UCLA and UC Berkeley admit rates by major, and why research experience matters
UC's fall 2024 data puts UCLA nursing at 1% and UC Berkeley public health at 2%. See the admit rates by major, and how research on nanomaterials, fluid dynamics and wearables backed each student's choice of major.
At UCLA, 5,790 students applied to study nursing and 55 were admitted: an admit rate of 1%. At UC Berkeley, public health admitted 62 of its 2,713 applicants. Numbers like these, now published by major for every University of California campus, show that the field you apply to can matter as much as the campus you choose.
The figures come from the UC Information Center, the university system's official data portal, which breaks down admissions by broad discipline across all nine undergraduate campuses. Depending on the campus and the field, admit rates differ by a factor of ten or more. So the useful question for UC applicants is no longer "Which campus is easiest?" but "Which major am I applying to, and what is my plan for getting in?" The data below covers applicants for the fall 2024 term.
UC Berkeley: public health, computer science and business
UC Berkeley admitted 11% of its applicants overall. Its most selective field was public health, at 2%. Computer science and business came next at 4% each. At the other end of the range, arts and humanities admitted 23% of applicants, more than twice the campus rate.
UCLA's overall admit rate was 9%, and nursing was its hardest major by a wide margin: 55 admits from 5,790 applicants. Engineering admitted 6% and computer science 4%, and in both fields the middle 50% of admitted students had GPAs starting at 4.25.
One detail deserves a closer look. Undeclared applicants were admitted at 7%, below the campus average, so treating "undeclared" as a back door into UCLA rarely works.
Broad discipline
Applicants
Admits
Admit rate
Admitted GPA (25th–75th percentile)
Nursing
5,790
55
1%
4.25–4.30
Computer science
10,530
435
4%
4.25–4.30
Engineering
22,301
1,329
6%
4.25–4.32
Education
1,265
79
6%
4.07–4.28
Undeclared
10,059
693
7%
4.17–4.31
Business
13,634
1,110
8%
4.20–4.30
Arts and humanities
15,133
1,244
8%
4.04–4.29
Social sciences
23,884
2,234
9%
4.17–4.30
Other health science
2,470
285
12%
4.20–4.30
Life sciences
23,472
3,092
13%
4.21–4.30
Other/interdisciplinary
4,591
597
13%
4.21–4.30
Public administration
826
117
14%
4.20–4.30
Physical sciences/math
12,316
1,844
15%
4.22–4.32
Campus overall
146,272
13,114
9%
4.20–4.30
Four more campuses where the major changes the odds
The same pattern shows up at other popular campuses, though the gaps look different on each one.
Admit rate
UC San Diego
UC Irvine
UC Davis
UC Santa Barbara
Campus overall
27%
29%
42%
33%
Computer science
13%
20%
17%
17%
Engineering
17%
28%
38%
21%
Business
18%
13%
33%
32% (435 applicants)
Life sciences
36%
34%
51%
40%
Physical sciences/math
36%
44%
59%
47%
Public health
19%
42%
—
—
Public administration
—
—
67% (130 applicants)
—
A dash means the discipline is not listed for that campus.
UC San Diego's numbers work in favor of strong students drawn to the basic sciences. Life sciences and physical sciences/math each admitted 36%, nearly three times the rate for computer science.
UC Irvine is a textbook case of the major alone moving the odds: 13% in business and 20% in computer science, against 44% in physical sciences/math and 42% in public health.
UC Davis, with a 42% overall rate, is the most attainable of these campuses for students whose interests fit, with 59% in physical sciences/math and 67% in public administration. Computer science, at 17%, is a different story.
UC Santa Barbara admitted 33% overall, but only 17% in computer science and 21% in engineering, compared with 47% in physical sciences/math and 40% in life sciences.
Why research keeps showing up in UC admits
Look at recent admits to UC Berkeley, UCLA and UC San Diego and a pattern is getting harder to miss. Grades alone are not what set them apart. What does is research experience tied directly to the intended major, a recommendation letter from a professor, and a tangible output such as a research paper. Three cases show how that plays out.
UC Berkeley chemistry: a first paper on biomimetic nanomaterials
This student had been interested in chemistry and materials since high school. To show that fit more clearly, the student chose biomimetic nanomaterials as a research topic and worked with Professor Anish Tuteja of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. The project covered the full cycle, from reviewing the literature and structuring the study to interpreting the results and writing the paper. The outcome was a first research paper with the student's own name on it.
That research and the professor's recommendation letter became the core academic evidence in the student's application to chemistry at UC Berkeley, and the student was admitted.
UCLA, Johns Hopkins and WashU: fluid dynamics for renewable energy
The second student was already at university, with energy systems and engineering as the target field, and worked with Professor Nasr Ghoniem of UCLA on applications of fluid dynamics in renewable energy systems. The project did not stop at summarizing theory. The student analyzed fluid flow inside actual energy systems and extended the work into a structural analysis of how efficiency changes.
The second student, whose research applied fluid dynamics to renewable energy systems.
The finished research and the accompanying recommendation letter supported applications to UCLA, Johns Hopkins University and Washington University in St. Louis. All three offered admission, and the student chose UCLA.
UCSD, Stanford, Brown and Penn: wearables meet machine learning
The third student, also at university, was majoring in mechanical engineering but broadened that focus, setting out to combine wearable devices with machine learning. Working with Professor Nabil Alshurafa of Northwestern University, the student analyzed sensor data and applied pattern recognition and predictive models. The project brought mechanical engineering and AI together and ended as a complete research paper.
In later applications, that work was read as evidence of genuine interdisciplinary research, not just a record of completed coursework. The student received offers from several universities, including UC San Diego, Stanford, Brown and the University of Pennsylvania.
What these cases share is not simply hard work. It is activity that connects precisely to the intended major, and that is becoming a key factor in who gets in. For more students who built their applications around research, see the Student Success page.
Three questions to answer before you apply
Read closely, these admit rates are less a set of odds than a test of strategy. Before you apply, make sure you can answer three questions:
Which major am I applying to?
What have I done that connects directly to that major?
Do I have a substantial academic story that a recommender can write about in depth?
When all three line up, a UC admission stops being a matter of luck and becomes the result of a plan.
If you want research that matches the major you will list on your UC application, the 1-on-1 Advanced Research Program pairs you with a faculty mentor for an individually arranged project in your field, typically over two to four months.
