University of California, Irvine

University Facts

University Facts

UCI is consistently recognized as trailblazer in a broad range of fields, garnering national and international honors in every school. The campus’s diverse academic offerings paired with world-class leadership create an environment worthy of any passionate, dedicated scholar. Explore some of UCI’s points of pride below.

UCI Points of Pride

7th best public university in the U.S. by U.S. News & World Report.

Top 10 coolest school by Sierra magazine for nine consecutive years.

3 Nobel Prizes. Two in chemistry, one in physics.

No. 1 university that does the most for the American dream in The New York Times College Access Index.

100+ UCI Health physicians listed as "Best Doctors in America."

18 consecutive years: UCI Medical Center among nation’s best hospitals by U.S. News & World Report.

UCI’s Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center is the only Orange County facility to earn a "comprehensive" designation by the National Cancer Institute.

29 graduate programs ranked in nation’s top 50 by U.S. News & World Report.

3rd best college by Money magazine.

1 of 62 elected institutions in the Association of American Universities.

Section 3


2018 Facts & Figures (PDF)

Section 4

Institutional Honors

  • UCI is one of 62 universities in the U.S. and Canada elected to membership in the prestigious Association of American Universities.
  • Money magazine ranked UCI the 3rd best college in the nation.
  • UCI is ranked No. 8 on Money's list of “Best Colleges for Transfer Students.”
  • UCI is ranked 7th best public university in the nation and 33rd when private universities are added to the mix, according to the annual U.S. News & World Report "America's Best Colleges" survey.
  • The New York Times named UCI No. 1 among U.S. universities "doing the most for the American dream" in its 2017 and 2015 College Access Index. The ranking measures economic diversity based on several factors: the share of students receiving Pell Grants (which typically go to families making less than $70,000 a year); the graduation rate of those students; the net cost, after financial aid, that a college charges low- and middle-income students; and endowment per student.
  • UCI is rated as "Best Regional College" by The Princeton Review, 2018.
  • Forbes placed UCI 22nd in its list of America's Top Public Colleges, based on high alumni salaries, graduation rates and student satisfaction. 
  • UCI is one of the top graduate schools in the U.S. according to GradSchoolHub.com, which rated UCI 19th on its 2016 “Best Graduate Schools in America” list, based on class size, faculty prestige and specific program rankings.
  • Washington Monthly's annual College Guide and Rankings of National Universities listed UCI at No. 20, based on ability to promote upward social mobility, produce cutting-edge research and encourage students to give back to the community.
  • The New York Times named UCI the fourth-best university at propelling low-income students into the middle and upper-middle classes post-graduation, based on data from the Equality of Opportunity Project. 
  • UCI places in Top 100 in Times Higher Education World University Rankings, 2019.
  • UCI is one of "America's Best Employers," according to Forbes. The publication named UCI No. 79 out of 500 places of work, and No. 1 among public Association of American University institutions. The distinction was based off of a survey of nearly 30,000 employers with at least 1,000 people. 
  • Forbes named UCI one of the 50 Best U.S. Colleges for International Students in 2017. The list weighs overall quality, international student population, international student graduation rates and the percentage of students who pursue academic fields most popular among international students.

Program Rankings

  • U.S. News & World Report ranks The Henry Samueli School of Engineering  44th among engineering schools whose highest degree is a doctorate.
  • The Paul Merage School of Business' undergraduate major was ranked 32nd by U.S. News & World Report.
  • The most current U.S. News & World Report rankings for top 50 national graduate programs include these UCI majors: literary criticism & theory (1), criminology (3), organic chemistry (10), English (17), chemistry (20), law (21), sociology (23), education (24), biomedical engineering (26), civil engineering (26), physics (28), aerospace engineering (28), computer science (30), environmental engineering (31), business – part-time (32), biological sciences (33), history (34), engineering (35), psychology (36), computer engineering (38), materials science engineering (39), mathematics (39), Earth system science (41), electrical engineering (41), business (42), mechanical engineering (43), political science (45), medicine (46) and economics (47).
  • U.S. News & World Report ranks UCI's online program for a Master of Advanced Study in criminology, law & society the No. 3 online graduate criminal justice program in the country.
  • UCI is North America’s top rising star in the Nature Index, an international journal of science, which gives high ranks to our programs in chemistry, physical sciences, earth and environmental sciences, and life sciences.

Sustainability & Environment

  • Sierra magazine has named UCI a top 10 "Coolest School" for nine consecutive years for its innovative sustainable practices. The magazine is the official publication of the Sierra Club, one of the nation's largest and most influential environmental organizations.
  • UCI is one of four universities to receive the STARS platinum rating.
  • Money magazine named UCI the No. 1 university for beach lovers.
  • The Princeton Review's Green College Honor Roll lauded UCI for its environmentally responsible policies, healthy and sustainable quality of life for students, and green educational opportunities.
  • The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education ranked UCI  No. among doctoral-granting universities in its annual Sustainable Campus Index.

Diversity

  • The U.S. Department of Education named UCI a Hispanic-serving institution for 2017-18, meaning that fully one-quarter of undergraduates identify as Latino and that half of all students receive financial aid. UCI also is designated as an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-serving institution. 
  • UCI ranked 7th on Forbes 2019 Best Employer for Diversity list.
  • The Paul Merage School of Business is ranked No. 1 for employing the highest percentage of female faculty, according to Financial Times.

Value

  • Forbes named UCI the No. 4 Best Value College in 2018, based on the campus's tuition costs, school quality, graduation success rates and post-grad earnings.
  • UCI graduates rank 11th in salary earnings among U.S. public universities, according to PayScale's College Salary Report.
  • Money magazine rated UCI among the "25 Best Public Colleges for Big Paychecks," based on how much graduates earned over 20 years, minus college costs. 
  • Kiplinger Personal Finance ranked UCI 26th among the "Best Values in Public Colleges," published December 2017, listing the top public universities in the country for affordability and quality of education.

Section 5

Campus Data

Enrollment (Fall 2018)

Undergraduates  29,736
Graduate (general campus)  5,654
Graduate (Health Sciences) 1,352
Total
36,742

Workforce (Fall 2018)

Ladder-rank faculty 1,298
Other teaching faculty 2,049
Nonteaching academics 2,082
Campus staff  6,074
Medical center staff  4,957
Subtotal 16,460
Student employees 8,254
Total 24,714

Degrees Awarded (2017-18)

Bachelor's      7,600
Master's 1,448
Ph.D./Ed.D. 380
M.D.   95
J.D. 113
Total   9,636

Retention and Graduation Rates

One-Year Retention Rate  93%
Four-Year Graduation Rate  70%
Six-Year Graduation Rate 88%

Applications

New Freshmen Applicants (Fall 2018) 94,867
New Freshmen Enrolled (Fall 2017) 6,545

Student Fees (2018-19)

California residents (undergraduates)  $15,449
Nonresidents (includes tuition, fees)  $44,441

Section 7

Faculty Awards & Honors

Notable Alumni