Your Guide to UC Schools Admissions: How To Get Accepted

The University of California schools are considered some of the best public universities in the country. As a Former Admissions Officer in the UC system, I'm very familiar with these universities. And as a Senior Strategist at Crimson, I’m part of a team that has helped 1,000+ students gain admission to the UCs — including 232 to UCLA and 239 to UC Berkeley as of this writing.

---

In this article, I’ll give you an overview of the UC system and describe each of the UC schools, including:

• What each UC is known for
• How to compare the UCs to each other
• Admissions requirements for the UCs
• How to choose the best UC school for you

I’ll also show you how to make your UC application stand out to the most competitive UCs (UCLA and UC Berkeley).

Read on for a comprehensive guide to the University of California schools!

What Are UC Schools?

The University of California (UC) system is a group of public universities in California. It was founded in 1868 and is regarded as one of the best public university systems in the country.

The UCs are large research universities, meaning their main responsibility is to conduct and publish research in addition to teaching. They are known for their commitment to academic excellence and public service.

Most of the UC campuses have over 20,000 undergraduate students. UC Merced, the newest of the UC campuses, has the smallest enrollment at just 8,000 undergraduates. UCLA has over 30,000.

List of UC Schools

Here are the nine undergraduate campuses in the University of California system, listed in alphabetical order:

1. UC Berkeley
2. UC Davis
3. UC Irvine
4. UCLA (Los Angeles)
5. UC Merced
6. UC Riverside
7. UC San Diego
8. UC Santa Barbara
9. UC Santa Cruz

You also may have heard of UC San Francisco. UCSF only offers graduate and professional courses, so I won’t spend much time on it in this blog post.

Comparing the UC Schools: Acceptance Rate, and Size

For a bird’s eye view of each school’s key characteristics, take a look at the table below. It shows the number of undergraduates, average standardized test scores and GPA of accepted students, and acceptance rate for each UC school. Use it to compare the UC schools at a glance.

For the most detailed ranking of the UC schools — and help putting the ranks in perspective — check out this blog post: UC Schools Ranked: Discover The Best UC Schools in 2024.

What is each UC school known for? 

The UCs have a lot in common:

• They all use the same application and have the same admissions requirements. 
• They are all research universities and governed by the same board. 
• Their student bodies are diverse
• They emphasize public service

The differences between UC schools lie in their locations and campus cultures. The descriptions below are based on my time as an Admissions Officer in the UC system, the opinions of former students who were accepted to UC schools, each school’s website, and student reviews published online.

I imagine you’re reading this so you can compare the UCs and decide which would be the best fit for you. As you read about each UC, keep in mind the following:

• All rankings are by external parties; the UCs themselves don’t have an official ranking system
• Any UC school will give you a high quality education
• Each campus is unique, and there is likely one or two that will be the best for for you

UC Berkeley

UC Berkeley is known for its top-ranked programs in STEM and business. It’s also renowned for its Division 1 athletics and 120+ robust graduate programs. It awards over 4,000 master's degrees and nearly 800 doctoral degrees each year. 

One of UC Berkeley’s nicknames is “Bezerkeley,” an homage to its eccentric student body and history of social activism. For example, the Free Speech Movement of the 1960s was a response to restrictions on political expression on campus and played a key role in shaping civil liberties across the country. 

UC Berkeley’s location in the Bay Area offers endless social and professional opportunities. Students report that their classes are high-quality and challenging, although very large.

UCLA

Next up is the most applied-to university in the entire country: UCLA. Situated on a 419-acre campus in sunny Westwood, Los Angeles, UCLA is close to Beverly Hills and Rodeo Drive as well as several hiking trails and beaches. 

UCLA received a whopping 169,800+ applications in the 2023-2024 application cycle, bringing its acceptance rate to 9.6% — lower than UC Berkeley’s! Students compete for spots in one of its strong undergraduate programs across STEM, Liberal Arts, the Humanities, and Visual and Performing Arts.

The school spirit is palpable at UCLA. Thousands of students and fans love attending Division 1 football or basketball games. UCLA has the second most NCAA championship titles at 123, right behind Stanford.

