University of California (UC) System

The University of California (UC) System consists of public institutions of higher education across California. UC schools have more than 280,000 students combined, and around 83% of all undergraduates in the Golden State are attending them.

There are 10 schools that make up the UC System:

• UC Berkeley
• UC Davis
• UC Irvine
• UCLA
• UC Merced
• UC Riverside
• UC San Diego
• UC San Francisco
• UC Santa Barbara
• UC Santa Cruz

In this post, we’ll take a look at each of the UC schools, arranged from the hardest to get into to the easiest to get into.

Read on if you are planning on adding one or two or more of them to your college list!

University of California, Los Angeles

• Location: Los Angeles, California
• Campus size: 419 acres
• Acceptance rate: 9%
• In-state tuition and fees: $13,752
• Out-of-state tuition and fees: $46,326
• Retention rate: 96%
• Graduation rate: 92%
• Alumni starting salary: $39,803

While UCLA became a part of the UC System in 1919, its academic life started in 1881 when it was established as a branch of the California State Normal School, which is now known as San Jose State University.

Accepting only 9% of all applicants, UCLA is the most selective of all UC System schools — it has pretty much the same acceptance rates as some highly ranked postsecondary institutions like Rice University and Tufts University.

Due to this, UCLA is considered a Private Ivy.

According to UCLA’s admissions officers themselves, there are a total of 13 criteria that are taken into account during the review process of first-time, first-year applications. Some of those that are considered include:

• Strong academic performance in a rigorous secondary school
• Special accomplishments, awards and talents
• Meaningful insights about oneself when answering the personal insight questions

Based on its latest common data set (CDS), the following criteria are not a part of the admissions process:

• Class rank
• Letters of recommendation
• Interview
• Alumni relation

Since all UC System schools are test-blind, SAT and ACT scores are not admissions requirements.

The average high school GPA of admitted freshmen students is 3.9 — around 55% of all accepted students have GPAs of 4.0, while about 36% of them have GPAs ranging from 3.75 and 3.99.

Undergraduate students may choose from a total of 141 majors. Of those, some of the most popular are:

• Economics
• Sociology
• Political science and government
• Biology
• Psychology
• Mathematics
• Computer science
• History
• English

University of California, Berkeley

• Location: Berkeley, California
• Campus size: 1,232 acres
• Acceptance rate: 11%
• In-state tuition and fees: $15,891
• Out-of-state tuition and fees: $48,465
• Retention rate: 96%
• Graduation rate: 93%
• Alumni starting salary: $54,348

UC Berkeley was founded in 1868. Back then, it was referred to as the University of California — it was the first land-grant university of California as well as the founding school of the entire UC System.

The highly selective and highly ranked public institution’s spacious campus with a city setting is currently home to 45,745 students, around 72% of whom are undergraduates.

Up to 63% of all UC Berkeley’s attendees are minority students.

Unlike most other colleges and universities, UC Berkeley requires applicants to meet a minimum high school GPA requirement. For California residents, that’s 3.0. On the other hand, that’s 3.4 for non-California residents.

The average GPA of freshmen students admitted to UC Berkeley is 3.9 — approximately 37% of all accepted students have GPAs of 4.0, while around 50% of them have GPAs ranging from 3.75 and 3.99.

Some of the things that are not considered in the admissions process include:

• Class rank
• Interview
• Alumni relation
• Religious affiliation
• Racial or ethnic status
• Demonstrated interest

Students can choose from more than 1,000 registered clubs and organizations as well as 60 plus fraternities and sororities. Undergraduates, meanwhile, can choose from over 150 minors and majors.

Among UC Berkeley’s majors, some of the most popular are:

• Biology
• Computer science
• Computer and information sciences
• Economics
• Electrical engineering
• Environmental science
• Business
• Sociology

Niche ranks UC Berkeley #124 in Top Party Schools in America 2024 and #6 in Top Party Schools in California 2024. US News, on the other hand, ranks it #15 in National Universities 2024 and #1 in Top Public Schools 2024.

University of California, Irvine

• Location: Irvine, California
• Campus size: 1,475 acres
• Acceptance rate: 21%
• In-state tuition and fees: $15,185
• Out-of-state tuition and fees: $47,759
• Retention rate: 91%
• Graduation rate: 84%
• Alumni starting salary: $37,809

The spacious suburban campus of UC Irvine is home to a total of 12 colleges and schools, including the Paul Merage School of Business and the Henry Samueli School of Engineering.

