Which UC school has the lowest acceptance rate? The schools in the University of California (UC) system with the lowest acceptance rates are:
UC Los Angeles with an acceptance rate of 14.4%
UC Berkeley with an acceptance rate of 17.5%
UC Irvine with an acceptance rate of 29.9%
UC Santa Barbara with an acceptance rate of 36.9%
UC San Diego with an acceptance rate of 38.3%
See Also:
How to respond to a College rejection and get accepted
How to reapply to the college that rejected and get accepted
University of California Schools Acceptance Rates
I have shown the average University of California Schools (UC)’s acceptance rates, and average GPA of students that get accepted in the table below:
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UC School Name
Acceptance Rate
Average GPA Admitted
UC Los Angeles (UCLA)
14.4%
4.18 – 4.31
UC Berkeley (UCB)
17.5%
4.13 – 4.30
UC Irvine
29.9%
3.96 – 4.26
UC Santa Barbara
36.9%
4.03 – 4.27
UC San Diego(UCSD)
38.3%
4.04 – 4.28
UC Davis
46.6%
3.97 – 4.25
UC Santa Cruz
65.2%
3.71 – 4.16
UC Riverside
66.2%
3.65 – 4.11
UC Merced
85.4%
3.40 – 3.96
UC Acceptance Rates by major class of 2026
Do UC schools admit by major?
Firstly, it’s important to educate applicants/students that most UC schools do not consider majors as a factor for the decision.
Applicants may not be advantaged or disadvantaged due to the major they apply for because all UC schools’ majors are known to be competitive.
As an applicant, all you need to get into any UC school is to maintain an academic profile that is above the UC’s entry requirements.
Comparing UCs to Ivy Leagues Acceptance Rate
Although some schools in the University of California system are hard to enter, the Ivy League school are harder.
Check out:2022 Ivy Leagues Acceptance Rates, Class of 2026
Generally, Ivy Leagues are more difficult to enter than UC schools. Again, Ivy schools have very low acceptance rates compared to UCs.
Conclusively Ivy leagues have the lowest acceptance rate and they are more competitive than UC schools.
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We believe you have seen the acceptance rates for the University of California for the incoming classes across all UCs schools. Kindly share and drop your thoughts below.
The Class of 2026 saw an admit rate of 8.56%. Berkeley, which saw a similar pandemic-era surge in application volume and ties UCLA for the #1 Public School slot, was still seeing a double-digit overall acceptance rate as of the Class of 2026. We'll see if the Class of 2027 tips the scale.
UC Berkeley's acceptance rate for the Class of 2026 is 11.4% and is expected to drop because of the CA Supreme Court hearing to keep total enrollment at 2020 levels. UCLA has seen an even greater dip in acceptance rates to 8.6% for the Class of 2026.
UC Irvine accepted 25,213 of the 119,210 first-year applicants seeking admission into the Class of 2026. This means that the UC Irvine acceptance rate was 21%, an all-time low. Recent acceptance rates were a bit higher: Class of 2025 acceptance rate: 29%
The Class of 2026 UCSD acceptance rate was 23.7%. We expect the Class of 2027 figure to be very similar. In previous years, the UC San Diego acceptance rate was as follows: Class of 2025: 34%
1) UCLA. It should come as no surprise that UCLA tops the list. With the lowest number of admitted students in the bustling metropolis of Los Angeles, UCLA has rigorous admissions standards.
Even if UCLA and Berkeley are reaches, there's still hope of attending a UC school. The easiest UC schools to get into include UC Santa Cruz, UC Riverside, and UC Merced, all of which have acceptance rates over 50%.
The University of California at Santa Barbara is a large public university located on a suburban campus in Santa Barbara, California. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 23,091, and admissions are highly selective, with an acceptance rate of 29%.
The University of California at San Diego is a large public university located on an urban campus in La Jolla, California. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 33,343, and admissions are highly selective, with an acceptance rate of 34%.
The University of California at Santa Cruz is a large public university located on an urban campus in Santa Cruz, California. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 17,864, and admissions are selective, with an acceptance rate of 59%.
For every 100 applicants, 21 are admitted. This means the school is very selective. If you meet UC Irvine's requirements for GPA, SAT/ACT scores, and other components of the application, you have a great shot at getting in.
What is the acceptance rate for Cal Poly? Cal Poly admissions is selective with an acceptance rate of 33%. Students that get into Cal Poly have an average SAT score between 1240-1440 or an average ACT score of 26-32. The regular admissions application deadline for Cal Poly is November 30.
Yes, there is a strong preference for in-state students, but out-of-state students are welcome to apply and are accepted at UC Berkeley. The acceptance rate for out-of-state students is around 8.6%.
The lowest admission rates, for the class of 2026, is Harvard University with 3%. Using its data from the class of 2027, the students who are starting this autumn, just 1,942 students were accepted from nearly 60,000 applicants.
UCLA and UC Berkeley are often considered the crown jewels of California public universities. Those two schools boast the lowest admissions rates among California public schools, with three other UCs — Irvine, San Diego and Santa Barbara — rounding out the top five.
UC has a specific way to calculate the grade point average (GPA) it requires for admission. California applicants must earn at least a 3.0 GPA and nonresidents must earn a minimum 3.4 GPA in all A-G or college-preparatory courses to meet this requirement.
Introduction: My name is Corie Satterfield, I am a fancy, perfect, spotless, quaint, fantastic, funny, lucky person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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