University of California , San Diego The University of California , San Diego ( also referred to as UC San Diego or UCSD ) is a public research university located in La Jolla , California , United States . The university occupies near the coast of the Pacific Ocean with the main campus resting on approximately . It is one of America ' s Public Ivy universities , which recognizes top public research universities in the United States . UCSD is the seventh oldest of the ten University of California campuses , and offers over 200 undergraduate and graduate degree programs , enrolling about 22 , 700 undergraduate and about 6 , 300 graduate students from the United States and around the world . Undergraduate education is organized into six residential colleges , each with its own curricular focus . Established in 1960 near the pre - existing Scripps Institution of Oceanography , the university was first envisioned by Roger Revelle , then director of Scripps , to be a graduate school of science and engineering comparable in quality to Caltech . The university was admitted to the Association of American Universities in 1982 . UC San Diego is a designated sea and space grant institution and has a very high level of research activity with $ 879 . 3 million in research and development expenditures in 2009 . The university operates four research institutes , including the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology , San Diego Supercomputer Center , Scripps Institution of Oceanography , and UC San Diego Medical Center and is also affiliated with several regional research centers , such as the Salk Institute , the Burnham Institute for Medical Research , and the Scripps Research Institute . The university also houses two think tanks including the Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation , and the Center for Comparative Immigration Studies . UC San Diego faculty , researchers , and alumni have won twenty Nobel Prize s , eight National Medals of Science , eight MacArthur Fellowships , and two Fields Medal s . Additionally , of the current faculty , 29 have been elected to the National Academy of Engineering , 95 to the National Academy of Sciences , and 106 to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences . UC San Diego student - athletes compete in 23 intercollegiate sports as the Tritons in Division II of the NCAA . As a member of the California Collegiate Athletic Association , the Tritons have won 24 championships in sports including soccer , volleyball , golf , tennis , water polo , and softball . The official colors of the university and its athletic teams are navy blue and California gold . History . When the Regents of the University of California originally authorized the San Diego campus in 1956 , it was planned as first imagined by Roger Revelle , Director of Scripps , to start as a graduate school of science and engineering comparable in quality to Caltech . Citizens of San Diego supported the idea , voting the same year to transfer to the university of mesa land on the coast near the Scripps Institute . The Regents requested an additional gift of of undeveloped mesa land northeast of Scripps , as well as on the former site of Camp Matthews , but Revelle jeopardized the site selection by making public La Jolla ' s exclusive real estate practices antagonistic to minority racial and religious groups , angering local conservatives as well as UC Regent Edwin W . Pauley . UC President Clark Kerr satisfied San Diego city donors by changing the proposed name from University of California , La Jolla , to University of California , San Diego . The city voted in agreement to its part in 1958 , and the UC approved construction of the new campus in 1960 . Because of the clash with Pauley , Revelle was not made chancellor — Herbert York , first director of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory , was designated instead . York worked out the planning of the main campus according to the " Oxbridge " model , relying on many of Revelle ' s ideas . UC San Diego was the first general campus of the UC to be designed " from the top down " in terms of research emphasis . Local leaders disagreed on whether the new school should be a technical research institute , like the preexisting Scripps Institution of Oceanography , or a more broadly based school that included undergraduates as well . John Jay Hopkins of General Dynamics Corporation pledged one million dollars for the former while the City Council offered free land for the latter . In 1956 , the UC Regents approved a " graduate program in science and technology " that included undergraduate programs , a compromise that won both the support of General Dynamics and the city voters ' approval . Nobel laureate Harold Urey , a physicist from the University of Chicago , was an early recruit to the faculty in 1958 . ( Revelle and Suess published the first paper on the Greenhouse effect the year before . ) Maria