University of California Office of the President

The University of California, one of the largest and most acclaimed institutions of higher learning 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 with 10 faculty members and 38 students. Today, the University has a $14-billion budget and encompasses 10 campuses, five medical schools and teaching hospitals, three law schools and a statewide Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Also, UC manages three national laboratories for the Department of Energy.

Befiting its role as a leader in higher education, the University of California is addressing several critical initiatives: developing a new, unprecedented approach to student outreach that ensures UC has a student body representative of California's population; accommodating record numbers of students expected in the next decade; opening UC Merced, which is to be 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.

UC faculty and researchers have won 45 Nobel Prizes - 12 of them since 1995. Current faculty includes 23 Nobel laureates and 320 members of the National Academy of Sciences, more than any other college or university in the United States. UC and its three affiliated national laboratories produce more research leading to patent inventions than any other public or private research institution.