Advantages & Disadvantages of Studying in San Diego
You think about studying in San Diego but want to get additional information about student life, quality of education, nightlife, extracurricular activities, career prospects and much more before making your final decision in this regard?
Great! Stick with me since I will show you the pros and cons of studying in San Diego in the following chapters.
Study in San Diego – Overview
Number of Universities | 23 major colleges and universities in the San Diego region. |
Quality of Universities | While some universities in San Diego are pretty good, the majority of colleges are just average. |
Networking Opportunities | Since you can meet many influential people, you can also build a strong business network rather quickly in the San Diego region. |
Student Life | Student life in San Diego is great since you have many great bars and can also enjoy your time at the beach or also make many nice day trips to national parks. |
International Students | San Diego is pretty popular among institutional students and you can therefore meet many interesting people from all over the world. |
Career Prospects | While students graduating from universities in San Diego usually have decent career prospects, you should not expect the same great career opportunities as graduates from Harvard or other more renowned institutions. |
Nightlife | You will find many decent bars and clubs in San Diego and will have more than enough opportunities to party until the early morning. |
Living Costs | Living costs are pretty high and many students in San Diego therefore really struggle to cover their expenses somehow. |
Housing | Housing shortage is a big problem in San Diego and many people who study in San Diego really struggle to find a decent and affordable place to stay. |
Weather & Climate | You can enjoy warm and sunny summers while winters are pretty mild so you can spend lots of time outdoors as a student in San Diego. |

Advantages of Studying in San Diego
- Students in San Diego can enjoy great summers
- Mild winters are attractive to many students in San Diego
- People who study in San Diego can spend lots of time at the beach
- You can spend lots of time in beautiful nature
- Students in San Diego usually stay fit
- Students in San Diego can make many nice day trips
- San Diego is a pretty tolerant city
- You can make friends for a lifetime
- Easy to get around in San Diego
- Students find everything they need in San Diego
- Great nightlife in San Diego
- You can join many student clubs and organizations
- Extracurricular activities make student life in San Diego more interesting
- You can meet students from all over the world
- Decent job prospects for graduates from UCSD
- Many student jobs in San Diego
- You will find many opportunities to work as an intern in San Diego
- You will find many quiet places to study in San Diego
- You will never run out of ideas regarding what to do with your leisure
- Chances are you will have guests quite often
- San Diego is a rather safe city
Students in San Diego can enjoy great summers
One advantage of studying in San Diego is that you can enjoy really great summers in this region.
In fact, climate is almost perfect for many students in San Diego since many hours of sun allow you to spend lots of time outdoors and have many great experiences.
Mild winters are attractive to many students in San Diego
Not only summers are great, but also winters are pretty mild and while students in Chicago or other colder regions often have to wear heavy coats during winter months, students in San Diego can hang out outdoors with just a shirt and will often feel like being on vacation all year long.
People who study in San Diego can spend lots of time at the beach
Since San Diego is located directly at the coast, you can also have a great time as a student in the San Diego region since you do many water sports, go for a swim or just relax so you can reload your batteries to be able to focus on your studies later on.
You can spend lots of time in beautiful nature
Another upside to studying in San Diego is that you can also spend lots of time in beautiful nature.
In fact, San Diego is surrounded by great national parks and nature reserves and you can therefore make many nice trips and can really enjoy your leisure and your student life in San Diego in general.
Students in San Diego usually stay fit
Since you can spend so much time outdoors in beautiful nature and can also enjoy many sunny days, this often also gives you the opportunity to stay fit since you will get enough exercise during your day and will not be at great risk of becoming overweight or even obese.
Students in San Diego can make many nice day trips
Since San Diego is relatively close to other big cities, you can also make many nice day trips in case you may get bored with student life in San Diego and just want to experience additional things.
San Diego is a pretty tolerant city
Since San Diego is a pretty tolerant city, you will be welcome to study in San Diego no matter where you come from and will also have a pretty easy time socializing since people in San Diego are often friendly and outgoing and curious about the stories you have to tell.
You can make friends for a lifetime
Since there are many great guys and gals studying in San Diego, you can also make many new social connections and friends rather quickly and chances are you will never feel lonely in the San Diego region.
Easy to get around in San Diego
Since you will have decent public transport, great bicycling infrastructure and San Diego is also a pretty walkable city, you will have a pretty easy time getting around as a student in San Diego while people studying in smaller towns often complain about poor public infrastructure.
Students find everything they need in San Diego
Another benefit of studying in San Diego is that you will also find most things you need at almost every corner and don’t have to worry about running out of important things of daily life anytime soon since supply of material goods is just awesome in this region.
Great nightlife in San Diego
You will also find many awesome bars and clubs in San Diego and can really enjoy vibrant nightlife.
In fact, San Diego is a great place for party people since you will have more than enough opportunities to party until the early morning on a regular basis.
You can join many student clubs and organizations
There are also many student clubs that you can join and can therefore work on many side projects that will make your student life much more interesting and you can also learn quite a lot from those experiences.
Extracurricular activities make student life in San Diego more interesting
You can also enroll in many extracurricular activities as a student in the San Diego region and can work on many important social projects so you can do good for society while making many new experiences at the same time.
You can meet students from all over the world
Since San Diego is pretty popular all over the US and even the world, you will also be able to meet many students from different states and foreign countries and can make friends with people from all over the globe and can just have a great time together.
Decent job prospects for graduates from UCSD
Since there are many decent universities in San Diego, you will also have decent job prospects by graduating from one of those educational institutions and may be able to get fancy jobs in the corporate world.
Many student jobs in San Diego
Since San Diego is a pretty big city, there are also more than enough student jobs so you can make additional money on the side and finance your degree at least to a certain extent.
You will find many opportunities to work as an intern in San Diego
You will also have many opportunities to work as an intern in the San Diego region and this can be great since you can already gain some work experience during your studies which may help you find a demanding job in the corporate world later on.
You will find many quiet places to study in San Diego
There are also many libraries and other quiet places in San Diego where you can prepare for your exams and can study hard without being distracted by other people so you can really focus on your studies and get the best grades possible.
You will never run out of ideas regarding what to do with your leisure
There are also so many things to do in the San Diego region as a student so you never have to worry about getting bored and will always find exciting leisure activities to participate in.
Chances are you will have guests quite often
Since San Diego is a pretty popular city, your friends from other cities and states will most likely visit you quite often and you will therefore most likely never feel lonely when studying in San Diego.
San Diego is a rather safe city
You should also know that compared to most other major cities in the US, San Diego is a pretty safe place and you therefore have to worry less in this regard compared to people studying in Houston or other places with higher crime rates.
Now that you know the reasons for studying in San Diego, we also have to talk about the drawbacks of studying in San Diego so you will be better able to decide whether you still want to study in San Diego or rather want to study in a different location instead.

