Hello, I am a California resident about to enter my senior year of High School, and I like so many others are starting to go in full college drive, to gain as much information as possible.
I moved to California about 6 months ago from Europe, and therefore had no idea about the SAT, ACT, and AP’s.
Two weeks after I started in my new High School we had to complete the PSAT, which I got a 1220 score on.
When I look at websites like Niche, Prepscholar and the Big Future site on CollegeBoard, the SAT requirements for UC’s like UCSB, UCD, UCI, UCSC, etc. are only slightly above 1220, and after 6 months and straight A’s I think I can easily get a better score. So getting into a UC, shouldn’t be the biggest problem in my eyes.
However one of my friends told me that she wanted to get into a good UC too and that she had to get at least a 1500 on the SAT to even have a chance to get in.
This obviously made me rethink my entire life, and I started and is still panicking over what to do.
I have searched the internet for answers even here on college confidential, and nothing is noted on the subjects, so I would greatly appreciate any help and clarification.
If you are graduating in 2021, the UCs are test blind for SAT/ACT.
What major are you considering? Which UCs are you focusing on?
Hello, the UC system isn’t test blind 2021, they are test-optional, can get confusing with all of these weird terms.
I’m thinking about Computer Science (I know it sounds like I’m just a zombie like everyone else, but I actually do really like CS).
And I’m not exactly thinking about any specific UC, just not Merced, but UCSB, UCI, and UCLA would definitely be nice :).
Are you a US citizen (or permanent resident), or will you be applying as an international student?
What is your budget for college per year?
CS major at the UCs is among the most difficult majors to be admitted to, @gumbymom should have some recent stats for you.
I have the 2019 SAT stats for admitted Freshman overall (not major specific). The 2020 data should be available in August. As stated above, the UC’s are test optional this year so a competitive score can help. As a prospective CS major, the higher the better but I would target at least above the 50th percentile. For a school like UCLA, consider a 1500+ as a minimum.
2019 Data:
25th - 75th percentiles for SAT totals:
UCB: 1340-1540
UCLA: 1330-1550
UCSD: 1300-1520
UCSB: 1280-1520
UCD: 1230-1490
UCI: 1250-1510
UCSC: 1200-1450
UCR: 1130-1400
UCM: 1020-1290
SAT alone will not get you in and the UC’s tend to be very GPA focused. Below is a link of the 14 areas of criteria used for the application review. https://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/how-to-apply/applying-as-a-freshman/how-applications-are-reviewed.html
More UC admit data based on the capped weighted UC GPA:
https://rogerhub.com/gpa-calculator-uc/
2019 Freshman admit rates for UC GPA of 3.80-4.19 capped weighted and not major specific:
UCB: 12%
UCLA: 7%
UCSD: 33%
UCSB: 32%
UCD: 47%
UCI: 35%
UCSC: 72%
UCR: 87%
UCM: 96%
2019 Freshman admit rates for UC GPA of 4.20 or above capped weighted and not major specific:
UCB: 38%
UCLA: 35%
UCSD: 71%
UCSB: 73%
UCD: 84%
UCI: 55%
UCSC: 85%
UCR: 97%
UCM: 98%
2019 UC capped weighted GPA averages along with 25th-75th percentile range:
UCB: 4.23 (4.15-4.30)
UCLA: 4.25 (4.18-4.32)
UCSD: 4.16 (4.03-4.28)
UCSB: 4.16 (4.04-4.28)
UCI: 4.13 (4.00-4.25)
UCD: 4.13 (4.00-4.26)
UCSC: 3.96 (3.76-4.16)
UCR: 3.90 (3.69-4.11)
UCM: 3.73 (3.45-4.00)
As a CS major, apply widely and the UC’s are not the only good CS schools in California. Consider some of the Cal States such as Cal Poly SLO, San Diego State, Cal State Long Beach and Cal Poly Pomona. The CS job market is not dependent upon school name, it is more about your marketable skills.
Best of luck.
Hello, Thanks for the info I have been looking at the CSU schools and they all look very nice.
I’m not completely sure about my major, but I know that I can get a job with a CS degree.
I heard somewhere that UC’s don’t look majors, but from what I have heard here it seems they do.
Do you have any information about major selectivity, or any general recommendations thank you (I’m thinking about BioTech, Bioinformatics, Bioengineering etc. But I’m not sure)
It depends on the major and campus.
Does anyone have any information about how hard it is to get into any specific major on all of the different campus’s
Here is a run down on how UC’s admit. Depending upon the UC campus, CS could be found in the Engineering school and sometimes also in the College of Letters and Sciences (UCB and UCD).
UC admission by major:
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.
Alternate majors not considered.
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 division within the college
• (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/division 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, we admit to the alternate major.
UCI:
- Freshman Selection:
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.
We typically do 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. 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 need their first choice admission standards.
@ThoGos: In general, STEM majors are the most competitive for all the UC’s. Few of the UC’s breakout their specific stats by major for admitted students.
UCI for example lists SAT/GPA data for Enrolled Freshman by major. Enrolled data is usually lower than admitted student data, but it can give you some good guidelines.
Also the UC Freshman profiles give the 25th-75th percentiles for UC capped weighted GPA and test scores, so if you are applying to a competitive major, you can target schools where your GPA and test scores are above the 50th percentile for the best chances.
Once the 2021 UC application opens, the 2020 data should be available. In the meantime, here is the 2019 data:
2019 UC capped weighted GPA averages along with 25th-75th percentile range:
UCB: 4.23 (4.15-4.30)
UCLA: 4.25 (4.18-4.32)
UCSD: 4.16 (4.03-4.28)
UCSB: 4.16 (4.04-4.28)
UCI: 4.13 (4.00-4.25)
UCD: 4.13 (4.00-4.26)
UCSC: 3.96 (3.76-4.16)
UCR: 3.90 (3.69-4.11)
UCM: 3.73 (3.45-4.00)
2019 Data:
25th - 75th percentiles for SAT totals:
UCB: 1340-1540
UCLA: 1330-1550
UCSD: 1300-1520
UCSB: 1280-1520
UCD: 1230-1490
UCI: 1250-1510
UCSC: 1200-1450
UCR: 1130-1400
UCM: 1020-1290
25th - 75th percentiles for ACT composite + language arts
UCB: 28-35
UCLA: 29-35
UCSD: 26-34
UCSB: 26-34
UCD: 24-33
UCI: 24-34
UCSC: 24-32
UCR: 21-30
UCM: 18-26
Remember stats alone to not get you into a UC since HS course rigor, EC’s, personal insight essays, special talents, compelling personal circumstances etc… are all taken into consideration.