University of California - Irvine

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UC Irvine at a Glance

Location:
Irvine, CA
Setting:
Mid-sized city
Control:
Public
In-State Tuition:
$11,232
Out-of-State Tuition:
$31,387
Room & Board:
$11,400
Full-Time Undergrads:
21,293
Part-Time Undergrads:
659
More statistics . . .
School Website:
www.uci.edu
Admissions Website:
www.admissions.uci.edu
Financial Aid Website:
www.fao.uci.edu
Application Deadline:
November 30
Acceptance Rate:
44 %
Admission Difficulty:
Average
Average SAT Scores:
1590–1930
Average ACT Scores:
23–28

Best Things

  • High-profile research professors
  • Famous alumni
  • Frequent high-profile guest speakers, including the Dalai Llama and Governor Schwarzenegger
  • The beautiful, sunny Southern California weather
  • More best things . . .

Worst Things

Most Popular Majors

  • Social Sciences & Liberal Arts
  • Biological Sciences
  • Social Sciences
  • Biology
  • More majors . . .

Overall ExperienceWhat's This?

Many students here will admit that UCI wasn’t their first choice or even their second. While UCI still doesn’t live up to the prestige of UCLA or UC Berkeley—leading to some serious inferiority complexes among some students—it’s increasingly gaining respect. It may not have a football team, an infinite number of majors, a true college town atmosphere, an abundance of parking spots, or even a reputable mascot, but the administration is still growing and expanding the campus with the public funds and donations that it gains.

Despite being strong in academics and fair in athletics, there are still some heavy skeptics in a group of would-be happy, shiny people. No university, no matter how good, can please everyone. Whether you enjoy UCI will be based on what you make of it through your own perceptions. With enough imagination, you should never be bored, and there is no pressure to do anything you don’t want to. The minimum courseload is light, and most people take at least one class beyond the minimum required for full-time status. This leaves plenty of time to socialize, hang out in the beautifully maintained park at the center of the campus, or do whatever else suits you best. UCI and the community of Irvine eventually become like a second home to many students here. While it’s not perfect, it’s hard for anyone to resist falling in love with the beach on a Southern California day. The University of California at Irvine is the perfect school to mix work and play.

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UC Irvine Student ReviewsWhat's This?

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Diversity at University of California - Irvine

cutellamas

Japanese Language and Literature '14

3.5
B

Welcome to Asia

Most of the students here are Asian but they are all very easy to get along with.

May 06, 2012

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Campus Dining at University of California - Irvine

cutellamas

Japanese Language and Literature '14

4.2
A-

A Great Variety

UC Irvine has a variety of places that you can go to to eat, for example, Pippin, the main dining hall, has lots to offer. If you aren't satisfied there, there are also many other restaurants/coffee shops around campus that you can go to.

May 06, 2012

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Weather at University of California - Irvine

theplatonicromance

Psychology '13

5.0
A+

OC weather

It's generally very beautiful here. I don't think anyone can complain, even if the weather is sometimes bipolar, because the kiddies in Ithaca probably have it a lot worse.

May 06, 2012

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User rating for University of California - Irvine is 3.5 out of 5 based on 761 user reviews.

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Name
Tracey Xuan Nguyen
Hometown
Hawthorne, CA
Major
Business Economics

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