Timothy Peck June 30, 2025 5 12th Grade,College Lists

UC Schools Acceptance Rates 2025: Easiest and Hardest Schools to Get Into

What’s Covered:

• UC Schools Acceptance Rates
• Why Are the UC Schools Hard to Get Into?
• Hardest UC Schools to Get Into
• Easiest UC Schools to Get Into
• How Have UC Acceptance Rates Changed Over Time?

Whether you grew up in the Golden State or another part of the world, you might dream of earning your degree at a University of California (UC) system school. This highly selective college system is composed of nine undergraduate institutions (and one graduate-only school) that are home to more than 238,000 students and hold the distinction of being among the best public universities in the country.

Founded in 1869, the UC system earns high marks for its STEM and humanities programs, multi-billion-dollar research centers, and proximity to dynamic cities like Los Angeles and San Diego. It’s no surprise that some of the UC schools’ acceptance rates are on the low side.

If you’re eager to spend your college career getting a great education in one of the country’s most beautiful, diverse, and economically important states, keep reading to learn about the hardest and easiest UC schools to get into.

UC Schools Acceptance Rates: Easiest and Hardest Schools to Get Into

While there are ten institutions in the UC System, only nine of them serve undergraduate students. UC San Francisco is a graduate and professional school only and will not be included in any further discussion of the UC system in this article.

2024-2025 admissions cycle:

Wondering what your personal chances of acceptance are? Your chances may be higher or lower than the overall acceptance rate, depending on your profile. CollegeVine’s free chancing engine will let you know your chances of getting into the UC schools (and many others), along with giving you feedback on how to improve your profile. Our chancing engine takes into account your grades, course rigor, test scores (if applicable), extracurriculars, and more.

Why Are the UC Schools Hard to Get Into?

Many reasons make gaining entrance into a UC school challenging.

Highly Ranked

Admission to UC schools is competitive and for good reason: students flock to the UCs thanks to their high rankings and exceptional academic quality. Five UC schools rank in the top 30 on CollegeVine’s list of best public colleges in the U.S.:

• UC Berkeley (4th)
• UCLA (5th)
• UCSD (19th)
• UC Irvine (22nd)
• UC Davis (27th)

It’s not just the overall ranking where UC schools excel. UC schools also rank highly in a number of CollegeVine’s Best Colleges For lists. For example:

• UCLA 2nd Best College for Film
• UC Berkeley 6th Best College for Engineering
• UC Berkeley 11th Best College for Architecture
• UC Berkeley 12th Best College for History
• UCLA 20th Best College for Business

Outside of CollegeVine’s rankings, a number of UCs are known for their stellar programming. For example, UC Davis is among the best schools in the nation for agriculture and forestry, and UC San Diego has a reputation for its strong engineering and computer science programs.

Abundance of Opportunities

One of the most appealing aspects of the UC schools is the seemingly endless opportunities presented by them. The UC system offers a wide range of majors, extracurriculars, and resources—and UC students enjoy access to museums, art galleries, concert halls, observatories, and even botanical gardens, all without having to leave campus.

Excellent Outcomes

UC Riverside consistently ranks among the nation’s top universities for social mobility—a measurement of how effectively schools help low-income students achieve a higher standard of living after graduation. Almost half of UC Riverside students are Pell Grant recipients, which are generally awarded to students from families earning less than $65,000 a year.

UC Merced, UC Irvine, UC Santa Barbara, and UC Santa Cruz all also commonly rank highly for social mobility.

Number of Applicants

Delivering highly ranked academics and programs, plenty of potential pathways, and impressive outcomes, it’s no surprise that the UC schools draw a large number of applications each year. In 2024-25, they received 250,755 applications—207,131 for freshman admission and 43,644 for transfer admission. In fact, UCLA holds the distinction of being the most applied-to university in the country, while other UCs like UCSB, UC Irvine, UCSB, UC Berkeley, and UC Davis aren’t far behind.

Guaranteed Admission

The UC system guarantees admission to the top eighth of California students. However, it doesn’t ensure admission to a student’s top choice or even to a campus they applied to. Instead, they’re offered a place at a campus where space is available, which is often one of the less selective UC schools. A 2022 report from the San Francisco Chronicle found that only 66% are admitted and perhaps not admitted to their preferred campus.

Hardest UC Schools to Get Into

How hard is it to get into a UC school? It depends on the university. UCLA and UC Berkeley have acceptance rates well under 15%, which makes them among the most competitive institutions in the nation, not just in the UC system. UCLA and UC Berkeley’s acceptance rates place them in the company of well-regarded schools and highly selective colleges like the University of Notre Dame, USC, and Georgetown.

While acceptance rates at top UC schools can seem intimidating, there are still plenty of reasons to apply. UC Berkeley, the oldest of the UCs, is known for its political activism and diverse student body. It also has a reputation for exceptional academics, top-notch faculty, and exciting research opportunities. Students are also drawn to UC Berkeley’s location—San Francisco is just a 20-minute drive from campus.

Similarly, academics are a major draw at UCLA, which offers more than 3,900 courses and over 140 majors. With a total undergraduate enrollment of 33,040, UCLA is a great choice for students seeking a large school with plenty of activities and extracurriculars. Also like UC Berkeley, UCLA’s location is a large part of its appeal, providing students with access to numerous internships and career opportunities. Also of note—UCLA’s robust network of entertainment alumni makes it a wise option for those considering careers in film and television.

See our post comparing UCLA vs. UC Berkeley for more info on the differences between the schools.

Easiest UC Schools to Get Into

Even if UCLA and Berkeley are reaches, there’s still hope of attending a UC school. The easiest UC schools to get into include UC Santa Cruz, UC Riverside, and UC Merced, all of which have acceptance rates over 50%.

Located 40 minutes outside San Jose, UCSC earns high marks for its picturesque campus and close beach access. Along with the small class sizes and community feel, students rave about how progressive the school is, and it’s often ranked among the most liberal colleges in the US.

Like UC Santa Cruz, UC Riverside has a higher acceptance rate, which makes it more accessible. It’s also a great choice for students seeking a more affordable college degree—the school admits a higher percentage of Pell Grant students than any other top research school in the U.S.

One of the newer UCs, UC Merced, is still finding its identity. As a result, students have a chance to shape the school into the kind of institution they want to attend. Additionally, UC Merced accepts a large number of community college students. According to the school website, 96% of admitted transfer students come from a California community college.

How Have UC Acceptance Rates Changed Over Time?

Wondering what it takes to get into a University of California school? Check out the stats for incoming freshmen at the nine undergraduate UC institutions below:

2023-2024 admissions cycle:

2024-2025 admissions cycle:

In general, acceptance rates at UC schools have been pretty stable over the past few years, despite some changes in admission policy. The UC system began moving toward test-blind admissions in the 2021-2022 admissions cycle and became totally test-blind in the 2022-2023 admissions cycle and going forward.

Need more help selecting the right UC school for you? Check out CollegeVine’s guide to the UC schools.