Students can choose from 224 different degree programs.

As of this writing, UC Irvine has 35,936 students — of those, around 80% are undergraduates and about 55% are minorities. Only around 2% of its entire population are members of almost 50 fraternities and sororities.

Unlike most other institutions in the UC System, UC Irvine does not report the high school GPAs of admitted first-time, first-year students on its website as well as CDS.

It does require, however, require applicants to have the following minimum GPAs:

• 3.0 for California residents
• 3.4 for non-California residents

The following criteria are considered very important by UC Irvine’s admissions officers:

• Rigor of secondary school record
• High school GPA
• Application essay
• Extracurricular activities
• Talent
• Volunteer work
• Work experience

Meanwhile, factors such as test scores, class rank, interview, alumni relation, religious affiliation, racial or ethnic status, and demonstrated interest are not taken into account in the review process.

Undergraduate students can choose from more than 70 minors and 85 plus majors. Among the various majors available, the following are some of the most popular at UC Irvine:

• Biology
• Computer science
• Managerial economics
• Public health
• Economics
• Criminology
• Research and experimental psychology
• Social psychology
• Business

UC Irvine says that residing on campus comes with many perks. Still, it does not obligate its freshmen students to spend their first year of college living in any of the institution’s two first-year residence halls.

University of California, Santa Barbara

• Location: Santa Barbara, California
• Campus size: 989 acres
• Acceptance rate: 26%
• In-state tuition and fees: $14,881
• Out-of-state tuition and fees: $45,658
• Retention rate: 92%
• Graduation rate: 85%
• Alumni starting salary: $36,242

Ranked #35 in National Universities 2024 and #12 in Top Public Schools 2024 by US News, UC Santa Barbara is the third-oldest undergraduate institution in the whole UC System, after UC Berkeley and UCLA.

The average high school GPA of freshmen applicants admitted to UC Santa Barbara is 3.9.

Given that it’s a test-blind school like the rest of the members of the UC System, UC Santa Barbara’s admissions officers do not require applicants to submit their SAT or ACT scores.

The following are also not taken into account in the admissions process just like standardized test scores:

• Class rank
• Letters of recommendation
• Interview
• Alumni relation
• Religious affiliation
• Racial or ethnic status
• Demonstrated interest

On the other hand, two of the most important academic criteria are GPA and application essays.

Some of the most highly-ranked undergraduate programs at UC Santa Barbara by US News include engineering (particularly chemical and materials engineering), computer science, psychology and economics.

When it comes to areas of study, UC Santa Barbara’s undergraduate students can choose from 40 minors and 90 majors, some of the most popular include the following:

• Sociology
• Economics
• Communications
• Research and experimental psychology
• Political science and government
• Environmental science
• Biology
• Statistics
• International studies
• Film and video studies

Up to 93% of freshmen students at UC Santa Barbara who demonstrate need receive financial aid — of those, around 83% of their financial need are met by the public research institution.

University of California, San Diego

• Location: San Diego, California
• Campus size: 1,976 acres
• Acceptance rate: 34%
• In-state tuition and fees: $14,700
• Out-of-state tuition and fees: $44,454
• Retention rate: 95%
• Graduation rate: 89%
• Alumni starting salary: $43,500

Incoming freshmen college students must meet minimum GPA requirements to be eligible for admission at UC San Diego — California residents must have at least 3.0, while non-California residents must have at least 3.4.

Local resident or otherwise, no high school course grade should be lower than a C.

Unlike most other campuses of the UC System, UC San Diego considers class rank in the admissions process, although the said criterion does not carry as much weight as the following:

• Rigor of secondary school record
• High school GPA
• Application essay
• Extracurricular activities
• Talent
• Personal qualities
• State residency
• Volunteer work

Founded in 1960, UC San Diego has a very large suburban campus that’s home to 12 colleges and schools as well as nearly 43,000 students, around 75% of whom are pursuing undergraduate degrees.

