UC San Diego acceptance rate and admissions profile
With an acceptance rate near 27%, UC San Diego is a selective public university in California. Because it admits a minority of applicants, admission turns on the strength of your whole profile rather than any one number.
Use this page to see what UC San Diego weighs, where it ranks among California schools, and how a profile like yours is likely to land. Admitted students post a 75th-percentile SAT around 1490, a useful checkpoint for where your scores sit, though it is a reference range and not a cutoff.
Will I get into UC San Diego?
Direct answers to what applicants ask about getting into UC San Diego, plus a free way to calculate your own odds.
What are my chances of getting into UC San Diego?
UC San Diego admits roughly 27% of applicants, but that overall rate is not your personal chance. Your real odds depend on how your GPA, course rigor, test scores, and activities compare to its admitted students. Run your profile through the free CollegeCalcAI calculator to get a personalized acceptance percentage for UC San Diego in about three minutes, with no account needed to start.
Is UC San Diego hard to get into?
UC San Diego is selective: it admits a minority of applicants, with about a 27% acceptance rate. A solid academic record puts you in good position, and the rest of your profile can tip the result either way.
What GPA do you need to get into UC San Diego?
There is no hard GPA cutoff at UC San Diego, but admitted students commonly present roughly a 3.5 to 3.9 GPA. UC San Diego reads your GPA alongside the rigor of your courses, so a challenging schedule matters as much as the number itself.
What SAT score do you need for UC San Diego?
UC San Diego does not publish a required score, but the admitted-student 75th-percentile SAT is around 1490. A score at or above that range strengthens your application, while a lower score puts more weight on your rigor, activities, and essays. CollegeCalcAI shows how your exact score shifts your odds at UC San Diego.
What UC San Diego looks for
What UC San Diego weighs most heavily in its admissions review, informed by its reported Common Data Set.
In its review, UC San Diego leans most on rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and application essay. Solid grades in a challenging schedule do most of the work here, with the rest of the application providing context. These ratings come from UC San Diego's reported Common Data Set, so the full chart below reflects what the school itself says it values, not a generic guess.
SAT score positioning at UC San Diego
How common SAT scores sit relative to the admitted middle. This is context, not a probability — your full profile determines the real estimate.
How UC San Diego compares in California
UC San Diego ranks #8 most selective of 61 schools in California in our database.
Among the 61 California schools we track, UC San Diego ranks #8 most selective by acceptance rate. Schools like California Institute of Technology (3%) and Stanford University (4%) sit nearby, which makes California a useful frame for calibrating a balanced list. As a public university, residency matters: in-state applicants generally see meaningfully better odds than the headline rate suggests.
Similar to UC San Diego
Schools with a similar selectivity profile, worth comparing as you build a balanced list.
Build around UC San Diego with peers at a comparable selectivity, such as University of Texas at Austin, UC Irvine, and Florida State University. Running the same profile against each one in the free calculator is the fastest way to see where you are a reach, a match, or a likely.
Frequently asked questions
What does UC San Diego value most in applicants?
Based on its admissions profile, UC San Diego weighs rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and application essay most heavily. The full factor breakdown is on this page.
Does UC San Diego favor in-state applicants?
As a public university, UC San Diego generally admits in-state applicants at a higher rate than out-of-state applicants, so your home state affects your odds. CollegeCalcAI applies an in-state residency boost when you select your state.
How can I improve my chances at UC San Diego?
Focus on the highest-leverage parts of your application: course rigor and GPA trajectory first, then test scores, then a focused leadership or activity spike. CollegeCalcAI's Power-Ups quantify how much each change would move your odds at UC San Diego specifically.
How does residency affect admission to UC San Diego?
As a public university, UC San Diego typically admits in-state students at a higher rate, and tuition differs sharply by residency. Select your home state in the calculator to fold the in-state effect into your estimate.
Is UC San Diego a target or a reach for an average applicant?
For an applicant whose GPA and scores sit near UC San Diego's admitted range, it generally reads as a target rather than a reach. Run your exact profile through the free calculator to see your personal verdict.
Acceptance rate and admitted test ranges reflect publicly reported data (U.S. Department of Education / NCES IPEDS / Common Data Sets). Estimates from CollegeCalcAI are a planning tool computed by a fixed, transparent model, not a guarantee of any admission decision.