Public · University

University of California-Irvine

Irvine, California · Large city

28.6%
Admit rate
$14,251
Avg net price
87%
Graduation rate
$80,735
Median earnings

University of California-Irvine is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Irvine, California (large city setting), enrolling 30,197 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI).

PublicLarge · 30,197 undergradsLarge cityVery selective · 29% admitNCAA Division I without footballNear the coast

About Irvine, California

Irvine is a planned city in central Orange County, California, United States, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. In the present, the city and the schools within are taking action to educate the community about the indigenous history. In 2024 there was a proposal to create a village based on Putuidem Village located in San Juan Capistrano. Every October, Irvine hosts the Irvine Global Village Festival to celebrate the diversity among the citizens of Irvine and Orange County. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To the ocean
4 miles
Nearest airport
2 miles to John Wayne Orange County (SNA) · major hub

How University of California-Irvine compares

Selectivity28.6%

More selective than 93% · #15 most selective of 107 in California

Graduation rate87%

Higher than 94% · #17 of 122 in California

First-year retention94%

Higher than 92%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$80,735

Higher than 91% · #31 of 130 in California

Average net price$14,251

Cheaper than 76% · #31 cheapest of 118 in California

Median debt at graduation$15,000

Lower than 90%

Student–faculty ratio19 : 1

Lower than 14%

Undergraduate enrollment30,197

Larger than 97%

Percentiles compare University of California-Irvine with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in California.

University of California-Irvine campus

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

37,290students
  • Undergraduate30,19781%
  • Graduate7,09319%

Undergraduates by gender

30,197undergrads
  • Women17,09557%
  • Men13,10243%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White13%
  • Black1.9%
  • Hispanic27%
  • Asian37%
  • Other or multiracial21%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
30,197
Graduate enrollment
7,093
Student–faculty ratio
19 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
36%
First-generation students
44%
Students over 25
3%
Median family income
$34,735
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$173,250
Endowment
$899,356,000

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Where students come from

Home state of the 6,796 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From California77%
  • Other U.S. states7.7%
  • International15%

Most first-years stay in state — University of California-Irvine draws overwhelmingly from California.

15% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Admissions

Admission rate
28.6%
Test scores
Not considered
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite

Cost

In-state tuition
$15,722
Out-of-state tuition
$49,922
Room & board
$18,991
Books & supplies
$1,473
Total cost of attendance
$38,632
Average net price
$14,251

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
87%
Graduated on time (4 years)
73%
First-year retention
94%
Transferred to another college
5%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$56,210
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$80,735
Median debt at graduation
$15,000
Students with federal loans
20%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
75%

About 13% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
73%
Low-income (Pell)
78%
First-generation
77%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
15,544
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
51%
Application fee
$80
Athletics
NCAA Division I without football
Varsity athletes
432 (190 men · 242 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (10)

Track and Field (Outdoor)91
Soccer61
Water Polo50
Cross Country42
Volleyball42
Baseball40
Track and Field (Indoor)35
Basketball32
Tennis20
Golf19

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
D
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
5.8 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
181
Property offenses (2022–2024)
467

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 2 campuses (37,297 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

216reported offenses a year
60 violent a year156 property a year

By offense type, per year

Motor vehicle theft
130
Fondling
32
Burglary
25
Rape
25
Aggravated assault
3.3
Arson
0.7
Murder
0.3
Robbery
0.3

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$8,123
$30–48k
$9,313
$48–75k
$11,642
$75–110k
$15,164
$110k+
$30,546

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$49,268

$11,642/year × about 4.2 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

56%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$10,164
average award, among those who get one

A meaningful share of freshmen — 56% — get grant money from University of California-Irvine itself, averaging $10,164, which softens the sticker price.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 5,656 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$80,735
Typical debt at graduation
$15,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
19%
Out-earn a HS grad
71%

Typical debt would take roughly 1.9 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Strong value

Graduates here tend to earn well relative to what they borrow — typical debt pays back fast, and most out-earn a high-school graduate.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$76,623
Men
$87,434

Men out-earn women by $10,811 (14%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
80°F
Winter low
48°F
Annual rain
11.2″

Average temperature

HighLow
40°70°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.01.32.6JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Santa Ana John Wayne AP, CA US station (2.6 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to University of California-Irvine

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare University of California-Irvine side by side →

Colleges near University of California-Irvine

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.