Goeppert - Mayer was appointed professor of physics in 1960 ; she later won the Nobel Prize in 1963 . The graduate division of the school opened in 1960 with 20 faculty in residence ; instruction was offered in the fields of physics , biology , chemistry and earth science . Classes initially met in the Scripps Institution of Oceanography . By 1963 , new facilities on the mesa been finished for the School of Science and Engineering , and new buildings were under construction for Social Sciences and Humanities . Ten additional faculty in those disciplines were hired , and the whole site was designated the First College of the new campus . York resigned as chancellor in 1963 and was replaced by John Semple Galbraith in 1964 . The campus accepted its first undergraduate class of 181 freshman in 1964 , and was designated Revelle College the next year . Second College was also organized in 1964 , on the land deeded by the federal government . It was renamed John Muir College in April 1966 . The UC San Diego School of Medicine also accepted its first students in 1966 . Political theorist Herbert Marcuse joined the faculty in 1965 . A champion of the New Left , he reportedly was the first protestor to occupy the administration building in a demonstration organized by his student , Angela Davis . The American Legion offered to buy out the remainder of Marcuse ' s contract for $ 20 , 000 ; the Regents censured Chancellor McGill for defending Marcuse on the basis of academic freedom , but further action was averted after local leaders expressed support for Marcuse . In 1967 , student unrest against the United States involvement in the Vietnam War began to be felt at UC San Diego , when a student raised a Viet Minh flag over the campus . Protests escalated as the war continued and were only exacerbated after the National Guard fired on student protesters at Kent State University in 1970 . Over 200 students occupied Urey Hall while one student set himself on fire in protest of the war . Under Richard C . Atkinson , chancellor from 1980 to 1995 , UCSD strengthened its ties with the city of San Diego by encouraging technology transfer with developing companies , transforming San Diego into a world leader in technology - based industries . Private giving rose from $ 15 million to nearly $ 50 million annually , faculty expanded by nearly 50 % , and enrollment doubled to about 18 , 000 students during his chancellorship . In 1995 , the quality of UC San Diego graduate programs was ranked tenth in the nation by the National Research Council . UCSD is taking out a $ 40 million dollar loan against itself to offset $ 84 . 2 million in state budget cuts in 2009 . Notable research . UCSD researchers have made impacts including global warming research and the discovery of the Keeling Curve . The widely used computer language , UCSD Pascal was developed there , ( which influenced the design of Java ) , as was the Network News Transfer Protocol ( NNTP ) , the Kohn – Sham equations , and the discovery and development of the green fluorescent protein ( GFP ) . Early research activity , notably in the sciences , was integral to shaping the focus and culture of the university . Academics . UC San Diego is a large , primarily residential research university . The university is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges . UC San Diego granted 6 , 137 bachelors degrees , 1 , 071 masters degrees , 491 doctorate degrees , and 129 medical degrees in 2010 - 2011 . UC San Diego ' s comprehensive doctoral program has high undergraduate degree coexistence as well as professional programs in business , medicine , and pharmacy . Its graduate division and professional schools include the Scripps Institution of Oceanography , School of Medicine , Institute of Engineering in Medicine , Graduate School of International Relations and Pacific Studies , Jacobs School of Engineering , Rady School of Management , and Skaggs School of Pharmacy . The university offers 35 masters programs , 47 doctoral programs , 5 professional programs , and 9 joint doctoral programs with San Diego State University and other UC campuses . UC San Diego has noted graduate programs in biological sciences and medicine , economics , social and behavioral sciences , and physics . Research . UC San Diego ’ s total research expenditures for 2009 were $ 879 . 