How to Get Into UCSD: Requirements and Strategies
/Learn the UCSD acceptance rate, average GPA, and application requirements to improve your UCSD admissions odds
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Part 1: Introduction
If your child loves the sun and dreams of receiving a world-class education alongside an intentional, diverse community of ambitious peers, they should consider applying to the University of California, San Diego. One of the top-ranked public universities in the nation, UCSD is a premier place for students to explore their academic interests and prepare for lives of innovation and influence.
Founded in 1960 as part of the University of California system, UCSD offers a student experience you won’t find at any of the other eight UC campuses. When students enroll at UCSD, they join one of eight residential colleges—each with its own neighborhood, general education requirements, and unique traditions. UCSD students experience the strong sense of belonging offered by small colleges while enjoying the resources of a large public research university.
In the classroom, students learn from professors who are inventors, researchers, and leaders in their fields. UCSD’s faculty members are winners of Nobel Prizes, Academy Awards, Pulitzer Prizes, and National Humanities Medals. With nearly half of UCSD classes containing less than twenty students, undergraduates easily receive individualized attention and mentorship from these esteemed professors.
On any given day, a UCSD student might start the morning by exploring the history of music in the U.S.—from hillbilly music to hip-hop—as part of the Sixth College’s core GE sequence. After class, they could wander and appreciate the Stuart Art Collection, a campus-wide exhibition featuring many of today’s greatest artists. In the afternoon, they might research climate change at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography—one of the oldest and largest centers for ocean science research. To make a perfect end to the day, they could visit a museum or enjoy a twilight concert at historic Balboa Park.
And after UCSD? Graduates join an alumni network including over 200,000 leaders, innovators, and world-changers. UCSD alumni have climbed career ladders in nearly every industry, securing roles as state senators, congressmen, U.S. ambassadors, astronauts, CEOs, Emmy-winning TV writers, and New York Times bestsellers.
With all this national and worldwide acclaim, it’s no surprise that over 100,000 applicants vie for UCSD admission each year. Your child will need a strong application strategy in order to compete against the other high-achieving students applying to UC San Diego. In this guide, we’ll explore the UCSD average GPA, acceptance rate, and requirements in order to help your student boost their UCSD admissions odds.
UCSD ranking
Forbes: 21
Niche: 65
U.S. News & World Report: 34
Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education: 20
(Suggested reading: The Best UC Schools: UC Rankings)
Where is UCSD located?
UCSD resides in the La Jolla community of greater San Diego—an area well-known for its pristine beaches and vibrant community life. Sitting about 100 miles south of Los Angeles and 20 miles north of the Mexico-United States border, San Diego offers rich history and diversity for students to enjoy.
San Diego attracts more than 30 million tourists each year with landmarks such as the San Diego Zoo, Balboa Park, the Gaslamp Quarter, and the San Diego Navy Base—home to the largest naval fleet in the world.
But San Diego is more than a tourist hotspot. It’s also the home of many industry clusters which offer advantageous internship and networking opportunities for UCSD students. Some of the largest business sectors in San Diego include military defense, international trade, and research and manufacturing. UCSD students and alumni commonly involve themselves in the fields of biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, biomedical device production, and life sciences, to name a few.
UCSD setting
UCSD’s 1,976-acre suburban campus is located in the beautiful La Jolla neighborhood, which has a wealth of small boutiques and waterfront restaurants for its residents and visitors to enjoy. Within minutes of leaving campus—by car or bike—students can reach the Pacific Ocean. La Jolla beaches provide something for everyone. Students can sunbathe at Black’s Beach, stroll along Scripps Pier, swim in the La Jolla Cove, or explore the La Jolla Tide Pools.
There are plenty of other activities available in the UCSD area besides the beach. The Birch Aquarium, which is less than a mile from campus, has over 60 marine habitats to explore. The nearby University Towne Center provides students with a variety of options for their free time—including shopping centers, coffeeshops, and restaurants offering the freshest seafood you can imagine.
