UC San Diego (UCSD) has a unique system where the undergraduate experience is divided into eight residential colleges, each with its own distinct philosophy, general education requirements, and campus culture. This structure is designed to provide students with a smaller community within the large university and to tailor their academic experience based on their interests and values.
When students apply to UCSD, they rank the colleges based on personal preference, and the university places them in one based on availability and their preferences.
The choice of college does not limit a student’s choice of major, as all majors are available across all colleges.
General Education Requirements: Each college has its own general education requirements. While all colleges require students to complete courses in college writing, math, science, social sciences, and the humanities, the number of required classes for each subject differs from college to college. In addition, most colleges have specifically designed thematic courses that all students at that college must take regardless of major. Lastly, note that some colleges require courses in a foreign language, and some don’t.
Residential Life: Each college has its own residential halls, providing students with a sense of community. In addition, each college has its own dining hall, library, and common areas. First-year students are generally required to live on campus in their assigned college.
Academic Advising: Each college provides its own academic advising and supports students in fulfilling both general education and major requirements.
Events and Traditions: Each college organizes its own social and cultural events, traditions, and leadership opportunities.
The Eight Colleges of UCSD
Revelle College
Muir College
Marshall College
Warren College
Roosevelt College
Sixth College
Seventh College
Eighth College
Campus Maps
Check out these campus maps to get an orientation of where each college is located before diving into the information about the educational and living experience:
Revelle College
TOTAL # OF REQUIRED GENERAL EDUCATION COURSES: 16-20
GENERAL EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS:
Humanities—5 courses
Foundations of Western Civilization: Israel and Greece (intensive writing)
Rome, Christianity, and the Middle Ages (intensive writing)
Renaissance, Reformation, and Early Modern Europe
Enlightenment, Romanticism, Revolution (1660–1848)
Modern Culture (1848–present)
Mathematics—3 courses (Three courses in mathematics, which include two courses in calculus and one additional course chosen from an approved list)
Natural Science—5 courses
1 course in Biology, Chemistry, and Physics
2 courses from Biology, Chemistry, and Physics above or an approved list
Social Science—2 courses (Two lower-division courses in the social sciences chosen from an approved list)
Fine Arts—1 course (Art, music, theatre)
Foreign Language Requirement—0 to 4 courses (May be satisfied by passing language proficiency exam or appropriate AP or IB score)
HOUSING: Cluster of 8 multistory residence hall buildings overlooking Revelle Plaza. Mostly triple rooms.
LOCATION: Most southwest part of the campus. Facing the Pacific Ocean.
NEARBY DEPARTMENTS: Natural Sciences; Theater, Dance, La Jolla Playhouse; Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine
RECOMMENDED FOR:
Premed and science majors
Toughest GE requirements: heavy on math and science
John Muir College
TOTAL # OF REQUIRED GENERAL EDUCATION COURSES: 11-14
GENERAL EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS:
Writing Program—2 courses
Math or Natural Science—3 courses from one of the following themes (cannot mix and match themes):
Math and statistics
Computing and logic
Biological Sciences
Chemistry, Physics, and the Environment
Social Sciences—3 courses from one of the following themes (cannot mix and match themes):
Culture, Society and Social Justice
Language and Communication
Mind and Cognition
Government and Economics
Fine Arts, Humanities or Foreign Language—6 courses; must choose TWO of the following topics:
Fine Arts (3 courses)—Music, Theatre and Dance, Visual Arts (cannot mix and match themes)
Humanities (3 courses)—Historical Narratives, Literary Narratives, Philosophical Perspectives (cannot mix and match themes)
Foreign Language (3 courses in the same language)—May be satisfied by appropriate AP or IB score; May NOT be cleared through a language proficiency exam
HOUSING: 2 high-rise residence halls for first-year students: Tioga & Tenaya. Primarily triple rooms and some singles.
LOCATION: Southwest part of the campus. North of Revelle College. Facing the Pacific Ocean. Close to Geisel Library.
NEARBY DEPARTMENTS: Humanities and Social Sciences, Biology, Applied Physics and Mathematics
RECOMMENDED FOR:
Most students, given the minimal number of GE requirements
Most popular college choice; you MUST select Muir as your first choice to be admitted to Muir
Thurgood Marshall College
TOTAL # OF REQUIRED GENERAL EDUCATION COURSES: 15
GENERAL EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS:
Dimensions of Culture—3 courses
3-course sequence includes two six-unit courses with intensive instruction in university-level writing.
