How to Get Into UC-San Diego: Admissions Data and Strategies
October 30, 2025
Berkeley and UCLA used to be the two clear-cut crown jewels of the University of California system. While that remains the case in 2025, many other branch campuses have become highly selective universities in their own right, with an ever-increasing degree of admissions difficulty.聽 Perhaps unsurprisingly, UC-San Diego is the top example, as it is now a place where 100% of admitted students hail from the top 10% of their high school class and the average GPA is over 4.0.
Prospective Tritons now face a test-blind admissions process that requires near-perfect grades in a rigorous curriculum and exceptional essays. Given this tall order, the intent of this article is provide future UCSD applicants with:
1) A deep-dive into just how highly-selective the UC-San Diego admissions process truly is.
2) Data that will help you better assess how you measure up to the competition.
3) How the UC-San Diego admissions committee operates and what they look for in a successful candidate.
To accomplish these goals we will touch on the following topics:
- UCSD鈥檚 Class of 2029 acceptance rate (plus how to predict your chances with our free admissions calculator)
- SAT, ACT, GPA and class rank of accepted UC-San Diego applicants
- Admissions trends
- The demographics of current UCSD undergraduates
- UC-San Diego鈥檚 yield rate
- How UC-San Diego鈥檚 admissions officers evaluate candidates
- Tips for applying to UC-San Diego
- How to assess whether applying to UC-San Diego is even worth the $80 application fee (for you)
UC – San Diego – Admissions Calculator
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Let鈥檚 begin with an examination of the most recent admissions data.
UC-San Diego: Acceptance Rate 鈥� Class of 2029
UCSD received 136,740 applications for the Class of 2029. Of these Triton-hopefuls, only 38,386 were admitted, giving UCSD a 28% acceptance rate. For context, let鈥檚 see how this acceptance rate compares to previous admission cycles:
| Applicants | Admits | Acceptance Rate | |
| Class of 2028 | 134,455 | 35,989 | 26% |
| Class of 2027 | 130,845 | 32,403 | 25% |
| Class of 2026 | 131,254 | 31,274 | 23% |
UC-San Diego Admissions 鈥� SAT, ACT, Grades, Class Rank
The University of California System adopted a test-blind policy beginning with those applying in the fall 2021 cycle and extending through at least 2026. For the Class of 2024, when scores were still accepted, the mid-50% ranges were 1280-1460 on the SAT and 26-33 on the ACT. Historically, all enrolled students finish in the top decile of their high school class. For the Clss of 2029, the median weighted GPA was 4.11-4.28.
Admissions Trends & Notes
- UC system schools no longer accept general SAT and ACT scores.
- The number of applicants to UCSG increased 4% in the past three years.
- 37% of UCSD studetns are first-generation college students.
- The percentage of admission offers to African-American, Latinx, and Native American Students has held steady the past five years.
- The average, unweighted GPA of applicants for the Class of 2028 was 3.9.
Who Gets Into UC-San Diego?
Let鈥檚 look at the demographics of UC-San Diego undergraduates:
Most UC-San Diego students hailed from the Golden State and paid in-state tuition. The geographic breakdown of the enrolled Class of 2028 is as follows.
- California Resident: 77%
- Domestic nonresidents: 12%
- International nonresident: 11%
Examining the country of origin for international students, China leads the way, followed by India, South Korea, Taiwan, and Indonesia.
Looking at ethnic identity, the breakdown of the enrolled Class of 2028 is as follows:
- Asian-American: 40%
- Hispanic: 28%
- African-American: 3%
- International: 11%
- White: 14%
- African-American: 3%
The breakdown by gender of the enrolled Class of 2028 shows women outnumber men by a considerable margin:
- Male: 54%
- Female: 41%
The top five fields of study among current undergraduates at UC – San Diego were as follows:
- Life Sciences: 21%
- Social Sciences: 18%
- Interdisciplinary: 16%
- Engineering: 13%
- Computer Science: 7%
UC-San Diego鈥檚 Yield Rate
For the Class of 2028, UC-San Diego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 20%. Surprisingly, this is far lower than many other elite public institutions, UT-Austin has a 46% yield, UNC-Chapel Hill sports a similar 45%, and UGA also comes in at 45%.
How UCSD Rates Applicants
There are only three factors that UC-San Diego ranks as being 鈥渧ery important鈥� to their admissions process: rigor of secondary school record, GPA, and application essays. Relatedly, factors rated as 鈥渋mportant鈥� include: talent/ability, character/personal qualities, extracurricular activities, volunteer experience, and state residency.
As mentioned previously, UC-San Diego, along with all other UC campuses are now test-blind. This makes the traditionally holistic review process at UC-San Diego even more pronounced. Every application 鈥渋s reviewed by a minimum of 2 individuals.鈥�
In the admissions office鈥檚 own words: 鈥淥ur goal is to identify and admit students who are fully prepared to excel in our challenging academic environment. We鈥檙e looking for students who represent strong academic achievement, exceptional personal talent and the broad diversity of abilities, personal experience and backgrounds characteristic of California.鈥�
It definitely helps if you are recruited as an athlete to join one of UC-San Diego鈥檚 23 Division I sports teams. A great number of incoming students are designated as 鈥渞ecruited athletes鈥� each year and there are about 600 total varsity athletes.
Tips for Applying to UC-San Diego
If you plan on joining the 134,000+ Triton hopefuls for the next admissions cycle, you should know the following:
- While a holistic process, UC-San Diego does not offer interviews.
- UC-San Diego 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-San Diego. In the 2025-26 cycle, there are eight total prompts; applicants must respond to four. Each response in limited to maximum of 350 words.
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 more, read our blog: How to Master to UC Personal Insight Essays.
Should I Apply to UCSD?
Getting into UC-San Diego has never been more a challenging endeavor, as it now requires near-perfect (or perfect) grades in 10+ honors/AP/IB courses. What’s more, even in-state applicants need to have pristine academic transcripts and other compelling attributes. As such, all students need to make sure that they formulate an appropriate college list, containing a complement of 鈥渢arget鈥� and 鈥渟afety鈥� schools. Understandably, you鈥檒l 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:
