The University of California was founded in 1868 with the establishment of its first campus in Oakland (later moved to Berkeley), becoming the first campus of what is now the ten-campus University of California system. It was created as a public land-grant university under the Morrill Act, merging the private College of California with the Agricultural, Mining, and Mechanical Arts College. The system expanded significantly in the 20th century, adding campuses in Los Angeles (1919), Santa Barbara (1944), Davis (1959), Riverside (1954), San Diego (1960), Santa Cruz and Irvine (both 1965), Merced (2005), and San Francisco (focused on health sciences since 1873), growing into one of the world's largest and most prestigious public university systems.
The University of California consists of ten general campuses, each with its own distinct character, location, and strengths: Berkeley, Los Angeles (UCLA), San Diego, Davis, Santa Barbara, Irvine, Santa Cruz, Riverside, Merced, and San Francisco (primarily medical and health sciences). The campuses range from urban settings like UCLA in Los Angeles and UC Berkeley near San Francisco Bay, to more rural or coastal locations like UC Santa Barbara and UC Santa Cruz. Collectively they cover hundreds of thousands of acres, featuring a wide variety of architecture from historic Beaux-Arts and Mission Revival buildings to cutting-edge modern research facilities, plus extensive libraries, museums, botanical gardens, athletic complexes, and natural reserves.
The University of California is a public university system governed by the Regents of the University of California, a 26-member board appointed mostly by the Governor of California with some ex officio members including the Governor and the Lieutenant Governor. The President of the University of California (currently Michael V. Drake, M.D., since 2020) serves as the chief executive officer of the entire system, overseeing all ten campuses. Each campus has its own Chancellor who acts as the chief executive of that individual campus, reporting to the President. The system is publicly funded, with significant state support, tuition revenue, research grants, and an endowment of approximately 28 billion dollars across all campuses.
The University of California system is one of the world's leading public research university networks, enrolling over 295,000 students and employing more than 227,000 faculty and staff. It offers a vast range of undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs across virtually all disciplines, with particular global leadership in STEM fields, medicine, agriculture, social sciences, humanities, law, business, and the arts. The system is affiliated with more than 70 Nobel laureates, numerous Fields Medalists, Turing Award winners, and Breakthrough Prize recipients, and consistently ranks among the top public universities worldwide, with several campuses (especially Berkeley, UCLA, and San Diego) frequently appearing in the global top 20–50.
UC campuses enroll a highly diverse student body representing all 50 U.S. states and over 100 countries, with strong emphasis on inclusivity, public service, and innovation. Student life varies by campus but commonly includes vibrant residential communities, over thousands of student organizations, NCAA Division I athletics (especially strong at UCLA, Berkeley, and others), cultural festivals, research opportunities, and extensive outdoor and recreational activities reflecting California's climate and geography. The culture blends academic rigor with activism, entrepreneurship, arts, and social engagement, supported by generous financial aid programs for California residents and a commitment to accessibility as a public institution.
Professors at University of California
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