University in United States
Irvine, CA, United States
University profile
The University of California, Irvine (UC Irvine, UCI) is a public research university in Irvine, Orange County, California, about 5 miles from the Southern California coast. It was founded in 1965 with a mission to catalyze the community and enhance lives through education, research and public service, and it is part of the University of California system. More than 36,000 students were enrolled in 2024-25 and the campus offers over 220 degree programs at bachelor's, master's and doctoral level. UC Irvine is ranked among the nation's top 10 public universities by U.S. News & World Report for the 12th year in a row.
Teaching and research are organised across 15 schools: Charlie Dunlop School of Biological Sciences, Claire Trevor School of the Arts, Donald Bren School of Information & Computer Sciences, Joe C. Wen School of Population & Public Health, Paul Merage School of Business, Samueli School of Engineering, School of Education, School of Humanities, School of Law, School of Medicine, School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Physical Sciences, School of Social Ecology, School of Social Sciences and Sue & Bill Gross School of Nursing.
Research is a central strength. UC Irvine Beall Applied Innovation connects university research with industry and start-ups, and organized research units bring together faculty from several departments. Named priorities include UCI MIND, which works on Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, and the UC Irvine Climate Collaboration, which links science, policy and industry. The campus reports 22 LEED Platinum awards for new buildings, the most of any American campus.
Student life is built around the campus in Irvine. On-campus housing includes traditional residence halls, undergraduate theme houses, gender-inclusive housing and apartments for graduate students and families, with five furnished apartment communities on the east campus run with a third-party partner. The campus also has libraries open for study and public access, the Irvine Barclay Theatre (750 seats), the UC Irvine Langson Orange County Museum of Art, arts performances and Division I athletics teams, the Anteaters.
International students apply through the UC application with the same selection process as other applicants but with curriculum-specific guidance for systems such as IB, the British system, India, China, Singapore, Canada and others. UC Irvine does not use agents or consultants to represent the university. Nearly 1,000 international graduate students from over 65 countries are enrolled each year, according to the Graduate Division. The UC Irvine International Center provides advising and immigration services.
Undergraduate tuition and fees for 2024-25 are $17,105 for California residents and $49,679 for nonresidents.
UC Irvine awards the Regents' Scholarship, the Chancellor's Excellence Scholarship and the Directors' Scholarship to entering students. No separate application is needed: the Admissions Office considers every new applicant from the UC application.
Campuswide scholarships recognise academic excellence, leadership, community service, overcoming adversity and financial need. Continuing students apply through the ScholarshipUniverse platform during the January application period. Applicants are full-time undergraduates (12 units per quarter) with a minimum 2.5 GPA.
Grants are awarded on financial need from federal, California and University of California sources and do not need to be repaid. Applicants file the FAFSA, or the California Dream Act Application where eligible. Loans and work-study are also available.
International students are not eligible for federal or state aid and cannot file a FAFSA or CA Dream Act Application, so they do not qualify for need-based scholarships. They may apply for merit-based UC Irvine scholarships. Graduate students are eligible for university fellowship funding and employment as teaching assistants or graduate student researchers. The Graduate Division's Non-Resident Supplemental Tuition program supports international Ph.D. and M.F.A. students in eligible years. Details: Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships and international students.
UC Irvine Distinguished Scholarships (Regents', Chancellor's Excellence and Directors') →
UC Irvine Campuswide Scholarships →
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View scholarships for University of California, Irvine →Apply through the UC application, which opens August 1. The submission period for fall 2027 admission is October 1 to November 30. Applicants complete the 15-course A-G college-preparatory pattern: two years of history, four of English, three of mathematics (four recommended), two of laboratory science (three recommended), two of a language other than English (three recommended), one of visual and performing arts and one of college-preparatory electives, with a minimum 3.0 GPA for California residents (3.4 for non-residents) and no grade lower than C. UC Irvine uses comprehensive review and does not consider SAT or ACT scores for admission or scholarship purposes. Letters of recommendation are not accepted, and official transcripts are submitted only after admission, by July 1. Dance, B.Mus. and Arts applicants take part in an audition or portfolio process (December 1 to January 31).
The undergraduate application fee is $80 for domestic applicants and $95 for international applicants. Fee waivers cover up to four campuses for qualified U.S. citizens, permanent residents and AB540-eligible applicants.
Priority goes to junior-level transfers from California Community Colleges. Transfer applicants complete 60 semester or 90 quarter UC-transferable units, seven UC-transferable courses with C or better (two English composition, one mathematics or quantitative reasoning, and four across at least two of arts and humanities, social and behavioral sciences, or physical and biological sciences), with a minimum 2.4 GPA for California residents and 2.8 for non-residents, plus major-specific prerequisites. Up to 70 semester (105 quarter) units of lower-division credit are granted, not counting AP, IB or A-Level units. The priority date for the Transfer Academic Update is January 31.
International first-year applicants hold a secondary certificate equivalent to a U.S. high school diploma and complete the A-G subjects with a minimum average GPA of 3.4. IB Diploma students are encouraged to earn 5 or higher on internal grades and exams. British-system applicants need at least five IGCSE/GCSE/O-Levels and three GCE A-Levels at C or better. Singapore applicants need five O-Levels and three H2 A-Levels at C or better. Quebec applicants complete the DES and DEC; China applicants complete 12 years of education; India applicants complete Class X and XII board examinations. English proficiency is required when an applicant has had less than three years of English-medium secondary instruction: TOEFL iBT minimum of 80 (a minimum of 4.5 from January 2026), IELTS 6.5, Duolingo English Test 115, SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing 680 or ACT English Language Arts 24, or an equivalent AP, IB or college English composition result.
Graduate applicants hold a bachelor's degree or equivalent from a recognised institution with a minimum cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0 and apply online through the Graduate Division after choosing a degree program. The application fee is $135 for U.S. citizens and permanent residents and $155 for all other applicants. GRE scores are required by some programs; programs may set their own criteria and deadlines. English proficiency is required unless the applicant's prior degree was taught entirely in English.
UC Irvine is based on a single main campus in Irvine, California (Irvine, CA 92697), in Orange County near the Pacific coast.
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