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#9 Best Public Universities in America

UCSD Admission Requirements

La Jolla, California

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Chances of getting into University of California San Diego

Acceptance Rate

Admitted 
34%
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 acceptance rate at UCSD is 34%.  It ranks #15 in California and #110 in the nation for lowest rate of acceptance. UCSD is a highly competitive school to get into with a lesser chance of acceptance for qualifying applicants. Last year, 40,493 out of 118,386 applicants were admitted.

The school has extremely high admission requirements, generally admitting students who can score in the top 14 percent on standardized admission tests. University of California San Diego typically accepts and attracts "A-" average high school students with an average GPA around 3.82. Most incoming freshmen graduate in the top ten percent of their high school class. 19% of those admitted chose to enroll in the school.

The UCSD 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 San Diego.

UCSD SAT Scores

SAT Requirements & Average SAT Score

SAT Range 
1270-1480
Applicants Submitting SAT 
88%
SAT Scores for University of California San Diego
SAT Test 25th Percentile Score
SAT Reading 25th 620
SAT Math 25th 650
SAT Composite 25th 1270
SAT Scores for University of California San Diego
SAT Test 25th Percentile Score
SAT Reading 75th 710
SAT Math 75th 770
SAT Composite 75th 1480
Average SAT Score 1380

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 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 San Diego score in the top 15 percent of all SAT test takers.. The SAT composite score range for the middle 50% of students is 1270-1480.

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 San Diego admission chances by SAT score
SAT Score (1600 scale) Competitiveness  Admission Chances 
1480 and Above Good >49%
1375 to 1480 Avg + 34%-49%
1270 to 1375 Avg - 21%-34%
1165 to 1270 Reach 12%-21%
Less than 1165 Low <12%
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UCSD ACT Scores

ACT Requirements & Average ACT Score

ACT Range 
28-34 
Applicants Submitting ACT 
43%
ACT Scores for University of California San Diego
ACT Test 25th Percentile Score
ACT Reading 25th 26
ACT Math 25th 27
ACT Composite 25th 28
ACT Scores for University of California San Diego
ACT Test 75th Percentile Score
ACT Reading 75th 35
ACT Math 75th 33
ACT Composite 75th 34
Average ACT Score 31

ACT Scores needed to get accepted

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

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

UCSD regularly accepts students who score 28 and above on the ACT. These students typically score in the top 12 percent nationally. The ACT composite score range for the middle 50% of students is 28-34.

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 San Diego admission chances by ACT score
ACT Score Competitiveness  Admission Chances 
34 and Above Good >49%
31 to 34 Avg + 34%-49%
28 to 31 Avg - 21%-34%
25 to 28 Reach 12%-21%
Less than 25 Low <12%
Calculate My Chances 

UCSD GPA

Estimated GPA Requirements & Average GPA

Avg. High School GPA 
3.82*
Typical High School Grades 
A-

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

Applicants require exceptionally good grades to get into UCSD. 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?

Explore more colleges with similar GPA requirements

High School GPA's for admitted University of California San Diego students
High School GPA Freshmen Within Range Competitiveness 
4.0 82.5% Avg
3.75 to 3.99 14.0% Avg -
3.50 to 3.74 2.9% Reach
3.25 to 3.49 0.5% Reach
3.00 to 3.24 0.1% Low
2.50 to 2.99 0% Low
2.00 to 2.49 0% Low
1.00 to 1.99 0% Low
less than 1.00 0% Low

*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.

High School Class Rank

100% of University of California San Diego freshman were in the top ten percent of their high school graduating class.

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

Applying

Admission Statistics

University of California San Diego admission statistics
Women Men Total
Applied 62,243 56,143 118,386
Accepted 22,483 18,010 40,493
Acceptance Rate 36% 32% 34%
Enrolled 4,188 3,356 7,544
Percent of Admitted Who Enrolled (Admission Yield) 19% 19% 19%
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 San Diego is $70.

Application Requirements

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

University of California San Diego Application Requirements
Test Scores Neither required nor recommended
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 

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

FAQs

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?

34% 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 1270 and 1480. 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 28 and 34. 43% of students submit ACT scores when applying. See if your ACT score is good enough for admission.