Admissions Information

The undergraduate admissions policy of the University of California is guided by the University's commitment to serve the people of California and the needs of the state, within the framework of the California Master Plan for Higher Education.

The entrance requirements established by the University follow guidelines set forth in the Master Plan, which requires that the top one-eighth of the state’s high school graduates, as well as those transfer students who have successfully completed specified college work, be eligible for admission to the University of California. These requirements are designed to ensure that all eligible students are adequately prepared for University-level work.

Because the level of competition for admission to certain campuses and programs is very high, students should be advised to consider applying to more than one campus and to programs that, while not their first choice, will allow them to fulfill their educational goals.

Counselors and students should review selection criteria for freshman and transfer applicants at each campus. Counselors will find the criteria serve better as guides to the selection process than as predictors of whether a student will be accepted to a particular campus and program. The level of performance needed to gain admission to particular campuses and programs varies from year to year depending on the size and academic qualifications of the applicant pool and the number of available spaces.