Commons

 

Walk a Mile (Give or Take) in Our Shoes

There’s no better way to get a feel for what UC Riverside is all about than to take a Campus Walking Tour with a UCR student as your guide. Experience the sights and sounds of UC Riverside’s bustling student life firsthand as you stroll through campus including a visit to a library, one lecture hall, the learning center, Campus Store, and the new Highlander Union Building (HUB). The routed tour follows along a student's walking path to class so you’ll get an idea of what a typical day would be like. Prospective and newly admitted students and their families can reserve a 50-minute guided tour throughout the year. Reservations are required for all tours, as space is limited.

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From 10 to 100, Your Group is Invited!

The University of California, Riverside has become a popular choice for students and we’re excited that you’re interested in bringing your group for a visit. Campus tours can include a university life presentation facilitated by an admissions counselor, a guided campus tour, residence hall tour, student recreation center tour, botanic garden tour and special presentations. The university life presentation will cover admission requirements, important deadlines and application information, as well as housing, financial aid and student life highlights. The tour will showcase a lecture hall, a library and other great places at UCR. Our office can handle groups of between 10 and 100 total people per visit. Just complete your reservation and we’ll be in touch!

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Our Residence Hall Doors Are Always Open

Our student-led tours last about 60 minutes and generally include a visit to a room in each of our two traditional residence halls, Aberdeen-Inverness and Lothian, and a room in our suite-style halls in Pentland Hills. Housing tours take place Monday through Friday (excluding holidays), starting at 10 a.m. and ending at 4 p.m. from the Aberdeen-Inverness Residence Hall. Please note that housing tours and campus tours are independent of each other. Allow approximately 10 minutes to walk uphill from the end of the campus tour outside the Student Services Building to Aberdeen-Inverness. The all-day parking permit that you purchased for your campus tour is also valid in Lot 23, which is near the residence halls if you would like to drive instead.

Stay for the Food!

In addition to the housing tour, you’re welcome to dine at one of our residential restaurants or in our Highlander Union Building on main campus, following your tour. This is a great way to experience campus life at UC Riverside and meet current students.

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Some Students are ‘Bourn’ for Engineering

Bourns College of Engineering offers customized Engineering tours throughout the year for prospective students, parents and guests. These tours are provided by student Ambassadors to give guests an up-close look at the state-of-the-art engineering facilities, departments and hands-on student labs. Tours also provide guests with a student's perspective on the academic experiences, social life and ways engineering students have fun and stay connected within the College. Tours should be reserved at least two weeks in advance.

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Working Out on Campus Shouldn’t Be a Sweat

Our 80,000+ square foot facility features a 6,000 square-foot weight room, 3,000 square-foot cardio area, 30 kinds of classes, hardwood basketball, tennis, racquetball, outdoor hockey, beach and indoor volleyball, badminton, two outdoor tracks, an intense ropes course, rock climbing and an outdoor excursions center. Guided walking tours are available through the Student Recreation Center, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 pm. Reservations are required.

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Get Ready for the Wildest Tour in Riverside

The UCR Botanic Gardens is a living museum, a classroom and laboratory without walls. School groups can learn much from organized tours of the Gardens. Any group from 10 to 60 persons (or two classes), third-grade to adult, may schedule a tour. Include one adult for every 10 students less than 18 years old. All groups of more than 10 people must schedule their visit in advance. For people with mobility limitations, ask about tours of the Wheelchair Pathway.

Docent-guided school tours include general information about the Gardens, desert adaptations of plants, uses of local plants by Native Americans, the state tree and flower, herbs, and more. Tour groups are met at the Gardens entrance at the scheduled time. If you arrive early, use the opportunity to peruse information pamphlets, get a drink of water and use the restrooms (the next restrooms are 20 to 30 minutes along the tour!).

Most buses can turn around and drop off students near the entrance and park in the Gardens' free lot where they don't block traffic; buses may also leave campus and return to pick up the students at an appointed time. Guided tours are best scheduled at least one month in advance. Docents are available 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 3 p.m. Tuesday to Friday. Tours last about an hour, depending on interest and questions. There is a 15-minute leeway for arrival -- if your group is 15 minutes late, the guided tour is cancelled -- so allow plenty of time for loading and traffic. Some classes like to bring a sack lunch to eat on the lawn area after the tour. Tours are scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis.

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