Disadvantages of Studying in San Diego
- Student life in San Diego is pretty expensive
- Students in San Diego often have a hard time finding an affordable place to stay
- Overall high financial pressure for people studying in San Diego
- San Diego becomes increasingly crowded
- Hard to find world-class universities in San Diego
- Students in San Diego are often less ambitious than in other big cities
- You may have to stay in a rather dodgy neighborhood of San Diego
- Student jobs often don’t pay enough to finance your studies
- High tuition in San Diego universities
- Studying in San Diego may not boost your CV as much as you might expect
Student life in San Diego is pretty expensive
One problem with studying in San Diego is that it is a pretty expensive place where living costs are pretty high and you will therefore need a much higher budget when studying in San Diego compared to people studying in San Antonio or other cheaper places.
Students in San Diego often have a hard time finding an affordable place to stay
Since housing shortage is a big problem in the San Diego region, people who study in San Diego often have a pretty hard time finding an affordable place to stay within a reasonable amount of time and often get frustrated in this regard.
Overall high financial pressure for people studying in San Diego
Due to high living and housing costs, also overall financial pressure is pretty high in the San Diego region and many students therefore have to worry about money quite a lot and are not really able to focus on their studies.
San Diego becomes increasingly crowded
Another downside to studying in San Diego is that the city becomes increasingly crowded.
In fact, since San Diego has become so popular, people from all over the US and even the world want to study in San Diego and this may lower overall quality of life in the long run since the city may not be able to accommodate so many new people.
Hard to find world-class universities in San Diego
While you will find decent colleges in the San Diego region, it is still hard to find world-class education and if you want to get the best education possible, you may be better off moving to Boston and applying for Harvard or other renowned universities instead.
Students in San Diego are often less ambitious than in other big cities
Since San Diego is a pretty laid-back place, students in San Diego are often not as ambitious and willing to study hard as in many other places and chances are that you will become complacent as well if you are surrounded by complacent instead of highly-motivated and ambitious people.
You may have to stay in a rather dodgy neighborhood of San Diego
Since San Diego is a pretty expensive city where rents have skyrocketed over the past decades, many students are also not able to afford a decent place to stay in this region and have to live in rather dodgy neighborhoods where they just don’t feel welcome or safe.
Student jobs often don’t pay enough to finance your studies
While there are many student jobs in San Diego, many of them also just don’t pay enough to make a decent living and you may therefore have to take on significant student loan debt to finance your degree which you would have to pay back later in your life.
High tuition in San Diego universities
Compared to other regions, students in San Diego also pay relatively high tuition and this may get you into all sorts of financial problems, especially if you don’t get financial support from your parents and may have to make lots of money somehow.
Studying in San Diego may not boost your CV as much as you might expect
Since there are not many world-class universities in San Diego, you will also not get the same boost for your CV as people who study at Yale or other top-tier colleges.

Top 10 Studying in San Diego Pros & Cons – Summary List
Studying in San Diego Pros | Studying in San Diego Cons |
---|---|
Students in San Diego can enjoy great weather | Hard to find world-class education in San Diego |
Interesting nightlife in San Diego | Tuition is often pretty high |
Many student organizations in San Diego | Many students in San Diego complain about high living costs |
You can participate in extracurricular activities | hard to find a decent place to stay for students in San Diego |
Decent public infrastructure in San Diego | High overall financial pressure when studying in San Diego |
People in San Diego are laid-back | San Diego becomes increasingly crowded |
You can make friends for a lifetime | You will not meet as many ambitious students as in other cities |
Many universities and colleges to choose from in San Diego | Studying in San Diego may not be great for your CV |
Many big companies to work for | You may get distracted from your studies |
Many student jobs in San Diego | Many students in San Diego live in rather dodgy districts |
Is San Diego A Great City For Students?
While San Diego can be a great place to study since you will have excellent public infrastructure, great landscape and can also have a laid-back time at the beach, you should also know that it is hard to find really good universities and tuition as well as living and housing costs are also pretty high in this region.
Alternative Cities To Study
If you don’t want to study in San Diego anymore, you should also have a look at the following articles:
Advantages and disadvantages of studying in Phoenix
Advantages and disadvantages of studying in Los Angeles
Advantages and disadvantages of studying in Philadelphia
Sources
https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/sandiegocitycalifornia/PST045221
Own research.

About the author
This site is about living, moving and traveling to various parts of our fascinating planet.
My name is Andreas and when I was younger, I traveled the world and learned a lot about different cultures and countries.
Thus, I want to share my experiences with you so that you can benefit from them and avoid common mistakes in this regard.
In my articles, you will find everything you need to find the best location for a happy and successful life.