In 1965, the University of California, Irvine (UCI) was founded with a mission to catalyze the community and enhance lives through rigorous academics, cutting-edge research, and dedicated public service.

Why the University of California, Irvine

• Location: The University of California, Irvine enjoys an incomparable coastal location with many advantages for recreational and cultural activities. Our campus is a short bike ride from the famed sailing and surfing beaches of Newport, Laguna, and Huntington, and is centrally located to hundreds of miles of bike and hiking trails, desert camping, and mountain resorts for snowboarding and skiing. Just a few miles from the campus are internationally famous venues such as Disneyland and Angel Stadium, and we are less than an hour from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Hollywood, Los Angeles, and Palm Springs.

• Multicultural community: The University of California, Irvine is a multicultural community of people from diverse backgrounds. We are enriched by our mutual respect for one another, and we strive to learn from our differences in an atmosphere of positive engagement. Universities exist to provide the conditions for hard thought and difficult debate so that individuals can develop the capacity for independent judgment. For that reason, tolerance, civility and respect for diversity of background, gender, ethnicity, race, religion, political beliefs, sexual orientation and physical abilities are crucially important for our campus community to thrive.

• Events and activities: The Activities team creates a quarterly calendar full of various events, trips, sports, and activities both on and off-campus for students to enjoy. Previous pre-planned activities usually included city tours to famous locations, theme parks, museums, beaches, and performances.

• Housing: Depending on your needs and the type of experience you want during your stay, International Programs offers you different housing options, all of which ensure that you enjoy a safe, clean, fully furnished living environment, including University Apartments (which allow you to interact with and explore the community while practicing your English in real-life situations), Homestays (which will immerse you in American culture within a family environment), and UCI Dorms (which give you the opportunity to live on the UCI campus near classrooms, with meal plans available – dorms only available in the summer quarter). No matter which one you choose, you’ll be sure to enjoy an authentic American living experience!