Understanding UCLA Admissions: A Comprehensive Guide
Applying to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) can be an exciting yet complex process. This article aims to provide a comprehensive overview of UCLA admissions, covering various aspects from academic requirements and standardized tests to diversity considerations and the graduate application process.
Holistic Review: Beyond the Numbers
UCLA employs a holistic admission process, meaning they look beyond just grades and test scores. They seek students with compelling personal stories, diverse experiences, and leadership qualities. UCLA wants students who are intellectually curious, have demonstrated growth through their academic work, and are ready to contribute to the UCLA community.
UCLA considers accomplishments both inside and outside the classroom using a comprehensive review process. The faculty has approved 13 criteria for first-year admission consideration, including:
- Strong academic performance in a rigorous high school program.
- Special talents, awards, or accomplishments.
- Meaningful insights about yourself when answering the personal insight questions.
Academic Excellence and Rigor
Successful UCLA applicants typically exceed minimum requirements and challenge themselves academically. They focus on achieving the best possible grades and developing their leadership skills.
Standardized Tests: A Shifting Landscape
The University of California system, including UCLA, has moved away from requiring standardized test scores like the SAT or ACT for undergraduate admissions. While the Justice Department has requested applicant's standardized test scores, UC does not require undergraduates to submit SAT or ACT scores. If they are submitted, they are not considered in admission reviews.
Read also: Holistic Review at UCLA
However, standardized tests may still play a role in other aspects of the university. For example, some graduate programs might still consider them, or a minimum ACT score could be required for specific merit-based scholarships and grants. Be sure to consult your specific UCLA graduate program for the specific requirements.
The ACT and Its Impact: A Deeper Dive
Although UCLA no longer requires the ACT for undergraduate admissions, understanding the test's role in college admissions generally can be helpful. The ACT consists of four subtests: English, math, reading, and science (the science component became optional in April 2025).
Research has shown that even subtle factors like the rounding of ACT scores can influence a student's likelihood of attending a four-year college versus a community college. While the effect of ACT rounding is subtle, that it exists at all is another data point in the limitations of standardized testing. This is because students who receive a rounded-up score are less likely to retake the test.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
UCLA values diversity and seeks to create an inclusive environment. The university considers a wide variety of factors when admitting new students, including their personal stories and experiences.
However, the Trump administration has scrutinized UCLA's diversity, equity, and inclusion policies, alleging discriminatory practices. The administration proposed that UCLA appoint a senior administrator to conduct a "thorough review" of these policies in admissions and employment. They also sought to prohibit the use of "indirect methods or criteria that serve as a substitute for race-conscious hiring, promotion, tenure, compensation, and other employment practices."
Read also: UCLA Graduates: Earning Potential
Since 1997, state law has banned UCLA and other public education institutions from using race in hiring and admissions. In March, the UC system eliminated the use of "diversity statements" in faculty hiring. The administration also asked the school to discontinue any race- and ethnicity-based scholarships.
International Students
UCLA seeks to create a welcoming environment for international students. The Trump administration, however, sought to ensure that foreigners "likely to engage in anti-Western, anti-American, or antisemitic disruptions or harassment are not recruited or admitted." They also wanted UCLA to ensure that the university is not financially reliant on foreign student admissions or partnerships with foreign entities. UCLA would also develop materials "to socialize international students to the norms of a campus dedicated to free inquiry and open debate."
UCLA, upon request, must also provide the government with all disciplinary actions involving student visa holders.
Navigating the Graduate Application Process
Applying to a graduate program at UCLA requires careful planning and attention to detail. The UCLA application for graduate admission should be used to apply for all programs with the exception of the M.D. in Medicine, the J.D., S.J.D, and L.L.M. in Law, the D.D.S. in Dentistry, and M.B.A. and M.F.E.
Key Steps in the Graduate Application Process:
- Choose the Right Program: Decide which program is most appropriate for you prior to submitting an application.
- Complete the Application: If you are applying to UCLA as a graduate student for the first time, or if you have applied before but were not admitted, complete all parts of the application. If you filed an application for graduate admission at UCLA within the last year and were admitted but did not register, be sure to select Renewal from the dropdown menu at Application Type in the application. Submit only the application, and any additional or updated information or records. After the first renewal the application fee must be submitted with each subsequent application. If you have ever registered as a graduate student at UCLA, whether you completed a graduate program or not, complete all parts of the application. Formal application for readmission is not required of a student returning from an official leave of absence.
- Craft a Compelling Statement of Purpose: Your statement of purpose will be used in conjunction with your application for consideration for graduate admission and financial support. Address the following: What is your purpose in applying for graduate study in your specified degree program? What experiences have prepared you for advanced study or research in this degree program? What relevant skills have you gained from these experiences? Why is the UCLA graduate program to which you are applying is the best place for you to pursue your academic goals?
