UC Irvine attracts a highly competitive applicant pool and is well-known for strength in the sciences, including engineering, chemistry, psychology and biological sciences. One of the few of the nine UC undergraduate campuses with an undergraduate degree in business, UCI has an “Antrepreneur Center” (UCI’s mascot is Peter the Anteater) that hosts an annual new venture competition (a collegiate version of “Shark Tank”). Known for its strong sciences and top criminology program, UC Irvine also offers interesting concentrations in social ecology, sustainability and psychological sciences. Also unique to this campus is the opportunity to get a BS in a science discipline as well as a teaching credential in four years through the CalTeach program.
Located just about 20 minutes from Disneyland, UC Irvine’s campus is laid out in a 1.3 mile circle, so it’s easy to navigate and get across campus. Eighty percent of first-year students live on campus, but because many students come from Orange County and the local area, many students go home on the weekend. Just under half of upperclassmen live in campus housing.
UC Irvine’s law school has an interesting philosophy of collaboration: students are required to do a project with students from two other schools within the University, such as the business school or the school of engineering, working through a problem that students from the three colleges can address. Alternatively, law students must volunteer and interact with people in the community who need legal assistance. This requirement emphasizes experiential learning, which is emphasized with all undergraduate majors here.
The largest lecture hall on campus holds about 450 students. As with most UC campuses, professors teach lectures and graduate students teach breakout sessions, which are smaller and offer more opportunity for discussion and deeper understanding of the material presented.
UC Irvine is, of course, one of the nine undergraduate UC campuses, which have one application for the entire system. Many of Magellan’s counselors have visited UC Irvine, which is a popular choice for Southern California students. You can scroll through a variety of pictures we’ve taken over the course of several visits below.