How to Get Into UC Irvine: Admissions Data and Strategies

October 30, 2025

In 1997, UC Irvine received 17,000 applications and admitted two-thirds of that group. By 2007, applications had more than doubled and the acceptance rate had fallen to 56%. Fast-forward to 2025, and over 124,000 individuals applied and under 30% were accepted. Need further proof of the school鈥檚 increased popularity? Ten years ago, the University of California-Irvine saw 95% of its undergraduates coming from the Golden State; today, roughly one-quarter come from other states/countries. That鈥檚 what being ranked as one of the top 10 public universities in the United States can do for you.

Today, UC Irvine is a school that is difficult to gain acceptance into even for students with straight A’s in high school. Therefore, all future applicants need to be aware of the latest admissions data as well how they leapfrog other qualified students. To accomplish this goal we will touch on the following topics:

UC Irvine鈥檚 Class of 2029 acceptance rate (plus how to predict your chances with our free admissions calculator)
SAT/ACT policy at UCI and GPAs of admitted applicants
Admissions trends from the Class of 2028
The demographics of current UC Irvine undergraduates
UC Irvine鈥檚 yield rate
How UC Irvine鈥檚 admissions officers evaluate candidates
Tips for applying to UCI
How to approach the UC Personal Insight essays
How to assess whether applying to UC Irvine is even worth the $80 application fee (for you)

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Many students applying to UC Irvine may also find the following “how to get into” blogs to be of interest:

Let鈥檚 begin with an examination of the most recent University of California – Irvine admissions data.

UC Irvine: Acceptance Rate 鈥� Class of 2029

UC Irvine accepted 35,661 of the 124,230 first-year applicants seeking admission into the Class of 2029. This acceptance rate of just under 29%, very similar to previous acceptance rates. For context, let鈥檚 see how this acceptance rate compares to previous admission cycles:

	Applicants	Admits	Acceptance Rate
Class of 2028	122,254	35,317	29%
Class of 2027	121,095	31,184	25%
Class of 2026	119,199	25,358	21%

Interestingly, for the Class of 2028, the acceptance rate for out-of-state applicants was actually much higher than for in-state applicants. Residents were accepted at only a 21% clip while non-residents enjoyed a far more favorable 49% figure.

UC Irvine Admissions 鈥� SAT/ACT Policy, class rank, and GPA

As a test-blind institution, UC Irvine does not consider standardized test scores. That moves GPA to center stage, and those admitted into the Class of 2029 possessed a median weighted GPA of 4.04-4.27.

Historically, wellover 95% of attending students were in the top decile of their graduating high school class. Back when the SAT was factored in, the median score was a 1340.

Admissions Trends & Notes

All University of California schools have adopted a test-blind policy.
Historically, about half of first-year UC Irvine students are first-generation college students.
In recent years, roughly 37% of students entering UC Irvine were Pell Grant recipients.
Since 2018, applications to UCI have increased 30%.
In a recent year, UCI was number 2 in the entire UC system in applications from underrepresented minorities and low-income students.

Who Gets Into UC Irvine?

Let鈥檚 look at the demographics of UC Irvine undergraduates:

Most UC Irvine students hailed from the Golden State and paid in-state tuition. The total geographic breakdown of the enrolled Class of 2028 is as follows:

California residents: 74%
Domestic nonresidents: 9%
International nonresidents: 17%

Looking at ethnic identity, the breakdown of the enrolled Class of 2028 is as follows:

Asian American: 41%
Hispanic: 25%
African American: 4%
White: 10%

International students came in the greatest numbers from the following countries:

China
India
South Korea
Taiwan
Vietnam

The gender breakdown of the enrolled Class of 2028 shows far more women than men:

Male: 42%
Female: 57%

UC Irvine鈥檚 Yield Rate

UC Irvine鈥檚 yield rate鈥攖he percentage of accepted students who elect to enroll, divided by the total number of students who are admitted was 19%. To compare this school to other elite public institutions, UT-Austin has a 46% yield, UNC-Chapel Hill is 44%, and UGA comes in at 41%.

How UC Irvine Rates Applicants

There are seven factors that UC Irvine ranks as being 鈥渧ery important鈥� to their admissions process: rigor of secondary school record, GPA, application essays, talent/ability, extracurricular activities, volunteer experience, and work experience. The only 鈥渋mportant鈥� factor is character/personal qualities.

UC Irvine, along with all other University of California campuses, dropped聽all standardized testing requirements聽starting with the Class of 2025. This makes the traditionally holistic review process at UC Irvine even more pronounced.

In the words of the UCI admissions office:

鈥淪tudents admitted to UCI excel in their college preparatory courses and will graduate in the upper tenth of their high school senior class. These scholarly achievements are hallmark traits of most Anteaters.鈥�
Having good grades matters. But it’s not the only thing we take into consideration when reviewing your application.
鈥淎cademic accomplishments in light of your experiences and special circumstances, including but not limited to: disabilities, low family income, first generation to attend college, need to work, disadvantaged social or educational environment, difficult personal and family situations or circumstances, refugee status or veteran status.鈥�

Tips for Applying to UC Irvine

If you plan on joining the 124,000+ Anteater hopefuls for the next admissions cycle, you should know the following:

While a holistic process, UC Irvine does not offer interviews.
UC Irvine does not consider 鈥�demonstrated interest鈥� in the admissions process.
Make sure to dedicate sufficient time and effort to the supplemental essays required by UC Irvine. In the 2025-26 cycle, there were eight total prompts; applicants must respond to four. Each response in limited to maximum of 350 words.

UC Essays

1) Describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have positively influenced others, helped resolve disputes or contributed to group efforts over time.

2) Every person has a creative side, and it can be expressed in many ways: problem solving, original and innovative thinking, and artistically, to name a few. Describe how you express your creative side.聽

3) What would you say is your greatest talent or skill? How have you developed and demonstrated that talent over time?聽

4) Describe how you have taken advantage of a significant educational opportunity or worked to overcome an educational barrier you have faced.

5) Describe the most significant challenge you have faced and the steps you have taken to overcome this challenge. How has this challenge affected your academic achievement?

6) Think about an academic subject that inspires you. Describe how you have furthered this interest inside and/or outside of the classroom.

7) What have you done to make your school or your community a better place?聽

8) Beyond what has already been shared in your application, what do you believe makes you stand out as a strong candidate for admissions to the University of California?

The best approach here is to select the four prompts that are the best fit for you and elicit the most compelling and personal responses. For detailed advice, visit our blog entitled聽How to Master the UC Personal Insight Prompts.

Should I Apply to UC Irvine?

Getting into UC Irvine has never been more a challenging endeavor, as it now requires close to perfect grades. Without standardized test scores entering the equation, your essays will also be extremely important to your admissions prospects.

With very few students able to consider UC Irvine as a 鈥渟afety鈥� these days, all students need to make sure that they formulate an聽appropriate college list, containing a complement of 鈥渞each鈥�, 鈥渢arget鈥�, and 鈥渟afety鈥� schools. You鈥檒l definitely want to do this in collaboration with an admissions professional who is aware of the latest trends and strategies associated with your prospective colleges.

Ready to start working on your applications? Consider checking out the following:

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College Admissions

Dave Bergman

Dave has over a decade of professional experience that includes work as a teacher, high school administrator, college professor, and independent educational consultant. He is a co-author of the books The Enlightened College Applicant (Rowman & Littlefield, 2016) and Colleges Worth Your Money (Rowman & Littlefield, 2020).