University of California-Riverside
Riverside, CA · Public · Large city · Carnegie R1/R2 · UC Riverside · UCR
Public institution in Riverside, CA · 22,644 undergraduates · 63% acceptance rate · $67,699 median earnings 10 years after entry.
- Top 4%Undergraduates
- Top 13%Graduation rate (4-year)
- Top 16%Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- Top 16%Full-time retention
Stats
College Scorecard figures, each with where this school sits nationally among institutions that report the same measure. A dash means the school does not report it.
Cost
- Average net price
- $13,707562nd cheapest of 1,985 reporting
- In-state tuition & fees
- $14,170904th cheapest of 2,042 reporting
- Out-of-state tuition & fees
- $44,9471,744th cheapest of 2,042 reporting
- Cost of attendance
- $34,9751,100th cheapest of 1,985 reporting
- Median graduate debt
- $17,500428th lowest of 1,880 reporting
Outcomes
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $67,699324th highest of 1,969 reporting
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $48,593616th highest of 1,964 reporting
- Graduation rate (4-year)
- 76.6%264th highest of 2,031 reporting
- Full-time retention
- 88.2%301st highest of 1,853 reporting
Admissions
- Acceptance rate
- 63.3%471st most selective of 1,608 reporting
- Average SAT
- —
- Median ACT
- —
Campus
- Undergraduates
- 22,64494th largest of 2,162 reporting
- Student-faculty ratio
- 23.0:12,024th smallest of 2,159 reporting
- Pell Grant share
- 46.7%474th highest of 2,140 reporting
Nearest large-hub airport: 62 mi (LAX)
On 2 of our 111 lists
Every published ranking this school appears on, with its rank there.
Applying
- Common App member
- No
- Application fee
- —
- Personal essay
- —
- Writing supplement
- —
Supplemental prompts (2025-26)
- You will have 8 questions to choose from. You must respond to only 4 of the 8 questions. Each response is limited to a maximum of 350 words.
- Describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have positively influenced others, helped resolve disputes or contributed to group efforts over time.
- Every person has a creative side, and it can be expressed in many ways: problem solving, original and innovative thinking, and artistically, to name a few. Describe how you express your creative side.
- What would you say is your greatest talent or skill? How have you developed and demonstrated that talent over time?
- Describe how you have taken advantage of a significant educational opportunity or worked to overcome an educational barrier you have faced.
- Describe the most significant challenge you have faced and the steps you have taken to overcome this challenge. How has this challenge affected your academic achievement?
- Think about an academic subject that inspires you. Describe how you have furthered this interest inside and/or outside of the classroom.
- What have you done to make your school or your community a better place?
- Beyond what has already been shared in your application, what do you believe makes you a strong candidate for admissions to the University of California?
Source: UC Personal Insight Questions (official)
Deadlines and essay flags come from the Common App Requirements Grid, joined by school name. Always confirm against the school’s own admissions page before applying.
Best-paying fields of study
Median earnings one and two years after graduating, by field. Showing 12 of 60 reported programs.
| Field | Level | 1 yr | 2 yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Computer EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $76,460 | $69,617 |
| Electrical, Electronics and Communications EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $63,749 | $66,076 |
| PhysicsPhysical Sciences | bachelors | $63,005 | $33,993 |
| Mechanical EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $56,596 | $59,912 |
| Chemical EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $56,157 | $49,464 |
| Environmental/Environmental Health EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $52,733 | $42,682 |
| Computer Science | bachelors | $50,856 | — |
| Biomedical/Medical EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $49,840 | $49,214 |
| StatisticsMathematics & Statistics | bachelors | $43,798 | — |
| Business/Managerial EconomicsBusiness | bachelors | $42,402 | $36,591 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and ResearchNatural Resources | bachelors | $40,551 | $30,409 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBusiness | bachelors | $39,009 | $39,087 |
Campus facts
- Founded in 1954source
- Athletic nickname: "Highlanders"source
- Competes in NCAA Division Isource
- School colors: Blue and Goldsource
- Mascot: Scotty Highlandersource
- Motto: "Fiat lux (Latin)"source
- Athletic conference: Big Westsource
- A [[National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program institutionsource
- A space-grant]]}} institutionsource
- Fight song: ""Brave Scots""source
- Notable alum: Richard R. Schrocksource
- Notable alum: Jamie Chungsource
- Notable alum: Sung Kangsource
- Notable alum: Elizabeth Georgesource
- Notable alum: Shin Koyamadasource
Athletics — 8 sports
NCAA Division I without football · NCAA Division I
Athletic scholarships allowed · Athletic aid $4,394,745 (M $1,773,392 · W $2,621,353)
Self-reported EADA participants (2024-2025). Athletic aid is institution-level, not per sport.
Key links
- Official websiteucr.edu
- College ScorecardFederal source for every figure above (UNITID 110671)
- Compare colleges in CARe-score with your weights
- The Most Selective Colleges in CaliforniaEvery eligible four-year in this state, ranked by published admission rate
- Showdown: University of California-Riverside vs University of California-Santa BarbaraHigher-or-lower on real Scorecard metrics — round 1 is these two
- Sports directoryAll 8 EADA programs at this school
- Build an admissions plan8th–12th grade actions for this college — sports, activities, timeline
- MethodologyWhat these figures do and do not capture
- How to read a school page end to endStats, standings, lists, athletics, news — one profile, many jobs. Know which panel answers which question.
- Sticker price is a trapPublished tuition is a starting rumor. Net price is closer to what families actually pay.
- What acceptance rate actually measuresSelectivity is a competition statistic — not a quality score, and not your personal odds.
- A plan from eighth grade — without fake certaintySchool-anchored milestones, sports scarcity honesty, and EC playbooks — not invented admit odds.