Welcome to UC San Diego

This is the accessibility version designed specifically for users needing extra accessibility features.
Feel free to check out the original experience here.

Welcome trail

Geisel Library

Tour stop audio transcript

Welcome to the UC San Diego virtual tour. Our first stop is Geisel Library, an architectural icon that holds the largest collection of original drawings by its namesake, Theodor Geisel — who you might know better as Dr. Seuss. Our library offers eight floors of comfortable places to work on your own or in groups. The higher you go, the quieter it gets. Geisel holds 3.7 million volumes and is electronically connected to all 10 UC Campuses, giving you access to 40 million books. This is one of the largest library systems in the country, second only to the Library of Congress. Geisel Library sits at the head of Library Walk, one of the busiest pathways on campus, which makes the library one of the most frequented places on campus.

Fallen Star trail

Fallen Star

Tour stop audio transcript

As we enter Warren Mall, the heart of the Warren College neighborhood, we look up seven floors to see Fallen Star, a permanent sculpture in our Stuart Art Collection, which contains more than 20 pieces commissioned by leading contemporary artists from around the world. Fallen Star appears to have landed or crashed onto our Jacobs Hall engineering building. The small home was built from scratch and is fully furnished with electricity and a beautiful garden outside.

Engineering Building II trail

Atkinson Hall/Calit2 trail

Atkinson Hall

Tour stop audio transcript

The giant rock sculpture located in the Atkinsons Hall courtyard is known as "Bear," another piece of our Stuart Art Collection. It is a feat of engineering to balance all these boulders, so this piece is appropriately located among three buildings that make up part of our Jacobs School of Engineering. JSOE, as we call it, is one of the highest-ranked engineering schools in the country. There are countless opportunities within JSOE for internships, jobs and research opportunities for students interested in engineering. JSOE's Atkinson Hall, shown here, is the home to the Qualcomm Institute, our very own Research and Development Center for nanotechnology, photonics, biosciences and cyberspace systems. You may find yourself doing research or interning here as an undergraduate student.

Canyonview Aquatic Center trail

Canyonview Aquatic Center

Tour stop audio transcript

Canyonview Center is one of four main recreation facilities on campus. It has a climbing wall for all skill levels and two Olympic-size pools where our Triton swimming, diving and water polo teams train. The rest of the time, the pools are open to the campus community. There are many ways for students to get involved with our Recreation Department. Outside of our NCAA Division I teams, there are club sports teams that compete at a regional level. If you are interested in taking part in team sports more casually, there are dozens of intramural teams or you can create your own team in a variety of sports from beach volleyball to dodgeball to inner-tube water polo. Outside of team sports we have recreation classes like cycling, zumba, yoga and aerial silks, which you can take on a drop-in basis.

Trolley Stop

Tour stop audio transcript

Two UC San Diego trolley stops connect our students to the greater San Diego area like never before. The 11-mile trolley extension provides reliable transportation to Old Town and Mission Bay, as well as connections to Downtown San Diego the San Diego International Airport.

Visual Arts Facility trail

Visual Arts Facility

Tour stop audio transcript

This is our Visual Arts Facility and Performance Space. Inside this courtyard you'll find studios and workspaces for all students. Located right next to the facility is Pepper Canyon Hall, one of the largest lecture halls on campus.

Conrad Prebys Music Center trail

Conrad Prebys Music Center

Tour stop audio transcript

The Conrad Prebys Music Center is the "it" spot for music on campus. There are practice rooms, instrument lockers, rehearsal spaces, computer labs and a 400-seat concert hall designed by Cyril Harris, the world-renowned acoustical engineer who designed the concert hall at Washington, D.C.'s Kennedy Center. Students do not have to be music majors or minors to use these facilities and enroll in many music classes, so the music center is open to everyone.

Town Square trail

Town Square

Tour stop audio transcript

Town Square is a pedestrian-friendly plaza in the center of campus. A variety of student activities are hosted here, like Fair in the Square, Bear Garden and more! Located close to here is our Student Services Center that has many offices like Undergraduate Admissions, Financial Aid and Scholarships and Campus Cards. This area is a short walk from our frequently used Gilman Public Transit Center, where you can hop on any city bus for free and explore the broader San Diego region. The main campus's trolley stop is also a 5-minute walk from Town Square.

You are now on the 5th point on the Town Square trail coming from Town Square.

You are now on the 7th point on the Town Square trail coming from Town Square.

Center Hall trail

Center Hall

Tour stop audio transcript

Center Hall is one of the major classroom facilities with large lecture halls and smaller classrooms. Here at UC San Diego, we run on the quarter system, meaning that instead of two 16-week semesters, we have three 10-week long quarters with an eleventh week for final exams. In order to support our students in a more fast-paced environment, we have valuable academic support for our students, including discussion sections and tutoring services like the Office of Academic Support and Instructional Services, also known as OASIS, and the Writing Hub. On top of that, fifty percent of the classes have 50 students or less. Class size depends on your major and year. For some of the most popular majors, you'll be in big lectures for your lower-division classes, with smaller discussion sections led by teaching assistants who answer questions and review material that was covered in lecture. Upper-division courses are taught in smaller seminars and discussions.

