Originally started as the citrus-growing extension of UC Berkeley, UC Riverside became its own campus in 1959. It holds true to its heritage, though, with over 1000 species of citrus trees on campus and ongoing botany research by both professors and students. Ever had a “Cutie?” They were developed at UC Riverside! And UCR botanists created all of the plants for the movie “Avatar.”
The sciences are very strong at Riverside; the new medical school opened in 2013, and 24 spots are reserved for students who graduate from UC Riverside as undergrads. Students majoring the health professions have separate advisors; the entymology program is ranked #2. While only 10% of the students are engineers, Riverside’s engineering programs are well-funded and quite strong.
The College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences has 20 departments and 60 of the 90 majors available on campus. Each year the college hosts a theme – this year it’s “Justice” – around which lectures, discussions, service events and other activities are organized. UC Riverside is the only UC campus with a major in Creative Writing.
UCR does not offer a pre-law major, but those interested in law school generally major in sociology with a law & society emphasis. And did you know that UCR has the world’s largest science fiction collection, with over 100,000 volumes, including the original Frankenstein?!
Students with a GPA higher than 3.75 are invited to apply to the Honors College, which gives students the opportunity to take smaller classes with more faculty interaction, as well as community service programs.
Admissions stats: 64% of admitted students have a 3.5 weighted GPA or higher. Like all of the UC campuses, UC Riverside is test-blind, meaning they do not consider test scores for admission purposes.
Many of Magellan’s counselors have visited UC Riverside! You can see all of our photos from several visits here.