The University of California (UC) is one of the most prestigious public universities in the United States. As such, it is no surprise that admission to UC campuses is highly competitive. In order to be considered for admission, students must have a strong academic record with a high grade-point average (GPA). But their admissions stats regularly leave California residents scratching their heads.
The UC system uses a holistic admissions process, which means that it considers a variety of factors when making admissions decisions, including how many UC-approved and AP courses a student took relative to the opportunities they were offered; outstanding work in a subject, project or field of study; recent, marked improvement in their academics; special talents or skills; extracurricular activities; personal essays; community service; life circumstances, and the location of a student’s school and residence. But the UC system does not release any specific information about how it weighs these factors, making it difficult for students to understand how they can improve their chances of being admitted.
One data point that is available, however, is that of grade-point averages for their California applicants. A recent report in the San Francisco Chronicle showed the average GPA that got students into each UC campus for every high school — public and private — in California for the fall of 2022. At first glance, the numbers are intimidating. Many high schools had – on average – higher than a 4.0 for students accepted into one of the nine UC schools. But because the UCs each have their own criteria and – in addition to that – often admit students by academic department, the average GPA for students accepted into the UC system as a whole is somewhat misleading. A student applying to engineering might need a higher GPA, while a student applying for art might need an impressive portfolio but only an average GPA to get in the door. Or a student with 3.4 applying to UC Merced might have better chances than a student with a 4.5 applying to UCLA. Differences in enrollment rates can be linked to student demographics, as well, with application and acceptance rates varying greatly from campus to campus. GPAs are just a small part of the admissions puzzle.
Planning on applying to the UC system this fall? Here are some tips:
- Make sure you have a strong academic record, with good grades in challenging courses.
- Get involved in extracurricular activities. The UCs look for students who are well-rounded, exceptionally focused and/or who have made significant contributions to a community.
- Write thoughtful and revealing essays. The school wants to get to know you as a person, and this is the place to do it. Be genuine, and put in the time to showcase yourself as a compelling applicant.
- Use the additional information section of the application to call attention to any limitations you may have had. Examples include your school only offering three AP classes being the reason you only took three AP classes; a scheduling conflict preventing you from taking a certain course; a unique family situation or health issue may have limited your ability to participate in extracurriculars; etc.
- Be realistic. UC’s admission rates are competitive, with more than 100,000 seniors in California high schools alone applying each year. Even students from academically rigorous high schools have less than a 20% chance of getting into UCLA or Berkeley.
If attending a University of California campus is your goal, make sure you apply to multiple campuses – no fewer than seven. Even then, you are not guaranteed a spot in this unprecedented competitive environment for admissions, so plan to apply to schools outside of the UC system as well. Consider private schools and even the strong California State (CSU) campuses.
Some feel that the UC application system should be more transparent, that it does not give students enough information and insight into their admissions priorities. Regardless of the debate, the UC system’s admissions process is likely to remain a mystery for the foreseeable future.
Sumida, Nami. “Charts show University of California admissions rates for every public high school in state.” San Francisco Chronicle, Updated Jan. 25, 2023, Accessed March 2023. https://www.sfchronicle.com/projects/2023/uc-school-admissions/
Echeverria, Danielle. “What GPA is needed to get into UCLA and UC Berkeley? Here’s the data, explained.” San Francisco Chronicle, Updated March 25, 2023, Accessed March 2023. https://www.sfchronicle.com/california/article/uc-berkeley-ucla-gpa-17852100.php