1961 – Founding Land

For $1, the Irvine Company transferred 1,000 acres to the University of California for the future site of the UC Irvine campus. Architect William Pereira (left) was commissioned to develop the master plans for the new campus and the new City of Irvine. Daniel G. Aldrich (right) was appointed the founding chancellor.

1964 – Campus Dedication

United States President Lyndon B. Johnson dedicated the campus.

1965 – Six Schools Established

1965 – Campus Construction

Campus architect William Pereira chose the Brutalist style for the original eight campus buildings.

1965 – First Day of Class

On the first day of classes, UC Irvine welcomed 1,589 students.

1969 – First National Athletic Championship

UC Irvine’s men’s swim team defeated 81 other schools to win the NCAA College Division national championship.

1970 – School of Social Ecology

Academic program launched, laying the foundation for the nation’s first School of Social Ecology.

1975 – Postal Code

Campus assigned its own postal code as enrollment reached 9,547 students.

1976 – Medical Center

UCI purchased the Orange County Medical Center and renamed it the UCI Medical Center.

1977 – First Female Athletic Director

Linda Dempsay became the first female athletic director at a Division I institution.

1978 – Minority Student Representation

UCI achieved the highest minority student representation in the nation.

1979 – Irvine Meadows West

Student housing RV park opened near the Social Science Farm, operating until 2003.

1983 – National Medal of Science

Frederick Reines received the National Medal of Science for discovering the neutrino.

1986 – Shakespeare’s First Folio

Patrick Hanratty donated a First Folio of Shakespeare’s plays to UC Irvine Libraries.

1987 – Donald Bren Events Center

Opened in January, becoming home to athletics, concerts, and commencement ceremonies.

1991 – Earth System Science

Department of Earth System Science established, the first of its kind in the nation.

1995 – Nobel Prize in Physics

Frederick Reines won the Nobel Prize for his discovery of the neutrino.

1995 – Nobel Prize in Chemistry

F. Sherwood Rowland won the Nobel Prize for discoveries leading to ozone protection.

1996 – Association of American Universities

UCI elected to the prestigious Association of American Universities.

2003 – National Medal of Science in Behavioral and Social Sciences

R. Duncan Luce received the National Medal of Science for advances in mathematical modeling of behavior.

2004 – Nobel Prize in Chemistry

Irwin “Ernie” Rose, distinguished professor in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics, awarded the Nobel Prize for his discovery of ubiquitin-mediated protein degradation.

2005 Stats

• 24,986 students • 85,000 alumni • $236 million in grants and contracts

2009 – UC Irvine School of Law

UC Irvine School of Law opened, the first public law school to open in California in 40 years. Its inaugural class of 2012 had a 90% pass rate for the California Bar Exam.

2010s National Championships

2011 – First LEED Platinum Building

Humanities Gateway completed, UCI’s first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum building. Today, the campus has 32 LEED Platinum and Gold buildings.

2012 – New Swan Shakespeare Festival

First New Swan Shakespeare Festival held in its outdoor Shakespearean theater.

2014 – Presidential Commencement Address

President Barack Obama gave the commencement to more than 6,000 graduates and 30,000 guests at Angel Stadium.

2014 – Sustainability Rankings

Sierra Magazine ranked UCI no. 1 in the nation for sustainability.

2015 – National Humanities Medal

Distinguished Professor Vicki Ruiz received the National Humanities Medal for her pioneering work sharing the histories of twentieth-century Latinas.

2015 – Orange County & Southeast Asian Archive Center

OC&SEAA opened, becoming the home of the Southeast Asian Archive and Orange County Regional History Collection.

2015 – Brilliant Future Campaign

UCI launched Brilliant Future, the largest fundraising campaign in Orange County history.

2015 Stats

• 31,551 students • 183,525 alumni • $395 million in grants and contracts

2016 – Esports Program

UCI Esports Arena opened, establishing the first public university esports program.

2016 – Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander–Serving Institution

UCI named an AANAPISI institution, recognizing its significant Asian American and Pacific Islander student population.

2017 – Hispanic-Serving Institution

UCI named an HSI, reflecting that at least one-fourth of its undergraduate students identify as Hispanic.

2020 – COVID-19 Pandemic

Responding to COVID-19, the Irvine campus closed March 19, with limited residential and essential staff remaining.

2020 – Black Lives Matter Protests

Demonstrators rallied at UCI Health Medical Center, leading to new initiatives including Anteater Voices for Change.

2022 – Academic Workers Strike

Academic workers held a six-week strike, the largest of its kind in U.S. history.

2023–2024 Stats

• 371,350 students • 258,000 alumni • $668 million in grants and contracts

2024 – Health Acquisitions

UCI Health acquired four hospitals, adding nearly 860 inpatient beds.

2024 – ZotGPT Chat

ZotGPT Chat introduced, one of the first customized generative AI tools in the UC system.

2025 – UCI Health — Irvine Medical Campus Fully Open

A new all-electric medical campus opens, including an acute care hospital, emergency department, and comprehensive cancer center.