3 million . The National Science Foundation has ranked UCSD first in the UC system and sixth in the nation in terms of federal research expenditures . Some 200 San Diego companies have been founded by UCSD faculty and alumni , and over 40 % of the people employed in the San Diego biotechnology industry work in UCSD spin - offs . " Science Watch " ranked UCSD 1st in social psychology , 2nd in oceanography , 3rd in international relations , 5th in molecular biology and genetics , 17th in engineering , and 18th in Neuroscience and Behavior using non - survey , quantitative based metrics to determine research impact . UCSD also counts among its research centers the Scripps Institution of Oceanography , the San Diego Supercomputer Center , the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology , and the Center for US - Mexican Studies . Residential colleges . UC San Diego ' s undergraduate division is organized into six residential college s . They each set their own general - education requirements as well as having their own administrative and advising staff and granting unique degrees and separate commencement ceremonies . In chronological order by date of foundation , the six colleges are : Students affiliate with a college based upon its particular philosophy and environment as majors are not exclusive to specific colleges . John Muir and Earl Warren enroll the largest number of undergraduate students followed by Thurgood Marshall , Revelle , Eleanor Roosevelt , and Sixth . Each undergraduate college sets the requirements for awarding provost ' s honors and honors at graduation in addition to departmental honors and Phi Beta Kappa honors . Extension . UC San Diego Extension is the continuing education and public program branch of the university . Approximately 50 , 000 enrolles per year are educated in the university ' s extension program . The Extension provides over 90 certificate programs and over 12 specialized study programs . Most courses are held evenings and weekends for the convenience to working adults on the main campus or at one of three off campus locations : the Extension Sorrento Mesa Center , the Extension Rancho Bernardo Center , and the Extension Mission Valley Center . The Extension program also includes online only classes . The UCSD Extension program is not affiliated with the UC Cooperative Extension program . Charter school . The Preuss School is a charter school established on the UCSD campus in 1999 to provide an intensive college preparatory curriculum for low - income students from the greater San Diego area . The Preuss school has been ranked as one of the top ten best high schools in the United States by " US News & World Report . " Rankings . UCSD is considered to be a Public Ivy . In addition , the University of California , San Diego is currently ranked 14th in the world and 12th nationally by the " Academic Ranking of World Universities " . The 2013 edition of " U . S . News & World Report " ranked UC San Diego as the 38th best university in the nation , tied for 3rd best of the UC schools and the 8th best public university in the United States . In 2010 , 2011 , and 2012 " Washington Monthly " ranked UC San Diego 1st in the U . S . based on its contribution to the public good in three broad categories : Social Mobility ( recruiting and graduating low - income students ) , Research ( producing cutting - edge scholarship and PhDs ) , and Service ( encouraging students to give something back to their country ) . The Graham - Diamond report ranked UCSD 8th overall in the country . UCSD was selected as the " Hottest " science school by " Newsweek " in 2006 . " Human Resources & Labor Review " ranked the university 16th worldwide in 2010 . In 2013 " Kiplinger " ranked UCSD 10th out of the top 100 best - value public colleges and universities in the nation , and 3rd in California . In 2012 , QS World University Rankings ranked UCSD 70th overall in the world , and 14th in Life Sciences and Biomedicine . Thomson Reuters Science Watch ranks UCSD 7th of federally funded U . S . universities , based on the citation impact of their published research in major fields of science and the social sciences and 12th globally by volume of citations . Campus . When the campus opened in 1964 , it consisted only of Revelle College and Scripps Institution of Oceanography . Today , UC San Diego includes 761 buildings that span in the north part of San Diego . The main campus occupies only , while natural reserves cover the remaining . The San Diego Freeway passes through the campus and separates the UC San Diego Medical Center and Mesa apartment housing from the greater part of the campus . The campus includes eucalyptus groves , a sea port , several major research centers , and a wide range of architectural styles . It is located in the residential area of La Jolla and bordered by the communities of La Jolla Shores , Torrey Pines and University City . The layout of the main campus centers around Geisel Library , which is roughly surrounded by the six residential colleges of Thurgood Marshall , John Muir , Roger Revelle , Sixth , Earl Warren , Eleanor Roosevelt , and the School of Medicine . The six colleges maintain separate housing facilities for their students and each college ' s buildings are differentiated by distinct architectural styles . As residential colleges were added as the university expanded , buildings in newer colleges were designed with starkly different architectural styles than those of the original campus . The iconic Geisel Library , named after Dr . Seuss , stands at the center of the campus . Library Walk , a heavily traveled pathway leading from Geisel Library to Gilman Drive , lies adjacent or close to Price Center , Center Hall , International Center , and various student services buildings , including the Student Services Center and the Career Services building . In 2009 , the Conrad Prebys Music Center opened as part of an expanding arts district . The building houses UCSD ' s music department , which is renowned for its programs in experimental music . Public art . More than a dozen public art projects , part of the Stuart Collection , such as the Fallen Star in Warren , decorate the campus . Perhaps the most famous of these is the Sun God , a large winged creature located near the Faculty Club . Other Stuart Collection art includes a collection of Stonehenge - like stone blocks , a large coiling snake path , a table by Jenny Holzer , a building that flashes the names of vices and virtues in bright neon lights , and three metallic Eucalyptus trees , the Music Tree , the Literary Tree and the Third Tree commonly referred to as the Silent Tree . One of the newest additions to the collection is Tim Hawkinson ' s giant teddy bear made of six boulders located in between the newly constructed Calit2 buildings . Another notable campus sight are the graffiti tunnels of Mandeville Hall , a series of corridors that have been tagged with graffiti by generations of students over decades of use . Students in the university ' s visual arts department also often create temporary public art installations as part of their coursework . The university is also sponsoring a $ 56 , 000 performance art project to develop a sense of community at the sprawling campus . Shepard Fairey ( OBEY ) , most notable for the famous 2008 " Obama Hope " poster , painted a mural at one of UCSD most famous buildings and collectives , The Che Cafe , on an outside wall facing Scholars Drive incorporating Martin Luther King and other notable political figures . Underground street artist , Swampy , created a large piece inside the Che Cafe , visible through the Che Cafe courtyard depicting his signature mammoth skeleton . In 1993 local San Diego artist Mario Torero , in collaboration with UCSD art students , painted a mural at the Che Cafe in commemoration of Angela Davis and Rigoberta Menchu , along with other notable political figures . The Che Cafe remains a hub for underground and politically progressive artist . In 2009 , Mario Torero was invited to create a mural called " Chicano Legacy " based on content suggested by UCSD Chicano students . The mural is a $ 10 , 000 digital image on a canvas mounted on the exterior of Peterson Hall , which includes representations of Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta as well as the kiosk structure at Chicano Park . Special facilities . UCSD has the 5 , 000 animal Birch Aquarium and public museum , the San Diego Supercomputer Center , several large shake facilities including the world record holding Large High Performance Outdoor Shake Table , multiple open ocean research vessels , and a sea port . Organization and administration . UCSD is one of the ten general campuses of the University of California system which is governed by a publicly appointed 26 - member Board of Regents and administered by a president whose office is located in Oakland , California . Mark Yudof became the 19th president of the University system in June 2008 . The board of regents appoint chancellors to serve as the chief administrative officer of each individual general campus . On August 1 , 2012 , Pradeep Khosla began his term as the eighth chancellor of UCSD , following the resignation of the previous chancellor , Marye Anne Fox . Chancellor Khosla ' s base salary of $ 411 , 000 annually has been the subject of controversy . The chancellor has an immediate staff of eight vice chancellors for academic affairs , research , marine sciences , student affairs , planning , external relations , business affairs , and health sciences . The university operates on an academic quarter system with three primary academic quarters beginning in late September and ending in mid June . Endowment . UCSD has at least two distinct endowments ; one controlled by the Regents and another controlled by a privately appointed non - profit corporation called the UC San Diego Foundation . In 2008 , the foundation received $ 121 . 8 million in support and managed assets worth $ 520 . 