Many universities have subsidiary colleges. UPenn’s Wharton is a full part of the broader university community, but also sets many of its own priorities, and students attending Wharton have a very different experiences from those in the College of Engineering. Generally, this is how subsidiary colleges work, split along academic lines, and organized so that students studying particular subjects and faculty teaching them are clustered academically. UC San Diego is the exception to this rule. Their colleges are a residential system, but also have curriculum distinctions. If you think this sounds strange and confusing, you aren’t alone. This system does have some unique perks and benefits however, and many students who attend UC San Diego speak quite highly of it. In this article, we’re going to explore this system, how it works, and explore which of these colleges is right for you. Let’s get started!
How UC San Diego’s Colleges are Organized
UC San Diego’s colleges are primarily (but not entirely) residential communities. This is like Rice or UChicago, smaller social organizations within a larger campus to make the college transition easier, and to give you a less crowded social setting while you’re navigating the transition.
Many students quite like this, as it can make finding friends much easier, and allows you closer access to social and academic support. Unlike Rice and UChicago however, and more like other schools with subsidiary colleges, which college you end up in also determines your core curriculum, and can offer unique academic programs and opportunities.
When you apply to UC San Diego, you do not apply directly to one of these colleges. You rank your top four colleges (out of eight) on the application, and placement depends on spaces available and a particular college’s availability. It is theoretically possible to change colleges once you are admitted, but it is very difficult, requiring an internal transfer application.
For this reason, understanding what each college offers, and how each may best support you, is key when making your rankings of UC San Diego’s colleges. None of these are inherently better than their peers, but situationally, some are going to be much better than others for students with particular interests.
Inside UC San Diego’s Colleges
None of these colleges are inherently better, but they will shape these four years significantly, and the experience will be more or less enjoyable for you based on how well your college matches your interests. We’re going to go through each of them now, and describe what they offer, and what kinds of students we think each is best suited for.
Revelle College
This is the oldest of the residential colleges at UC San Diego, and is named for Roger Revelle, one of the university’s founders. It has one of the most structured and in depth general education requirements. All students must take the following:
- Five Humanities courses
- Three math courses
- Five courses in the natural sciences
- Two courses in the social sciences
- One fine arts course
- Proficiency in a modern foreign language (which may be demonstrated through a language proficiency exam)
This is a strong liberal arts core, and students who are looking for a classic liberal arts college experience will benefit greatly from this. They combine this with a tight-knit community and a focus on student life. In many ways, Revelle acts as a liberal arts college within UCSD.
If you are looking for a high degree of structure in your college experience, and want to take a broad array of courses, then this is a good choice for you. If you want to be more focused in your studies, then this may not be the ideal choice.
John Muir College
Named for the founder of the Sierra Club, Muir heavily reflects the individualist ideals of their namesake, and is one of the most flexible colleges in what they require in terms of curriculum, in direct contrast to Revelle. They do still have required coursework, but they focus on having this be student-centered, with a focus on helping students explore areas of interest to them, with a high degree of flexibility in which courses you take:
- A two course writing program
- Three courses in math or natural sciences
- Three courses in social sciences (in a single sequence)
- Two of the following three options:
- Three fine arts courses
- Three humanities courses
- Three foreign language courses
This allows students a high degree of flexibility in their work and focus, and gives you more space in your schedule to pursue electives, or course-intensive majors or minors. This is complemented by a vibrant student life, one with a special focus on their values of inclusion and diversity.
Muir is best for students who want a high degree of academic flexibility, coupled with a tight knit and supportive community. Students pursuing especially course-intensive majors will benefit from their flexibility.
Thurgood Marshall College
Named after Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, this college seeks to embody his legacy of fighting for a just society, with its educational philosophy springing from his devotion to equity. This is reflected in the core course requirements for the college, which while flexible, also give students a thorough grounding in society and structures of power within it:
- A three course sequence on dimensions of culture, covering diversity, justice, and imagination
- Three natural science courses
- Two courses in Mathematics, Statistics, and Logic
- Two courses in Humanities and Cultural Studies
- One Fine Arts course
- Four disciplinary breadth courses. Two of these must be upper level courses taken outside of your major
This set of course requirements allows for a good degree of flexibility, while also giving students a thorough grounding in society and power structures. The disciplinary breadth courses may be difficult to fit in for students who are double majoring, but are otherwise a chance to explore areas of interest outside your main field of study. Student life at Marshall offers both a supportive community and many opportunities to engage in leadership and community service.
Students who are interested in politics, society, and social structures will be very well served by Marshall, as will students interested in the social sciences generally. Other students can benefit, though students interested in double majoring may find course requirements rather tight.
Earl Warren College
Named after former Chief Justice Earl Warren, this college bases its educational philosophy off of his commitment to justice and love for the liberal arts style of education. This is reflected in the curriculum requirements for the school, which are at the intersection of breadth and flexibility:
- A two course writing sequence
- A two course sequence on ethics and society
- Two total courses in calculus, symbolic logic, computer programming, or statistics
- Two programs of concentration outside your major
These are very flexible requirements, and therefore complement well with many majors. The requirement for two programs of concentration outside your major is likely ideal for students who want to explore several fields in depth, or in an interdisciplinary way, but less good for students looking to double major. Warren couples with a strong student life offering both social activities and opportunities for academic and personal development.
