Engineering PG4234– / –
Civil Engineering PG2720– / –
Computer Engineering PG1212– / –
Electrical Engineering PG1414– / –
Graduate Business School
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7868– / –
Mechanical Engineering PG1722– / –
UG Business475351
UG Computer Engineering111315
UG Electrical-Electronic and Communications Engineering131413
UG Mechanical Engineering252224

US News and World Report: UC San Diego Ranking Criteria

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QS Icon

UC San Diego Ranking by Quacquarelli Symonds

Ranked by202420252026
World University
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627266
Accounting and Finance
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101101101
Architecture and Built Environment151151201
Art and Design101101101
Biological Sciences10119
Communication and Media Studies515151
Engineering and Technology
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496456
Global MBA
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151151151
Law and Legal Studies251201201
Masters in Business Analytics343540
Mathematics696762
Mechanical Aeronautical and Manufacturing Engineering797886
Medicine232224
Performing Arts515151
Pharmacy and Pharmacology10714
Physics and Astronomy544437
Politics253325
Sociology10110172

Quacquarelli Symonds Ranking 2025: Ranking Criteria

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THE Icon

UC San Diego
THE (Times Higher Education) Ranking 2026

Ranked by202420252026
University
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343447
Arts and Humanities707389
Engineering
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414252
Life Sciences242527
Medicine and Health273439
PG Business and Economics
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333545
PG Computer Science
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363536
Psychology393340
Shanghai Ranking Icon

UC San Diego
ARWU (Shanghai Ranking) Ranking 2025

Ranked by202320242025
Universities
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191820
Law101151151
Mathematics455142
Physics517676
Political Sciences12129
Sociology10115135
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UC San Diego
Bloomberg Ranking 2023

Ranked by2023
Best Business School USA
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53

UC San Diego
Students Ratings & Reviews

2.8/5
Verified Icon2 Verified ReviewsInfo Icon
Student Views (Based on Reviews)
  • 0% students never faced discrimination in this university
Vibe of Campus
Stressful
Multi-dimensional
Academically oriented
Internships2.5
Part time work2
Post study jobs2
Quality of faculty3
Student Life2
Value for money2
Public transportation4
Safety5
Indian Food4
Permanent Immigration1.5
S
Shrivaths Shyam
M.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering - Batch of 2024
4.9
Friendly faculty and staffs.
Tips: I have become more independent and have learnt to survive but the cultural shift was easy to manage for me because of the friends I made here. I got a research assistantship in a lab and was able to pay for my expenses throughout my second year of master's. I am very satisfied with the university, course and country.
Likes (Quality of faculty): Professors are friendly and they have a variety of materials with which they teach. They are easily approachable either via email or even during their office hours and sometimes in person as well. Professors are from different countries and the diversity is big here.
Dislikes (Permanent Immigration): The chance to settle in this country is a little less given the different rules and regulations, but once an employer sponsors an H-1B visa and does your permanent residency processing you can continue to live as long as you have a job. If given the chance I would like to permanently immigrate to this country.
Total Monthly ExpenseUSD 1000
Prepping time for classes40 hours/Week
Expected Annual SalaryUSD 100000
Reviewed on 31 Dec 2025Read more
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D
Deepak Sridhar
MS in Signal and Image Processing - Batch of 2027
4.2
Good courses, faculty, research and career options make UCSD a top choice
Tips: Students should look at the cost of living and financial aid options before joining the campus as it is generally expensive to live around San Diego area. Students should clearly be prepared in choosing their track either industry or academic research and start preparing for it from day one. The courses require prior requisites and so students have to carefully look at the track they choose relevant to their interests and put in efforts to achieve their goals. Teaching assistantships are very competitive but might be available during the second year of your program. You'll have to do well on the courses and maintain good contact with the professor if you are looking to get one. Some students get TAs outside their department which is an option to consider. Courses are rigorous and the quarter system is fast-paced. So one has to adapt to this structure.
Likes (Safety): The college administration considers safety to be of utmost importance with annual safety reviews happening every year. Any safety is immediately published to make you aware of the incidents. The campus has security officers to report to even at night times. The area around campus is filled with student population, so there is no concern for safety.
Dislikes (Permanent Immigration): Due to the H1B immigration system, permanent immigration system is convoluted although it might take longer than expected. There are no specifics to the university, this is general for all US universities. Given a chance I would immigrate to this country especially considering the state-the-art work done at many companies
Total Monthly ExpenseUSD 1400
Prepping time for classes25 hours/Week
Expected Annual SalaryUSD 150000
Reviewed on 11 Feb 2024Read more
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A
AnonymousVerified Icon
B.S. in Economics - Batch of 2027
2.6
San Diego is one of the safest cities in the US.
Tips: I would recommend coming abroad for Masters. I became more independent living abroad and I did not unnecessarily face any cultural shock since I came from an international school. People here definitely like to do a lot of the stuff by themselves. I like more of a sense of community.
Likes (Safety): San Diego is one of the safest cities in the US. There is campus security, but the dorms do not have security guards. There's a helpline number that can be contacted at any point of the day and the San Diego police are usually quick with the way they approach things. I have never had to use any of the services personally.
Dislikes (Post study jobs): The job market is not doing well right now and it's hard to build a network. There are career fair but no one really guides you through the process and you need to figure it out for urself. If you avail all of the university help, then it could be worthwhile but you really need to put yourself out there.
Total Monthly ExpenseUSD 350
Prepping time for classes3 hours/Week
Expected Annual SalaryUSD 80025
Reviewed on 2 Feb 2026Read more
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A
AnonymousVerified Icon
Master of Science in Computer Engineering - Batch of 2027
3
The college has its pros and cons.
Tips: The college is academically oriented and the social life here is very less. The quarter system moves very fast and it is hard to learn something new given the very little time we get. Students barely get time to study or do things that will make them learn and implement something new, unless you hyper specialize in a particular area.
Likes (Safety): The area around the campus is pretty much safe with very few homeless people. There's public transport like shuttle buses from student housing and campus, but the frequency of that reduces after 6 and stops after 9 or 10 PM. It's safe to walk back to the graduate student housing in the night, although I haven't heard many bad experiences doing so, it's still advisable not to walk back alone in the night and have at least another person with you.
Dislikes (Student Life): The college is not very socially active and there are barely any student gatherings or meet-ups, so it's socially dead and it's not like other colleges in the East Coast, where students get time to party and chill. This is a pretty rigorous and fast paced college, so student life takes a hit.
Total Monthly ExpenseUSD 1500
Prepping time for classes23 hours/Week
Expected Annual SalaryUSD
Reviewed on 25 Nov 2025Read more
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Comments

