Quick answer:
UC San Diego's acceptance rate for fall 2026 is 27.2%. UCSD admitted 38,571 of 141,752 first-year applicants, according to preliminary University of California Office of the President (UCOP) data.
|
Applicant group (fall 2026) |
Applicants |
Admits |
Acceptance rate |
|---|---|---|---|
|
All first-year applicants |
141,752 |
38,571 |
27.2% |
|
In-state (California residents) |
89,437 |
21,589 |
24.1% |
|
Out-of-state (U.S. non-residents) |
26,835 |
9,995 |
37.2% |
|
International |
25,480 |
6,987 |
27.4% |
|
In-state transfer |
22,841 |
10,619 |
46.5% |
|
Out-of-state transfer |
574 |
122 |
21.3% |
| Table 1: UC San Diego admission rates broken down by residency and transfer applications and admit rates. Source: UCOP Preliminary Fall 2026 Admissions Data. | |||
University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego or UCSD) is one of the most applied-to universities in the country. Only UCLA received more first-year applications among UC campuses in fall 2026, and only UCLA and UC Berkeley admitted a smaller share of applicants.
Below, we break down UCSD's acceptance rate by residency (in-state, out-of-state, and international), transfer status, and major, and compare it with every other UC campus.
UCSD's overall first-year acceptance rate is 27.2% for fall 2026, slightly lower than 28.1% in fall 2025. Applications grew by about 5,000 while admits stayed nearly flat at roughly 38,500.
|
Year |
Applications Received |
Number of Admits |
Acceptance Rate |
| 2026 | 141,752 | 38,571 | 27.2% |
|
2025 |
136,727 |
38,457 |
28.1% |
|
2024 |
134,450 |
35,916 |
26.7% |
|
2023 |
130,835 |
32,061 |
24.0% |
| Table 2: UC San Diego admission rates including applications received, admits, and admit rates, 2023-2026. Source: UCOP Preliminary Fall 2026 Admissions Data. | |||
California residents had the lowest first-year acceptance rate at UCSD in Fall 2026: 24.1%. Out-of-state U.S. applicants were admitted at 37.2% and international applicants at 27.4%.
|
Residency |
Applicants |
Admits |
Acceptance rate |
Share of all admits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
In-state (California) |
89,437 |
21,589 |
24.1% |
56.0% |
|
Out-of-state (U.S.) |
26,835 |
9,995 |
37.2% |
25.9% |
|
International |
25,480 |
6,987 |
27.4% |
18.1% |
|
All non-residents combined |
52,315 |
16,982 |
32.5% |
44.0% |
|
Total |
141,752 |
38,571 |
27.2% |
100% |
Californians still make up the majority of admitted students. But because so many apply, each in-state applicant faces longer odds than a non-resident.
UCSD's in-state acceptance rate is 24.1% for fall 2026, down from 24.6% in 2025 and 26.0% in 2024. It is the second straight year the rate has fallen, even though UCSD admitted slightly more Californians (21,589) than in 2025
|
Year |
Applications Received |
Number of Admits |
Acceptance Rate |
|
2026 |
89,437 |
21,589 |
24.1% |
|
2025 |
87,574 |
21,542 |
24.6% |
|
2024 |
88,415 |
22,948 |
25.9% |
|
2023 |
84,930 |
20,685 |
24.3% |
| Table 3: UC San Diego in-state admission rates including applications received, admits, and admit rates, 2023-2026. Source: UCOP Preliminary Fall 2026 Admissions Data. | |||
UCSD was the fourth hardest UC for California residents in fall 2026, behind UCLA (10.2%), UC Berkeley (12.4%), and UC Irvine (22.7%).
UCSD's out-of-state acceptance rate is 37.2% for fall 2026: 9,995 admits from 26,835 U.S. applicants outside California. That is about 13 points higher than the in-state rate.
UCSD admitted 27.4% of international first-year applicants for fall 2026 (6,987 of 25,480). Combined, all non-residents were admitted at 32.5%.
UCSD admitted 46.5% of California-resident transfer applicants for fall 2026, compared with 21.3% of out-of-state U.S. transfer applicants. Unlike first-year admissions, Californians have a clear edge as transfers, largely because UC prioritizes California Community College students.
|
Transfer applicant group (fall 2026) |
Applicants |
Admits |
Acceptance rate |
|---|---|---|---|
|
In-state (California) |
22,841 |
10,619 |
46.5% |
|
Out-of-state (U.S.) |
574 |
122 |
21.3% |
|
In-state + out-of-state combined |
23,415 |
10,741 |
45.9% |
| Table 4: UC San Diego transfer admission rates including applications received, admits, and admit rates, 2026. Source: UCOP Preliminary Fall 2026 Admissions Data. | |||
For comparison, UCSD's overall transfer acceptance rate in fall 2025 was 51.9% (12,186 admits from 23,471 applicants). The out-of-state transfer pool is small, so a few dozen students can move that rate noticeably.
Computer science is the hardest major at UCSD, with a 29.5% admit rate. The most recent major-level data UC has published is from 2023.
|
Major |
Combined Admit Rate (2023) |
|
Architecture |
68% |
|
Arts & Humanities |
66% |
|
Business |
52% |
|
Computer Science |
29.5% |
|
Education |
48% |
|
Engineering |
56.7% |
|
Life Sciences |
53.4% |
|
Other Health Sciences |
72% |
|
Interdisciplenary |
63.7% |
|
Physical Sciences/Health |
57.2% |
|
Public Health |
66% |
|
Social Sciences |
57.1% |
|
Undecided |
39% |
For California residents, yes. UCSD's in-state acceptance rate has fallen two years in a row, from 26.0% in 2024 to 24.1% in 2026, while in-state applications climbed to 89,437.
The overall picture is more mixed. The total acceptance rate rose from 23.7% in 2022 to 28.1% in 2025, mostly because UCSD admitted more non-residents. It then dipped to 27.2% in 2026 as applications reached a record 141,752.
|
Change, fall 2025 → fall 2026 |
2025 |
2026 |
Change |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Total applicants |
136,727 |
141,752 |
+5,025 |
|
Overall acceptance rate |
28.1% |
27.2% |
−0.9 pts |
|
In-state acceptance rate |
24.6% |
24.1% |
−0.5 pts |
|
Non-resident acceptance rate |
34.4% |
32.5% |
−1.9 pts |
UC still prioritizes California residents systemwide, admitting 78.4% of in-state applicants to at least one campus in fall 2026. But many Californians are redirected to campuses like UC Merced and UC Riverside rather than high-demand campuses like UCSD, UCLA, and UC Berkeley.
UC San Diego is becoming increasingly more competitive. While not as competitive as UCLA and UC Berkeley, it remains one of the more sought-after UC campuses. Applicants aiming for UC San Diego should focus on building a well-rounded college application, surpassing their A-G academic requirements, and mastering their Personal Insight Questions (PIQs). By doing this, they will increase their chances of acceptance and stand out amongst their peers.
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