- Write a Personal Statement: The Personal Statement is an opportunity for you to provide additional information that may aid the selection committee in evaluating your preparation and aptitude for graduate study at UCLA. Are there educational, personal, cultural, economic, or social experiences, not described in your Statement of Purpose, that have shaped your academic journey? If so, how? Describe challenge(s) or barriers that you have faced in your pursuit of higher education.
- Meet the Minimum Requirements: Graduate admission through the regular process requires an overall scholastic average, including any post-baccalaureate study, of B (3.0 on a 4.0 scale) or better, or its equivalent if the letter grade system is not used. However, through the “Dean’s Special Action” (DSA) process, departments are able to admit applicants who do not meet this GPA requirement when other aspects of the applicant’s file suggest readiness for graduate study. The DSA process requires no additional action on the applicant’s part; it is at the department’s discretion to initiate it.
Important Considerations for Graduate Applicants:
- Application Deadlines: Be sure to consult your specific UCLA graduate program for the specific deadline for your proposed major. Applications to some programs may be considered if received after a program’s stated deadline, provided that the enrollment limitations have not been exceeded.
- Fee Waivers: Applicants who are sponsored by the Public Policy and International Affairs Fellowship Program are eligible for a deferral of the application fee. In the application, on the Plans for Graduate Study page, select PPIA under Program Participation. Participants in the following programs are eligible for fee waivers. Federal Income Tax return. Event-based waivers may waive the application fee for 2025-2026 PhD and state-supported doctoral programs. Please note that this program is subject to change or termination. Inquire about event-based fee waivers at designated conferences and recruitment events.
- Review Process: Submitted application materials are reviewed by faculty admissions committees in each major program who select the best qualified applicants. These admissions committees base recommendations for admission upon a careful comparison of applications, and this may take considerable time. Diversity, Inclusion and Admissions, therefore, cannot guarantee that the applicant will receive a response, favorable or unfavorable, on or before any specific date.
- Deferrals: In most cases, UCLA does not offer deferrals for graduate admission. Active military service: Admitted students with active military orders may request a deferral for the duration of their service. Graduate Council-approved temporary allowances: On occasion, the Graduate Council may authorize programs to offer deferrals under specific circumstances.
Campus Life and Resources
UCLA offers a vibrant campus life with a wide range of resources for students. There is a variety of both University and privately-owned housing available to UCLA graduate students. Student parking assignments are made on a need-based point system that considers such factors as class standing and commute distance, and favors those students who demonstrate the greatest need. The UCLA Summer Sessions offer approximately 500 undergraduate and graduate courses each summer. The University of California, Los Angeles actively encourages persons with disabilities to apply for admission. Federal Law (Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973) prohibits the University from requesting disability related information prior to admission.
Read also: UCLA's Weighted GPA Explained
Political and Controversial Issues
UCLA, like many universities, has faced its share of political and controversial issues. The Trump administration's settlement proposal to UCLA included a nearly $1.2-billion fine over allegations of antisemitism and civil rights violations. The proposal also sought to drastically overhaul campus practices on hiring, admissions, sports, scholarships, discrimination and gender identity.
Antisemitism Allegations:
Allegations that UCLA has failed to address antisemitism complaints are at the center of the government’s public accusations. In a government letter to UCLA in July, the Trump administration said the campus was “failing to promote a research environment free of antisemitism and bias.” The government called for a ban on wristbands and “ideological pledges” to gain access to university grounds. UCLA would also have to hire an outside firm to conduct a campus survey focused on Jewish students’ experiences with antisemitism.
Protests and Free Speech:
The Trump administration also sought to limit protests on campus, saying the university should prohibit “demonstrations in Dickson Plaza and Royce Quad that violates university time, place, and manner rules which are designed to limit disruption during times when classes are offered in nearby buildings.” The government wanted an all-out “prohibition on overnight demonstrations in any university locations.” The government seeks to ban protesters from wearing masks to shield identity while breaking the law or university policy, and says “all individuals must briefly unmask to verify their identity” when asked by authorities.
Gender Identity and Transgender Rights:
The Trump administration's proposal also touched on issues of gender identity. The letter asked the university to declare “to the UCLA community” that it does not recognize transgender people’s gender identities. UCLA is a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Assn., which this year instituted new rules that bar transgender players from women’s teams. The Trump administration says it wants UCLA to make and enforce its own policy.
Recent Developments in UCLA Athletics
UCLA's athletic programs continue to evolve. For example, the UCLA Bruins baseball team has been actively recruiting new talent through transfers. Junior outfielder Will Gasparino, junior right-handed pitcher Logan Reddemann, junior righty Jake Swenson and senior outfielder Michael Cunningham will be joining the Bruins, who are already projected to be atop college baseball next season.
Recent Changes in UCLA Football
After going 5-7 in his first season with UCLA and then 0-3 to start this season, the Bruins have decided to move on from head coach DeShaun Foster. Tim Skipper, who was previously the special assistant to Foster, will take over as interim head coach for the Bruins.
