University of California

The University of California (UC) opened its doors in 1869 with just 10 faculty members and 38 students. Today, the UC system includes more than 233,000 students and more than 190,000 faculty and staff, with more than 1.7 million alumni living and working around the world. For almost 150 years, UC has expanded the horizons of what we know about ourselves and our world. Their campuses are routinely ranked among the best in the world, but our reach extends beyond campus borders. Their students, faculty, staff and alumni exchange ideas, make advancements and unlock the secrets and mysteries of the universe every day. They engage with their local governments, serve California schools, protect the environment and push the boundaries of space.

The University of California was founded in 1868, born out of a vision in the State Constitution of a university that would "contribute even more than California's gold to the glory and happiness of advancing generations."

University of California is proud to have an extensive alumni base all over the world. There are many famous people who graduated from different campuses of UC, including 60 Nobel laureates.

University of California campuses led the way in the U.S. News & World Report’s list of the top public national universities, released today (Sept. 9). UC Berkeley and UCLA were first and second on the list, respectively, with UC San Diego, UC Davis and UC Santa Barbara also ranked in the top 10, followed by UC Irvine at number 11. The ranking of public national universities was part of the magazine’s annual ranking of American colleges and universities. UC campuses consistently perform well in such rankings. In August, Washington Monthly ranked UC San Diego first on its list, which is based on how well colleges and universities serve the public interest, with UC Riverside ranked second. Also among the top five schools were UC Berkeley in third place and UCLA in the fifth spot.