UCLA students rave about its social scene and food. Like any large school, it can be hard to get the classes you want. Consistent with LA, housing can be expensive. 

UC San Diego

Another beachy crowd-pleaser, UC San Diego is located in sunny La Jolla, just north of San Diego. It’s famous for its Scripps Institute of Oceanography and is ranked first in the U.S. by the journal Nature for environmental research. It’s also ranked by U.S. News as number one in Behavioral Neuroscience, number eight in Political Science, and number twelve in Engineering.

UCSD’s campus culture is more laid back than those at UCLA, UC Santa Barbara, and UC Berkeley. This can be a pro or a con, depending on how much you like the social element of university life. While the campus is split into six residential colleges that make it feel small in some ways, UCSD is still massive. Students report that it can be hard to make it across campus for back to back classes!

UC Santa Barbara

UC Santa Barbara is nestled in picturesque Isla Vista, just steps away from the beach. While the campus culture is beachy and laid back, UCSB also has a reputation for having a lively social scene. 

UCSB's 85 majors and 50+ minors are housed within three colleges: Letters & Science, Creative Studies, and Engineering. It is known for its Koegel Autism Center  and for having the best sociology department of all the UCs.

Students at UCSB love its beautiful location and busy social scene. They do report that class sizes can be larger in lower division courses. And some dorms at UCSB place three students per room, which can feel cramped.

UC Irvine

This UC is located in Irvine, an affluent suburb between LA and San Diego that is ranked as one of the safest cities in the U.S. It has highly ranked programs in game development, software engineering, biological sciences, public health, and business.

Despite being a large public university, UC Irvine has a close-knit community feel. Students report feeling supported by professors. The social scene tends to be on the quieter side.

UC Riverside

UC Riverside is located inland in Southern California, about 60 miles east of Los Angeles. It is best known for its high-ranking programs in engineering and technology. It is also ranked number two in the country for social mobility — meaning that enrolls and graduates a large proportion of underrepresented students.

Similar to UC Irvine, students at UC Riverside report feeling welcome and supported by professors, as opposed to being just another face in the crowd at one of the bigger UCs. Students also enjoy the high level of diversity on campus. Some students mention not feeling safe walking alone at night, so they take similar precautions that one would normally take when working late in any urban environment. 

UC Santa Cruz

Tucked away in coastal forest, UC Santa Cruz has a communal and progressive feel. It is one of the most vegan-friendly universities and serves a sizeable amount of local, organic produce in its dining halls. UCSC is known for its highly ranked game design program as well as its research in astronomy, genomics, ocean sciences, and cancer research.

Students love the natural beauty of the campus as well as the nearby beach and boardwalk. The social scene runs on the quiet side, and off-campus housing can be hard to come by.

UC Davis

For those who prefer a small town feel over the beach or a big city, there’s UC Davis. This UC sits in a relatively rural area of Northern California, about 11 miles from that state capital of Sacramento. Surrounded by farmland, UC Davis is renowned for its winemaking programs and veterinary school, which is ranked number one in the world!

Since there isn’t much to do in the surrounding area, the on-campus social and extracurricular scene at UC Davis is vibrant. Given its proximity to farmland, students say that the smell of cows can be a regular occurrence. Students report that bikes are a must for getting around on the large campus.

UC Merced

Last, but not least, we have the newest UC. UC Merced has the fewest students of any UC and sits in California’s rural Central Valley, about two hours east of Yosemite National Park. Those who value environmental stewardship will appreciate that every building on UC Merced’s campus is Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified.

UC Merced is known to be generous with financial aid. Instead of offering federal loans, it offers grants and scholarships that don’t need to be paid back. The average financial aid gifted to UC Merced students in the 2022-2023 academic year was 21,868, and 84% of students received financial aid. 

Being a newer and smaller UC, students there feel like they have an active role in shaping the campus culture. They do note that the campus is “in the middle of nowhere,” so there isn’t much to do in the surrounding area.

How to Choose the Best UC School for You

Need help deciding which UC school may be best for you? Check out this blog post for a breakdown of each one and guidance on how to decide.

