FOUNDED/KEY OC DATE: 1965
HQ: Irvine
OC SIGNIFICANCE: In the 1950s, UC Regents decided to expand the UC system with three new campuses to accommodate the post-World War II population boom. They hired master planner William Pereira who identified Irvine Ranch. The Irvine Co. sold 1,000 acres of the Irvine Ranch to UC for just $1 since company policy prohibited the donation of property to a public entity. Has since grown into one of the top 10 public universities in the country.
DEFINING MOMENT: UCI officially opened Oct. 4, 1965, with 1,589 students attending the first day of classes.
BY THE NUMBERS: Is the region’s second-largest employer, employing 34,300 locally. The university now brings in over $1B annually in fundraising & grants. Only academic health system in OC, serving 5.6M people across the region. Had more than 36K students enrolled for the 2024-25 school year. Recently concluded largest philanthropic campaign in OC history, surpassing its $2B goal by nearly half a billion dollars.
QUOTABLE: “For six decades this university has helped our state’s best and brightest students achieve their potential and has been an anchor institution driving the advancement of Orange County as one of the great entrepreneurial regions of the world.” – Howard Gillman
FUN FACT: The idea for the school’s mascot, Peter the Anteater, came from Pat Glasgow and Bob Ernst, two water polo players, who were inspired by the anteater in the Johnny Hart comic strip “B.C.”
