University of California, San Diego

Admitted first-year students at UC San Diego report an average high school GPA of about 3.88. There is no fixed cutoff, but because UC San Diego is test-free, the rigor of your high school record and your academic GPA are the two factors weighed most heavily in admission.

UC San Diego admitted about 28.6% of first-year applicants in the most recent cycle, drawing roughly 136,750 applications, admitting around 39,054 students, and enrolling about 7,801. Admission is more competitive for out-of-state and international applicants than the overall rate suggests.

Counterintuitively, out-of-state domestic applicants are admitted at a higher rate than California residents. In Fall 2025, UC San Diego admitted 39.2% of domestic non-residents (9,771 of 24,929) versus 24.6% of California residents (21,542 of 87,574). International applicants fell in between at 29.5%. The smaller out-of-state pool self-selects — fewer non-residents apply, so those who do tend to be stronger overall. The low out-of-state enrollment share (about 12%) reflects the size of that applicant pool, not a harder path to admission.

No. UC San Diego is test-blind: it does not accept or consider SAT or ACT scores in admission decisions, even if you submit them. Standardized test scores are formally listed as 'not considered' in the school's own admission factors, so your application is reviewed entirely without them.

With test scores not considered, UC San Diego leans on the rest of the application. It rates rigor of high school record, academic GPA, the application essay, and character/personal qualities as very important, with extracurricular activities, talent/ability, and state residency rated important. A specific, well-revised essay is one of the few places a strong applicant can stand out.

The biological and life sciences are the single most popular area at about 20% of bachelor's degrees. The sciences overall account for roughly a quarter of students, followed by engineering and computer science (about 19%), the social sciences (about 18%), and a large interdisciplinary share (about 17%), with business rounding out the most common fields.

Annual tuition and required fees run about $20,892 for California residents and $58,494 for out-of-state and international students, with on-campus food and housing adding roughly $20,300 per year. About 52% of first-years receive need-based aid, the average aid package is near $30,932, and UC San Diego meets roughly 82% of demonstrated need on average.

No. UC San Diego does not offer Early Decision, Early Action, or a restrictive early plan. Like all University of California campuses, it has a single application round, so every first-year applicant applies on the same regular timeline.