UC School Admissions Requirements: Academic

The A-G Course Requirements

To be eligible for admission at a UC school, you must complete at least 15 of what the UC calls “A-G courses.” These are college-prep courses that are broken down into 7 categories:

Courses that meet the A-G requirements are typically Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) courses — accompanied by a satisfactory score on the exam — or college courses. Head over to this page to see which exams and coursework satisfy each of the A-G requirements.

You must earn a letter grade of a C or higher in these courses. But don’t be fooled — C grades won’t get you into the more selective UC schools like Berkeley and UCLA!

Note that you must finish at least 11 of these courses before the start of your senior year.

Wondering whether a particular course counts towards the A-G requirements? Use the UC system’s A-G Course List search tool to find out.

How the UCs Calculate GPA

The UC system is one of the only state systems that recalculates GPA. This means that they don’t make evaluations based on the GPA reported on your transcript. They recalculate it based on their own criteria in an effort to account for differences in high school curricula. 

When recalculating your GPA, the UCs only factor in:

• Courses from 10th and 11th grade. Note: Courses from the summer after 9th grade count as 10th grade. 
• Courses that meet the A-G requirements.

So if you had a rocky start to high school, don't worry — the UCs don’t consider your grades from 9th or 12th grade in your GPA calculation. Instead, they’ll look at those years to make sure you're satisfying the A-G requirements. And if you didn’t do as well in a non-A-G course, it’s not as detrimental to your application review, since they don’t look at courses outside the A-G requirements.

If you want to have an idea of what your GPA will be after the UCs recalculate it, you can use the formula on this page. However, DO NOT report a recalculated GPA on your UC application. Report your grades exactly as they are on your transcript, and the admissions committee will recalculate it accordingly.

GPA Requirements

Applicants to UC schools from California must earn at least a 3.0 GPA in all A-G or college-preparatory courses. Nonresidents must earn a minimum GPA of 3.4. 

As mentioned above, the UC system will recalculate your reported GPA based on its own weighting system.

Are the UCs Strict About Their A-G and GPA Requirements?

Yes, the UCs are strict about their A-G and GPA requirements. Many other non-UC universities have recommended course requirements — but when the UCs say, for example, to take two years of a foreign language, they mean it. 

That said, the admissions committee understands that sometimes even the most capable and intellectually curious sometimes can’t meet the full admissions requirements. Perhaps you are homeschooled, or your life experiences prevented you from checking every box.

In rare cases, it is possible to still be admitted if you haven’t met the A-G and GPA requirements perfectly. This is called “admission by exception,” and it’s typically used for students who didn’t use a standardized curriculum.

Note: For international students, the UCs tend to be less rigid on the A-G requirements. 

Do the UCs Require the SAT or ACT?

During the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, the UC system dropped its standardized test requirement. UC still does not require standardized test scores (SAT/ACT) as part of its admissions process. In fact, the UC schools do not consider SAT or ACT test scores at all when making decisions about admissions or financial aid.

However, there may still be a reason to take the SAT or ACT when applying to UC schools. While the SAT/ACT are not considered during the admissions process, you can still use those tests to satisfy certain A-G course requirements or determine course placement after being accepted to a UC school. 

If you plan to use test scores to meet an A-G requirement or for course placement, you must first submit your application without scores. After submitting, you can log back in and report the ACT or SAT scores. You must provide an official score report after receiving an offer from a UC school.

Academic Tips:

• Plan your course load early in high school to make sure you will meet all of the A-G requirements.
• Refer to your official transcripts to ensure accuracy when filling out the academic portion of your application. But don't send your official transcripts yet. Once you're admitted to UC, then you’ll be asked to submit your final transcripts.
• Prioritize doing well in A-G courses in 10th and 11th grade, since those are the ones being evaluated by UC schools.
• DO NOT RECALCULATE YOUR OWN GPA. Report exactly what is on your transcript with complete accuracy.
• If you haven’t met the full admissions requirements for the UCs but still believe you would thrive there, you can still apply. Use the Personal Insight Questions (PIQs) or additional comments section on the application to offer insight into your story.
• Although the UCs do not consider standardized test scores in the admissions process, it may still be wise to take the SAT or ACT. Your scores can be used to satisfy some A-G requirements or place you in a higher level course once accepted to a UC.

