How To Get Into UCLA

In 1880, the city of Los Angeles convinced the California government to establish a college in the southern part of the state. The citizens (who at that time numbered only 11,000) raised funds to purchase a site for the new school, and in August 1882, the first classes were held in a building constructed on an old orange grove.

The school, originally called the Los Angeles Branch State Normal School, had grown enough by 1914 to warrant a new location. The chosen spot was a Hollywood ranch on a dirt road that would later be named Vermont Avenue. 

Five years later, the school was renamed the Southern Branch of the University of California. Students could take two years of instruction in science and letters.

By 1925, third- and fourth-year classes were added, and 300 students graduated. In 1927, the school was renamed again, becoming the University of California at Los Angeles. In 1958 the “at” was replaced with a comma to officially identify the school as the University of California, Los Angeles.

In 1927, construction of a larger campus began in Westwood with four buildings: College Library, Physics-Biology Building, Royce Hall, and Chemistry Building. By 1929 there were 5,500 students, and following World War II, there were 27,000. 

Today, the University of California, Los Angeles is the most applied-to university in the United States. There are over 47,500 students on UCLA’s campus, along with 4,300 faculty members. 

If you’re determined to apply to UCLA and be a part of the next incoming class, you’ll need to learn all you can about how to get into this prestigious school.

For the class of 2026, the University of California, Los Angeles received an astounding 149,815 freshmen applications for admission. This is in addition to the 25,099 applications it received from students hoping to transfer to UCLA.

The school invited 12,844 freshmen applicants to join the student body on campus, and 6,462 of them ended up enrolling. 

This gives UCLA an admit rate of about 9%, making it one of the most selective schools in the country. The number of freshmen applying to UCLA increased from 80,522 in 2013 to 149,815 in 2022. However, the number of students admitted decreased from 16,448 to 12,844. The competition is just getting more fierce to become a Bruin!

There are twelve different schools under the UCLA banner for applicants to consider:

• The School of Dentistry
• School of Education and Information Studies
• David Geffen School of Medicine
• Jonathan and Karin Fielding School of Public Health
• College of Letters and Science
• School of Law
• Meyer and Renee Luskin School of Public Affairs
• School of Theater, Film, and Television
• Herb Alpert School of Music
• School of the Arts and Architecture
• Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science
• School of Nursing

In addition, for graduate students, there is the John E. Anderson Graduate School of Management.

Applicants can choose from 137 bachelor’s degrees offered at UCLA, and graduate students can earn one of 123 doctorate/professional degrees or 142 master/professional degrees.

The University of California, Los Angeles stresses the importance of students adequately preparing for admission by taking as many courses as possible in areas related to their desired degree or major. 

While there are some minimum admission requirements set by UCLA, applicants perform much better when they have an application profile that is much stronger than the minimum.

The California Master Plan for Higher Education requires that the top 12.5% of high school graduates in the state be eligible for admission; however, the entrance requirements established for UCLA ensure that all students are adequately prepared for college-level courses. 

It’s essential that you understand that just because you fulfill the minimum admission requirements, that doesn’t guarantee admission to UCLA. If you’re determined to join the next UCLA freshman class, you’ll need to achieve an almost perfect GPA, earn high SAT or ACT scores, write standout application essays, and excel in extracurricular activities. 

The school mandates that you complete 15 A-G courses, eleven of which must be finished before your senior year of high school. You must complete the following:

• Four years of college-prep English
• Two years of social science and/or history
• At least three years of math, but four are recommended
• At least two years of laboratory science, but three are recommended
• One year of a college-preparatory elective
• One year of performing or visual arts if available in your high school
• Two years of a foreign language, but three are recommended

With that being said, UCLA also states that no single path is expected of every student. You will want to take the most rigorous classes that are available to you, though. The university does expect you to take IB and/or AP classes throughout high school if such classes are offered. 

The admission committee at UCLA always reviews applicants within the context of what is available to them at their particular high schools. So if required subjects or AP courses are not offered to you, you will not be penalized.

The university states that no specific cutoff values are assigned to any of the admission factors the committee considers. 

Unlike many other top universities in the U.S., UCLA does publish the average GPAs of its incoming freshmen. 

The current freshman profile for the school shows that the median weighted GPA for admitted freshman students is 4.58. The 25th percentile had a 4.4 weighted GPA, and the 75th percentile had a 4.73 weighted GPA.