7 million in total . In 2007 , UCSD became the first university in the western region to top $ 1 billion in their eight - year fundraising campaign . Student government . The campus ' s undergraduate population is represented by a formal student government , known as the Associated Students ( ASUCSD ) which was founded on 16 December 1964 . By a student referendum it was abolished in 1972 and later reestablished in 1977 . In 1986 , the ASUCSD passed a non - binding resolution calling on the University of California to divest from its investments in South Africa due to the South African government ’ s institutionalized system of apartheid . The UC subsequently divested from such holdings later that year , a move Nelson Mandela later pointed to as a catalyst to ending white - minority rule in the country . Each college has its own student council as well . The campus ' s graduate population is represented by the Graduate Student Association ( GSA ) . The Association ' s membership comprises representatives from each of the graduate departments . The number of representatives is proportional to the number of graduate students within that particular department . Additionally , graduate students who serve as teaching or research assistants are represented by the UC - wide union of Academic Student Employees , UAW Local 2865 . Admissions and enrollment . UCSD received 60 , 839 freshmen applications for Fall 2012 , and admitted 22 , 940 , or 37 . 7 % . Admitted students attained an average high school GPA of 4 . 07 , an average ACT Composite score of 29 , and an average combined SAT score of 1901 ( average SAT scores of 639 for Critical Reading , 691 for Mathematics , and 661 for Writing ) . 31 % of admitted students receive federal Pell Grant s . According to the 2010 " U . S . News & World Report " , students applying to UCSD are also most likely to apply to UC Berkeley , Stanford University , and Harvard University for matriculation . The four year , full - time undergraduate program comprises the majority of enrollments at the university . The university offers 125 bachelors degree programs organized into six disciplinary divisions : Arts , Humanities , Engineering , Science / Math , Biological Sciences , and Social Sciences . 38 % of undergraduates major in the social sciences , followed by 25 % in biological sciences , 18 % in engineering , 8 % in sciences and math , 4 % in humanities , and 3 % in the arts . Each undergraduate college sets its own general education requirements ( GEs ) for graduation in addition to the specific requirements of majors set by individual departments and programs . Graduate admissions are largely centralized through the Office of Graduate Studies . However , the Rady School of Management , Scripps Institution of Oceanography , and the Graduate School of International Relations and Pacific Studies ( IR / PS ) handle their own admissions . In 2009 , UCSD mistakenly sent Admit Day welcome emails to all its 47 , 000 freshmen applicants , instead of just the 17 , 000 who had been admitted . However , school officials quickly realized the mistake and sent an apology email within two hours . Student life . The main student hub is the Price Center located in the center of campus , just south of Geisel Library . The Price Center offers a variety of services , places , and spaces , including restaurants , the central bookstore , movie theater , and various student organizations . In Spring 2003 , a Student Referendum was passed to expand the Price Center to nearly double the original size . The Price Center East expansion was officially opened to the public on May 19 , 2008 . There are also three campus centers that cultivate a sense of community among faculty , staff , and students : the Cross - Cultural Center , the Women ' s Center , and the LGBT Resource Center . UCSD was the last UC campus to have such centers . All three centers , especially the Cross - Cultural Center that was created first , were founded in the mid - 1990s and were the result of student movements that demanded change despite opposition by the campus administration . There is a music venue on the campus grounds of some fame called the Ché Café , a collective organization serving multiple functions as an underground music venue , vegan food collective , center for grassroots organizations such as Food Not Bombs , and similar groups and activities . Prominent local San Diego bands such as The Locust and Pinback , and national tours such as Mates of State and The Dillinger Escape Plan have given the Ché Café some fame and praise as a radical vegan collective despite its small size ( it fits a few hundred people ) and limited sound equipment . Concerts of classical and experimental contemporary music are performed at the Conrad Prebys Music Center , which was designed in consultation with famed architect Cyril M . Harris . In 2012 , People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals ( PETA ) , named UCSD the most vegan - friendly large college or university in the United States . Events and traditions . The Associated Students also coordinates a wide variety of concerts and events during the year , including All Campus Dance , Bear Gardens , Loft Events , and the Sun God Festival . The Sun God Festival , named after the statue created by art ist Niki de Saint Phalle , is the best - known of the festivals . The festival has grown in its 28 year history into a 20 , 000 person