Welcome New Students!
We are thrilled to welcome you to the Department of Chemistry at the University of California San Diego! Our major curriculum is designed to provide students with a strong foundation in chemistry that will prepare you for your future career.
As a Chemistry student at UC San Diego, you'll have the opportunity to explore experiences in and outside of the classroom. Our undergraduate students hold leadership positions in ACSSA, study abroad on five continents, present their research at scholarly conferences, gain transferable skills and experience, network with alumni, serve the community, get accepted into top graduate programs, and begin successful careers.
We have pages for both First Years and Transfers to try to help answer most of your questions.
If you are seeking information about petitions please check out our petitions page.
If you are inquiring about advising services and our advising schedule, please check out our advising services page.
If you have any additional questions, you can e-mail us at chemadvising@ucsd.edu! If Online Advising has opened for you, please reach out to us there to get the fastest and most complete answers.
Fall 2026 Students
- Triton Day
Please join us for Triton Day! Triton Day is an opportunity to learn more about being a student in our department and you will get the chance to meet our Chemistry Undergraduate Advising team.
Programming Dates:
- Triton Days Open House on Saturday, Aprill 11, 2026 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Transfer Celebration on Friday, May 8, 2026 from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Department Participation Opportunities:
- Triton Days Open House: resource fair tabling, 30-minute information sessions, and department open houes.
- Transfer Celebration: resource fair tabling.
- Triton Days Open House: resource fair tabling, 30-minute information sessions, and department open houses.
- Transfer Celebration: resource fair tabling
- Summer Online Info-Sesion
Every summer we host a virtual info session for our newly admitted students. This summer in 2026, we are unable to host an online info-session due to the transition to the new TSS system.
Please keep an eye out on your UCSD email for additional and pertinent information.
- Orientation
We would love to meet you before your classes begin on fall! We would like to invite you to our Chemistry New Student Orientation + Welcome Reception on September 23rd, 2026 from 2-4pm. More details to follow via email during summer. Both department orientations will be hosted at the same time, followed by a shared welcome reception.