Do UCs prefer in-state students?

Yes, University of California (UC) campuses strongly prefer and prioritize California residents, dedicating the vast majority of spots to in-state students, as mandated by the state's Master Plan for Higher Education, with recent state funding tied to increasing resident enrollment and reducing non-resident numbers, especially at highly selective campuses like UCLA and Berkeley. While UCs value the diversity out-of-state students bring, in-state applicants have a significant advantage, often facing slightly lower GPA requirements and benefiting from guaranteed admission pathways (Eligibility in the Local Context/ Statewide Index).

Do UCs favor in-state students?

What you have to remember is that # of CA applicants applying to the UC's are usually anywhere from 3-5X more than OOS and International applicants. The UC's have mandated that the OOS and International student enrollment is capped at 18% so 82% of the spots should go to CA students.

Does UCLA prefer in-state?

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 is the 9% UC rule?

The Statewide Index identifies California-resident students in the top 9 percent of California high school graduates and offers these students a guaranteed space at a UC campus, if space is available.

What percent of UC students are out-of-state?

In fall 2023, only 16.6 percent of UC's enrollees were out-of-state or international, compared with 32.8 percent for other AAU Public institutions.

UC Berkeley, UCLA, and the UC’s: The pros, the cons, and how to get in.

Where do top 1% send kids to college?

The "top 1%" of students, often defined by family income, tend to go to highly selective, elite universities like Dartmouth, Yale, Penn, Brown, Princeton, and Stanford, MIT, and Harvard, with some Ivy League schools having a higher concentration of these students than the bottom 60% of income earners. Rankings vary, but MIT, Princeton, Harvard, Stanford, and UC Berkeley consistently appear at the top for overall academic standing, attracting top talent across all income levels. 

Which is the easiest UC to get into?

The easiest UC to get into is generally UC Merced, often followed by UC Riverside and UC Santa Cruz, due to their higher acceptance rates (which can exceed 50% or even 90% depending on the year and data source) compared to more selective campuses like UCLA or Berkeley, making them the most accessible options within the UC system for first-year applicants. These campuses offer more opportunities, especially UC Merced as the newest and most accessible, and Riverside as a strong choice for affordability and diversity. 

What are the big 3 UC schools?

Three University of California (UC) campuses are UC Berkeley, UCLA (Los Angeles), and UC San Diego, with other major ones including UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC Santa Barbara, UC Santa Cruz, UC Riverside, UC Merced, and the graduate-only UC San Francisco. These campuses offer diverse academic programs and unique campus cultures across California, from the Bay Area (Berkeley) to Southern California (UCLA, UCSD).
 

What is the lowest GPA UC will accept?

For University of California (UC) freshman admission, the minimum GPA is 3.0 for California residents and 3.4 for non-residents in college-preparatory (A-G) courses, but actual admitted students often have much higher GPAs, with competitive averages well above 3.8, and specific campus requirements vary, so meeting the minimum only makes you eligible to be considered, not guaranteed admission. 

What community college in California has a 100% acceptance rate?

Foothill College:

1 community college in California, located in Los Altos Hills, within the San Francisco Bay Area. A small public college with an undergraduate enrollment of 3,338 students. Acceptance rate is 100%.

Is UCI or UCSB harder to get into?

Is UC Santa Barbara or UC Irvine Harder to get into? Which school is easier to get into? If you're looking at acceptance rate alone, then UC Santa Barbara is more difficult to get into. However, each college is looking to fill its incoming class with a variety of students with different strengths, backgrounds, etc.

Is UCLA not #1 anymore?

Yes, UCLA is no longer the #1 public university, losing the top spot to UC Berkeley in the 2026 U.S. News & World Report rankings, dropping to #2 public and #17 overall, ending an eight-year reign as the top public school. The shift occurred in rankings released in September 2025, with UC Berkeley taking the #1 public university spot, while UCLA remains a highly-ranked institution.
 

What is the hardest major to get into UCLA?

The hardest majors to get into at UCLA consistently have extremely low acceptance rates, with Nursing Prelicensure, Film and Television, and Computer Science often topping the list, alongside competitive engineering fields like Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, due to high demand and capped programs requiring strong supplemental applications or auditions, especially for arts. 

What extracurriculars do UCs look for?

UC First-Year Admission – Extracurricular Activities

• Community Service and Volunteering.
• Educational Preparation Programs.
• Internships.
• Summer Programs.
• Other Ideas. Research Programs. Independent Projects.

Is UC Berkeley Democrat or Republican?

UC Berkeley leans heavily Democratic, with faculty studies showing a significant Democrat-to-Republican ratio (around 10:1), reflecting the broader liberal political environment of the Bay Area, though there are active Republican student groups and growing "vital center" movements aiming for more diverse viewpoints. While students and faculty are predominantly liberal/Democratic, some faculty and student Republicans exist, and recent years have seen efforts to foster more balanced political discussions, notes Berkeley News. 

Where do the 1% go to college?

The 1% of the wealthiest Americans disproportionately attend highly selective, elite universities, particularly Ivy League schools (Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Dartmouth, Brown, Penn, Columbia) and other top institutions like MIT, Stanford, Duke, and UChicago, where they make up a large percentage of the student body, often outnumbering students from the bottom 60% of income earners combined. Liberal arts colleges and prestigious public universities also attract many wealthy students, with specific examples including WashU St. Louis, UVA, UCLA, UC Berkeley, Vanderbilt, and Johns Hopkins.
 

What is the 9% rule for UC?

The UC's 9% rule refers to two guaranteed admission pathways for top-performing California residents: the Statewide Guarantee for those in the top 9% statewide (based on a formula including A-G courses and UC GPA) and Eligible in the Local Context (ELC) for those in the top 9% of their specific participating high school, ensuring a spot at a UC if space is available. 

Why is UCSB called a party school?

Almost a decade on from my year abroad at UCSB, Niche recently naming it the US's top party school came as no surprise. "Deltopia," the notorious post-spring-break block party, still draws thousands of students each year, and police citations are handed out as readily as red Solo cups.

Do UCs prioritize CA residents?

As a public institution, we prioritize admission for California residents. However, all of our campuses offer admission to out-of-state students.

Which UC is the safest?

Which UC campus is the safest? UC Riverside, Santa Barbara, and San Diego are generally considered to be the safest UC campuses.

What is the #1 college in California?

The number one college in California depends on the ranking system, but Stanford University consistently ranks first overall, followed closely by institutions like the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley), which is often the top public university. For public options, UCLA and UC Berkeley are top contenders.
 

Which UC is the easiest?

Among UC schools, UC Merced has the highest acceptance rate at 91.7%. Meaning, most applicants get accepted. This makes it the easiest UC to get into. However, how “competitive” a school is depends on many factors, not just how easy it is to get in.

Which UC is known as the party school?

UC Santa Barbara was ranked the No. 1 party school in the U.S. for 2026, holding onto its top spot from last year, per Niche's new report.

Which UC is the cheapest?

UC Merced is often cited as the cheapest University of California (UC) for in-state students due to its lower cost of living and average net prices, with UC Davis, UC Riverside, and UC Santa Cruz also offering affordability, especially in housing. However, for low-income students, a UC can actually be cheaper than a Cal State because generous financial aid (like the Blue & Gold Opportunity Plan) often covers tuition and fees, leaving more for living expenses, according to a Reddit post.
 

Which UC has the happiest students?

UC Davis Is One of the 25 Happiest Public Universities in the US.