What are the main differences between UCLA and UC Berkeley?
Differences in what? Academics, Student life, specific majors?
Agree^^
Southern CAL vs Northern CAL?
Finances? Transportation?
The main differences in academics, student life, and math/CS majors
Are you an admitted student and are trying to making a decision such as Freshman or Transfer? Or are you interested in both campuses as a potential applicant for next year?
I am currently a junior in high school, and I am interested in both campuses
First tell us about yourself. Are you a CA resident? What is HS course rigor? Have you calculated your possible UC GPA unweighted, capped weighted and fully weighted?
https://rogerhub.com/gpa-calculator-uc/
If you are considering both schools, definitely should visit each to get an idea of your likes and dislikes.
Are you a California resident?
No I am not…I am international student
If you are an International student, can your family afford to pay $65,000/year for you to attend?
Yes, they can. I will not apply for any scholarship since the acceptance rate for international students is already low. I have no worries about tuition.
I just want to clarify that I am a junior in U.S high school, not in CA. My nationality is China so I consider myself as an international student
You need to visit the campuses. They are vastly different.
If you are in a US high school, your high school A-G coursework from 10th and 11th grade matter. Your GPA matters.
As a nonresident, you do not receive priority for admission. These are public universities that are funded by the state. California residents receive priority.
Since you are full pay for $65k per year, you have a slight advantage over other nonresidents, but not by much. Grades, test scores and activities matter.
I use the link https://rogerhub.com/gpa-calculator-uc/ and I calculate my UW GPA is 3.93, my W GPA is 4.07, and my weighted and capped GPA is 4.07
Thank you for your answer!
UC’s are need blind meaning they do not care if you require financial aid, but you will also get little to no financial aid as an out of state applicant.
UCLA/UCB would be considered Reach schools based on your posted GPA only. Your test scores, EC’s, essays and intended major would all contribute to your chances.
UCLA only offer CS in the school of Engineering and is probably the most competitive major at UCLA. Average SAT was 1550 and ACT was 35 for 2018 and the admit rate was at 8.2%. UCLA admits directly into the school of Engineering and they do not consider alternate majors. The Math major is found in the College of Letters and Sciences where they do not admit by major.
UCB is equally competitive but they offer CS in the College of Letters and Sciences where you need to take the CS pre-req courses and maintain a 3.3 GPA prior to declaring the major. CS is also found in EECS which is just as competitive as UCLA’s CS major.
Locations and overall vibe are very different for each campus so you really need to visit to get an idea if either would fit your criteria.
Some UC statistical data below:
2018 Freshman admit rates for UC GPA of 3.80-4.19 capped weighted and not major specific:
UCB: 10%
UCLA: 9%
UCSD: 34%
UCSB: 38%
UCD: 41%
UCI: 38%
UCSC: 70%
UCR: 84%
UCM: 95%
2018 Freshman admit rates for UC GPA of 4.20 or above capped weighted and not major specific:
UCB: 37%
UCLA: 41%
UCSD: 70%
UCSB: 80%
UCD: 89%
UCI: 75%
UCSC: 92%
UCR: 96%
UCM: 98%
2018 UC capped weighted GPA averages:
UCB: 4.23
UCLA: 4.23
UCSD: 4.16
UCSB: 4.13
UCI: 4.13
UCD: 4.11
UCSC: 3.96
UCR: 3.81
UCM: 3.71
2018 Data:
25th - 75th percentiles for SAT:
UCB: 1360-1540
UCLA: 1340-1540
UCSD: 1300-1520
UCSB: 1270-1500
UCD: 1220-1480
UCI: 1230-1490
UCSC: 1210-1450
UCR: 1130-1380
UCM: 1020-1280
25th - 75th percentiles for ACT:
UCB: 30-35
UCLA: 31-35
UCSD: 28-34
UCSB: 28-34
UCD: 26-33
UCI: 26-33
UCSC: 26-32
UCR: 22-30
UCM: 19-26
Thank you for the data! I calculated my weighted and capped GPA wrong, it should be 4.21. My SAT score is 1520. I plan to apply for UCLA and UCB in math major. I realize my GPA is not high, but I am a USAMO qualifier this year and I have the highest score on AMC 12 in my state. Will my math accomplishments boost my chance somehow?
These schools are impacted and have some of the strongest state applicants.
These are well-rounded students. They will look at your UW GPA.
If your focus has only been math-related EC’s you may have a hard time gaining admission.
Consider these schools reaches.
Your accomplishments will be noted, but regardless of your stats, you should consider both schools as Reach schools. Just make sure you have 2 solid safety schools that you were willing to attend no matter what before focusing on your Reach schools. UC’s do not ask AMC 12 scores on the application but you can list them on the additional comments section.
Thank you!