Mathematics, Statistics, or Logic—2 courses (Either two courses in mathematics or one course in mathematics and one course in computing)
Natural Sciences—3 courses (One course each in biology, chemistry, and physics)
Humanities—2 courses (Two courses selected from a prescribed list of courses in domestic and global cultures)
Fine Art—1 course (One course selected from a list of approved courses in Music, Theatre & Dance, or Visual Arts)
Disciplinary Breadth—4 courses (Noncontiguous to the major. Two must be upper-division; one must include writing. A four-unit public service option may be used to fulfill one course in disciplinary breadth.)
Foreign Language—Not required
HOUSING: Resident halls house students in suites that vary from triple, single, and mini-double rooms surrounding a common area with a living room, large bathroom, and a patio. Most luxurious college.
LOCATION: West part of the campus. North of Sixth College. Facing the Pacific Ocean. Close to Geisel Library and RIMAC sports complex.
NEARBY DEPARTMENTS: Economics, Social Sciences, Supercomputer Center, School of Global Policy
RECOMMENDED FOR: Students interested in multiculturalism in the United States
Earl Warren College
TOTAL # OF REQUIRED GENERAL EDUCATION COURSES:
Engineering Majors: 12
Non-Engineering Majors: 18
GENERAL EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS:
Writing—2 courses
Ethics and Society—2 courses (PHIL or POLI 27 and PHIL or POLI 28 learn how to make moral decisions, engage in moral reasoning, and understand the positions of others in the great moral conflicts of our time)
Formal Skills—2 courses (Calculus, symbolic logic, computer programming, and/or statistics)
Programs of Concentration (for bachelor of arts/bachelor of science in arts/sciences)—12 courses
Two programs of concentration, each containing six courses, and each unrelated to the major and to each other.
Humanities and Fine Arts
Natural Sciences, Math, and Engineering
Social Sciences
Area Studies (for bachelor of science in engineering)—6 courses
Two area studies, one in humanities/fine arts and one in social sciences, each containing three courses.
Humanities and Fine Arts
Natural Sciences, Math, and Engineering
Social Sciences
Foreign Language—Not required
HOUSING: Residence halls feature suites of single and triple rooms overlooking the UC San Diego Ecological Reserve. First-year students may also be housed in 2-bedroom apartments with four to five students in double and triple rooms.
LOCATION: Northeast part of the campus. Facing Interstate 5. Close to Geisel Library. Very far from most of the other residence halls
NEARBY DEPARTMENTS: Computer Science and Engineering, Bioengineering, Structural and Materials Engineering, Physics
RECOMMENDED FOR: Engineering and Computer Science majors
Eleanor Roosevelt College
TOTAL # OF REQUIRED GENERAL EDUCATION COURSES: 13-17
GENERAL EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS:
Making of the Modern World—5 courses
Includes two quarters of intensive instruction in university-level writing.
MMW 11 Pre-history and Ancient Foundations
MMW 12 Transforming Traditions & Emerging World Communities, ca. 100 BCE-1200 CE
MMW 13 A Globalizing World: Exchanges, Entanglements, and Exploitation, 13th-18th Century
MMW 14 Divergent Paths to the Modern World, 18th-20th Century
MMW 15 The Contemporary Era: Conflict and Aspirations in a Globalized World, 20th-21st Century
Fine Arts—1 course
Natural Sciences—2 courses
Quantitative Methods/Formal Skills—2 courses
Regional Specialization—3 courses
Must include two upper-division courses
Choose from: Africa, Multiculturalism in North America, Latin America, Asia/Pacific, Europe, Middle East
Foreign Language—0 to 4 courses (May be satisfied by passing language proficiency exam or appropriate AP or IB score)
Upper-Division Writing—1 course (One upper-division course that includes a significant writing component (4500-5000 words or 18-20 double-spaced pages))
HOUSING: Residence hall suites primarily consist of triple rooms and some single rooms. Considered to have the best dorms and dining halls.
LOCATION: Northwest part of the campus. Facing the Pacific Ocean. Close to RIMAC sports complex.