Speaking of which, undergraduate students at UC San Diego can choose from more than 100 majors across a wide variety of disciplines, and some of the most popular of those are:

• Biology
• Cognitive science
• International studies
• Political science and government
• Computer science
• Economics
• Psychology
• Mathematics
• Public health

Some of the most highly paid UC San Diego graduates according to major are as follows:

• Computer science ($80,800 per year)
• Computer engineering ($77,400 per year)
• Biomathematics, bioinformatics and computational biology ($67,800 per year)
• Electrical, electronics and communications engineering ($62,900 per year)
• Mechanical engineering ($61,000 per year)
• Aerospace, aeronautical and astronautical engineering ($56,700 per year)
• Civil engineering ($54,000 per year)
• Biomedical/medical engineering ($50,700 per year)
• Chemical engineering ($48,200 per year)

University of California, Davis

• Location: Davis, California
• Campus size: 5,300 acres
• Acceptance rate: 37%
• In-state tuition and fees: $15,266
• Out-of-state tuition and fees: $46,043
• Retention rate: 93%
• Graduation rate: 87%
• Alumni starting salary: $39,866

It was in 1905 when UC Davis was established as an agricultural school, although it became the seventh institution of the entire UC System in 1959, and from there it expanded to having graduate and professional programs.

Currently, the massive campus of UC Davis is shared by a total of 39,687 students, almost 80% of whom are undergraduates — of its attendees, approximately 62% are minorities.

Some of the most important admissions factors considered include:

• Rigor of secondary school record
• High school GPA
• Application essay

Speaking of which, freshmen applicants must respond to four out of the available eight personal insight questions, each one having a maximum of 350 words. Answering them allows admissions officers to get to know aspirants much better.

Attendees can choose from more than 800 on-campus clubs and organizations that allow them to explore their interests and create networks as well as 42 fraternities and 27 sororities.

On the other hand, undergraduates can choose from over 100 majors, some of the most popular of which are:

• Research and experimental psychology
• Management sciences and information systems
• Economics
• Neuroscience and neurobiology
• Computer science
• Animal sciences and husbandry
• Political science and government
• Human development

US News ranks UC Davis #28 in National Universities 2024 and #6 in Top Public Schools 2024. The popular college ranking site also gives the following undergraduate programs at the public institution high rankings:

• Agricultural engineering
• Biological engineering
• Civil engineering
• Environmental engineering
• Software engineering

University of California, Santa Cruz

• Location: Santa Cruz, California
• Campus size: 2,000 acres
• Acceptance rate: 47%
• In-state tuition and fees: $15,28
• Out-of-state tuition and fees: $47,862
• Retention rate: 88%
• Graduation rate: 78%
• Alumni starting salary: $35,302

First-time, first-year students who get into UC Santa Cruz, which was founded in 1965, are assigned to live in the residence halls of their respective colleges. As a matter of fact, almost 100% of all freshmen live on campus.

To be eligible for admission to UC Santa Cruz, applicants must have a minimum high school GPA of 3.0 — for non-California residents, that’s a minimum of 3.4. Also, they should have no grade lower than a C.

The average high school GPA of admitted freshmen students is 3.9.

Some of the most important academic and non-academic factors that UC Santa Cruz’s admissions officers take into account during the review process include:

• Rigor of secondary school record
• High school GPA
• Application essay
• State residency

Also considered are the following, but with less weight than the ones stated above:

• Extracurricular activities
• Talent
• Personal qualities
• First generation
• Volunteer work
• Work experience

Currently, there are more than 19,470 students attending UC Santa Cruz — of those, around 90% are undergraduates and about 61% are from underrepresented or minority groups.

There are approximately 200 registered clubs and organizations students can choose from.

On the other hand, undergraduates can choose from 70 majors across the arts, humanities, social sciences, engineering and physical and biological sciences. The following are some of the most popular:

• Computer science
• Psychology
• Cellular biology
• Managerial economics
• Sociology
• Environmental science
• Political science and government
• Cinematography and video production

University of California, Riverside

• Location: Riverside, California
• Campus size: 1,200 acres
• Acceptance rate: 69%
• In-state tuition and fees: $13,692
• Out-of-state tuition and fees: $46,266
• Retention rate: 87%
• Graduation rate: 76%
• Alumni starting salary: $30,444

UC Riverside is made up of three colleges and four professional schools.

First-time, first-year students at UC Riverside, unlike at most postsecondary institutions, are not required to live on campus. As a matter of fact, up to 70% of them are considered commuter students.

Attendees can choose from more than 450 clubs and organizations and 30 plus fraternities and sororities.

