The University of California is the world’s leading public research university system. With 10 campuses, 5 medical centers, 3 national labs and a network of agricultural and natural research centers, the UC system includes more than 257,000 students and 1.7 million alumni living all around the world. UC also boasts over 190,000 faculty and researchers, many highly-distinguished in their fields. UC campuses are often ranked best in the world and 61 UC-affiliated faculty and researchers have won 62 Nobel Prizes, more than any other university system. However, our reach extends far beyond the classroom: UC is committed to fostering innovation, championing sustainability, being a model for educational opportunity and providing needed public services and spaces to California.
UC’s entrepreneurship ecosystem keeps California on the leading edge. Countless everyday household items—from fruit and vegetable varieties to compact fluorescent light bulbs –are based on UC discoveries. Active start-ups commercializing UC inventions have generated over $21 billion in revenue and currently employ more than 18,000 Californians. Graduate students alone create a new startup every two weeks, supporting 3,500 jobs with a total of $4.1 billion in venture funding, bringing in $520 million in annual revenue.
Sustainability is at the heart of the UC system. UC takes the imperative to solve climate change seriously and is home to the best climate scientists in the world. Clean energy is a top research priority and UC has set the goal to become the first carbon neutral major university by 2025. UC is also a founding member of the Breakthrough Energy Coalition and pledged $1 billion of its investment capital for innovative early-stage energy projects. The Global Food Initiative harnesses the university’s resources to address how to sustainability and nutritiously feed the world population.
UC attracts the best and brightest students from all backgrounds, ethnicities and incomes. UC’s commitment to social mobility is demonstrated by the fact that 40% of UC students come from low-income families and half are the first in their families to attend college. Due to UC’s generous and progressive financial aid programs, 45% of undergraduate students do not have debt at graduation. In addition, UC provides system-wide resources and assistance for undocumented students.
Beyond billion-dollar, multidisciplinary research centers that leverage public investments to address society’s most critical issues, UC’s public commitment also includes:
• Dozens of public resources like museums, concert halls, art galleries, botanical gardens, observatories and marine centers.
• Medical centers that provide broad access to top-ranked specialized care and new therapies.
• Three national labs managed for the US Department of Energy, advancing new tools for scientific discovery.
• A statewide network of researchers and educators, focused on delivering solutions for California agriculture, natural resources and human development.
• Partnering closely with California’s K-12 schools and community colleges to help prepare students and high-quality teachers.
• Continuing education programs supporting thousands of Californians in reaching their professional goals.
