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Brand Guidelines Brand Guidelines
  1. UC San Diego Brand Guidelines
  2. Using the Brand
  3. Use of the University Name

Use of the University Name

Our name, like our logo, is a core part of the university’s identity and should always be used consistently and correctly to reinforce and protect our brand.

“UC San Diego” not “UCSD”

Using “UC San Diego” in place of the abbreviation “UCSD” better identifies our campus both locally and nationally. There’s confusion among San Diego higher education institutions because of similar abbreviations — UCSD, USD and SDSU — which we eliminate by using UC San Diego. Additionally, this naming convention is consistent with other campuses in the University of California system, such as UC Irvine, UC Riverside, UC Santa Barbara, UC Davis and so on.

University of California San Diego (no comma)

We no longer use a comma when referencing the University of California San Diego. Our goals are to avoid the multiple variations currently used for naming the campus — University of California (“at” or “in,” or with the comma) San Diego — and to foster consistency, so use this name in all print and online applications.

Citing the Campus

In all communications efforts, please follow this protocol whenever possible:

  • First reference, spell out the name: University of California San Diego.
  • Subsequent references and in headlines, use the abbreviated version of the name: UC San Diego (not UCSD).
  • You can also use other words such as “campus” or “institution” to refer to UC San Diego.

Special Use Cases

  • Registered student organizations must use “at UC San Diego” in their naming convention, such as “Engineers without Borders at UC San Diego” — not “UC San Diego Engineers without Borders” or “UCSD Engineers without Borders.”
  • The UCSD abbreviation may be used in hashtags, URLs and email addresses.

Note: Use of the University of California San Diego name is strictly regulated and must be approved by the Chancellor or his designated representative (University Communications) per DA 0864. For more information about policy PPM 510-10 or to submit an official Use of Name request, please email brand@ucsd.edu.