Engineering at UC San Diego
In 2023, 1,033 of the 8,923 students who finished a bachelor's degree at UC San Diego did so in engineering: 11.6% of the class and the third most common major on campus. Nationally, 5.94% of bachelor's degrees are in this field, so it is more concentrated at UC San Diego (2x the national share). 27% of those graduates were women.
Is engineering competitive at UC San Diego?
Colleges report one admission rate for the whole school; here is the bar you are actually measured against, and how the model treats this major.
UC San Diego admitted 32,062 of 130,771 applicants for fall 2023 (27%). Colleges report admissions at the school level, not by major, so there is no published acceptance rate for engineering at UC San Diego. CollegeCalcAI's published model treats "Engineering" as more competitive than UC San Diego's overall rate (multiplier 0.92 on the effective admit rate), so an applicant declaring this field is scored against a slightly higher bar.
How to apply to UC San Diego for engineering
What readers look for from applicants who declare this field, at any selectivity.
- Physics and calculus, ideally both at the highest level offered
- Evidence of making things: robotics, engineering clubs, a build you can describe
- A clear reason for engineering in the essay, not just strong STEM grades
- Run your odds with the major set: your estimate at UC San Diego for engineering →
Field guide: how admissions works for this major across schools.
Where else to study engineering
Other colleges in California and at a similar selectivity that award bachelor's degrees in this field.
Every college ranked by engineering graduates: colleges that graduate the most engineering majors → · Engineering colleges in California →
More majors at UC San Diego
The other fields UC San Diego graduates the most students in, 2023.
Questions about engineering at UC San Diego
How many students major in engineering at UC San Diego?
1,033 students earned a bachelor's degree in engineering at UC San Diego in 2023, 11.6% of that year's 8,923 graduates (IPEDS completions, first majors).
Is engineering competitive at UC San Diego?
UC San Diego admitted 32,062 of 130,771 applicants for fall 2023 (27%). Colleges report admissions at the school level, not by major, so there is no published acceptance rate for engineering at UC San Diego. CollegeCalcAI's published model treats "Engineering" as more competitive than UC San Diego's overall rate (multiplier 0.92 on the effective admit rate), so an applicant declaring this field is scored against a slightly higher bar.
What is the acceptance rate for engineering at UC San Diego?
There is no official major-level acceptance rate; UC San Diego reports one school-wide figure, 27%. Some programs (direct-admit nursing, engineering and business schools) select separately and can be more selective than the school overall. CollegeCalcAI's calculator applies its published per-major adjustment and shows your estimate for this school with the major set.
Is UC San Diego known for engineering?
By output, engineering is the third most common field at UC San Diego and more concentrated there than at the average U.S. college (11.6% of graduates versus 5.94% nationally).
Source: U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS 2023 Completions (bachelor's degrees, first majors, CIP 2-digit series). Admissions counts: IPEDS 2023. Built 2026-09-19. Estimates from CollegeCalcAI are not predictions or guarantees.