Students in UC San Diego class
Students in a UC San Diego class. Courtesy of the university

The fall quarter began Thursday for 8,600 new students and tens of thousands of returning scholars at UC San Diego.

Arriving freshmen have an average SAT score of 1858, and transferring students can boast an average grade of 3.46 from their previous college classes.

ā€œWe are pleased to welcome our dynamic new class of students to the campus community,ā€ said Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla. ā€œWith an unwavering commitment to enhance the student experience, we’ve developed new resources and opportunities to ensure our students are successful on campus and in their chosen fields, so they can go on to become alumni who will have a positive impact on our community and world.ā€

The university estimates enrollment numbers for undergraduate and graduate students to be a record 36,400 this fall.

To accommodate the growing student population, the Mesa Nueva graduate housing project with 1,350 beds was recently completed and students have already moved in.

The campus will accommodate more than 14,700 students living on campus this fall, including 11,264 undergraduates and 3,480 graduate and professional students.

Chris Jennewein is Editor & Publisher of Times of San Diego.