UC School Admissions Requirements: Non-Academic

Personal Insight Questions

To get to know more about your unique personality, background, and achievements, the UC application uses the Personal Insight Questions (PIQs). You must answer 4 out of the 8 questions using no more than 350 words per answer.

Here are my top tips for answering the UC Personal Insight Questions:

• Think of the UC Personal Insight Questions as a strategic chance to elaborate on your Activities List. Choose your 4-5 biggest activities or achievements (capstone project, important research, etc) that you want to highlight and frame your responses around them.
• The PIQs are broad, so it’s easy to be repetitive. Be careful not to repeat information or say the same things in more than one answer. 
• Don’t refer to specific UC schools in your responses. You are applying to the UC as a system on this application — not just one school.
• Be direct in your responses. The 350-word limit fills up fast, so cut out any “fluff.” As UC admissions officers, we care about the content, not flowery language.
• All 8 of the PIQs are considered equally. Choose whichever questions you think you can provide the best response to.
• PRO TIP: Your PIQ answers are a great starting point for Common App essays. If you are applying to UC schools as well as universities that use the Common App, write your UC PIQs first. You may expand on one for the Common App’s Personal Statement or condense some of them to use on the Supplemental Essays.

The Activities and Awards Section

The UC application offers 20 spots to list extracurricular activities and awards you’ve earned. This is also the place to include courses you pursued outside of school that are not listed on your transcript. 

While admissions officers do want to know how you spend your time, they will also be looking for themes and personal qualities in your activities descriptions — qualities like leadership, ambition, initiative, and impact.

If you’re also applying to schools that use the Common App, then the UC application’s 20 spaces and 350 character limit for each activity description will feel like a luxury compared to the Common App’s 10 spaces and 150 characters!

When adding an item to the Activities and Awards section, you can designate it as one of the following categories: 

• Award or honor
• Educational Prep Programs
• Extracurricular activity
• Other coursework 
• Volunteer / Community Service
• Work experience

While you might be tempted to write a simple description of each activity and move on, I would urge you to reconsider. Use the available space as an opportunity to demonstrate leadership and impact to admissions officers. Even 15-20 minutes of work on each activity description can go a long way in boosting the strength of your application. 

I’ll show you what I mean. Here are two descriptions of the same activity for the UC application. The first example is a simple description of the activity: 

Volunteer, Local Animal Shelter
Helped care for animals, cleaned cages, assisted with adoptions, provided general support. (89 characters)

This description doesn’t really add value to the application or communicate anything about you to admissions officers. Anyone who reads “Volunteer, Animal Shelter” would be able to guess what your duties were without you having to tell them.

Let’s rework it:

Volunteer, Local Animal Shelter
Managed the care of 50 animals, ensured well-being and cleanliness. Developed & led successful social media campaign to increase adoption rates, resulted in 30 adoptions over 6 months. Organized & facilitated community outreach events, fostering partnerships w/ local businesses & schools. Volunteered 100+ hours, earned Volunteer of the Month twice. (349 characters)

See how much better the second example is? That’s because: 

• It demonstrates impact by quantifying as much as possible: 50 animals, 30 adoptions, 6 months, 100 hours. 
• It uses strong active verbs that convey leadership: managed, developed, organized, facilitated.
• It draws a clear line from the student’s actions to the results: “resulting in”, “fostering”
• It shows competence by mentioning honors related to the position: “Volunteer of the month twice”
• It communicates some of the student’s values. Based on this description, one can gather that this student is organized, compassionate towards animals, resourceful, and plugged into the community.

So spend some time crafting each activity description. It’s worth it! 

Here are my top tips for filling out the UC Application’s Activities and Awards Section:

• Use the top box to state your role and the name of the organization. No need to waste space on this in the description!
• Utilize all of the character space available.
• Use abbreviations! Don’t worry about using perfect grammar or full sentences.
• List the most important and impactful activities first.
• In each description, aim to show: the impact you made (preferably in numbers), a lesson or skill you learned, 2-3 of your core values, and at least one problem you solved.
• Don’t exaggerate or fabricate awards. Anything you put on the application is subject to verification.
• PRO TIP: If you’re applying to UC schools as well as colleges that use the Common App, write your UC Activities List first. Then choose the 10 most impactful activities, condense their descriptions, and use these on the Common App. 

