UCSD Admission Requirements

Q: Does University of California San Diego prefer SAT or ACT?

88% of students submit their SAT scores to UCSD. 43% of applicants send their ACT scores when applying.

Q: What is my chance of getting into University of California San Diego?

30% of those who apply are granted admission to UCSD. Admission competition is high and the college has exceptional admission standards. See if your grades and scores are good enough for admission .

Q: What SAT score is required for University of California San Diego?

The middle 50% of addmitted applicants have SAT scores between 1260 and 1470. 88% of students submit SAT scores when applying. See if your SAT score is good enough for admission .

Q: What ACT score is required for University of California San Diego?

The middle 50% of addmitted applicants have ACT scores between 27 and 33. 43% of students submit ACT scores when applying. See if your ACT score is good enough for admission .

La Jolla, California

Chances of getting into University of California San Diego

Acceptance Rate

30.1%

Admission Difficulty for University of California San Diego
Measure	Difficulty
Admission Standards		Exceptional
Applicant Competition		High

How hard is it to get into UCSD and can I get accepted? The school has a 30% acceptance rate ranking it #17 in California for lowest rate of acceptance. Last year, 29,428 out of 97,894 applicants were admitted making UCSD a highly competitive school to get into with a lesser chance of acceptance for qualifying applicants. Academically, it has extremely high requirements for admission test scores, generally admitting students who score in the top 16 percent. University of California San Diego typically accepts and attracts "A-" average high school students. Only 23% of those admitted chose to enroll in the school.

UCSD SAT Scores

SAT Requirements & Average SAT Score

SAT Range

1260-1470

Applicants Submitting SAT

88%

SAT Scores for University of California San Diego
SAT Test	25th Percentile Score
SAT Reading 25th	620
SAT Math 25th	640
SAT Composite 25th	1260

SAT Scores for University of California San Diego
SAT Test	25th Percentile Score
SAT Reading 75th	700
SAT Math 75th	770
SAT Composite 75th	1470
Average SAT Score	1370

SAT Scores you need to get in

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

University of California San Diego typically requires applicants to be in the top 17 percent of SAT test takers. The school consistently takes SAT composite scores down to 1260 on a 1600 scale, below which admission should be considered a reach. We estimate some students could be accepted with SAT's as low as 1150. The estimated average SAT composite for admitted freshman is 1370 out of 1600. The school ranks #10 in California for highest average SAT composite score. A competitive SAT score is critical as 88 percent of applicants submit SAT scores to the school. Note: SAT scores presented on this page have been adjusted upwards per the College Board's concordance tables for test takers after March 2016.

Data Sources, IPEDS for Fall 2018 starting class

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Estimated Chance of Acceptance by SAT Score

University of California San Diego admission chances by SAT score
SAT Score (1600 scale)	Competitiveness	Admission Chances
1470 and Above	Good	>42%
1365 to 1470	Avg +	30%-42%
1260 to 1365	Avg -	20%-30%
1155 to 1260	Reach	13%-20%
Less than 1155	Low	<13%

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UCSD ACT Scores

ACT Requirements & Average ACT Score

ACT Range

27-33

Applicants Submitting ACT

43%

ACT Scores for University of California San Diego
ACT Test	25th Percentile Score
ACT Reading 25th	25
ACT Math 25th	26
ACT Composite 25th	27

ACT Scores for University of California San Diego
ACT Test	75th Percentile Score
ACT Reading 75th	34
ACT Math 75th	33
ACT Composite 75th	33
Average ACT Score	30

ACT Scores needed to get accepted

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

Admission data indicates that UCSD regularly accepts students with ACT's of 27 and above. Successful applicants typically send ACT scores in the top 15 percent nationally. We estimate the school accepting minimum ACT composite scores around 24 in some instances. Prospective students submitting an ACT composite of 30 or higher should be in the upper half of applicants - and students with a 33 and above have very competitive chances. The school ranks #10 in California for highest average ACT composite score. 43 percent of applicants submit ACT scores to University of California San Diego.

Data Sources, IPEDS for Fall 2018 starting class

Estimated Chance of Acceptance by ACT Score

University of California San Diego admission chances by ACT score
ACT Score	Competitiveness	Admission Chances
33 and Above	Good	>42%
30 to 33	Avg +	30%-42%
27 to 30	Avg -	20%-30%
24 to 27	Reach	13%-20%
Less than 24	Low	<13%

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Estimated GPA Requirements & Average GPA

Avg. High School GPA

3.82*

Typical High School Grades

A-

You will need exceptionally good grades to get into University of California San Diego. The average high school GPA of the admitted freshman class at University of California San Diego was 3.82 on the 4.0 scale indicating that primarily A- students are accepted and ultimately attend. The school ranks #16 in California for highest average GPA. Even with a competitive GPA, admission to UCSD will be challenging as the school denies more applicants than it admits.

What do these ratings mean?

*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. 3.82 is an estimate of the school's average incoming freshman GPA.

Admission Statistics

University of California San Diego admission statistics
	Women	Men	Total
Applied	53,210	44,684	97,894
Accepted	16,091	13,337	29,428
Acceptance Rate	30%	30%	30%
Enrolled	3,474	3,233	6,707
Percent of Admitted Who Enrolled (Admission Yield)	22%	24%	23%

Fall 2020 Application Deadline

Applications were Due

Nov 30, 2019

Days left to Apply

None

The application deadline for Fall 2020 has passed. Applications were due on Nov 30, 2019.

Admission Requirements

What are the requirements for admission to University of California San Diego and what considerations affect admission decisions?

University of California San Diego Admission Requirements
Test Scores	Required
High School GPA	Required
High School Class Rank	Neither required nor 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 San Diego
AP Credit	Yes
Dual Credit	No
Credit for Life Experiences	No

Other Colleges to Consider

University of California Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California

Colorado School of Mines

Golden, Colorado

University of Washington Seattle Campus

Seattle, Washington

The University of Texas at Austin

Austin, Texas

The University of Texas at Dallas

Richardson, Texas

University of Minnesota Twin Cities

Minneapolis, Minnesota

University of Wisconsin Madison

Madison, Wisconsin

Primary data source, U.S. Department of Education https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?id=110680 IPEDS survey data for University of California San Diego.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does University of California San Diego prefer SAT or ACT?

88% of students submit their SAT scores to UCSD. 43% of applicants send their ACT scores when applying.

What is my chance of getting into University of California San Diego?

30% of those who apply are granted admission to UCSD. 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 San Diego?

The middle 50% of addmitted applicants have SAT scores between 1260 and 1470. 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 San Diego?

The middle 50% of addmitted applicants have ACT scores between 27 and 33. 43% of students submit ACT scores when applying. See if your ACT score is good enough for admission.

UCSD Campus

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