UCSB decisions are available!
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My oldest was a 3.2 student and went to NAU. Lots of lower stats kids go to WUE schools. My son wasn’t happy with the commuter feel of the cal states he could have gotten into. My 2nd was a top 9%, didn’t get into a single UC, was waitlisted at two, and ended up at Cal Poly. We’ll see how S23 fares, he has the highest stats.
There are 23 CSUs, but the only ones you hear about on CC are the Cal Polys and SDSU. I have two degrees from two different CSUs that you never ever hear about on CC.
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Completely agree with you. CSU Long Beach believe it or not is the top CSU for getting the most applications in the US. It is #9 ahead of University of Michigan- Ann Arbor. At least here on CC, you are seeing the same applicants applying to a small # of the same schools with the same competitive majors.
There are far more CSU graduates in California than UC graduates and we are all doing fine with our lives.
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Agree-I’m an SDSU grad…no regrets!
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Totally agree. I went to a school that would never be spoken of in the same sentence as the UCs (or for that matter any of the other schools D has applied to). But I turned out ok and can afford full pay for her wherever she lands up.
So yes, the school you go to doesn’t make or break you. What you do afterwards is what’s important.
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Hi @Gumbymom! Several weeks ago, I remember seeing a post with a link to UC admissions by major. I don’t remember if it was you who posted or @lkg4answers, but if you have it, could you please post? Thank you!
Just to clarify, you want to know how the UC’s admit Freshman into the University? No link it is my own compilation of information.
UCB:
Division (L&S, CNR, CoC, CED, CoE) matters for admission selectivity.
Within CoE (but not the other divisions), major matters for admission selectivity. Changing majors within the CoE after enrolling is not guaranteed, unless one is CoE undeclared.
Note that L&S admits students as undeclared; admission to capped majors (e.g. CS, economics, psychology, ORMS, statistics, art practice, and a few others) is by college GPA in prerequisite courses (and portfolio for art practice) after attending for a few semesters.
The business major is in a separate division and admits students in a competitive holistic process. Frosh intending business majors begin in another division (usually L&S), take the business major prerequisites, and apply (usually in their second years). They also need to take prerequisites for a backup major in case they are not admitted to the business major.
All students who apply to UC Berkeley and select a major within the College of Natural Resources are evaluated based on their application, not on the particular major they select.
Alternate majors not considered. Exception are GMP applicants which may be considered for an alternate major.
UCD:
Admission decisions are made based upon the qualifications of the applicant pool and the number of available spaces within each academic area:
• College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences admits by college
• College of Biological Sciences admits by college
• College of Letters and Science admits by College but within specific academic departments: ie. (Humanities, Arts and Cultural Studies; Mathematics and Physical Sciences; Social Sciences)
• College of Engineering admits by academic department
Students applying as “undeclared” or “undeclared/exploratory” are considered within the college/academic department to which they applied.
Applicants are encouraged to list an alternate major, but not in the
same area as the primary major (e.g., Computer Science Engineering with alternate Computer Science in the College of L&S). Occasionally, UCD admits to the alternate major.
UCI:
UCI admits into the University first and then into the major. In the case that UCI is unable to accommodate all qualified applicants in their first-choice major, those students who indicate a valid alternate major may be offered admission in that major or Undeclared.
UCLA:
For the College of Letters and Science, the applicant’s major is not considered during the review process.
The Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science admits students by declared major, with more emphasis on science and math programs.
The School of Nursing also places more emphasis on science and math programs and requires the submission of an additional supplemental application.
The School of the Arts and Architecture; Herb Alpert School of Music; and the School of Theater, Film and Television admit students by declared major (within the school), and put more emphasis on special talents through a review of portfolios and/or auditions, which are the most significant admission factors for these schools.
UCLA only guarantees review of an applicant’s first-choice major.
UCLA typically does not admit to the alternate major
UCSD:
The campus does not admit students on the basis of academic major or choice of UC San Diego undergraduate college. UCSD admits into the University first then into the major. Alternate majors are considered and capped majors are highly competitive. Also note: Capped majors require additional pre-req courses and specific GPA to be able to qualify if changing majors. Also if applying to a capped major, select an non-capped major as an alternate.
