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Move to San Diego

We suggest moving to San Diego around early September so you have some time to settle in and get to know the area!

On-campus housing

UCSD Housing Dining Hospitality (HDH) operates Graduate and Family Housing, a set of on-campus housing for full-time graduate and professional students as well as married students and students with families. As a full-time gradaute student, you are eligible for a two-year fixed-term housing agreement. You can find more information on the Graduate and Family Housing Future Residents FAQ page.

If you are planning to live on-campus, we recommend applying to the graduate housing waitlist immediately because graduate housing is highly competitive. We also suggest to indicate your estimated arrival date to be a month to a month-and-a-half earlier than your actual arrival date to have higher priority on the waitlist. If your arrival date is approaching and you haven’t heard back, we suggest calling the Graduate and Family Housing Allocations office. If you haven’t heard back by mid-August, we recommend you begin looking for off-campus options.

Off-campus housing

If you would like to live close to campus for your first year, there are many of housing options available. Below are some of the popular apartment complexes in the area, ordered by proximity to the School of Medicine (where most BISB labs are located):

  • Solazzo Apartment Homes
  • Nobel Court Apartments
  • Villa Vicenza
  • La Jolla International Gardens
  • La Scala Apartment Homes
  • La Jolla Canyon Apartments
  • Westwood Apartment Homes
  • The Villas of Renaissance Apartment Homes
  • La Jolla Crossroads & 360 Luxury Apartments

While this is by no means a comprehensive list, it should give a good starting point.

If you would like to live further away from campus, there are some popular neighborhood where many current students reside. We have listed a few of the neighborhoods below.

  • University City/Golden Triangle
  • Carmel Valley, Solana Beach, Del Mar
  • Sorrento Valley, Mira Mesa
  • La Jolla, Pacific Beach, Bird Rock, Ocean Beach
  • Clairemont & Clairemont Mesa, Mission Valley, Hillcrest, University Heights, North Park

Regardless of where you want to live off-campus, you can find rental offers through resources such as the UCSD Off-Campus Housing Webiste, UCSD Off-Campus Housing Facebook Group, Facebook Marketplace, Zillow, and Craigslist.

Be sure to check UCSD’s Housing Near Transit page for neighborhoods that are along transit routes that lead to campus.