Testing and Screening
UC San Diego offers an ongoing testing program for all University community members. Tests can be completed at no cost to employees and students through UC San Diego Health and Student Health Services.
Latest Updates
- Did you receive a yellow or red thumb on your daily symptom screener?
- Students can learn more about what to do if you test positive or have symptoms (red thumb) and what to do if you are exposed (yellow thumb).
- Campus employees can learn more about how to isolate if you test positive or have symptoms (red thumb) and what to do if you are exposed (yellow thumb).
- All students and campus employees are required to test if they develop symptoms consistent with COVID-19.
- Students and campus employees who have used the restroom facilities in a facility with a positive wastewater signal are strongly recommended to conduct a test (via PCR or rapid antigen test), regardless of vaccination status.
- Daily screening requirements remain in effect for all employees and students who are studying, working and living on campus. Along with our continued wastewater testing, daily screening alerts the university to changes in the public health of our campus community.
- Beginning Jan. 5, the CDC requires a negative COVID test (PCR or antigen) within two days prior to departure for all air passengers entering the U.S. from mainland China (including Hong Kong and Macau) or documentation of recovery from COVID. International scholars, please see the employee screening and testing web page. International students, please see the student screening and testing web page.
Information for:
STUDENTS
All students who are living on UC property or are coming to campus are required to conduct a daily self-screening. Routine asymptomatic testing regardless of vaccination status is not required, but is available.
EMPLOYEES
All employees (staff, faculty, research, clinical) who report to work on campus are required to conduct a daily symptom screening. Routine asymptomatic testing regardless of vaccination status is not required, but is available.
First-Time Test at UC San Diego
New students should get their campus ID prior to arriving on campus so that they can begin to access COVID-19 PCR tests and rapid antigen tests from the two dozen vending machines across campus. Those who cannot get their ID in time can pick up a rapid antigen test at one of these locations in the interim.
COVID-19 Test Kit Vending Machines
Students and campus employees can pick up a self-administered PCR COVID-19 test kit or a rapid antigen test at one of numerous vending machines across campus. PCR samples should be returned within 72 hours—from the time the kit is picked up—at a drop box next to a vending machine (download full test kit instructions here). More information can also be found on the Student Screening and Testing page and Employee Testing and Screening page.
Reminder: PCR samples are picked up Monday through Friday at 2 p.m. and Saturdays at 11 a.m. There is no pick up on Sunday. Rapid antigen tests are available 24/7.
Vending machine locations
PCR samples are picked up Monday through Friday at 2 p.m. and Saturdays at 11 a.m. There is no pick up on Sunday. Rapid antigen tests are available 24/7.
- Muir College | Roots Restaurant (map)
- Seventh College | Next to the Parcel Center (map)
- Nuevo East (Porton) | Outdoor Gym Area (map)
- Price Center | First Floor Across from Burger King (map)*
- Thurgood Marshall College Res Halls | TMC Residence Life Lobby (map)
- Warren College | Across from the Residence Life Office (map)
- Eleanor Roosevelt College | Next to the Laundry Room at Student Activity Center (map)
- Village at Pepper Canyon | Lodge (map)
- South Mesa | 9126 Laundry Room (map)
- One Miramar | Next to the Parcel Center (map)
- School of Medicine | Biomedical Research Facility II (map)
- Revelle College | Argo Hall Parcel Center (map)
- Campus Services Complex | Electric Shop (map)
- South Parking Structure | Level 3 West Entrance (map)
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography | Eckart Building Loading Dock (map)
- Jacobs School of Engineering | Near Bear Statue (map)
- Gilman Parking | Corridor of Pepper Canyon Hall (map)
- Coast Apartments | Laundry Room (map)
- North Torrey Pines Living and Learning Neighborhood (map)
- Rita Atkinson Residences (map)
- Torrey Pines Center South | Second floor breezeway near shuttle (map)
Testing Dashboard
For more information about COVID-19 testing and prevalence in the UC San Diego community, please see the COVID-19 Daily Dashboard, which is updated weekdays with numbers based on tests conducted by UC San Diego Health and UC San Diego Student Health Services. View the dashboard.
Which Test Do I Use?
PCR
This is a very sensitive molecular test that looks for genetic material of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. It is the primary way to discover and verify the presence of a COVID-19 infection.
Rapid Antigen Test
Rapid antigen tests are less sensitive in early stages of infection and are meant to serve as a pre-diagnosis only by finding viral proteins of SARS-CoV-2 in a person’s nose or throat. There are two ways that UC San Diego is recommending their use: (1) for students who live outside the San Diego region and are moving into campus housing or students returning back to the San Diego area from outside the county or (2) to assess for ongoing need of isolation for students or employees with COVID-19; if a rapid antigen test is negative on day 5 after the onset of symptoms or a positive test, isolation is no longer needed, but masking for a 10 day period is required.
Order Rapid Antigen Tests for Campus Employees
Campus departments can order free rapid antigen tests through Oracle Procurement for anyone working at a campus location at least one day a week. If rapid antigen tests are required for events or meetings, we ask that you order only what your location will need in two-week increments. Include a description of the event and how the rapid antigen test will be distributed. Please return unused tests within 7 days. See instructions on how to place an order.
Please note that the expiration dates of rapid antigen tests have been extended by the FDA.
Privacy
UC San Diego Health is committed to protecting medical and personal information about you. To ensure a high level of privacy and security protections, UC San Diego stores information related to COVID-19 testing in UC San Diego Health’s electronic health record system known as Epic. Learn more about privacy practices.