UCSB:
College of Letters and Sciences: Choice of major is not considered in selection to the College of Letters and Science. The exceptions to this rule are dance and music performance majors. Both majors require applicants to complete an audition in late January or early February.
College of Engineering: Students are selected by major for all engineering and computer science majors. Only applicants with a solid background in advanced high school mathematics will be considered for admission to engineering. This includes high grades in all math courses through grade 11 and enrollment in pre-calculus or higher in grade 12. A student not selected for their first choice major will be reviewed for admission to an alternate major outside of the College of Engineering if one was selected.
College of Creative Studies:
Applicants to the College of Creative Studies submit a supplementary application in addition to the general UC Application, which is reviewed by Creative Studies faculty. Students are selected within Creative Studies majors only. Applicants not selected for Creative Studies will automatically be considered for admission to the College of Letters and Science.
UCSC:
Important Note for Prospective Engineering Students: Choice of major does not influence the selection of first-year students, except for those applicants interested in a major offered by the Jack Baskin School of Engineering (BSOE).
Freshmen who are interested in a BSOE program should be sure to indicate a BSOE proposed major. Students who do not indicate a BSOE program or who apply as undeclared might not be able to pursue a BSOE program.
UCR:
Admission by major but alternate/2nd choice major will be considered if applicant does not meet their first choice admission standards.
For Business: Freshmen students must apply to Pre-Business under the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHASS). The College breadth requirements and the prerequisites for a Business major are completed during the freshman and sophomore years. An application is submitted at the end of the sophomore year. Upon acceptance, students become Business majors and are then advised in the Business Department. Students from any academic major may also complete a Business minor.
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Thanks for all the info, but I was talking about a link to a website that showed historical data of UC admissions by major. You were able to select the UC school, the year, and see how many students applied/enrolled by major. I’ll scroll back to see if I can find it. I appreciate all that you do!
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There is UC admissions by source school: Admissions by source school | University of California
Also only for Transfers their is UC Transfer GPA by Major: Transfers by major | University of California
amongst my peers that don’t get in to CSU or UC they are going to Oregon/Nevada/Arizona/Colorado.
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For what it’s worth, I totally remember this chart as well. I think it might have been for UCB? I recall seeing a note on it about how some portion of the data was off for a few years, as students who were actually admitted to Berkeley’s CNR were tagged as being admitted to another college at Berkeley. I’ve been looking for this chart for a few weeks and haven’t found it. I hope someone knows what we’re talking about! 
Is this what you are looking for? You can click on “field of study” and choose the year and school you are interested in.
https://universityofcalifornia.edu/about-us/information-center/fall-enrollment-glance
Here is the general link to the UC Information Center.
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How does housing work for freshmen students who get off a UC wait list after May1 (after housing deadline passes)? If you get in over the summer at UCSB or UCSD, can you assume that you won’t get on campus housing?
For UCSB:
If you are admitted from the waitlist and you return your SIR by the stated deadline, you will receive more information from UCSB Housing, Dining and Auxiliary Enterprises. Please wait 24 hours from the time you submit your SIR to submit your Housing application online.
It does not say they guarantee housing, so definitely inquire since they had housing issues last year.
For UCSD, they guarantee housing for in-coming Freshman but they do not spell out if that includes waitlisted admits. Again, I would contact admissions and housing to confirm.
@jrncyn I found the chart I was talking about, though re-reading your description, I think mine’s different.
Here’s the one I was thinking of (originally posted by Gumbymom in November), which shows the admission rate and yield rate for each college at Berkeley for the last 10 years: OPA – University of California Berkeley
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Hi @LionsTigersAndBears! Yes, this chart is a little different than the one I was referring to. I’m going to keep looking because I thought it was a great site. I was able to look up how many applicants there were in my son’s freshman year at UCLA (2019) for undeclared engineering and how many enrolled.
UCSC has a virtual open house on April 16th. In person tours are getting booked up quickly, priority goes to admitted students.
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@Gumbymom, we signed up for a reception at the Pasadena Hilton for UC Davis and the Hilton in Pomona for UCSD reception. Is that enough to get a feel of the two campuses without visiting?