While the surrounding communities have much to offer, UCSD students don’t have to leave campus in order to be entertained—there are many on-campus events and activities for them to enjoy. One beloved UCSD tradition is the Sun God Festival—featuring musicians, carnival games, vendors, and student booths. In addition, each of the residential colleges hosts its own unique student events, some for specific college members only but many others open to the whole UCSD community.
UCSD student population
Note: 2021-2022 population numbers are the latest published.
Undergraduate students: 33,343
Graduate and professional students: 8,542
UCSD acceptance rate
Below are admissions statistics for the class of 2027:
Applications: 130,841
Acceptances: 32,314
Matriculants: ~7,000
Acceptance rate: 24.7%
UCSD tuition and scholarships
The 2023–2024 UCSD cost of attendance (i.e., tuition, room, board, and fees) is $39,591 for California residents and $72,165 for non-residents.
48 percent of UCSD undergrads receive need-based financial aid, and the average first-year award is $21,339. The average merit-based aid award is $10,236.
Who gets into UCSD?
Typically, 100 percent of students accepted to UCSD ranked within the top ten percent of their graduating high school classes. If your child wants to earn a place among the quarter of UCSD applicants who receive an offer of admission, they’d be wise to see how they match up to the incoming class profile for 2023.
UCSD average weighted GPA:
25th percentile: 4.11
75th percentile: 4.29
UCSD has not yet released student demographics for the class of 2027, but we can still take a look at the most recent demographics from their website:
California residents: 72.6%
International students: 16.1%
Asian-Americans make up the largest student demographic with 37.9% of the class. The next largest groups are Chicano or Latino students (20.9%), white students (19%), and Black students (3%).
Because UCLA, along with the other UC schools, no longer accepts standardized test scores, there is no testing data for the most recently accepted class. Below are the average ACT and SAT scores for UCSD’s class of 2024:
UCSD average ACT score:
25th percentile: 29
75th percentile: 34
UCSD average SAT score:
25th percentile: 1330
75th percentile: 1510
The most popular majors for students enrolled at UCSD are biology, mathematics, economics, international or global studies, and computer science.
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Part 2: UCSD admissions requirements
Students hoping to attend UCSD must compete against many other high-achieving applicants to prove they’re the best academic and personality fit for the UCSD community. There are three main methods they can use to achieve this aim—succeed in rigorous coursework, go in-depth with extracurriculars, and write stand-out UC college essays.
UCSD’s “A-G” course requirements
The UCSD average GPA makes it clear that in order to be a successful applicant, your child must put forth a strong academic performance. The best way to do this is to be knowledgeable about the UCSD minimum course requirements, but go above and beyond them. Competitive students will pursue more rigorous classes in the subject areas of their interest.
The UCSD academic requirements follow the UC system’s “A-G” course plan—the same as all other UC campuses. The “A-G” requirements align with most college prep tracks, but it’s important to know the specifics, since students may be ineligible for admission at any UC if they fail to complete the requirements correctly.
(A) History/social Science: Two years required
One year of world history, cultures, or geography
One year of U.S. history OR half a year of U.S. history and half a year of U.S. government
(B) English: Four years required
(C) Mathematics: Three years required, but four years recommended
One year of geometry required
(D) Laboratory science: Two years required, but three years recommended
Requires two of the following: biology, chemistry, or physics
(E) Language other than English: Two years required, but three years recommended
(F) Visual and performing arts: One year required
(G) College preparatory electives: One year required
Can be additional A-F courses in excess of requirement
Other approved courses: computer science, psychology, AVID, speech or debate, etc.
As mentioned above, it’s important to follow these minimum UCSD admissions requirements. However, if your child wants to have a good chance of getting into UCSD, they’ll want to add more rigorous coursework into their high school plan. This may include dual-enrollment classes, honors classes, or AP and IB classes, to name a few.
When deciding which higher-level courses to pursue—and every student has a limit for how much they can handle while balancing extracurriculars and a personal life—your child should prioritize the subjects or areas that best align with their interests and career goals.