event . The day consists of student org booths and performers , as well as an eclectic mix of musical acts across 3 stages . Two other popular campus events include the Pumpkin Drop and the Watermelon Drop , which take place during Halloween and at the end of the third ( Spring ) academic quarter , respectively . The Watermelon Drop is one of the campus ' s oldest traditions , famously originating in 1965 from a physics exam question centering on the velocity on impact of a dropped object . A group of intrigued students pursued that line of thought by dropping a watermelon from the top floor of Revelle ' s Urey Hall to measure the size of the resulting splat . A variety of events surround the Watermelon Drop , including a pageant where an occasionally male but generally female " Watermelon Queen " is elected . In 1979 the Queen rode to Urey Hall in a yellow VW Bug with a cut - off top owned by the winner that year , Bill Clabby . The Pumpkin Drop is a similar event celebrated by the dropping of a large , candy - filled pumpkin from 11 - story Tioga Hall , the tallest residential building on the Muir college campus . Housing . Approximately 93 % of the Fall 2011 entering class of freshmen were housed on campus in residence halls or apartments ; 39 % of all undergraduates live on campus . The six undergraduate residential colleges have separate housing facilities for their students . First - year students are usually housed in the residence halls while upperclassmen live in the college apartments . Transfer students are housed in separate facilities apart from the residential colleges , in an area adjacent to Eleanor Roosevelt College called The Village . Housing plans also offer students access to dining facilities , and each student is allotted a certain number of " Dining Dollars " to purchase meals at dining halls and groceries at on - campus markets . Dining halls are located at the six colleges , with markets located adjacent or near them , except at Eleanor Roosevelt College . UC San Diego currently offers four years guaranteed housing to its incoming freshmen , and two years to incoming transfer students . Graduate students are housed in one of seven apartment complexes . The Coast , Mesa , and One Miramar housing facilities are several minutes away from UC San Diego while the other four are located within the campus . International House . International House ( I - House ) is home to about 260 students from more than thirty countries . The I - House community provides a social atmosphere where opportunities for significant cross - cultural exchange between American and international students are plentiful . International learning is fostered through formal programs including current affairs discussions , cultural nights , and a community newsletter . Upper - division undergraduates from all six colleges , graduate students , faculty , and researchers are eligible to live in International House , located in the Eleanor Roosevelt College townhouses . Demand is very high for this special program and there is often a waitlist . Spaces in International House are not guaranteed and admission requires a separate application . Student media . Triton Television Triton TV is UC San Diego ’ s first and only student - run film studio and TV station . The station offers UCSD students the opportunity to work in a professional production environment with no prior experience required . Members are trained from scratch and provided with the equipment and education needed to produce excellent videos . Triton TV is an AS service and offers training in multiple areas of production . KSDT KSDT is a student - run radio station located on the campus of the University of California , San Diego . The station has existed since 1967 , but has taken many different forms since then . In its current configuration , KSDT broadcasts solely via streaming MP3 on the internet . KSDT is a student run organization providing music and activities for the UCSD community and the greater World Wide Web — striving to promote independent music not available from mainstream sources and work to help the San Diego Community . In addition to producing radio shows , KSDT maintains and operates studio facilities providing practice space for undiscovered area bands . KSDT uses its contacts in the music industry to produce campus appearances by KSDT approved acts producing live Studio Sessions for up and coming independent bands . Athletics . UCSD offers student participation in a wide range of sports including swimming , water polo , soccer , volleyball , crew , track and field athletics , fencing , basketball , golf , cross country , softball , baseball , and tennis . UCSD participates at the NCAA ' s Division II ( DII ) level in the California Collegiate Athletic Association , although water polo , fencing , men ' s crew and men ' s volleyball compete at the Division I level . Before joining DII in 2000 , the school participated at the