Quad

Academics

Majors and faculty

The most popular major is Cognitive Science, General (9% of graduates). 19 students for every faculty member, more than at 87% of colleges. 88% of faculty are full-time. Spends $26,067 a year on instruction per student.

Most popular majors

9,717 bachelor's degrees, 2024–25 graduates

The top 5 programs account for 30% of graduates; 92 programs in 22 fields awarded at least one.

  1. Cognitive Science, General 30.25018.6% 833
    Graduates in this field earn $81,160 4 years out
  2. Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods, Other 52.13996.2% 601
    Graduates in this field earn $89,451 4 years out
  3. Anatomy 26.04036.0% 585
  4. Mathematics and Computer Science 30.08014.7% 454
    Graduates in this field earn $137,218 4 years out
  5. Computer Science 11.07014.4% 429
    Graduates in this field earn $159,487 4 years out

Fastest-growing field: Interdisciplinary studies, 6.7% → 18% of graduates since 2014–15 (1,726 graduates in 2024–25).

Source:IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2014–15 to 2024–25About the data(built 2026-10-12; CPI retrieved 2026-10-12)

Bachelor's degrees awarded July through June, by federal program name (), which can differ from what the college calls a major. A double major counts once, under the ; its other field is a . Earnings are College Scorecard's median for graduates of the program's broader field (), 4 years after completion; see Top-earning majors below.

Top-earning majors here

By earnings 4 years after completion

  1. Computer Science$159,487 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $112,006

    4 years after completion$159,487
    National median: $107,009Above typical

    4 years out, Pell: $131,836 · Non-Pell: $131,967(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)

    Median federal debt: $16,166 · 1,109 graduates, two most recent years combined

  2. Computer Engineering$149,139 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $96,256

    4 years after completion$149,139
    National median: $109,015Above typical

    4 years out, Pell: $124,703 · Non-Pell: Too few graduates to report(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)

    Median federal debt: $18,414 · 341 graduates, two most recent years combined

  3. Mathematics and Computer Science$137,218 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $89,651

    4 years after completion$137,218
    National median: $118,943Above typical

    Median federal debt: $18,887 · 568 graduates, two most recent years combined

  4. Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology$123,320 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $76,592

    4 years after completion$123,320
    National median: $86,713Above typical

    4 years out, Pell: $116,424 · Non-Pell: Too few graduates to report(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)

    Median federal debt: $18,000 · 146 graduates, two most recent years combined

  5. Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering$118,150 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $80,687

    4 years after completion$118,150
    National median: $100,647Above typical

    4 years out, Pell: $99,871 · Non-Pell: $114,872(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)

    Median federal debt: $20,000 · 407 graduates, two most recent years combined

Bachelor's programs only, among graduates who received federal financial aid and were working (not enrolled in school) in the measurement year.

Students per faculty member vs. every college19 to 1
19 to 1
← Fewer students per facultymore students per faculty member than 87% of 1,892More students per faculty →

The college also reports 19.6 to 1 in its Common Data Set (33,624 students, 1,712 faculty).

Not the average class size: faculty also teach graduate students and do research, and large lectures can sit alongside small seminars.

Class sizes

35%

of classes have fewer than 20 students; 28% have 50 or more

Under 20 students 20 or moreStudents per class section
Undergraduate class sections by number of students
StudentssectionsShare
2–928515%
10–1938520%
20–2941622%
30–391709%
40–491297%
50–9921611%
100+31616%

This counts class sections, not students: a lecture of 300 is one section, so a student is more likely to sit in a large class than the share of sections suggests. Labs and discussion sections are counted separately and left out here.

Programs & curriculum

  • Accelerated program
  • Cross-registration
  • Distance learning
  • Double major
  • Dual enrollment
  • English as a Second Language
  • Domestic exchange program
  • Honors program
  • Independent study
  • Internships
  • Liberal arts/career combination
  • Student-designed major
  • Teacher certification
  • Study abroad
  • Undergraduate research

Requires coursework in arts, English composition, a foreign language, history, physical education, humanities, intensive writing, math, philosophy, a natural science, and social science.

Full-time faculty88%
National median: 67%Above typical
Average faculty salary

$172,028

9-month equated, all ranks combined. Pay tracks local cost of living as much as a college's generosity.

Spending and endowment

Fiscal 2023–24. Compared only against other public colleges: public and private colleges report finances on different accounting forms that aren't comparable. Many public universities' endowments sit mostly in a separate foundation this survey doesn't count, so this likely understates what's actually available.

Instruction spending per student$26,067
$26,067
← Lessmore than 94% of 557More →
Endowment per student$35,348
$35,348
← Lessmore than 84% of 537More →

Sources:IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard Field of Study data, most recent release;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Salaries survey (SAL, instructional staff, all ranks), Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;IPEDS Finance survey, derived per-student figures, 2023–24;University of California-San Diego Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2025;University of California-San Diego Common Data Set 2025–26, 2025–26;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey (athletics, programs, services, religious affiliation), 2025–26About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)