Public · Riverside, CA

University of California-Riverside

Q: What is University of California-Riverside’s acceptance rate?

University of California-Riverside admits 76.4% of applicants (2025 data).

Q: Does University of California-Riverside require the SAT or ACT?

University of California-Riverside’s testing policy is not considered.

Q: How much does University of California-Riverside cost after financial aid?

The average net price is $12,672 a year (2025). That is the sticker price minus grants and scholarships, averaged across students who receive aid. Your own price depends on your family’s finances.

Q: What is University of California-Riverside’s graduation rate?

76% of students finish within six years.

Get to know the college, from admissions and cost to life on campus.

76.4%acceptance rate

Overview

76%

Acceptance rate

$14,304

Net price per year

5,422

Freshman class

Urban

Riverside, CA

ucr.edu

Website

UCR is a full AAU research university, the same club as Berkeley and UCLA, and the most affordable AAU campus in Southern California. It's ranked #1 nationally for social mobility, four of the last five years, a measured claim about who moves up through a UCR degree. Admission runs on GPA and coursework alone; test scores never factor in, and Riverside itself doesn't hand you a built-in social scene the way a college town would.

About University of California-Riverside

Type: Public Research University
Setting: Urban
Undergraduates: 22,593

Admissions

Acceptance rate

76%

of 58,048 applicants

Application deadline

Oct 1 - Nov 30

Application Window

Early Decision/Early Action: No
Accepts Common App: —

Cost

Net price

$14,304 per year

Average after grants, down from $14,304

What families pay, by incomeBars run to the $38,424 full cost

Tuition and aid

Full cost of attendance: $38,424per year
In-state tuition: $15,606
Out-of-state tuition: $49,806
Average family income: $48,858
Students with a school grant: 57%
Average school grant: $8,728
Average federal debt: $16,368at graduation
Need-blind: —
Meets full need: No
Merit scholarships: Yes
CSS Profile: —
International aid: —

Academics

Students per faculty

22:1

Majors offered: 60
Freshmen who return: 88%
Notable: #1nationally for social mobility, 4 of the last 5 years (U.S. News)

Students

Freshman class

5,422 students

22,593 undergraduates in all

Who studies here

White10%

Hispanic40%

Asian36%

Black4%

Two or more races5%

International4%

Other or not reported2%

Campus life

Setting: Urban
Location: Riverside, CA
Live on campus: —
Student organizations: —
Varsity sports: —

WHAT STUDENTS SAY

A campus you build community in, not one handed to you

UCR was the first public university to offer gender-neutral housing to all students, back in 2005, and its 400+ clubs and Division I Big West athletics give students plenty to opt into. UCR's own student paper, The Highlander, ran a widely discussed piece arguing the school's reputation as a temporary "pit stop" hurts its culture directly: "we didn't want to come here, we just wanted our degree," describing students who treat UCR instrumentally rather than a place to invest in. Riverside itself has real limits on nightlife the same paper covers honestly. What counters it: nearly 1,200 acres of genuinely pretty campus, and a student body that builds real community once you look for it.

Summarized by Spike from what students write: The Highlander.

Outcomes

Median earnings 10 years after graduating

$72,974 per year

Earnings 6 years in: $52,866
Graduate within 6 years: 76%
Average federal debt: $16,368
Graduates go into: Competitive Workforce, Advanced Studies, Higher Standard of Living

Notable alumni