University of California

09/14/2026 | News release | Distributed by Public on 09/14/2026 22:51

Think UC’s impact is big? Think bigger.

Being the world's best university goes far beyond rankings. New data shows UC's impact, and the numbers are huge.

UC is making life better for Californians not just on its campuses, but in every corner of the state - with benefits that ripple out to the rest of the country and the world.

$82 billion in economic impact annually

UC drives prosperity across California, helping fuel the world's fourth-largest economy. Every region of California benefits from UC.

  • Every $1 the state invests in UC generates more than $21 for the economy
  • UC serves every part of California through 7,000 program sites statewide, from campuses to health clinics, agricultural research stations and more

$9.5 billion annual research spend

UC invests billions of dollars in research each year, driving innovation across the state and the nation and tackling the world's most pressing challenges. The caliber of UC research is unparalleled.

  • 75 Nobel Prizes

  • 66 National Medals of Science

  • No. 1 for U.S. utility patents

  • 4 new inventions created every day

  • 68,000 California jobs directly funded by UC research

  • 42 UC Nature sites statewide, the world's largest field laboratory system

  • 3 UC-affiliated U.S. National Laboratories

500,000 California jobs

UC is the second-largest employer in California, just after the state itself. Through University operations and spend, UC supports half a million California jobs.

  • 282,000 UC employees

  • 67,000 UC retirees living in California

  • 2.1 million UC alumni living and working in California

99% of California zip codes served by UC healthcare

UC cares for Californians, providing healthcare services statewide. A cornerstone of California's healthcare system, UC trains future providers, treats the most complex cases, serves millions of patients on Medi-Cal and advances medical innovation.

  • 21 hospitals

  • 2.5 million patients

  • 12 million outpatient visits

  • 1.6 million inpatient days

  • 140,000 cancer patients

  • 651,000 ER visits

  • 17,000 babies born

  • 4,900 clinical trials

  • Nearly 17,000 health professional students and residents each year

85% of UC undergrads are California residents

UC is expanding educational opportunity for Californians. The vast majority of UC's 210,600-plus full-time undergraduates are in-state residents. What's more, UC has added nearly 19,000 California undergrads over the past 5 years alone. That's the equivalent of adding a campus without building one.

  • 29% of UC undergrads are transfer students - more than at peer universities, which average 19% for public and 13% for private
  • 34% are low income, higher than the 21% and 18% at peer public and private institutions, respectively
  • 1 in 3 freshmen and 2 of every 5 transfers are first-generation college students, higher than the national averages for peer institutions
  • Just 15% of UC undergrads are out-of-state or international, compared with a 32% national average for U.S. public universities

68% of UC undergrads graduate debt free

UC has worked to keep the cost of education manageable for students and families. The majority of UC undergrads finish their degrees with ZERO debt.

  • $17,300 avg. debt at graduation for UC students who take loans, compared to national averages of $28,700 for public universities and $34,000 for private universities

  • 34% or $11,400 decrease in avg. UC student loan debt since 2014

  • UC student loan debt is $10,000 lower than the national avg. at other public universities

  • 55% of low-income UC students out-earn their parents within 3 years of graduation

Find all the details on these numbers and more in UC's 2026 Accountability Report, a comprehensive, annual assessment of the University's progress in meeting key teaching, research and public service goals across its 10 campuses and beyond.

University of California published this content on September 14, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on September 15, 2026 at 04:51 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]