There are over 80 majors that undergraduates can choose from, and some of the most popular are:

• Business
• Biology
• Research and experimental psychology
• Sociology
• Economics
• Political science and government
• Computer science
• Mathematics
• English
• Biochemistry and molecular biology

Despite having a high acceptance rate of 69%, which makes UC Riverside one of the schools in the whole UC System that’s easy to get into, the average GPA of admitted freshmen students is 3.9.

It isn’t really surprising given that residents and non-residents must have a minimum GPA or 3.0 and 3.4, respectively, to be eligible for admission to the public land-grant research university.

Besides GPA, other criteria that UC Riverside’s admissions officers also consider in the review process are as follows:

• Rigor of secondary school record
• Application essay
• Talent
• First generation
• State residency

And now, here are some of the most highly paid UC Riverside graduates based on major:

• Computer engineering ($65,000 per year)
• Electrical, electronics and communications engineering ($59,200 per year)
• Mechanical engineering ($53,100 per year)
• Chemical engineering ($44,200 per year)
• Biomedical/medical engineering ($43,900 per year)
• Business administration, management and operations ($35,700 per year)
• Economics ($35,000 per year)
• Environmental/environmental health engineering ($33,200 per year)
• Chemistry ($32,400 per year)
• Business/managerial economics ($30,700 per year)
• International relations and national security studies ($27,300 per year)
• Public policy analysis ($27,100 per year)

University of California, San Francisco

• Location: San Francisco, California
• Campus size: 195 acres
• Acceptance rate: 71%
• In-state tuition and fees: $19,859
• Out-of-state tuition and fees: $34,961
• Retention rate: 71%
• Graduation rate: 91%
• Alumni starting salary: $65,708

Among the 10 different institutions of higher education that make up the entire UC System, UC San Francisco, which was founded in 1864, is the one that serves as a graduate and professional school only.

There are nearly 30 graduate programs available at UC San Francisco, and it’s being attended by over 3,100 students.

The following are the different schools at the public research university:

• School of Dentistry
• School of Medicine
• School of Pharmacy
• School of Nursing
• Graduate Division
• Global Health Sciences

To apply to UC San Francisco, students must follow the admissions process specific to the program or school of their choosing, of course, one of those is having an undergraduate degree under their belt.

US News ranks UC San Francisco #16 in Best Global Universities 2024. On the other hand, the following subjects are some of the most highly ranked by the same popular college ranking site:

• Neuroscience and behavior
• Clinical medicine
• Cell biology
• Oncology
• Biology and biochemistry
• Immunology
• Microbiology
• Public, environmental and occupational health
• Infectious diseases
• Surgery

University of California, Merced

• Location: Merced, California
• Campus size: 815 acres
• Acceptance rate: 89%
• In-state tuition and fees: $13,000
• Out-of-state tuition and fees: $43,777
• Retention rate: 79%
• Graduation rate: 72%
• Alumni starting salary: $36,737

Ranked #60 in National Universities 2024 and #28 in Top Public Schools 2024 by US News, UC Merced is the tenth and latest addition to the entire UC System — it was founded in 2005.

Its suburban campus is home to more than 9,100 students, of whom around 92% are undergraduates and up to 85% are minority students, as well as over 450 faculty members.

Undergraduate students can choose from 25 majors, some of the most popular include:

• Biology
• Business
• Psychology
• Computer hardware engineering
• Mechanical engineering
• Public health
• Sociology
• Political science and government

Among all UC System schools, UC Merced is the easiest to get into.

Still, freshmen applicants have to meet minimum requirements for eligibility for admission. For instance, California residents must have a GPA of 3.0 or above, while non-California residents must have a GPA of 3.4 or above.

The average high school GPA of those who get into UC Merced as freshmen students is 3.6.

Like other schools in the UC System, UC Merced does not consider SAT and ACT scores.

However, applicants may still choose to submit theirs as an alternative method for meeting minimum eligibility requirements or course placement, says the public research university itself.

The following criteria are considered very important in UC Merced’s admissions process:

• Rigor of secondary school record
• High school GPA
• Application essay

The factors below are also taken into account but with less weight than the ones mentioned above:

• Letters of recommendation
• Extracurricular activities
• Talent
• Personal qualities
• First generation
• Alumni relation
• Geographical and state residency
• Volunteer work
• Work experience