In other words, UCSC is a low match/Likely and UCD is a high match (due to CS making things harder), Riverside/Merced are safeties, and everything else is probably not worth it. However, UCs are out of budget. If OP really wants to be in CA, there’s Cal Poly SLO (Software Engineering) and CPP (CS).
Other West Coast/private colleges may be worth looking into but OP would need to run the NPC and gauge whether he’d have a shot at merit.
In all likelihood, the best odds for merit scholarships will be in the Midwest and South (Arizona State, the Big 10, etc.)
Places that take the weighted GPA (should be 3.5+) will be best.
Canada will provide the best odds for a prestigious admission (since 9th grade will never be counted) and instate NJ is the price to beat.
I don’t think we know the OPs capped and weighted GPA with 9th grade yet. The one they reported (4.08) is below the 25th percentile for all CENG students admitted to Cal Poly last year. I think SE at CP would still be a reach, but based on price, reputation, and ease of application, worth a shot.
Canadian universities sound interesting, but I was thinking of staying in the US. Honestly, I’m debating whether on doing CS or software engineering cuz honestly, software engineering sounds more enticing cuz from what I understand, I develop software lol. Is rutgers really that hard to get into for CS? I’m okay with no scholarship, but literally everyone who applies in my school gets accepted. Literally everyone…
I made a rough estimate at 3.5+ uw, so with freshman year being usually similar for OOS applicants (no APs) probably ~3.75 weighted capped?
Yes, I agree that SE at CP-SLo is a reach but worth a shot, more so than the UCs which would be out of budget.
CPP is a decent possibility.
Oh man, I wish OOS students could have their honors counted. If they did, I would have a 4.5 weighted and capped. It sucks so hard bc without honors, I have a 4.08 weighted and capped which sucks
What’s your 3 year weighted and capped GPA?
is “everyone” applying to the College of Engineering?
Bottom 25% threshold is 700 Math and 25% have 790 or 800. Pretty good English scores, too. 25% have 1500+ SAT. Rank:Top 20% to top 5% of HS class.
https://admissions.rutgers.edu/sites/default/files/media/Documents/2020_AdmissionsProfile.pdf
Wait, doesn’t UC weighted and capped GPA not count 9th grade?
Cal Poly SLO (UC quality, CSU price) counts 9th grade.
While CS and SE as college majors have significant similarities, the main difference as college majors is that SE focuses on the process, as in design, testing, verification, quality assurance, maintenance, etc… This can be considered a subarea of CS, which is a more general major where the student takes courses in various subareas, such as operating systems, theory, networks and distributed systems, artificial intelligence and machine learning, databases, security and cryptography, graphics, etc. (with some elective opportunities to take additional courses in a desired subarea).
Most people working in software development learn the actual practice of SE on the job, although it can be desirable for a CS student to take one overview SE course early (which can be helpful when doing programming projects in other CS courses as well as when starting one’s first industry job). While in school, it is more desirable to get broader subarea coverage and have the option of greater depth in whatever you choose as a CS major, since SE beyond the first overview course is better learned in practice or on the job.
Okay, I’ll count honors for this one because I don’t think this is specifically UC weighted and capped. In that case, it’s right on the dot on 4.00. I really hope freshman year doesn’t count because I made really big achievements the next 2 years and I don’t want them to be undermined. I went from being a B’s and C’s student to an all A’s, and I still don’t get much benefit, which makes me a bit sad tbh.
For UCs and CSUs, school-designated honors courses count as +1 only if listed on the UC doorways site, which lists only California high schools and a few online high schools.
Oh ok. My weighted and capped then is right on 4.00 for all 3 years
Oh, even CSU does that? If we’re counting freshman year into the equation, I’m screwed then not going to lie
CSU’s only count AP’s, not OOS honors.
Only Cal Poly SLO (highly selective) counts 9th grade - CPP (Cal Poly Pomona, the one where you’ve got a real shot and that’s affordable) doesn’t.
Please check out the links provided in #54. 
You’re not screwed. You just have to adjust your sights. Cal Poly might not work, but Cal Poly Pomona is a very good, affordable option if you’re going to pay OOS tuition. According to LinkedIn their top 10 employers for CS grads in order are: Northrop, NASA JPL, Amazon, Boeing, AT&T, Kaiser Permanente, Google, Raytheon, Southern Cal Edison and Microsoft. The higher than typical bias towards aerospace has to do with fact that they also have very good aerospace and mechanical engineering programs.
You are not screwed at all. You simply need to be realistic in developing your list. You could go to Arizona State or Oregon State Abd have a similar outcome. Word of advice - don’t fall in love with any school. There are thousands of colleges in this country. Is everyone who doesn’t go to the ones you mentioned screwed? That’s silly.
Find alternatives…you will be fine.
UIUC acceptance rate for CS is around 15% and when I went to their accepted students session, they said around 70% of the admitted student body was in state I think. So I don’t think you can really consider it a safety or even a match really. All of the UC’s were a crapshoot basically this year so I wouldn’t count on them as being SUPER likely. Everyone’s chances at an ivy are really low unless ur parents r uber rich or uber influential but I think you know that already. I would maybe recommend looking into some more match schools. URochester is pretty good, UMICH as well. I would add like one or more safety DREXEL or SBU are both decent. Pick like 3-4 of those reaches that you REALLY like and try ur best to make ur supplemental as good as possible for them. Trust me, you won’t have the mental capacity come summer/fall to write stellar essays for all of them in a small time frame WITH school/ summer jobs if ur doing them.
U Mich and Rochester would both be reaches…Michigan a crazy reach. Drexel and SBU both match. RPI. WPI are match too. RIT safety.
How about schools like Colorado School of Mines, Va Tech, Rose Hulman, UMN, Pitt, Mizzou science and tech.
I think OP will get a great education somewhere And be successful. But like many he’s overstating his chances…and I think you need to shift down a gear to ensure merit and more likely acceptances. Guess what…Cs majors at schools like Arizona and Alabama are getting jobs and great money.
Schools like Rutgers. Not so easy to get in. Your rigor (5-6 AP) and overall GPA will work against you.
But again you are solid and there are great programs and you will do well. The top 30 is not some magnet…like if you go to the 100th ranked school you are not headed to fail and if you go to #2 or 20 you are not assured success.
Good luck.
The students in Rolla would strangle you if they knew you referred to their school as Mizzou. 
I say that as a Mizzou alum with a sister that attended Missouri S&T (University of Missouri - Rolla at the time).