Decoding UCLA Admissions: Acceptance Rates and Strategies for Aspiring Bruins

The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) stands as a beacon of academic excellence, athletic prowess, and vibrant campus life, making it a dream destination for countless high school students. Its sprawling campus, top-tier academic offerings, and Division I sports teams contribute to its allure. However, this popularity translates into an exceptionally competitive admissions landscape. UCLA receives more applications than any other institution in the country, making admission highly competitive.

UCLA's Prominence and Appeal

UCLA's prestige is well-earned. Ranked No. 17 in National Universities and No. 2 in Top Public Schools in the 2026 edition of Best Colleges, UCLA offers a diverse range of undergraduate programs, including the reputable School of Theater, Film, and Television and the Samueli School of Engineering. The University of California, Los Angeles is a public institution that was founded in 1919. With a total undergraduate enrollment of 33,471 (fall 2024), and a campus size of 419 acres, UCLA provides a rich and dynamic learning environment. The student-faculty ratio at University of California, Los Angeles is 20:1.

Understanding the Acceptance Rate

The acceptance rate is a critical metric for gauging admissions competitiveness. For fall 2024 admission, UCLA received more than 146,000 first-year applications and admitted a little more than 13,000 students, amounting to an overall acceptance rate of 8.97%. This figure underscores the selective nature of UCLA admissions. UCLA remains highly competitive with an overall acceptance rate holding steady at 9% in 2025. UCLA’s acceptance rate for 2025 hovers around 9%, the same as the year before.

Historical Trends in Admission Rates

Analyzing historical data reveals significant trends in UCLA's admissions. UCLA leadership has opted to keep any and all information on the incoming Class of 2029 close to the vest this year, so there’s not much we can dissect relating to their demographic breakdown or relative selectivity compared with other years. UCLA’s overall admission rate has plummeted over the last quarter of a century - from 28.96% for the Class of 2004 to 8.57% for the Class of 2026 (it stood at 8.73% for the Class of 2027 and 8.96% for the Class of 2028). The figure of 146,250 applicants is a number most schools, highly selective or not, could only dream of. This recent year marks a somewhat unusual instance where the acceptance rate has shown a slight increase from the previous year. Could this be a sign that the recent surge of interest in UCLA is starting to level off?

Factors Influencing Acceptance Rates

Several factors contribute to the fluctuation of acceptance rates:

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Application Volume: UCLA routinely sets records for attracting the largest applicant pools in higher education. For Fall 2025, UCLA received a total of 173,374 applications-145,086 from prospective freshmen and 28,288 from students hoping to transfer in their junior year.
Institutional Priorities: The UCs are known to prioritize California residents over out-of-state or international students. California students will be pleased to know that there has been a shift in institutional priorities this year following recent pressures set out by the White House. The UCs admitted a record-breaking 100,947 first-year California students, the largest in their history, marking a more than 7% increase from 2024.
Uniqueness of Situations: Many colleges, including UCLA, found themselves in a unique situation during COVID. What did this lead to? An uptick in applications received and an overall interest in UCLA. What students did not anticipate was that although UCLA was becoming increasingly more popular, it still only had a limited number of students it could admit in a year.

In-State vs. Out-of-State Acceptance

It’s also important to understand in-state versus out-of-state acceptance rates. As we can see, there has been a similar downward trend in out-of-state metrics as general metrics for UCLA.

Transfer Acceptance Rate

Although still selective, UCLA’s transfer admissions process is more manageable than taking the first-year route. UCLA’s transfer acceptance rate is 22.7% in 2025, accepting 6,403 of the 28,266 who applied. Although transferring to UCLA offers a higher acceptance rate and is often the more appealing path for students, the admissions priorities are similar to those for first-year applicants-in-state California residents come first.

What UCLA Looks For

The most successful UCLA applicants “go beyond minimum requirements and seek to challenge themselves to grow both in and outside of the classroom.” UCLA evaluates applicants based on a wide array of factors, both academic and non-academic.

Academic Factors

Below are the primary academic factors we considered when we reviewed our first-year applicants for Fall Quarter 2025. All GPAs are calculated from courses completed in grades 10 and 11. The fully weighted GPA includes an extra grade point for all UC-approved honors courses (which include AP, IB, school-based honors and transferable college courses) in which a grade of C or higher is earned. The maximum value possible is 5.00. The unweighted GPA does not include any extra grade points for honors courses. The maximum value possible is 4.00. About 56% of all enrolled applicants for the class of 2028 had an unweighted GPA of 4.0 or above. Note: the evaluation of applicants takes into consideration the courses and educational opportunities available at their specific high school.

Holistic Review

UCLA employs a holistic review process, considering a multitude of factors beyond academic achievements. The application includes personal insight questions, designed to encourage students to reflect on learning experiences and future ambitions. In order to stand out for the right reasons, students must carefully follow application guidelines, write compelling UCLA personal statements in response to the personal insight questions, and have competitive grades.

Navigating the Application Process

Unlike many other colleges, UCLA does not offer an Early Decision option. Instead, applicants apply through the University of California Application for Admission and Scholarships, which can be used to apply to as many as nine UC campuses.

Test-Blind Policy

Like all schools in the University of California system, UCLA is test blind. University of California, Los Angeles has a test-blind admissions policy.

Waitlist Considerations

As a highly desirable institution, UCLA frequently places applicants on a waitlist. To make the most of the situation, applicants should keep in mind that moving off the waitlist comes down to a variety of factors, including enrollment figures and institutional needs. It’s also worth noting that at popular schools like UCLA, the waitlist admission rates are low.

Financial Information

Forty-six percent of first-year students receive need-based financial aid, and the average net price for federal loan recipients is $15,637. The school's in-state tuition and fees are $14,824; out-of-state tuition and fees are $48,674.

Strategies for Aspiring Bruins

If UCLA is on your college list, it’s important to remember that it’s a reach school for most students. Getting accepted to the UCs takes more than just strong grades; it takes a foolproof strategy and a bit of healthy hustle (which we discuss in our beloved UC Guide). They know exactly what admissions committees are looking for and how to best position you to stand out.

Graduation Rates and Post-Graduate Salaries

The four-year graduation rate is 85%. Six years after graduation, the median salary for graduates is $59,063.

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