A public R1 research university in Irvine, CA, admitting 28.57% of applicants with a test-free policy, $80,735 median ten-year earnings, and one of the highest first-generation student populations of any UC campus.
Irvine, California
The University of California, Irvine is a public R1 research university in Irvine, California, founded in 1965 as the fifth campus of the University of California system. It enrolls approximately 29,442 undergraduates and 6,991 graduate students across fourteen schools and programs, including the Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences, the Henry Samueli School of Engineering, the Paul Merage School of Business, the School of Biological Sciences, the Claire Trevor School of the Arts, and the School of Social Sciences.
Computer science, engineering, biological sciences, business, and social sciences account for the largest shares of bachelor's degrees. UC Irvine is accredited through the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC). UC Irvine does not use SAT or ACT scores in admission decisions; the University of California system has been test-free since 2021. UC Irvine is a member of the Association of American Universities, holds an R1 Carnegie Classification, and is an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution (AANAPISI) and a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI).
Official website: uci.edu
UCD scores every college on four pillars: Outcomes, Value, Affordability, and Selectivity. Within peer group A (four-year selective institutions), UC Irvine scores 91.92 overall, rated Excellent, one of the highest scores of any public university in this peer group. Outcomes (97.53) reflects an 86.87% six-year graduation rate and an exceptional 95.93% first-year retention. Value scores 98.97, driven by outstanding ten-year earnings of $80,735 relative to an average net price of only $14,251. Affordability scores 56.98. All scores use verified federal data only.
UC Irvine admits 28.57% of applicants, making it among the most selective UC campuses and one of the more selective public universities nationally. UC Irvine does not use SAT or ACT scores in its admission decisions; the University of California system eliminated test requirements in 2021 and does not use scores even as a bonus factor. UC Irvine uses the UC Application (not the Common App).
The UC application deadline is November 30 for fall entry; there is no early decision or early action option within the UC system. Applicants are evaluated on academic record, personal insight questions, extracurricular activities, and other factors. The Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences and the Henry Samueli School of Engineering are among the most competitive programs within UCI. California residents account for the large majority of undergraduate enrollment; non-residents face a higher admit threshold and higher tuition.
Acceptance rate over the last five admission cycles. The trend tells you whether University of California-Irvine is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.
UC Irvine charges $15,722 in systemwide fees (the UC equivalent of tuition) for California residents and $45,022 for nonresidents, plus campus fees and room and board, bringing the estimated California resident total cost of attendance to approximately $37,400 before aid. The average net price after all grants and scholarships is $14,251, among the lowest of any selective public university. For families earning under $30,000, the average net price is $8,123.
For families earning between $30,001 and $48,000, the net price averages $9,012. For families earning between $75,001 and $110,000, the net price averages $21,467. California families earning under $80,000 per year may be eligible for the UC Blue and Gold Opportunity Plan, which covers systemwide fees entirely through grants and scholarships. The federal loan rate of 20.33% and median debt of $15,000 are among the lowest in this peer group, reflecting strong California state financial aid (Cal Grants) and UC institutional support.
Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.
Application fee: $80 (one-time, due at submission)
Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.
Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.
Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.
UC Irvine graduates a very high share of students it enrolls. The six-year graduation rate is 86.87% for full-time, first-time bachelor's-seeking students. First-year retention stands at 95.93%, one of the highest of any public university in the country. The federal loan rate of 20.33% and median debt of $15,000 are very low, reflecting the combined effect of Cal Grants, UC institutional aid, and the Blue and Gold Plan for lower-income students.
UC Irvine graduates earn strongly above the national median, driven by the Southern California technology and healthcare economy. Median earnings are $57,661 six years after first enrolling and $80,735 at ten years. At the ten-year mark, 88.57% of former students earn more than a typical high school graduate. The strong earnings reflect UCI's program concentration in computer science, engineering, and biological sciences, and the placement of graduates into Orange County and Los Angeles technology companies, healthcare systems, and biotech firms.
Irvine is a hub of the Southern California technology corridor, home to corporate headquarters and major operations for companies including Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Edwards Lifesciences, and numerous biotech and medtech firms. The University of California, Irvine Medical Center, a major academic health center in Orange, provides healthcare employment and research pathways for biological sciences, nursing, and pre-medicine graduates.
Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.
Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.
Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.
Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.
Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.
Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.
Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.
Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.
UC Irvine enrolls approximately 29,442 undergraduates in Irvine, California, a planned city in Orange County approximately 40 miles southeast of Los Angeles. Asian students account for 37.47% of undergraduates, the highest share of any UC campus outside UC Riverside; Hispanic students are 26.83%, White students 15.89%, and Black students 1.94%. Approximately 40.15% of undergraduates receive Pell grants, and 43.98% are first-generation college students, both among the highest rates of any selective public university in the country.
UCI is designated as both a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) and an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution (AANAPISI). Irvine is a safe, planned suburban city with a mild climate; the campus is walkable and bikeable. The Pacific Ocean (Laguna Beach) is approximately 10 miles southwest; Los Angeles is about 40 miles north.
Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.
Where students live, learn, and connect at University of California-Irvine. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.
University of California-Irvine offers an extensive catalog of programs: 187 distinct programs across 22 majors. Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings. Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.
UC Irvine operates at a student-to-faculty ratio consistent with selective public research universities. 71.28% of instruction is delivered by full-time faculty. Instructional spending per full-time equivalent student is $29,852 per year, among the highest in this peer group, reflecting UCI's research intensity and UC systemwide investment in faculty.
UC Irvine has produced multiple Nobel laureates, with faculty recognized in chemistry, physics, and economics. Research strengths include machine learning and artificial intelligence (the Donald Bren School of ICS), biomedical sciences, climate science (the UCI-NOAA CIMEC climate research center), and social ecology. The Paul Merage School of Business has strong ties to the Orange County and Los Angeles business communities.
2,278 instructional faculty across 5 ranks. The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.
| Rank | Faculty Count | Share | Avg Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full Professors | 970 | 43% | $212,568 |
| Associate Professors | 451 | 20% | $142,563 |
| Assistant Professors | 530 | 23% | $118,820 |
| Instructors | 44 | 2% | $96,900 |
| Lecturers | 283 | 12% | $115,508 |
UC Irvine's defining strengths are its exceptional UCD 91.92 Excellent score, test-free admissions, outstanding value (net price $8,123 for families under $30,000 and $14,251 average), 95.93% first-year retention, ten-year earnings of $80,735, and a Southern California technology and healthcare employment corridor that produces strong outcomes for CS, engineering, and biological sciences graduates. UCD 91.92 Excellent.
The considerations: the 28.57% admit rate makes it among the more selective publics; Irvine is a suburban planned city without the urban density of Los Angeles or San Francisco; 71.28% full-time faculty instruction is below the UC system's top campuses; and nonresident tuition at $45,022 fundamentally changes the value proposition for students from outside California. Best fit for California residents, particularly those from lower- and middle-income families, who want a selective UC research university with outstanding value, strong CS and engineering programs, and the career access that the Southern California technology economy provides.
The questions below address what students and families most commonly search about UC Irvine: how the UC application works, what the Blue and Gold Plan covers, how UCI compares to other UC campuses, and what computer science graduates earn.
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