Public · University

University of California-Riverside

Riverside, California · Large city

76.4%
Admit rate
$14,304
Avg net price
76%
Graduation rate
$67,699
Median earnings

University of California-Riverside is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Riverside, California (large city setting), enrolling 22,593 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI).

PublicLarge · 22,593 undergradsLarge cityAccessible · 76% admitNCAA Division I without football

About Riverside, California

Riverside is a city in and the county seat of Riverside County, California, United States. In the late 18th century and the early 19th century, the area was inhabited by Cahuilla and the Serrano people. Californios such as Bernardo Yorba and Juan Bandini established ranches during the first half of the 19th century. Entomology Research Museum at the University of California, Riverside (not open to the public). (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
3 miles to Riverside, CA
To the ocean
40 miles
Nearest airport
10 miles to San Bernardino (SBD) · major hub

How University of California-Riverside compares

Selectivity76.4%

More selective than 52% · #55 most selective of 107 in California

Graduation rate76%

Higher than 86% · #36 of 122 in California

First-year retention88%

Higher than 82%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$67,699

Higher than 81% · #56 of 130 in California

Average net price$14,304

Cheaper than 75% · #32 cheapest of 118 in California

Median debt at graduation$17,500

Lower than 86%

Student–faculty ratio22 : 1

Lower than 6%

Undergraduate enrollment22,593

Larger than 96%

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

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

26,377students
  • Undergraduate22,59386%
  • Graduate3,78414%

Undergraduates by gender

22,593undergrads
  • Women13,03458%
  • Men9,55942%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White10%
  • Black3.5%
  • Hispanic40%
  • Asian36%
  • Other or multiracial10%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
22,593
Graduate enrollment
3,784
Student–faculty ratio
22 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
47%
First-generation students
48%
Students over 25
5%
Median family income
$35,809
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$153,864
Endowment
$277,082,000

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 5,521 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From California95%
  • Other U.S. states1.3%
  • International3.7%

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

4% 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
76.4%
Test scores
Not considered
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite
Average GPA
3.83

Cost

In-state tuition
$15,606
Out-of-state tuition
$49,806
Room & board
$20,691
Books & supplies
$1,576
Total cost of attendance
$38,942
Average net price
$14,304

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)
76%
Graduated on time (4 years)
65%
First-year retention
88%
Transferred to another college
9%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$48,593
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$67,699
Median debt at graduation
$17,500
Students with federal loans
31%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
63%

About 11% 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
65%
Low-income (Pell)
68%
First-generation
68%

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
8,700
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
39%
Application fee
$80
Athletics
NCAA Division I without football
Varsity athletes
394 (180 men · 214 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 (8)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)190
Soccer58
Baseball38
Basketball31
Softball24
Volleyball19
Golf17
Tennis17

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
D
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
11.1 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
62
Property offenses (2022–2024)
816

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 2 campuses (26,384 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.

293reported offenses a year
21 violent a year272 property a year

By offense type, per year

Motor vehicle theft
214
Burglary
57
Rape
9.7
Fondling
6.0
Aggravated assault
4.3
Robbery
0.7
Arson
0.7

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
$8,852
$30–48k
$9,840
$48–75k
$13,111
$75–110k
$16,571
$110k+
$30,393

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
$55,238

$13,111/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.

57%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$8,728
average award, among those who get one

A meaningful share of freshmen — 57% — get grant money from University of California-Riverside itself, averaging $8,728, 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 5,522 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)
$67,699
Typical debt at graduation
$17,500
Debt vs. one year's pay
26%
Out-earn a HS grad
61%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.6 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
$64,068
Men
$72,812

Men out-earn women by $8,744 (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
97°F
Winter low
43°F
Annual rain
9.9″

Average temperature

HighLow
30°70°110°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.01.32.5JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Riverside Citrus Exp, CA US station (2 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-Riverside

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

Colleges near University of California-Riverside

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.