La Jolla, CA
加州大学圣地亚哥
UC San Diego
26%
Overall admit rate
CS/工程/生物强，性价比高
Data last verified: 2026-05
Hardware Thresholds
Overall admit rate
26%
Freshman applications (not transfer)
UC GPA threshold
3.70
UC capped weighted GPA reference (admit median)
SAT / ACT
Test-Blind
UC stopped considering test scores in 2021
APs expected
6
Average AP count of admitted students
Flagship Majors and Admit Data
| Major | Admit rate | vs overall | One-liner |
|---|---|---|---|
Jacobs 工程学院 CS Jacobs - Computer Science | 12% | 0.46× | Jacobs selective major，CSE 2024 约 10-13%；进校后不能转进 CSE 所以必须直录 |
生物工程 Bioengineering | ≈ overall 26% | 1.0× | BioE 全美前五，医工跨界 |
生物 / 药学 Biology / Pharmaceutical | ≈ overall 26% | 1.0× | Pre-med 配套医学院+药学院，科研机会多 |
Plan B · CC → UC transfer
Two years CC + transfer to 加州大学圣地亚哥
CC transfer admit rate
55%
Freshman admit 26%
TAG agreement
✗ No
Regular application, no guarantee
Suggested UC GPA
≥ 3.5
Required during CC
UCSD 不参加 TAG，但录取率 55% 仍高于新生 26%。CS/BioE 转学竞争大需 3.7+
US-domestic application points
Domestic perspective
- Overall admit rate26%. The actual number for the domestic pool (which holds most seats) is roughly aligned with the official figure.
- Financial aid / FAFSANeed-blind for domestic; FAFSA aid applications don't affect admission (need-aware applies only to international).
- Privates have no in-state preferenceDomestic applications don't differentiate by state, but schools care about state representation (over-concentrated areas face competitive squeeze).
- Test policyUC system-wide Test-Blind, SAT/ACT not considered (since 2021).
- Application timingED/EA deadlines early November, RD January. Domestic families typically begin college visits at the end of 11th grade.
International / F1 application points
F1 perspective
- International friendliness：2/3 — Normal international pool (most schools), admit rate 30-60% lower than domestic
- Need-blind for international：✗ No — F1 applicants applying for aid see significantly lower admit rates (need-aware)
- UC international：System-wide international admit rate 5-8% (much lower than CA in-state) with almost no aid.
UC San Diego · US College Application Deep Read · Chinese-American Lens
In the Chinese-American US college application pool, UC San Diego sits in the High-caliber private / LAC (often-underestimated tier) layer. Overall admit rate is 26%, but the flagship major Jacobs - Computer Science runs at a tighter 12% — a "within-major selectivity tax" that generic chatbots saying "reach for Top 30" can't see.
UC San Diego is part of the University of California (UC) system — test-blind (SAT/ACT ignored), evaluating UC-capped weighted GPA against a 3.70 25th-percentile floor. For international applicants, UC San Diego is need-aware, which means F1 applicants requesting financial aid trade off admit probability against affordability. CC transfer admit rate ~55%, no TAG but still a mainstream channel.
If you or a parent is evaluating whether UC San Diego is a reach, match, or safety in this US college application cycle, the "I have 4.0 / 1500, can I get in?" question is not answerable from public forums alone — real judgment requires layering this season's admissions policy, your high-school competitive density, within-major selectivity, and ED/EA timing into one model. UC has no ED/EA — single Nov 30 RD deadline, but UC PIQs need at least 6-8 weeks of drafting. The Kaiso engine assigns UC San Diego to a tier based on your real profile, and every judgment is auditable.