Which UC Campus Should You Apply?

By Quetzal Mama • September 21, 2013

Which UC Campus Should You Apply?
Copyright Roxanne Ocampo 2013

When I meet with UC-bound students for our initial coaching session, I ask them which UC campuses they will apply.   Inevitably, the majority of students will say their top three school choices are Berkeley, UCLA, and UC San Diego.  Of course – these are the three most competitive UC campuses!  My follow-up question:  How does your academic profile compare with the profile of admitted freshman applicants at these campuses?  This is when I get the quizzical eyebrow, followed by, “¿que?” 

To help students determine whether or not their academic profile is closely aligned with the campuses they are considering, I give them the facts.  Each year I publish an updated Fall Admissions Chart so they can make a more informed decision when it comes time to applying.  Keep in mind these numbers won’t tell you whether or not you are “in” or “out” – they are simply data.  Or, as I tell my students, “It is simply a practical point of reference.”  Keeping this in mind, here are the stats for the Fall 2013 admitted students at the University of California:
 
 
Campus
Admit Rate
Rate
 
GPA
ACT
Composite
SAT
Composite
UCLA
20.1%
4.15
30
2052
Berkeley
20.8%
4.18
31
2076
San Diego
36.8%
4.11
29
1993
Santa Barbara
38.8%
4.01
28
1915
Davis
39.4%
4.07
28
1906
Irvine
41.1%
4.03
27
1854
Santa Cruz
48.6
3.84
26
1793
Riverside
54.7
3.72
25
1720
Merced
65.6%
3.59
23
1634

 *Note the above SAT Composite Scores were obtained by adding the average Critical Reading, Math, and Writing Scores.  Therefore, each respective score has significance and should be reviewed before evaluating against your personal scores.  You can find the breakdown of the scores here: