UCSD to invest US$1.1 billion for new student center and campus housing                         

CALIFORNIA – The University of California Board of Regents approved at its March meeting two key projects for the campus: the Triton Center, an integrated student support space, and the Ridge Walk North living and learning neighborhood, investing about US$1.1 billion, with construction on both beginning this summer.

“Designed to greatly enhance the student experience, these projects mark an exciting milestone for UC San Diego,” said Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla. “They provide new housing and expanded academic spaces, support interdisciplinary research and cultivate community among students and our regional neighbors, all in pursuit of the intellectual, physical and cultural transformation of our campus.”

The Triton Center, scheduled to open in 2026, is dedicated to expanded and centralized student support at the heart of the UC San Diego campus. The Student Health, Mental Health and Well-Being Building will consolidate and expand access to health, mental health and wellness resources. This includes urgent care, primary care, pharmacy services, wellness and the new Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) location.

Co-location of medical and mental health providers facilitates better access to both services, increased referral completion rates from both provider areas, improved collaboration of care for joint treatment, and immediate access to urgent consultations and referrals.

In addition, to foster students’ academic success and personal development, the Student Academic Resource Building will feature an expanded Teaching + Learning Commons and facilities for the Transfer Student Success Hub, Global Initiatives and campus support and administration.

The Triton Center will also include an Alumni and Welcome Center, which will serve as a home away from home for alumni as well as a gateway to campus for students, faculty, staff and visitors. A multi-purpose building with a 500-seat event space and art gallery will provide a place for celebration and connection. The project also includes public space improvements and accessible parking.

The four buildings of the Triton Center are designed to create an integrated and energetic central hub for UC San Diego.

The Board also approved the Ridge Walk North housing and learning neighborhood during the March meeting. It is the last of three new housing neighborhoods in three successive years scheduled to open in 2025, adding 5,700 beds to the UC San Diego campus.

When the project opens in fall 2025, Ridge Walk North Living and Learning Neighborhood will accommodate 2,400 undergraduate students and support the university’s academic mission by providing updated administrative and teaching space for Thurgood Marshall College, the School of Global Policy and Strategy, and the Department of Economics in the College of Social Sciences.

The neighborhood includes 19 new classrooms and a 150-seat lecture hall for the campus, as well as student dining facilities, wellness programs, student support services, study lounges, co-working spaces, and public space improvements such as outdoor gathering spaces and public art.

The project also includes a glassblowing craft studio that will be open to the public, similar in size to the UC San Diego Craft Center studio, located in the North Torrey Pines living and learning neighborhood.

It will be located west of the Geisel Library, inside the campus, and connected to the rest of the university via Ridge Walk, which links most of UC San Diego’s colleges and encourages human and bicycle circulation around campus and mass transit options.