UC San Diego 2026 Admission Statistics

Admissions Snapshot: UC San Diego

• Acceptance rate: 28.6% (39,054 admitted from 136,750 applicants)
• Testing policy for 2026–27 applicants: SAT and ACT scores not considered
• Undergraduate enrollment: 34,948
• Published tuition: $16,758 in-state · $50,958 out-of-state
• Average net price after aid: $12,470

Admissions figures describe the fall 2025 entering class, the most recent year we hold verified figures for, from the school's own Common Data Set in GoodGoblin's database. They match our UC San Diego admissions page. Testing policy is from University of California admissions; enrollment and cost are from the federal College Scorecard. See how your profile compares with GoodGoblin's college match.

UC San Diego Admission Guide

Tritons don’t wait for permission to innovate; they prototype, iterate, and surf between sprints.

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Why read this?

You’re a high-school junior who will submit the UC application next fall.
UC San Diego’s 2024-25 Common Data Set reveals 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

• 136,750 first-year applications poured in for the fall 2025 entering class.
• 39,054 offers were extended → overall admit rate 28.6% (Common Data Set, fall 2025).
• 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: this cycle’s deadline (March 2 last cycle) for FAFSA/CADAA + Cal Grant GPA form.

Last Cycle’s Timeline (Class of 2030)

Dates below are from the 2025‑26 cycle. Confirm this cycle’s dates on the official UC San Diego admissions site.

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 this cycle’s deadline (Nov 30 last cycle), no extensions.
• [ ] File FAFSA/CADAA by this cycle’s deadline (Mar 2 last cycle).
• [ ] 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.

Want a plan built around your numbers? 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.