Not to be confused with the University of San Diego or San Diego State University. "UCSD" redirects here. For other uses, see UCSD. The University of California, San Diego (also referred to as UC San Diego or UCSD) is a public research university located in the La Jolla neighborhood of San Diego, California, in the United States. The university occupies 2,141 acres near the coast of the Pacific Ocean with the main campus resting on approximately 1,152 acres.