NEARBY DEPARTMENTS: School of Global Policy, Institute of the Americas, Latin American Studies, Social Sciences
RECOMMENDED FOR: Students interested in multiculturalism outside the United States. Considered to have one of the toughest writing requirements compared to the other colleges.
Sixth College
TOTAL # OF REQUIRED GENERAL EDUCATION COURSES: 16
GENERAL EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS:
Culture, Art, and Technology—4 courses
The CAT lower-division sequence includes two quarters of intensive instruction in university-level writing for academic audiences with coverage of research methods, collaboration, and media. CAT 125 is a four-unit course in upper-division writing for public audiences.
Information Technology Fluency—1 course (One computing course; may be satisfied with courses from a variety of departments)
Modes of Inquiry—7 courses (Two courses in the social sciences, two courses in the humanities, two courses in the natural sciences, one course in math/logic)
Exploring Data—1 course (One course in statistical methods)
Art Making—2 courses (Two courses in literature, music, theatre and dance, or visual arts)
Experiential Learning—1 course (Capstone project in which students apply theory to practice in local and global communities through departmental courses, internships, research opportunities, or study abroad programs)
Foreign Language—Not required
HOUSING: North Torrey Pines Living and Learning Neighborhood. Opened in Fall 2020–one of the newer residence halls.
LOCATION: West part of the campus. North of Muir College. Facing the Pacific Ocean. Close to Geisel Library.
NEARBY DEPARTMENTS: Arts and Social Sciences, Humanities, Cognitive Science, Communication
RECOMMENDED FOR: Students interested in art and computer/data science
Seventh College
TOTAL # OF REQUIRED GENERAL EDUCATION COURSES: 14
GENERAL EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS:
Synthesis—3 courses
The synthesis lower-division sequence includes two quarters of intensive instruction in university-level writing. SYN 100 is a four-unit project-based course.
Arts—2 courses (Selected from an approved list)
Humanities—2 courses (Selected from an approved list)
Natural Sciences and Engineering—2 courses (Selected from an approved list)
Quantitative Reasoning—2 courses (Selected from an approved list)
Social Sciences—2 courses (Selected from an approved list)
High Impact—1 course (Selected from a variety of approved experiential learning options, including a departmental capstone, internship, practicum, mentored research, or study abroad)
Foreign Language—Not required
HOUSING: Residents live in a single, double, or triple room within an apartment with a full kitchen.
LOCATION: Most northwest part of the campus. North of Roosevelt College. Facing the Pacific Ocean. Close to sports facilities (track, soccer, baseball, RIMAC sports complex).
NEARBY DEPARTMENTS: Rady School of Management
RECOMMENDED FOR:
Students interested in climate change and racial justice (focus of Synthesis GE requirement)
Students who want to live near the athletic facilities on campus
Eighth College
TOTAL # OF REQUIRED GENERAL EDUCATION COURSES: 14
GENERAL EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS:
Critical Community Engagement—4 courses
The synthesis lower-division sequence includes three lower-division courses (two of which involve intense instruction in university-level writing) and one upper-division project-based course. All four courses provide training in interdisciplinary inquiry and community engagement.
Arts—2 courses (Selected from an approved list)
Humanities—2 courses (Selected from an approved list)
Natural Sciences—2 courses (Selected from an approved list)
Quantitative Reasoning and Engineering—2 courses (Selected from an approved list)
Social Sciences—2 courses (Selected from an approved list)
Foreign Language—Not required
HOUSING: Residents live in one of five residential halls ranging from nine to twenty-one stories tall. Four offer apartment and residential hall-style living spaces, and one offers apartments designed to house between 9 and 12 residents. Opened in Fall 2023, making these the newest residential halls on campus.
LOCATION: Most southwest part of the campus. South of Revelle College. Facing the Pacific Ocean.
NEARBY DEPARTMENTS: Theater, Dance, La Jolla Playhouse
RECOMMENDED FOR: Students who want to live in the newest dorms or near the Theater District and/or the School of Medicine
Elite Prep has helped thousands of high school seniors apply to the University of California and other selective colleges and universities.
Contact an Elite Prep branch office to speak with one of our experienced counselors about how we can help you get into your dream school.