Office of Federal Governmental Relations

About UC

The University of California, one of the largest and most acclaimed institutions of higher education in the world, is dedicated to excellence in teaching, research and public service.

Chartered in 1868 as California's only land grant institution, UC began classes in Oakland, CA, with 10 faculty members and 38 students. Today, the university, headed by President Mark G. Yudof, has a $19-billion budget and encompasses ten campuses, five medical schools and teaching hospitals, three law schools, and a statewide Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources. UC also manages three national laboratories for the federal government.

Currently, UC is addressing several critical initiatives: developing a new, unprecedented approach to student outreach; accommodating record numbers of students expected in the next decade; growing UC Merced, the nation's first research university built in the 21st century; broadening university-industry partnerships; and expanding the use of technology in teaching and research.

Each year, more than 40,000 students graduate from UC's 10 campuses, including 7% percent of the nation's Ph.D.'s. UC has awarded more than one million degrees, and today has more than 1.5 million living alumni. UC faculty and researchers have won 50 Nobel Prizes – 18 of them since 1995. Current faculty includes 23 Nobel Laureates and more than 350 members of the National Academy of Sciences, more than any other college or university in the United States.

UC and its affiliated national laboratories produce more research leading to patented inventions than any other public or private research institution.

Map of UC locations in California