UCSD Extension, the continuing education and public service arm of the university, annually educates 40,000 people through innovative local, corporate, online, and UCSD-TV programs. In addition, public programs such as Global CONNECT and San Diego Dialogue conduct timely research and provide business assistance to foster regional development throughout the world, including in the San Diego-Baja California area.s
About 20,000 individuals annually enroll in Extension’s 2,000 university-level professional and enrichment courses. That includes 4,000 online learners and 2,200 visiting students from forty-five countries. For the convenience of working adults, classes for most of Extension’s 100 certificate programs and more than twelve specialized study programs are held evenings and weekends on the UCSD main campus and at three other locations in Sorrento Mesa, Rancho Bernardo, and Mission Valley.
Extension reaches another 20,000 people through public lectures, outreach programs, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute for retirees fifty years or older who attend programs taught by distinguished scholars and professionals, and award-winning UCSD-TV that reaches 1 million homes. Extension receives no state support and relies on funding generated from fees, contracts, grants, sponsors, and donors for its annual budget of approximately $30 million.