Price Center Plaza

Tour stop audio transcript

Price Center is a central spot for students, with more than 30,000 visitors each day. It has more than 12 restaurants, a market, study lounges, computer labs, conference rooms, a theatre, two ballrooms, a full-service salon, bank and a postal center. The center houses Associated Students, Center for Student Involvement, the Cross-Cultural Center, Intertribal Resource Center and more. This is also where you'll find the UC San Diego Bookstore, which is full of UC San Diego gear, textbooks, school supplies, and non-academic books. The most exciting part about our Bookstore is the Target, which opened on the second floor in 2020. Outside the Price Center, a statue of the mythological Triton, our beloved mascot and famed god of the sea, is a popular selfie spot for campus visitors.

You are now on the 13th point on the Center Hall trail coming from Price Center Plaza.

You are now on the 15th point on the Center Hall trail coming from Price Center Plaza.

Natural Sciences Building trail

North Torrey Pines Living and Learning Neighborhood

Tour stop audio transcript

Our North Torrey Pines Living and Learning Neighborhood opened in 2020 and is home to Sixth College. In this area, you can learn how to shape a new surfboard at the Craft Center, relax on the many rooftop gardens or connect with friends at the five new restaurants and dining commons. This neighborhood contains apartment-style housing for Sixth College students, the Social Sciences and Public Engagement Building, lecture halls and the Jeannie Auditorium.

Ridge Walk trail

Ridge Walk

Tour stop audio transcript

Just east of the global residential suites of Roosevelt College, you come across Ridge Walk, the longest pathway on campus spanning more than one mile. It connects six of our seven colleges and leads to many different restaurants, athletic facilities and classrooms. The Rady School of Management, on the north end of RidgeWalk, offers graduate programs in finance and business, as well as undergraduate minors.

RIMAC trail

RIMAC and LionTree Arena

Tour stop audio transcript

RIMAC and LionTree Arena is our main athletic facility on the north side of campus. This multi-purpose facility has a weight room, fitness center, racquetball courts, and activity rooms for dance and martial arts. Outside the complex is RIMAC Field, where intramural sports games, concerts, and our campus-wide Commencement ceremony take place. Here at UC San Diego, we have 23 NCAA Division I teams that compete against other schools in the Big West Conference.

You are now on the 3rd point on the RIMAC trail coming from RIMAC and LionTree Arena.

You are now on the 5th point on the RIMAC trail coming from RIMAC and LionTree Arena.

Seventh College Apartments trail

Seventh College Apartments

Tour stop audio transcript

UC San Diego's unique college system means that students who live on campus will be assigned housing within their college's neighborhood. If you're a Seventh College student, you will live here in the Seventh College Apartments. Students on campus have a variety of housing options here at UC San Diego, with first years mostly living in suite-style housing with single, double and triple and a common room for suitemates to share. Second years typically live in apartments with full kitchens and living rooms. Seventh College includes modern apartments, a fabulous Bistro restaurant and a market. Our other colleges — Revelle, Muir, Marshall, Roosevelt, Warren and Sixth — each have their own restaurants, comfortable residence halls and unique facilities.

Peterson Hall trail

Peterson Hall

Tour stop audio transcript

Peterson Hall is another centrally-located lecture hall for larger classes. It is among a variety of other academic buildings in the Marshall College neighborhood, including Cognitive Sciences, Social Science Research, Communications and Solis Hall. The building's east wall is a mosaic-tile mural called "Chicano Legacy 40 Años" by San Diego artist Mario Torero.

You are now on the 7th point on the Peterson Hall trail coming from Peterson Hall.

Student Center trail

Original Student Center

Tour stop audio transcript

The Original Student Center is located in the Muir College neighborhood. Here, you'll find the Black Resource Center, the Women's Center, the LGBT Resource Center and the Student Veterans Resource Center, which are just some of the many places to connect and find community. Be sure to also check out our student media hubs, restaurants and shops in this area, like KSDT Radio, the Guardian, Groundworks Books, Taco Villa, the Triton Food Pantry and the General Store.

64 North trail

64 Degrees

Tour stop audio transcript

Here at UC San Diego, we use a dining dollar system for students to pay for food items in the dining halls. This means students have a set amount of dining dollars and pay only for items they want to purchase rather than spending a set amount to get into a dining hall for just a snack. 64 Degrees, shown here, is one of eleven dining commons on campus, featuring food stations serving up burgers, deli favorites, wok entrees, tossed salads and rotisserie specials. Nextdoor is Roger's Market, one of many markets found on campus, where you can get grocery items, snacks, coffee and pastries using your dining dollars.

Theatre District Potiker Theatre trail

Theatre District-Potiker Theatre

Tour stop audio transcript

The Theatre District, located near the Revelle College neighborhood, is home to a variety of dance and theatre spaces utilized by our Theatre and Dance Department and the La Jolla Playhouse. Students can get $10 tickets to live performances by the La Jolla Playhouse. The Potiker Theatre, shown here, is one of the largest performance spaces on campus.

Scripps Pier trail

Scripps-Ritter Hall

Tour stop audio transcript

Our Scripps Institution of Oceanography, or SIO for short, was established in 1903 by William Ritter and the Scripps family. Ritter Hall dates back to 1931 and is still home of a lab that monitors carbon dioxide levels in the earth's atmosphere. This is where the iconic "Keeling Curve" research provided the first evidence of global warming.

Scripps Pier

Tour stop audio transcript

With just a short walk to the beach, many students like to study, relax or surf between classes. You can join the surf team, take surf classes or just walk along the coastline and enjoy the beautiful ocean view. Scripps Pier is a staple of our coastline geography and is currently used exclusively for SIO research. Congrats you have concluded our tour. For additional information please feel free to check out our website admissions.ucsd.edu for more information. Go Tritons!

Your browser does not support inline frames or is currently configured not to display inline frames