How to Get Into UCLA: Acceptance Rate & Strategies
UCLA admissions: introduction
Are you considering applying to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)? You're in good company! In the last application cycle, almost 150,000 students applied.
Keep reading to learn about UCLA acceptance rates, the GPA that will make you competitive, tips for applying, and more.
It's a lot to keep track of. If you'd like some help navigating the UCLA application process, I'd be delighted to work with your family! You can book a one-on-one consultation here and sign up for online classes here.
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Bottom line up front
In case you're here just to see the numbers, here they are:
Freshman acceptance rate: 8.6%
Transfer acceptance rate: 24.4%
Middle 50 weighted GPA: 4.4 to 4.73
How hard is it to get admitted to UCLA?
Pretty tough, candidly. UCLA's overall acceptance rate is about 9%, which means most students should consider it a "reach" school. To learn more about choosing safety, target, and reach schools, take Clarke College Insight's online course on "making the list." And read on for more specific admission statistics.
UCLA's acceptance rate
For first-year students entering in the fall of 2022, the overall acceptance rate was 8.6%. The overall acceptance rate for women was 9.7%, and the overall acceptance rate for men was 6.3%. UCLA has no early action or early decision program.
Here are freshman acceptance rates for each of UCLA's schools:
College of Letters and Science: 10%
Henry Samueli School of Engineering: 6%
Herb Alpert School of Music: 19%
UCLA School of Nursing: 1%
UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture: 5%
UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television: 3%
UCLA transfer acceptance rate
For transfer students entering in the fall of 2022, the overall transfer acceptance rate was 24.4%. The transfer acceptance rate for women was 28.3%. The transfer acceptance rate for men was 20.7%. Transfer applicants get in at higher rates than freshman applicants, which is somewhat uncommon.
Here are transfer acceptance rates for each of UCLA's schools:
College of Letters and Science: 29%
Henry Samueli School of Engineering: 11%
Herb Alpert School of Music: 14%
UCLA School of Nursing: 5%
UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture: 9%
UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television: 4%
What advantage do California residents get?
UCLA doesn't publish data about admission rates for California residents, out-of-state US residents, and international students. We only have the final breakdown of the incoming class among those categories, but we don't know if the differences come from different rates of application, admission, or enrollment. That is, maybe there are more Californians because more Californians apply.
Here are those figures anyway.
For freshman applicants entering in the fall of 2022:
California residents: 77.05%
Out-of-state US residents: 15.92%
International students: 7.03%
For transfer applicants entering in the fall of 2022:
California residents: 90.6%
Out-of-state US residents: 1.1%
International students: 8.31%
How hard is it to get off the waitlist?
Here at Clarke College Insight, we advise students to consider getting off the waitlist in the same way they might think of winning the lottery. It would be nice if it happened, but it isn't something to count on.
UCLA's waitlist admission statistics demonstrate the wisdom of this advice. Of the applicants who accepted places on the waitlist, 3.3% were admitted.
What is a good GPA for UCLA?
The middle 50 weighted GPA of UCLA freshmen in the fall of 2022 was 4.4 to 4.73.
The middle 50 for unweighted GPA was 3.95 to 4.0.
What is the middle 50? In statistics, another term for this range is the interquartile range: the range between the 25th and 75th percentiles. That may sound intimidating, but it's an easy concept to grasp once someone explains it to you.
The middle 50 range for GPA tells us what the middle half of enrolled students earned. That means a quarter of enrolled students got lower grades, and a quarter got higher grades. Of course, the unweighted GPA measure tops out at 4.0.
What is a good SAT/ACT score for UCLA?
Trick question! UCLA, like the rest of the University of California system, is test-blind. That means that the admissions office won't look at your test scores even if you send them.
Tips for applying to UCLA
To get into UCLA, you need to meet its academic threshold and stand out in a good way among other applicants.
Aim to have an appealing high school transcript ready before fall semester of senior year. UCLA only considers grades from 10th and 11th grade. Specifically, aim to take as many AP, IB, or community college classes as you can, within reason, and get good grades in them. To find out what "within reason" means and strategies to achieve that attractive transcript with minimal stress, take my online class on academics.
Choose extracurriculars that are likely to fill a talent gap on campus and focus on just a few. Aim to be specialized rather than well-rounded. For the full checklist of traits that will let you choose extracurriculars that you AND admissions officers will like, take my online class on extracurriculars.
Visit campus if you can, ideally some time when classes are in session. Arrange your visit through the admission office, or at least mention it to them by email, and try to meet with a student group and a professor of interest. Take notes and use them to write a compelling essay about why you like UCLA in particular. Those college-specific details are a great way for prospective students to show that they're likely to enroll if admitted.
Give your recommendation letter writers plenty of lead time, so no subconscious resentment about a last-minute hassle bleeds into their prose. The end of junior year is best. Equip them with brag sheets that do most of the work for them and show off your best traits.
For personalized guidance for your child's goals and strengths, you can book a one-on-one consultation here. I look forward to working with your family!
