University of California schools generate a tremendous amount of school spirit; and with all of their unique differences there is truly something for everyone. When choosing the campus for you, rather than relying on abstract third party methodologies for such an important decision, instead rely on your instincts and your own research. When you visit, each school has a distinct flavor, and you will notice pretty quickly if you feel at ease. Some of the campuses may offer more opportunities to work closely with professors in your area of interest. If research is an important aspect of your area of interest this should be factored in to your decision. They each have different areas of study they are best known for as well. Here are some of the commonalities along with a few key differences between the University of California Campuses.
Things all UCs have in common:
- Happy students (each campus shares very high first year student return rate)
- Good food
- Beautiful campus (see my campus photos section)
- Great professors
- Research opportunities
- Cute mascots! who can’t resist Sammy the Banana Slug, Peter the Ant Eater, Gunrock the Mustang, Rufus the Bobcat, Oski the Golden Bear, Joe Bear or the Gauchos. I would embrace any of these with a big hug over let’s say,… a tree? (Stanfords choice for a beloved school icon.)
- A broad selection of majors
- Proud Alumni and school spirit
- Located in California!
Many of the UCs’ have a great college town to go with it!
Four years is a big commitment so why not be selective when it comes to choosing where you will be living. After the dorm experience what follows is normally a few years of living off campus. So the community that surrounds the school is in many ways important like the school itself. There is nothing that can quite compare to a college located in a true college town where you can walk down the street and see store fronts displaying their town school pride. The following UC campuses have beautiful towns full of school pride that offer a warm welcome to students living within the community.
- UC Santa Cruz has Santa Cruz and Capitola-by-the-Sea close by and offers free bus passes to students
- UCSD has La Jolla and also offers free bus passes to students
- Berkeley has Berkeley with great urban dining just a short stroll from campus
- UCLA has Westwood and Bel Air surrounding campus
- UC Davis has Davis, voted one of the best college towns in America!
- UC Santa Barbara has Isla Vista with the beach, bands, and great dining! (Shout out to Freebirds!)
Athletics and state of the art facilities for you to cheer for, play for or just workout at.
- UCLA participates in the PAC 12 Division but also has a host of club and intramural athletic teams for you to play for not to mention the amazing John Wooden Center devoted to student recreation and fitness. One of the three campuses to have a football team. The nation’s most famous college football stadium – The Rose Bowl – has been the home of UCLA football since 1982. The Rose Bowl’s maximum stated seating capacity was 104,091.
- Berkeley also participates in the PAC 12 with a wide array of club teams and athletic recreation centers for the students to stay fit.The second of three campuses to have a football team. Cals’ Memorial Stadium, is the home field for the University of California Golden Bears of the Pacific-12 Conference, and currently seats around 63,000 fans for football.
- UC Davis participates in Division 1 sports and is the third of three campuses to have a football team. The ARC student recreation Center is a center of activity on campus and always bustling with students busy staying fit. Aggie Stadium is a 10,743-seat multi-purpose stadium in Davis, California, home to the University of California, Davis Aggie football and women’s lacrosse teams.
University of California | Campuses 
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