For more guidance on writing effective descriptions for your Activities List, see this blog post.

Where to Put Special Projects or Talents on the UC Application

The UC system explicitly lists both special projects and special talents or interests as some of the 13 factors they consider in the evaluation process.

If you have completed a capstone project (also known as a passion project), include it in the Activities and Awards section of the application. A well-executed and impactful passion project is an excellent way to stand out to the admissions committee.

Here’s an example of a capstone project description for the UC Application:

Founder, Green Earth Initiative
Launched a project to reduce plastic waste and promote sustainability. Led 20 volunteers in weekly beach cleanups, collecting 2,000+ pounds of trash. Created workshops for 500+ students on eco-friendly practices. Partnered with businesses to cut plastic usage by 30%. Raised $10,000 through grants and fundraisers to support environmental efforts. (346 characters)

If you have any special talents or interests, these are worth sharing on your application. Not only is it an honest depiction of who you are, but it adds depth to your character — even if the interest is not directly related to your intended area of study.

To list a talent on the Activities and Awards section, choose the category that makes the most sense for the activity. Often, this will be the “extracurricular activity” category. If you’ve earned any awards for your talent, you can select “award or honor” and then frame your interest in the context of the award.

Does UC Take Letters of Recommendation?

The UC system does not require letters of recommendation. In fact, if you submit them, they won’t be read. You may be asked for them later as part of a supplemental review, but they will notify you directly about this via email.

What Do the UCs Look For?

The UC says on its website that it considers 13 different points when reviewing applications. The points are as follows:

1. GPA in all completed A-G courses, including additional points for completed UC-certified honors courses.
2. Number of, content of, and performance in all A-G courses and beyond
3. UC-approved honors, AP, IB, and transferable college courses.
4. California students only: Being ranked in the top 9% of your class at the end of junior year (known as Eligible in the Local Context, or ELC).
5. Quality of A-G courses planned for senior year.
6. Quality of your performance in courses relative to what is offered at your school.
7. Outstanding performance in one or more subjects
8. Outstanding work in one or more special projects in any subject.
9. Improvement in academic performance and quality of coursework
10. Special talents or achievements in a particular field.
11. Completion of special projects in conjunction with your high school.
12. Academic accomplishments in light of your life circumstances.
13. Where you live and go to school.

You might have noticed two important words found in these 13 points: “quality” and “outstanding.”

In the context of the UC application, "quality" refers to the level of rigor. It measures whether you’re taking the most challenging courses available to you — typically by maximizing the advanced academic opportunities (AP, IB, Honors) offered at your school. The question admissions officers will ask when determining quality is: Did you make the most of your academic opportunities? And if your school didn’t offer many, did you pursue more outside of school?

Now for the word “outstanding.” In terms of the UC application, "outstanding" means an exceptional performance or achievement in a specific subject or project. This includes excelling in a challenging course, taking on roles like a teaching assistant, pursuing advanced studies or special projects independently. It highlights extraordinary skill, dedication, and impact in your academic pursuits.

Having multiple “outstanding” achievements on your application is most powerful when those achievements are related to one another. For example, say you’re interested in Business. So you max out your school’s courses related to business and economics. You take an online course about financial markets with a Yale professor. You complete an internship with a Fortune 500 company, and you start your own business. All of these “outstanding” achievements compound into a cohesive application theme to help your application stand out.

As you construct your application, aim to keep tying it back to the above 13 points.

UC Berkeley’s Selection Process

UC Berkeley pioneered the holistic review process for first-year applicants that is now used by all UC campuses. “Holistic review” means that no one piece of information is weighed more heavily than another.

But what, exactly, is UC Berkeley looking for? The school seeks students who “are most likely to contribute to Berkeley’s intellectual and cultural community and, ultimately, to the State of California, the nation, and the world.” That leaves room for interpretation, so let’s look at the numbers behind admitted Berkeley students.

