If I apply to a UC w/ a non-impacted major, will it matter if my ACT/SAT scores are lower than avg?

Reason why I’m asking is because I’ve been looking at UCR and everything about it seems awesome (for me). Commuting to UCR is only about 20-30 minutes and tuition isn’t too high for a UC. However, my standardized tests are below average based off of the 2015 freshman admissions I found online.

My SAT is 560M-500CR-470W => 1530 while the 2015 Freshman SAT average was 604M-566CR-576W =>1746. My UC GPA is slightly above the posted GPA so I’m fine.

So my question is, if I were to apply to UCR as a Civil Engineer (Non-impacted major there) do I have a better chance of getting in rather than applying as a CS major, or would it be the same? And once I’m in, would I be able to switch my major to Computer Science even though it’s an impacted major or no?

Thanks guys/gals.

All UC’s are competitive, but you can apply as a Civil Engineer and then if possible, switch to CS. There are requirements that have to be fulfilled prior to switching majors. All engineering majors will be competitive, regardless if they are impacted are not. If CS is what you want, then I believe you should apply for CS. If you are unsure, then apply for Civil Engineering. Here is the requirements to switch majors:

http://student.engr.ucr.edu/policies/requirements/majorchange/cs.html