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UC San Diego

Student Forum

chatAnything you would want to ask experts?
Write here...

Answered a week ago

The University of California San Diego is among the top public research universities in USA. UCSD student body features 8,400+ international students from all over the world. Shiksha Popularity Ranking ranks UCSD at #37 in World and #18 in USA. UCSD offers programs at UG and PG levels for its intern

...Read more

A

Anangsha Singh

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 3 weeks ago

As per the UC San Diego employment report for the Class 2024, following were the top industries where the grads got hired after completing Full-time MBA from Rady School of Management-

IndustryEmployment %
Consulting22.2%
Healthcare22.2%
Financial Services16.7%
Technology11.1%
Nonprofit/Education11.1%
Manufacturing5.6%
Law/Legal Services5.6%
Transportation & Logistics5.6%

 

R

Ridhi

Contributor-Level 10

Answered a month ago

Yes UC San Diego allows you to apply to more than one programme for its intake. But you can't apply to more than 1 programme provided by same department of uni

R

Ridhi

Contributor-Level 10

Answered a month ago

Most department at UCSD only requires 3 LOR. But if you want to submit additional letters you should check in with UC San Diego department to make sure it won't affect your chances of being admitted.

R

Ridhi

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 2 months ago

University of California San Diego is one of the top ranked universities for higher education in the world. According to Shiksha Popularity Rankings, University of California San Diego is ranked at #37 in world and #18 in the USA. Top ranking bodies worldwide ranks UCSD that are listed below-

Ranking Authorities

Rank

Shiksha Popularity Rankings

#37 in world and #18 in the USA

Times Higher Education 2026

#47 in World University Rankings

QS Rankings 2026

#66 in QS World University Rankings

US News and World Report 2026

#29 in Best National Universities

M

Mohit Thapa

Contributor-Level 10

About the author

author image
Kanishk Aggarwal

Study Abroad Expert

Kanishk Aggarwal is a content writer at Shiksha.com, creating content for universities abroad. Having pursued an M.Sc. in Forensic Science from GD Goenka University, Gurugram, he has been creating content across diverse domains. When not guiding stud... Read Full Bio
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UC San Diego
Location

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University CitySan Diego, California, USA
Size of cityLarge
Population of City14,19,516

UC San Diego
Contact Information

Address

UC San Diego
9500 Gilman Drive,
La Jolla, CA 92093-0021
US

San Diego ( California)

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