The most recent freshman profile for UCLA also shows that the median unweighted GPA was 4.00, with the 25th percentile at 3.95. The 75th percentile of admitted freshmen had a 4.00 unweighted GPA.

It should be noted that all GPAs are calculated from classes that students take in the 10th and 11th grades. 

While many other institutions of higher learning across the United States are temporarily operating on a “test-optional” basis in regard to standardized tests like the ACT and SAT, UCLA has permanently adopted a “test-blind” stance. 

In other words, UCLA does not consider standardized test scores as part of its admissions decision-making process. You can, however, still submit your scores if you like. 

In that case, your scores could potentially help you by serving as an alternative method of meeting minimum eligibility requirements. They might also still be used for course placement following your official enrollment at the university.

Your answers to the required essay prompts are of the utmost importance when it comes to compelling the admissions committee to choose you to join the next incoming class. 

The university stresses that essays are meant to be personal and you should use the opportunity to add to and enhance the information you provide elsewhere on your application. It’s important that you provide new personal information about yourself and not repeat what is already stated elsewhere on your application.

Always be yourself in your responses; you want to give the readers more insight into who you are as a person, as a student, and hopefully, as a future Bruin. Eight question prompts will be presented to you, and you will need to respond to four of them. Each response has a limit of 350 words.

Some examples of University of California essay prompts used in the past include:

• Describe a time when your leadership experience influenced others
• Talk about how you express your creativity
• Discuss how you have taken advantage of an educational opportunity or overcome an educational barrier
• What is your greatest skill or talent? How have you developed it over time?
• Talk about the most significant challenge you have ever faced
• Discuss how you have pursued an academic interest outside of the classroom
• Other than what’s already on your application, what makes you a strong candidate for admission to UCLA?
• How have you made your community or school a better place?

You can select any four of the eight prompts you’d like. Just make sure to select the prompts that are most relevant to your situation, your life, and your experiences. You want to choose prompts to answer that best reflect your circumstances, your personality, and your academic goals and initiatives.

Many universities across the country offer alumni interviews for applicants. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, however, many schools have veered away from offering interviews and instead offer various other options, such as video introductions.

UCLA does not offer admission interviews at all. However, you should know that specific schools and majors require a supplemental application as a part of the admission process (such as the Herb Alpert School of Music). Required supplements could include letters of recommendation, portfolio submissions, or musical auditions.

Almost all other national universities in the U.S. require that letters of recommendation be sent in as a standard part of admissions applications. However, with the exception of the specific specialty schools and majors that require them, letters of recommendation are NOT accepted by UCLA in its admissions process. 

Furthermore, the school also does not accept transcripts at the point of application. If you are invited to attend, however, and you enroll, you will be required at that time to submit your official transcripts from your high school.

The short answer is no; UCLA does not track demonstrated interest. This means that it does not give preference to prospective students who have visited campus, taken a virtual tour, met with campus representatives, or talked with alumni or recruiters.

However, it’s always an excellent idea to visit any campus you are considering applying to. This will help you get a feel for the campus, the students, the faculty, and the environment as a whole campus culture. It’s the best way to see if you’d be a good fit for the school and if the school would be a good fit for you, too.

While the admissions staff at many other universities can have a long list of factors that are “very important” to their decision-making process, UCLA has only three:

• The GPA that you’ve worked to earn during your high school career
• The personal statements and essay prompts you answer on your application
• The rigor, or difficulty level, of the courses you have taken during your high school years

The school adds several factors that it considers to be “important” to the admission process: extracurricular activities, work experience, volunteer experience, character/personal qualities, and talents and abilities.

UCLA clearly states that the selection of incoming students is based on a holistic and comprehensive evaluation of all of the information it receives from students. This includes both personal and academic information. Every application is read twice, and a score is devised upon which the student will then be denied or accepted. 

As a final note, if you’re looking for more UCLA admission help, you may gain an edge if you are an athlete. UCLA has 25 Division I sports teams, and many incoming students each year are designated as “recruited athletes.” It’s believed that up to 85% of UCLA’s football team is made up of recruited athletes with GPAs significantly lower than the average of admitted students. 

Since UCLA is such a selective school, it’s in your best interests to learn as much as possible about how to get accepted into UCLA and to get all the professional UCLA application help available.