Recruitment

Join us on our journey into the stars!

Applying

We typically hold recruitment at the beginning of every Fall and Winter quarter, though additional recruitment may happen throughout the year as specific positions open up. We accept students of all age, grade, and major and we welcome all to apply! For more information about our teams, process, and application see below. If you have any additional questions, don’t hesitate to contact us!

Fall 2026

Applications Open Now!

Applications Close:

  • Friday, October 2nd at 11:59 pm

Key Events

Tabling and Mixers are the single best way to make yourself known, ask questions, and stand out. They give you the opportunity to meet current members and leadership in a casual, low-pressure setting. We host at least one mixer at the beginning of every Fall Quarter and table throughout the year. While not strictly required, attending our mixer or stopping by tabling is strongly encouraged to help your application stand out. Follow our instagram to stay up to date!

Fall 2026

Recruitment Mixers

  • Wed, Sept 30 | 8pm - 10pm | @ ASML Center

  • Thu, Oct 1 | 8pm - 10pm | @ ASML Center

MAE Orientation Tabling

  • Wed, Sept 23 | 10:30am - 11:30am | @ MAE Courtyard

SE Orientation Tabling

  • Wed, Sept 23 | 10:30am - 11:30am | @ FAH Lawn

Engineering Fair Tabling

  • Wed, Sept 23 | 1pm - 3pm | @ Warren Mall

Library Walk Tabling

  • Thu, Sept 24 | 10:00am - 4:00pm | @ Library Walk, Space 1991

  • Fri, Sept 25 | 10:00am - 4:00pm | @ Library Walk, Space 1991

  • Mon, Sept 28 | 10:00am - 4:00pm | @ Library Walk, Space 1991

Engineers on the Green Tabling

  • Tue, Sept 29 | 11am - 4pm | @ Warren Mall

SEDS UCSD

SEDS UCSD was founded with the goal of giving students the opportunity to challenge the boundaries of space exploration through engineering. We pioneer industry-level rocketry projects and cultivate leaders in both engineering and business fields, all while performing research that pushes the space industry forward as a whole. We develop some of the most advanced technologies in collegiate rocketry with intense creativity and relentless hard work.

Our Teams

Our organization designs, builds, and launches liquid rocket vechicles and their engines. Our projects provide students with the opportunity to conduct real aerospace research at a collegiate level, directly preparing them for the industry. Our technical teams span Propulsion, Fluids, Test, Structures, and Avionics.

Our Business and Finance team members get real, hands-on experience bringing in some of the biggest names in the industry as sponsors and budgeting our expenses. Our Media and Outreach team publicizes our launches across multiple media platforms, gives back to our San Diego community through tabling events and programs, and works with community partners.

Our mentorship program SEDSxFEM partners with Triton Racing and RPL to provide opportunities and a safe space for first-year women and gender minorities in engineering fields. SEDSxFEMxTR organizes its own recruitment process concurrently to the general recruitment for SEDS, we encourage first-year women to apply to both!

Learn more about each of our teams further below on this page!

About our Process

SEDS UC San Diego holds a general recruitment period once a year in fall. We have a formal recruitment process including mixers, an interview, and a cadetship period. Though fall is our largest recruitment period, additional recruitment happens throughout the year as specific positions open up. Check back at the start of each quarter for more information on our next recruitment period!

About your Application

We recruit for passion, dedication, and the ability to work well in team settings. We want to bring on people who we believe will enjoy themselves and their work in the long term. Technical experience is always helpful, but we know that everyone has the potential to learn given the chance. Thus we encourage anyone and everyone who is excited to push this field forward and willing to make it happen to apply regardless of experience level.

Don’t get discouraged if your first application doesn’t land you a spot. Apply, and keep applying! Keep in mind we can onboard a limited number of people each recruitment cycle due to the financial and administrative constraints that come with being a 100% student-led team.

If you have any additional questions, don’t hesitate to contact us!

Our Projects

Tidepool

SEDS designs, tests, and iterates on liquid-propulsion systems, high altitude rockets, and self-landing suborbital rocket technology. Tidepool is the current main focus of SEDS UCSD and one of only a handful of vertical-takeoff, vertical-landing rockets being developed by collegiate rocketry teams. The vehicle is designed to ascend to 10m using a liquid-propellant rocket engine, hover, and then return safely to its landing pad under active control.

Vesper

SEDS is also preparing to launch Vesper, a 20-foot liquid-propellant targeting 20,000 feet. Its fluid, structural, and avionics systems have matured through extensive testing and iteration. The Vesper team aims to carry this test-first approach into launching UCSD’s first liquid-propellant rocket in over a decade while developing knowledge and skills transferable to future projects.

Business and Finance

The Business and Finance team works to provide financial stability, record-keeping, and development of sponsorship relations for the entirety of the organization. Through means of budgeting and strategic planning, we guide the organization through the many financial challenges that may present themselves while developing our many aerospace-related projects. Membership within the Business and Finance team offers the ability to develop relevant experience managing finances for multiple projects while simultaneously developing commercial relationships through supply-chain or sponsorship relations. Most importantly, Business and Finance at SEDS at UCSD offers the unique ability to gain business development experience while involving yourself within the ever-growing aerospace industry.

Media and Outreach

The Media and Outreach team works to maintain the online and public presence of SEDS at UCSD at tabling events and through various online platforms such as Instagram, Threads, Youtube, and LinkedIn. The team is ever-growing as we implement new ways to reach out to potential sponsors in tandem with the business team, community leaders, other rocketry organizations, and our vibrant community overall. In this team, we showcase the amazing accomplishments of our technical teams and we give back to our community by tabling and presenting at public-facing events. Students are able to practice skills not commonly found in classrooms such as large public event speaking, community outreach, and social media management, while also growing more conventional skills such as presenting, videography, visual design, and collaboration. We practice these skills while also learning more about the rapidly growing aerospace industry and giving back to our amazingly diverse San Diego community.

SEDS x FEM x TR

SEDSxFEMxTR is a mentorship program opportunity for first year (and select second year) women and gender minorities geared towards increasing the retention of gender minorities in engineering fields. SEDSxFEMxTR exists within SEDS and UCSD’s Formula SAE team Triton Racing where members are accepted alongside their acceptance to the club they apply for. Members are paired up with an older member of their club who will serve as a mentor throughout the year holding weekly one-on-one meetings and weekly community meetings with workshops for professionalism and technical software and hardware skills.

The application for SEDSxFEMxTR can be found here. If you are interested in this program, we encourage you to fill out both the general SEDS application and the FEM application.

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