Warren is a great fit for students who are interested in a liberal arts college experience, while also offering significant curricular flexibility. Students in more course-intensive majors will benefit the most from this.
Eleanor Roosevelt College
Named for the former First Lady, Roosevelt College follows in her footsteps with a focus on educating students to be engaged and active global citizens. This college also has the highest concentration of international students at UC San Diego, though you are not required to join if you are an international student, many find it a welcoming community. Their core curriculum supports this aim of creating global citizens:
- A five course Making of the Modern World sequence, which integrates humanities and social sciences coursework
- Two courses on quantitative and formal skills (from their list of options)
- Two courses on natural sciences
- Demonstrate proficiency in a modern foreign language
- One course in the fine arts
- A regional specialization, where you take three courses all focused on the same global region
- One upper-level writing course, which may overlap with other requirements
These courses and specialities overlap better with some majors than others. While there is the same broad liberal arts base, there is far more of a focus on global studies and issues, and less flexibility in which courses you are able to take. Their student life also focuses on global affairs. Students can study abroad regardless of which college they are in, but many students in Roosevelt choose to do so.
This college is well suited for students who want to focus on a global aspect of their studies, or in fields of social sciences or humanities, particularly if you are interested in area studies.
Sixth College
The sixth college founded at UC San Diego (a naming trend we’ll see continued), Sixth is particularly well known for its interdisciplinary approach, and its focus on combining art and technology. This had made it quite popular with students interested in digital design particularly, though many students interested in tech rank it highly. Their core courses reflect this interdisciplinary approach:
- The core three course sequence of Culture, Arts and Technology, which students must take their first year
- One computer programming course
- Two social science courses
- Two humanities courses
- Two science courses
- One course in math or logic
- One statistics course
- Eight total units of arts courses (the number of units can vary per course)
- Experiential Learning Requirement, which may overlap with your chosen major
These courses include more of a focus on technology than many of the other colleges, but still encompass a broad and flexible liberal arts base. Their student life is also known for embracing a creative atmosphere, fully leaning into the arts part of their makeup.
This college is great for students interested in art or technology, and especially for those students interested in the intersection of the two. This is a very popular college because of its technology focus, and many students rank it as one of their top options.
Seventh College
Established in 2020, Seventh is focused on the currently changing planet, and the challenges it faces, most notably climate change. Its focus is interdisciplinary, and seeks to prepare students to investigate and help resolve many of these pressing issues. Their core requirements reflect this interdisciplinary focus:
- The three course synthesis sequence, which is interdisciplinary, and focused on how to synthesize multiple academic fields
- Two courses in each of the following fields: Arts, Humanities, Natural Sciences and Engineering, Quantitative Reasoning, and Social Sciences
- A high impact course, wherein you complete a high level project or some other application of what you’ve studied; there are multiple options for this, and it can overlap with major requirements
This is a very flexible set of coursework, and complements well with students interested in double majoring or interdisciplinary studies, or for students interested in writing a thesis. They are still working to build their culture through student life, but have a devoted group, and offer many cocurricular activities and opportunities.
This is ideal for students who are interested in climate change or other major issues particularly, or for students who are particularly interested in project based learning and synthesizing multiple fields of study.
Eighth College
In what you may now be recognizing as a trend, Eighth is the most recent and last college to be founded at UC San Diego, inaugurated in 2023. In many ways, Eighth is quite similar to Seventh, with a focus on an interdisciplinary project-based curriculum. The major issue they are focused on is racism rather than climate change, but they are similar in both scope and organization, and in what kinds of students find a good fit there. This can be seen in their core curriculum:
- The core of it is the four course sequence Critical Community Engagement, which guides students through partnering with and working to effectively operate within and aid communities
- Two courses in each of the following fields: Arts, Humanities, Natural Sciences and Engineering, Quantitative Reasoning, and Social Sciences
This is a very flexible set of coursework overall, though the core of it may not be appealing to all students, depending on your area of focus and study. They are currently working to build their community and identity through student life, as they are rather new, though they do have an enthusiastic community thus far, they don’t have the same level of traditions as some of the more established colleges.
This is a great fit for students who are looking for an interdisciplinary approach and who are interested in solving or addressing social or structural problems, especially via the social sciences.
Final Thoughts
UC San Diego’s approach to undergraduate colleges and organization is unique, and interesting for that fact. Some students dislike it, which is perfectly acceptable. Others, however, are drawn to this, and the opportunities it affords for collaboration and exploration in ways other colleges aren’t built for. We hope this article has helped you understand how this system works, and what each of these colleges may be able to offer you.
While UC San Diego is not quite as competitive as UCLA or UC Berkeley, it is still a very well regarded school, and has far more applicants than available seats. If you are looking for advice on navigating the UC application, or want help finding the right college environment to support your dreams, then Ivy Scholars can help. Schedule a free consultation today to learn more about how our mentors can make your college application experience smoother, we’re always happy to hear from you.