For example, if your child wants to study a STEM field in college, they should take four years each of math and science, including at least one higher-level class for each subject. When combined with STEM-focused extracurriculars, this will paint a picture of your child as an applicant who’s committed to this field and has what it takes to succeed in a STEM major at UCSD.
UCSD extracurricular requirements
According to the UCSD Common Data Set, which summarizes key information about their admissions process, UCSD ranks applicants’ extracurriculars, talent, character, and volunteer work as important factors in the application review. To interpret this in a useful way for your child, applicants should use their activities to demonstrate their unique abilities, strong personal character, and commitment to public service.
The extracurricular strategy we suggest for students to follow is rather straightforward on the surface—pursue what interests or excites them. But pursue it in interesting or unique ways that establishes them as specialists in the field. We’ll use an example to illustrate.
Let’s say your child is interested in environmental science. One option to explore this interest is to join pre-established clubs or programs, such as a “Save the Earth” Club at their high school or a month-long summer program focused on conservational science. Those are fine extracurricular choices, but by no means are they the only way your child should pursue their interest.
In contrast to these types of pre-established activities is the opportunity for your child to create a self-directed project. For example, your child could start an environmental awareness campaign on social media, advocate for increased recycling efforts at school, or organize a fundraiser to support an environmental cause. These types of activities will be more impressive to the UCSD admissions committee, turning your child into that “environmental science applicant” who has the potential to do amazing things as part of the UCSD community.
The added benefit of this extracurricular strategy is that your child will be able to truly enjoy what they spend their time doing. And when they do arrive at college, they’ll be confident in their passions and career direction.
(Suggested reading: How to Write an Impressive UC Activities List)
UCSD application requirements
Students submit a single UC application to apply to as many UC campuses as they wish. The application opens on November 1st and closes on November 30th. Here are the requirements needed for the UCSD application.
A completed University of California application
High school transcripts to input grades into the application
Optional: AP or IB exam scores
Your child will need to rank the seven UCSD colleges in order of the ones which they would most like to join.
If your child is applying as a media, studio, ICAM, or speculative design major, they can submit an optional portfolio of their work, including images or videos and an artists’ statement.
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Part 3: 2023–2024 UCSD personal insight questions
As part of the UC application, students who apply to UCSD must answer four of eight possible personal insight questions, or PIQs. This takes the place of a single college essay or personal statement. For each PIQ, students are given a maximum of 350 words to formulate their response.
The PIQs ask about different aspects of an applicant’s possible experience—from their creativity to their work in making their community a better place to the obstacles they’ve overcome. While not every prompt will speak directly toward your child and their areas of strength, it shouldn’t be difficult to brainstorm topics and anecdotes to answer four of the eight PIQs.
Since admissions interviews and letters of recommendation aren’t part of the UCSD admissions process, the PIQs represent the best opportunity for applicants to display their unique character, abilities, dreams, and specific fit for UCSD. The mission of UCSD is to transform California and beyond through education, creativity, and service. Without naming UCSD specifically—since the same PIQ responses are available to all the UC schools your child applies to—can your child focus their essays on demonstrating their strengths in these areas?
Writing PIQs is a significant part of the UC application process, which is why we’ve developed a comprehensive guide on how to write great UC essays. If your child is working on their UCSD application, they can use this guide to understand the main components of each PIQ prompt and determine the best ones for them to answer. Plus, we offer sample responses for each question to help your child stand out from the crowd through their PIQ essays.
Final thoughts
As a premier research university ideally located in one of the sunniest and most beautiful parts of the country, UCSD is not an easy school to get into. However, if your child uses these strategies to pursue rigorous coursework, become specialists in their interest areas, and craft a strong UC application, they can increase their chances of making their UCSD dreams come true.
About the Author
Dr. Shirag Shemmassian is the Founder of Shemmassian Academic Consulting and one of the world's foremost experts on college admissions. For nearly 20 years, he and his team have helped thousands of students get into top programs like Harvard, Stanford, and MIT using his exclusive approach.