UCLA Admission Results for the Class of 2027
The UCLA acceptance rate in 2024 (for the class of 2027) is a staggering 8.6%, the lowest it has ever been. If you’re considering applying to UCLA, you might be wondering, "How hard is it to get into UCLA?"
In this post, we'll break down the UCLA acceptance rate, including the UCLA acceptance rate by major, UCLA acceptance rate by school, and UCLA admission statistics and demographics for the class of 2027.
Fun Fact about UCLA's Acceptance Rate
UCLA is the most applied to college in the world: last year UCLA received 149,815 applications from the Class of 2027. This is the highest number of applicants UCLA has received in its history.
Acceptance rate is a simple way to understand how selective or competitive a college is. The lower the acceptance rate, the harder it typically is to get admitted. Given UCLA's acceptance rate of 8.6%, UCLA is the most selective public university in the country.
UCLA is neck and neck with other top public universities like UC Berkeley, the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and UNC Chapel Hill in terms of selectivity.
Why is UCLA so popular?
As a top public college in the U.S., University of California Los Angeles is a popular choice for reasons beyond its academic rigor. UCLA is situated in the highly sought after neighborhood of Westwood in Los Angeles, known for its beautiful weather, beaches within driving distance, and college town feel.
UCLA has a great balance of academics and social life, and is known for its strong alumni network and career opportunities.
What is UCLA known for?
UCLA is also renowned for its strong film program—the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television—having one of top undergraduate STEM programs in California, and for having vigorous athletic programs as a Division I school.
Some of the most popular majors at UCLA are business & economics, pre-med (biology, neuroscience, and psychology), engineering, and political science.
How hard is it to get into UCLA?
To have your best chances for UCLA in 2024, it's self-evident that your application must be strong across the board, as is the case for any selective college.
From your essays (called the Personal Insight Questions), to your extracurricular activities list, your GPA, and course rigor, you'll need to be a well-rounded student who excels in all areas to maximize your chances of getting into UCLA.
UCLA Regular Decision Acceptance Rate
UCLA is part of the University of California system, which includes 9 undergraduate universities. The UC system is unique in that it does not use the Common Application. Instead, the UC system has its own application, which is called the UC Application.
UCLA’s admit rate for the graduating high school class of 2024 is 8.6% because UCLA had admitted only 12,844 students out of the 149,815 total applicants. The UCLA acceptance rate continues to drop each year as you'll see in the chart below. This is largely due to the fact that the University of California-Los Angeles receives more and more applications every year. Read amazing essay examples from successful UCLA students who got into UCLA →
UCLA Early Decision Acceptance Rate
UCLA does not offer an early action (EA) nor early decision (ED) program. All applicants to the University of California are considered in the regular decision round.
Because of this, UCLA does not have an early decision acceptance rate nor an early action acceptance rate. All applicants are considered in the regular decision round.
UCLA Acceptance Rate by Year (2015-2024)
Here's a chart of UCLA's acceptance rate over the past 8 years.
And here's a table of UCLA's overall admission and yield rate over the past 8 years. UCLA had a yield of 50.31% this year, and a high yield is a good sign that UCLA is a popular choice amongst admitted students.
Source: UCLA Academic Planning and Budget: Common Data Set 2022-2024
Source: Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS)
UCLA Acceptance Scattergram
This scattergram shows the GPA and test scores of students who were accepted, rejected, and waitlisted from UCLA. The green dots represent accepted students, while the red represents rejected students.
Note: UCLA no longer uses the SAT or ACT in its admissions process.
UCLA Acceptance Rate by Major 2024
When applying to UCLA, you'll need to select a school within UCLA to apply to. UCLA has 7 undergraduate schools, each with their own application process and acceptance rate.
Does UCLA admit by major?
Yes, UCLA does take into consideration your declared major in the admission process. According to the UCLA Application Review Process, UCLA will consider your major for certain schools within UCLA, such as the Samueli School of Engineering and the School of Nursing. UCLA does not take into consideration your major for the College of Letters and Science, which is the largest school within UCLA.
Source: UCLA Academic Planning and Budget: Admissions Statistics 2022-23
Source: UCLA Application Review Process for Freshmen
As you can see, the UCLA School of Nursing had the lowest acceptance rate of just 0.83%. The UCLA Samueli School of Engineering had the second lowest acceptance rate of 5.51%.
This means, if you want to get into UCLA, you should consider applying to the College of Letters and Science, which had the highest acceptance rate besides the Herb Alpert School of Music.
UCLA Acceptance Statistics and Demographics
The University of California in Los Angeles accepts a diverse class of freshman students each year. The UC Prompts often ask you to write about your background and identity, and UCLA is looking for students who will contribute to the diversity of the campus.
UCLA Student Statistics Class Applying 2022-2024 (Class of 2027)
Note: a Nonresident is a person who is not a citizen or national of the United States and who is in this country on a student visa or temporary basis and does not have the right to remain indefinitely. Does not include DACA, undocumented, or other eligible noncitizens in this category.
Source: UCLA Academic Planning and Budget: Common Data Set 2022-2024
As you can see, UCLA is a diverse campus representing students of all backgrounds and identities. The University of California, Los Angeles' first-year student body in 2024 has a plurality of Asian students, followed by White students, and then Hispanic/Latino students.
UCLA Admission GPA Statistics
The University of California system calculates your UC GPA differently than your high school GPA. Instead of using your high school GPA, the UC application asks you to input all your courses and grades received.
As you can see, the vast majority of students admitted to UCLA have a high GPA. After your GPA, your UC essays are arguably the most important part of your application. Read amazing essay examples from successful UCLA students who got into UCLA →
UCLA Admission Average GPA
I hope this article helped you understand the UCLA acceptance rate. If you want to get into UCLA, you'll need to be a well-rounded student who excels in all areas. From your essays (called the Personal Insight Questions), to your extracurriculars, your GPA, and course rigor, you'll need to shine in every part of your application.
Read amazing essay examples from admitted University of California, Los Angeles students →
Meet the Author
I'm Ryan Chiang and I created EssaysThatWorked.com - a website dedicated to helping students and their families apply to college with confidence & ease. We publish the best college admissions essays from successful applicants every year to inspire and teach future students.
