UC San Diego 2025 Admission Statistics

UC San Diego Admission Guide — Class of 2030 (Applying 2025-26)

“Tritons don’t wait for permission to innovate—​they prototype, iterate, and surf between sprints.” — UC San Diego admissions advisor, May 2025

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Why read this?

You’re a high-school junior who will submit the UC application between October 1 and November 30 2025.
UC San Diego’s brand-new 2024-25 Common Data Set reveals the latest admit rates, GPA bands, costs, and aid. Skip the spreadsheets and use this narrative cheat-sheet—no tables, no fluff—to benchmark your odds, plan every deadline, and craft an application that shouts Go Tritons.

The Admission Landscape — Numbers in Plain English

• 134,455 first-year applications poured in last cycle.
• ≈ 36,000 offers were extended → overall admit rate ≈ 26.8 %.
• 7,330 freshmen enrolled, producing a ≈ 20 % yield.
• Wait-list reality. UCSD regularly admits thousands off the wait-list, so opt-in if offered.
• No Early Action or Early Decision. Every applicant meets the same Nov 30 deadline.

Academic Profile of the 2024-25 Admitted Class

• Test-free. SAT/ACT scores play zero role in admission.
• Weighted UC-capped GPA middle 50 %: 4.10 – 4.28.
• Unweighted GPA average: ≈ 3.90.
• Course rigor rules. Admits stack 10 + AP/IB or dual-enrollment courses, especially AP Calc BC, AP/IB lab sciences, and a world-language level 4.
• College-by-college selectivity. The Jacobs School of Engineering and the School of Biological Sciences admit roughly 4-6 tenths of a GPA point above campus average.

What UCSD Values (and How to Show It)

• Problem-solver mindset. Quantify impact—“designed an algae-based water filter used by 1,200 residents.”
• Interdisciplinary curiosity. Essays linking data science to ocean health or visual arts to AI ethics echo UCSD’s research culture.
• Community lift. Highlight service in San Diego border-aid clinics, Code Ninjas tutoring, or environmental justice cohorts.
• Resilience & context. Own setbacks—wildfire evacuations, caregiving, limited AP access—and show growth.
• Campus fit. Name-drop Scripps Institution of Oceanography, The Basement incubator, or the Stuart Art Collection—skip generic UC praise.

The Money Question

• Projected sticker 2025-26 (annual).

  • CA resident tuition & fees: ~$17.5 K
  • Non-resident supplemental tuition: +$33.5 K
  • Housing & food: ~$21 K
  • Total cost of attendance:
    • California resident ≈ $39 K
    • Non-resident ≈ $73 K

• Blue & Gold Guarantee. CA families earning ≤ $80 K pay $0 tuition.

• Middle-Class Scholarship. Sliding aid up to $217 K family income.

• Average first-year need-based grant: ~$24 K; loan average ~$5 K.

• Minimal merit. Regents & Chancellor’s Scholarships are rare—budget for need-based aid.

• Aid paperwork due: March 2 2026 (FAFSA/CADAA + Cal Grant GPA form).

Anticipated Timeline for Class of 2030

Spring 2025

• Confirm senior schedule: AP Calc BC (or multivariable), AP/IB lab science, fourth-year language, AP Gov/Econ.
• Brainstorm the four Personal Insight Questions (PIQs).

Summer 2025

• Draft all four 350-word PIQs; have two trusted readers check for authentic voice.
• Deepen one flagship project—publish research, scale a nonprofit, launch an app—and collect metrics.

Early Fall 2025

• Open the UC app Oct 1; enter A–G courses exactly as on your transcript.
• Join a virtual Discover UCSD or in-person tour—context fuels essay details.

Nov 30 2025 — Submit UC application & fee—no recs or test scores.
Jan 31 2026 — Update 7th-semester grades via Academic Update.
Late Mar 2026 — Decisions & wait-list invites release.
May 1 2026 — Intent to Register & $250 deposit due.

Life in the Sixth & Seventh (Colleges)

• Residential colleges. Seven themed colleges—Muir to Seventh—shape GE paths and dorm culture.
• Beach proximity. Blacks Beach stairway = 12-minute walk from Revelle Hall.
• Traditions. Sun God Festival, Bear Garden, and the Geisel “silent tree lighting.”
• Research horsepower. Scripps Oceanography, Qualcomm Institute, and Triton XR labs welcome undergrads early.
• Triton spirit. Division I Big West athletics, 600 + clubs, and weekly farmers’ markets on Library Walk.

Quick-Hit Checklist

• [ ] Keep unweighted GPA ≥ 3.9 with upward trend.
• [ ] Skip SAT/ACT prep; invest in AP/IB rigor and impact projects.
• [ ] Finish at least one measurable project by September.
• [ ] Draft PIQs before Halloween; refine voice over polish.
• [ ] Submit UC app by Nov 30 2025—no extensions.
• [ ] File FAFSA/CADAA by Mar 2 2026.
• [ ] Celebrate with tacos in La Jolla Shores after hitting submit.

Final Word

UC San Diego marries top-15 public-research firepower with Pacific-coast living and a design-thinking ethos that encourages undergrads to prototype solutions fast. Admission is test-free but fiercely competitive: rigorous academics, a quantified impact narrative, and PIQs that radiate curiosity, resilience, and Triton fit. Nail those, respect the timeline, and you could soon be biking from Warren College to SIO before a sunset surf session.

Need an AI co-pilot? GoodGoblin benchmarks your transcript, projects, and PIQs against real Triton admit data, then builds weekly action steps. Start a free trial today and turn ambition into an admit letter.