Division III level and won numerous national championships . UCSD does not have an NCAA football team . Until the 2007 - 2008 school year , UCSD was the only DII school that did not offer athletic scholarship s . In 2005 , the NCAA created a rule that made it mandatory for DII programs to award athletic grants ; a measure was proposed to begin offering $ 500 " grants - in - aid " to all 600 intercollegiate athletes in order to meet this requirement . In February 2007 , a student referendum was passed with the largest vote in UCSD history , authorizing a $ 329 annual student fee to fund a raise in coaches ' salaries , hire more trainers and provide all athletes with a $ 500 scholarship . In 2006 - 2007 , UCSD ' s best season since moving to DII , 19 of 23 athletic programs qualified for post - season competition , including 17 to the NCAA Championships . Eight of those teams finished in the top - 5 in the nation . UCSD fields a number of club sports teams . The UCSD surfing team has won the national title six times and is consistently rated one of the best surfing programs in the nation . The UCSD triathlon team is continually one of the top triathlon teams in the nation . In 2008 , the women ' s triathlon team won the US collegiate national championship and UCSD athlete Amanda Felder was the Overall Nation Champion . UCSD also has sport clubs in badminton , baseball , cycling , dancesport , dance team , equestrian , ice hockey , lacrosse , roller hockey , rugby union , sailing , soccer , snow skiing , table tennis , ultimate , volleyball , water polo , and waterskiing . The National Collegiate Scouting Association ( NCSA ) 2008 Collegiate Power Rankings rate colleges and universities comprehensively based on student - athlete graduation rates , academic strength and athletic prowess of the university . The institutions posted in the 2007 Power Rankings represent less than 6 % of colleges and universities across the nation . UCSD placed 4th on the overall ranking list , trailing behind Williams College , Amherst College , and Duke University , and first on the Division II list . People . Faculty . The university employs 1 , 205 faculty members , including six Nobel Laureates , four MacArthur fellows , three National Medal of Science laureates , and two Fields medalists . UCSD faculty also include 146 Guggenheim Fellows . UCSD ranks sixth in the nation in terms of United States National Academy of Sciences membership . UCSD has a total of 20 Nobel Laureates affiliated with it . UCSD ' s visual arts faculty has included performance artist Allan Kaprow and famed duo , David Antin and Eleanor Antin . Alumni . Over 150 , 000 alumni are associated with UCSD . Notable alumni include Bill Atkinson and Bud Tribble , members of the Apple Macintosh development team ; biotechnology pioneers David Goeddel and Craig Venter , and Nobel Prize winners Susumu Tonegawa ( Physiology or Medicine ) , Venki Ramakrishnan ( Chemistry ) and Bruce Beutler ( Physiology or Medicine ) . Eleanor Mariano , the first Filipino - American to reach the rank of Rear Admiral in the United States Navy and first female director of the White House Medical Unit , received her BS in Biology cum laude in 1977 . A number of science fiction authors including Gregory Benford , David Brin and Kim Stanley Robinson earned PhDs at UCSD ; cartoon animation producer Mike Judge is also an alum . Robert Buckley , who stars as Clay on The CW television show " One Tree Hill " graduated from UCSD with a degree in Economics . " The Kite Runner " ' s Khaled Hosseini is also a UCSD alum as well as Dileep Rao , one of the stars of the hit blockbuster movies " Avatar " and " Inception " . Rao spoke at the 2010 Convocation Dinner as he kicked off UCSD ' s 50th Anniversary Celebration . The three members of the popular Asian American filmmaking group Wong Fu Productions , Ted Fu , Phillip Wang , and Wesley Chan all graduated from UCSD as well . Anna Marie Caballero is a former member of the California State Assembly and had previously served as the Mayor and Council member of Salinas , California . Chad Butler , drummer and co - founding member of the Grammy Award winning San Diego area based rock band Switchfoot . San Diego Trolley . Sandag and the Metropolitan Transit System are currently in a major development to bring San Diego Trolley service to the local area . The project will extend the existing Blue Line north from Downtown San Diego to UCSD and the University City Area . The extension will give the UCSD campus two trolley stations , East and West . One major goal of the project is to ease traffic and parking on the campus and to make it quick and convenient for students . There is also a proposed station at the VA hospital just south of UCSD . Construction is set to begin in 2014 , and is scheduled to be completed by 2017 , and is expected to begin trolley service in 2018 . This project was first proposed in 1994 but as of 2012 is finally underway .