UCR Campus

The Riverside campus has an international reputation for high academic standards and strong graduate and undergraduate programs.  This is an actively growing campus, but one that is still small enough that finding housing within walking distance or parking on campus is not a problem. The Highlander Haulder is a free shuttle service for all students, faculty and staff, designed to move you quickly around the campus between 16 different locations. The purpose of the shuttle is to relieve parking congestion, campus traffic, and reduce smog emissions. About one fifth of the enrolled students are graduate students, and this proportion is projected to remain the same or even increase over the next several years.

The 1200-acre Riverside campus is beautifully landscaped and includes an outstanding botanical garden. The campus has an extensive commons facility with several lounges, two eating establishments, a coffee shop and a snack shop. A brand-new bookstore offers general books and personal computers in addition to textbooks and school supplies. There is a sports complex which includes a gym, an Olympic pool, a running track, numerous softball fields, tennis courts, racquetball courts, volleyball courts and a vita course. Although these are not unusual attributes, what is unusual is that these facilities are not monopolized by intercollegiate athletics. The facilities are available to all for such activities as intramural softball games, departmental summer swim meets and individual pursuits. At the same time, the campus also boasts some superb intercollegiate athletic teams. The campus commons offers a good selection of leisure courses which range from windsurfing and skiing through highland dancing to pottery and sign language. Equipment for a variety of outdoor activities is available for rent.

The campus has a diversified Performing Arts Program that includes dance, music and theater. For music lovers, there is a fine arts program of concerts at the University Theater, folk and rock groups at the Barn, and the Wednesday Nooner where rock groups perform on the central green. The University has an art gallery and a museum of photography that houses one of the world's finest collections of Ansel Adams' work.

Among the student support services are an international student center where one can mingle socially as well as update or convert one's visa, a women's resource center concerned with such issues as counseling and rape prevention, a student health center with daily clinics, and a disabled student services center for acquisition of specialized equipment, arrangement of volunteer attendants and emotional support. The Riverside campus is superbly designed for handicapped access to all facilities.

University of California System

Students who enroll at UC Riverside in the Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program will be part of the University of California, one of the largest, most innovative systems of higher education in the United States. The University of California has consistently been ranked among the best in the country for graduate programs by the American Council on Education. This ranking is a reflection of a University noted for its prestigious faculty, distinguished academic achievements, excellent research facilities and libraries.

The University is located on nine campuses in Riverside, Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Barbara and Santa Cruz, and is governed by a Board of Regents. Each campus has a separate organization and style of academic life, but all share the same basic admission requirements and high scholastic standards. There is considerable interaction throughout the University system between faculty and graduate students who have common disciplinary interests.