How much does off-campus living cost at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD)?

When comparing UC San Diego with UC Berkeley, the final choice will be dependent on students. A few of the factors that may be responsible for the choice are location, tuition fees, career goals, scholarship availability etc. A comparison between these two universities is given below:

Considering the acceptance rate and QS rankings, it can be said that UC Berkeley is more selective as compared to UC San Diego.

UCSD offers various career services such as dedicated career coaches, customized workshops and programs, career website with curates resources and content, access to Rady alumni and employers. The top employers of UC San Diego MBA Class of 2024 graduates were:

• Analog Devices
• Boston Consulting Group (BCG), Japan
• AGS
• Morgan Stanley
• Kearney (Japan)
• Engage Stack LLC
• YPOG
• EY-Parthenon

The placement rate of UCSD graduates was 72% (within 3 months of graduation). Top industries where the graduates were employed include Consulting, Financial Services, Healthcare, Technology, Manufacturing, Non-Profit / Education, etc.

University of California San Diego acceptance rate for international students stands at 22.4%, implying relatively tough competition for all international aspirants. It houses 3,891 international students as of 2025, welcoming several students from varying ethnic and racial backgrounds.

UCSD acceptance rate for international students may be lower than the overall admission rate; however, with an all-rounder profile, good academic credentials in high school, and a college essay that stands out, students can improve their chances of enrollment. 

The total University of California San Diego for Non-California residents is USD 73,000 (Around INR 62.3 lakh). The fees for on-campus students are:

Yes, UC San Diego is a Tier 1 university. This university has received a status of R1: Very High Research Activity. It is basically a leader in research and USD 1.73 billion sponsored research funding was there for FY24. Also, this university was ranked at 9th position in the world for the most highly cited / most influential researchers, according to Clarivate. Additionally, the university's research programme generated 400 new invention disclosures and over 90 new U.S. patents.