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#11 Best Public Universities in America

UCI Admission Requirements

Irvine, California

 2 Reviews

Chances of getting into University of California Irvine

Acceptance Rate

Admitted 
29%
Admission Difficulty for University of California Irvine
Measure Difficulty
Admission Standards Exceptional 
Applicant Competition High 
How hard is it to get into UCI and can I get accepted?

The acceptance rate at UCI is 29%.  It ranks #10 in California and #84 in the nation for lowest rate of acceptance. UCI is a highly competitive school to get into with a lesser chance of acceptance for qualifying applicants. Last year, 31,110 out of 107,950 applicants were admitted.

The school has extremely high admission requirements, generally admitting students who can score in the top 19 percent on standardized admission tests. University of California Irvine typically accepts and attracts "A-" average high school students with an average GPA around 3.75. Most incoming freshmen graduate in the top ten percent of their high school class. 21% of those admitted chose to enroll in the school.

The UCI application fee is $70 and applications are due by Nov 30.

Test Optional

Submission of SAT or ACT scores is not required or recommended by University of California Irvine.

UCI SAT Scores

SAT Requirements & Average SAT Score

SAT Range 
1230-1430
Applicants Submitting SAT 
88%
SAT Scores for University of California Irvine
SAT Test 25th Percentile Score
SAT Reading 25th 600
SAT Math 25th 630
SAT Composite 25th 1230
SAT Scores for University of California Irvine
SAT Test 25th Percentile Score
SAT Reading 75th 680
SAT Math 75th 750
SAT Composite 75th 1430
Average SAT Score 1330

SAT Scores you need to get in

What are the SAT requirements for students to be admitted to University of California Irvine?

University of California Irvine is a test optional school meaning applicants are not required to submit SAT scores with their application. The position on SAT scores from the school is "neither required nor recommended".

Students who get into University of California Irvine score in the top 20 percent of all SAT test takers.. The SAT composite score range for the middle 50% of students is 1230-1430.

Find other colleges with similar SAT score requirements

Data Sources, IPEDS for Fall 2021 starting class

Estimated Chance of Acceptance by SAT Score

University of California Irvine admission chances by SAT score
SAT Score (1600 scale) Competitiveness  Admission Chances 
1430 and Above Good >44%
1330 to 1430 Avg + 29%-44%
1230 to 1330 Avg - 18%-29%
1130 to 1230 Reach 10%-18%
Less than 1130 Low <10%
Calculate My Chances 

UCI ACT Scores

ACT Requirements & Average ACT Score

ACT Range 
26-33 
Applicants Submitting ACT 
41%
ACT Scores for University of California Irvine
ACT Test 25th Percentile Score
ACT Reading 25th 25
ACT Math 25th 26
ACT Composite 25th 26
ACT Scores for University of California Irvine
ACT Test 75th Percentile Score
ACT Reading 75th 33
ACT Math 75th 31
ACT Composite 75th 33
Average ACT Score 29

ACT Scores needed to get accepted

What are the ACT requirements for prospective students to get into UCI?

University of California Irvine is test optional. Students are not required to submit ACT scores with their application. The policy on ACT scores is "neither required nor recommended".

UCI regularly accepts students who score 26 and above on the ACT. These students typically score in the top 18 percent nationally. The ACT composite score range for the middle 50% of students is 26-33.

Find other colleges with similar ACT score requirements

Data Sources, IPEDS for Fall 2021 starting class

Estimated Chance of Acceptance by ACT Score

University of California Irvine admission chances by ACT score
ACT Score Competitiveness  Admission Chances 
33 and Above Good >46%
29 to 33 Avg + 29%-46%
26 to 29 Avg - 19%-29%
23 to 26 Reach 12%-19%
Less than 23 Low <12%
Calculate My Chances 

UCI GPA

Estimated GPA Requirements & Average GPA

Avg. High School GPA 
3.75*
Typical High School Grades 
A-

What GPA do you need to get into University of California Irvine?

Applicants require exceptionally good grades to get into UCI. The average high school GPA of the admitted freshman class at University of California Irvine was 3.75 on the 4.0 scale indicating that primarily A- students are accepted and ultimately attend. The school ranks #23 in California for highest average GPA. Even with a competitive GPA, admission to UCI will be challenging as the school denies more applicants than it admits.

 What do these ratings mean?

Explore more colleges with similar GPA requirements

*This school has not released high school GPA data for its incoming freshmen. In these cases, CollegeSimply employs an artificial intelligence (AI) process to predict GPA based on this school's test scores and a large sample of other colleges' data. 3.75 is an estimate of the school's average incoming freshman GPA.

High School Class Rank

98% of University of California Irvine freshman were in the top ten percent of their high school graduating class.

High School Class Rank for admitted University of California Irvine students
High School Class Rank Freshmen Within Range
Top 10% of class 98%
Top 25% of class 100%
Top 50% of class 100%
Data Source, Peterson's Data

Applying

Admission Statistics

University of California Irvine admission statistics
Women Men Total
Applied 57,022 50,928 107,950
Accepted 17,678 13,432 31,110
Acceptance Rate 31% 26% 29%
Enrolled 3,886 2,603 6,489
Percent of Admitted Who Enrolled (Admission Yield) 22% 19% 21%
Data Sources, IPEDS for Fall 2021 starting class

Fall 2023 Application Deadline

Applications were Due
Nov 30, 2022
Days left to Apply
None

The application deadline for Fall 2023 has passed. Applications were due on Nov 30, 2022.

Application Fee

The cost for prospective students to apply to University of California Irvine is $70.

Application Requirements

What are the requirements for admission to University of California Irvine and what student information is used for admission decisions?

University of California Irvine Application Requirements
Test Scores Neither required nor recommended
High School GPA Required
High School Class Rank Recommended
Completion of College Preparatory Program Required
Recommendations Neither required nor recommended
Demonstration of Competencies Neither required nor recommended

Credits Accepted

High School Credits Accepted at University of California Irvine
AP Credit Yes
Dual Credit No
Credit for Life Experiences No
Other Colleges to Consider 

Primary data source, U.S. Department of Education https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?id=110653 IPEDS survey data for University of California Irvine.

FAQs

Does University of California Irvine prefer SAT or ACT?

88% of students submit their SAT scores to UCI. 41% of applicants send their ACT scores when applying.

What is my chance of getting into University of California Irvine?

29% of those who apply are granted admission to UCI. Admission competition is high and the college has exceptional admission standards. See if your grades and scores are good enough for admission.

What SAT score is required for University of California Irvine?

The middle 50% of addmitted applicants have SAT scores between 1230 and 1430. 88% of students submit SAT scores when applying. See if your SAT score is good enough for admission.

What ACT score is required for University of California Irvine?

The middle 50% of addmitted applicants have ACT scores between 26 and 33. 41% of students submit ACT scores when applying. See if your ACT score is good enough for admission.