UCI is located at the western edge of the San Joaquin Hills, about five miles inland from the Pacific Ocean and 40 miles south of Los Angeles, in the City of Irvine, and adjacent to Newport Beach, Santa Ana, and Costa Mesa. Direct air service is available at the John Wayne Airport, located two miles from campus.

UCI opened in the fall of 1965 and now enrolls more than 16,760 students, including about 1,940 graduate and professional students, and 1,140 medical students and residents. Graduate degrees are offered through the Schools of Biological Sciences, Engineering, Fine Arts, Humanities, Physical Sciences, and Social Sciences; the College of Medicine; the Graduate School of Management, the Department of Information and Computer Science; and the Program in Social Ecology. The Office of Teacher Education offers training leading to California education credentials.