Key Points for Admission to UC Berkeley:

• Academic Excellence: The median unweighted GPA for admitted students is 3.9. They tend to choose the most difficult courses available at their school (like APs) and look for chances to challenge themselves academically.
• No Standardized Tests: UC Berkeley, like all UCs, is "test-free." This means SAT and ACT scores are not considered in the admissions process. However, if you're admitted, these scores can be used for course placement or credit.
• Holistic Review: Berkeley values applicants who show not only academic prowess but also a passion for making a positive impact. This can be through leadership roles, community involvement, and unique personal achievements.
• Application Process: There is no Early Action or Early Decision option. The regular decision application deadline is November 30th.
• PIQs: In your responses to the PIQs, Highlight how your experiences align with Berkeley's values and mission. Be direct — no need for flowery language!

UCLA’s Selection Process

UCLA is one of the most selective schools in the UC system, with an acceptance rate of just 9%. UCLA states that they consider the following when evaluating applicants:

• Academic Achievement: This includes the amount and rigor of courses taken, plus the grades earned in those courses. Students admitted to UCLA have a median unweighted GPA of 4.0. The university, like all UCs, doesn’t consider high school class rank or publish the class rank of admitted students.
• Personal Qualities: UCLA throughout your application for evidence of qualities like leadership ability, character, motivation, tenacity, initiative, originality, creativity, intellectual independence, responsibility, insight, maturity, and demonstrated concern for others and for the community.
• Likely Contributions: UCLA is looking for students who are likely to make meaningful contributions to “a campus that values cultural, socioeconomic, and intellectual diversity,” both in and out of the classroom.
• Achievement in academic enrichment programs, including those sponsored by the University of California.
• Other Achievements: This includes awards, exceptional performance on exams, accomplishments in sports or the arts, employment, leadership activities, and community service.
• Opportunities: All achievements are considered within the context of the opportunities available to you.
• Challenges: The university considers challenges you may have had to overcome, like language background, parents’ education level, and support at home.

How to Stand Out to UC Schools

Standing out from thousands of other UC applicants requires strategic planning and thoughtful presentation. Here are some key ways to differentiate yourself.

Excel Academically

UC schools prioritize academic excellence. Beyond meeting the A-G course requirements, aim to exceed them. Take additional advanced courses like AP or IB classes. If your school doesn’t offer them — or doesn’t offer many — look for outside opportunities to challenge yourself (see Crimson Global Academy’s online AP courses here). 

While the minimum GPA requirement is 3.0 for California residents and 3.4 for nonresidents, competitive applicants often have much higher GPAs. Focus on achieving strong grades in 10th and 11th grade A-G courses, as these are the primary grades UC schools consider.

Highlight Unique Talents and Projects

Special projects and unique talents can significantly enhance your application. Whether it’s launching a community initiative, excelling in a particular subject, or showcasing a creative talent, these elements help to paint a fuller picture of who you are. In the description of each activity, be sure to show leadership and quantify your impact.

Craft Thoughtful PIQ Responses

The PIQs are your opportunity to contextualize your achievements and share your personal story. Choose questions that will highlight your most significant activities. Be concise and avoid repetition. Use these responses to explain any challenges you've overcome and to demonstrate your personal growth.

Emphasize Non-Academic Qualities

UC schools are looking for students who will contribute positively to their campus community. Highlight your leadership roles, community involvement, and any unique personal qualities or experiences. 

Plan Ahead and Be Authentic

Start planning your coursework and extracurricular activities early in high school to make sure you meet all the requirements. Present your genuine experiences rather than trying to fit a particular mold. Authenticity resonates with admissions officers and can make your application more memorable.

Final Thoughts

Beyond meeting the admissions requirements, there’s no secret formula to getting accepted at a UC school. The UCs are looking to admit students who will contribute to their campus communities and make a difference in the world. To stand out, present yourself authentically and show how you align with the ideals of the UCs. 

To maximize your chances of getting accepted to a UC, book a free consultation today. Crimson students enjoy acceptance rates of 58.6% to UC Berkeley and 51.7% to UCLA  — that’s 5.4x higher and 6x higher, respectively, than the general acceptance rates. Our expert Academic Advisers can show you how to frame your achievements and make your profile stand out from the thousands of others applying. 

Further Reading

• BLOG: How to Choose the Best UC School for You
• BLOG: How To Get Into UC Berkeley
• BLOG: How to Get Into UCLA