In addition to your UC application, we take both your academic record and your personal experiences into consideration during the review process. At UCLA, we seek students who have excelled academically and gained valuable perspective from the personal experiences that have helped shape their lives.
Read on to find out more.
The Criteria We Consider
When reviewing an application, we implement a holistic review process, which includes looking at some of the following criteria:
- Achievement in high school or college coursework
- Personal qualities
- Likely contributions to the intellectual and cultural vitality of our campus
- Achievement in academic enrichment programs
- Other achievements in any field of intellectual or creative endeavor, including the performing arts, athletics, community service, etc.
Academic Preparation
You must complete 15 A-G courses with at least 11 courses finished prior to the beginning of your last year of high school. To be competitive in the UCLA admission process, applicants should present an academic profile much stronger than any minimum UC admission requirements. See below for a listing of the A-G requirements:
- 2 years history/social science
- 4 years of college-preparatory English
- 3 years of mathematics (4 years recommended)
- 2 years of laboratory science (3 years recommended)
- 2 years of language other than English (3 years recommended)
- 1 year of visual and performing arts (if available)
- 1 year of college-preparatory elective
Keep in mind that there is no single academic path we expect all students to follow. However, competitive applicants earn high marks in the most rigorous curriculum available to them.
Each application for admission is reviewed within the context of courses available to that student. If a particular required subject is not available, we’ll consider your application without it.
Standardized Testing (SAT/ACT)
UCLA will not consider SAT or ACT scores for admission or scholarship purposes.
If you choose to submit test scores as part of your application, they may be used as an alternative method of fulfilling minimum requirements for eligibility or for course placement after you enroll.
UCLA’s ACT number: 0448
UCLA’s College Board (SAT) number: 4837
Personal Insight Questions
These personal questions are just that — personal. This is your chance to augment the information elsewhere in your application and give us more insight into you during the review process. Our hope is to hear your true, authentic voice in your responses.
As a first-year applicant, you may respond to four of eight questions. Each response is limited to a maximum of 350 words. Which questions you choose to answer is entirely up to you. You should select questions that are most relevant to your experience and that best reflect your individual circumstances.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Because we receive more applicants than we have room to accept, admitted students usually have academic achievements far higher than the minimum requirements. So, to be “competitive” is to be among the strongest achieving students to apply.
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We look for students who take advantage of the academic opportunities available to them. If you have advanced courses, we encourage you to take advantage of them. The University of California adds extra weight to grades received in UC-certified honors, AP, IB and transferable college courses.
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We do not require or accept letters of recommendation in our process and we do not collect transcripts at the point of application. However, once admitted, students are required to submit official transcripts from any high school or college they have attended. Some professional schools may request a letter of recommendation as part of their supplemental application process.
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We do not offer admission interviews. Applicants are considered for admission based upon the information they submit in the UC application. However, some majors in our specialty schools require a supplemental application as part of their admission process. Supplemental applications may involve an audition, portfolio submission and/or letters of recommendation. Find out more from the supplemental applications page.
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Of course, a strong academic performance combined with sustained, meaningful involvement in extracurricular activities is the ideal. But if it comes down to a choice between excelling in your coursework or your extracurricular activities, choose your academics.
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UCLA will honor full IGETC certification from a first-year student if the requirements were completed before entering UC. Partial IGETC, however, will not be accepted from entering first-years at any UC campus and IGETC is not recommended for applicants to the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.