In the 2024-2025 admissions cycle, the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) admitted only a small share of its enormous applicant pool, with an acceptance rate hovering around 9%. That statistic alone highlights just how selective the process has become. But an acceptance rate by itself doesn’t explain very much. How exactly is that number calculated? UCLA does release some admissions information, but understanding what it actually means requires a closer look at the data behind the headline figures. Each year, we analyze these numbers carefully so students can approach competitive admissions with clearer expectations and a well-considered strategy.
To do that, we start with the Common Data Set, commonly referred to as the CDS. Most U.S. colleges and universities complete this standardized report to provide consistent information to organizations such as U.S. News & World Report and College Board. The CDS includes dozens of sections covering everything from enrollment patterns to financial aid. For our purposes, however, the most relevant section is Section C, which focuses specifically on first-time, first-year admissions. We’re going to dive into UCLA’s 2024–2025 CDS to arm you with the data you need to know before you apply.
Trend Spotting: Five Years of UCLA Admissions
We think it’s helpful to zoom out and look at the broader admissions trajectory at UCLA. Over the past several years, application volume has exploded, with UCLA consistently drawing one of the largest applicant pools in the country (almost 150k!!). The number of applications has leveled off slightly over the last few cycles, but the basic dynamic hasn’t changed – the university is receiving far more applications than it has available seats.
| Year | Total Applicants | Number of Admitted Students | Overall Acceptance Rate* |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 146,276 | 13,114 | 8.90% |
| 2024 | 145,910 | 12,737 | 8.70% |
| 2023 | 149,815 | 12,844 | 8.60% |
| 2022 | 139,490 | 15,028 | 10.80% |
| 2021 | 108,877 | 15,782 | 14.50% |
*Denotes our own calculation based on the raw numbers
Why This Matters: When the number of applicants keeps rising but the freshman class size stays relatively fixed, acceptance rates inevitably drop.
Applying to UCLA means stepping into a pool of almost 150,000 applicants, and many of them already look excellent on paper. As we’ll see later in the data, strong grades and rigorous coursework are the baseline for consideration, not what distinguishes a student. What separates the most competitive applicants is how clearly their profile fits together. Admissions officers aren’t looking for a long list of disconnected accomplishments – they’re looking for students whose academic interests, activities, and achievements point in a consistent direction.
C1: First-Time, First-Year Admission, Applications
Let’s take a look at how this year breaks down:
| First-time, First-year Applicants | Applied | Admitted | Acceptance Rate | Enrolled | Yield Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men | 64,521 | 5,220 | 8.10% | 2,525 | 48.40% |
| Women | 75,193 | 7,381 | 9.80% | 4,002 | 54.20% |
| Another Gender | 2,193 | 173 | 8% | 79 | 45.70% |
| Unknown Gender | 4,369 | 340 | 7.80% | 4 | 1.20% |
| Total | 146,276 | 13,114 | 8.90% | 6,610 | 50.40% |
*Denotes our own calculation based on the raw numbers
Key Takeaways for Acceptance Rates:
More women apply, are admitted, and enroll than men
UCLA does not release in-state vs out-of-state, but we imagine at least 2/3rds of these students are from in-state
UCLA admits gender diverse students in comparable numbers to cis students
UCLA is one of the most sought-after public universities in the country. For most applicants, especially out-of-state ones, UCLA should realistically be viewed as a reach school. Even students with exceptional grades and strong activities often find that admission is far from guaranteed.
Waitlist
UCLA’s a little more… opaque than other schools when it comes to transparency, but it does release some information about its waitlist process. Looking at both the published numbers and our experience working with students, it’s clear that getting off the UCLA waitlist can be difficult, but far from impossible.
| Students Placed on Waitlist | 15,023 |
|---|---|
| Percent of Total Applicants Waitlisted | 10.30% |
| Students Accepting a Spot on The Waitlist | 9,198 |
| Percent of Students Accepting Waitlist Spot | 61.20% |
| Students Admitted off The Waitlist | 1,211 |
| Waitlist Acceptance Rate* | 13.20% |
| Percent of total students accepted off the waitlist | 9.20% |
*Denotes our own calculation based on the raw numbers
Key Waitlist Takeaways:
A decent portion of students are waitlisted rather than admitted or denied
About 2/3rds of students accept a spot on the waitlist
The waitlist acceptance rate is higher than the overall acceptance rate
When students receive a waitlist decision, reactions often land at one extreme or the other. Some interpret it as a rejection in softer language. Others treat it like an acceptance that simply hasn’t arrived yet. Both are wrong. A waitlist decision means UCLA believes you could succeed there – they just don’t currently have room in the class. Whether spots open later depends on how many admitted students ultimately enroll, making waitlist movement unpredictable and limited. Still, it does happen. Every year, we help students navigate UCLA waitlists and other highly selective schools, positioning them as strongly as possible in case additional offers are made later in the cycle.
| Acceptance Rate | Waitlist Rate | Denial Rate* |
|---|---|---|
| 8.90% | 10% | 80.80% |
*Denotes our own calculation based on the raw numbers
Why This Matters: Approximately 20% of applicants to UCLA will either be accepted or waitlisted, but 80% will be outright rejected. These odds are important to consider when applying to UCLA.
Grades and Scores
UCLA does not use or even accept test scores for admissions. Test scores are used for placement and placement only! We kind of hate this, because they’ve taken away another metric you could use to prove your readiness for college. Removing test scores might increase access for students, but at the end of the day, we think it’s a bit of a scam. Because more applications = more rejections, which means they get to look more exclusive.
Why This Matters: Test scores do not matter to UCLA, but GPA does. If you don’t have strong stats in hard classes and strong extracurriculars, UCLA will be a massive reach
Now, let’s look at the GPA numbers, since that’s all the objective data we have. 100% of all first year (freshman) students submitted their GPA, and the average GPA was 3.93.
| GPA Range | Percentage |
|---|---|
| 4 | 56.31% |
| 3.75 - 3.99 | 36.12% |
| 3.5 - 3.74 | 5.23% |
| 3.25 - 3.49 | 1.65% |
| 3.0 - 3.24 | 0.60% |
| 2.5 - 2.99 | 0.09% |
Key GPA Takeaways:
Anything meaningfully below a 3.94 (the average GPA of an enrolled student) will really weaken your application
Students reporting GPAs under 3.75 are the exception, not the rule. Don’t build a strategy around being the exception
It’s also worth addressing the small number of admitted students who appear in lower GPA ranges. When families see those data points, it can create the impression that UCLA’s academic expectations are more flexible than they actually are. In reality, those cases are exceptions – not evidence that the standards are looser – and applicants should not approach the process assuming they will be the exception. We mean, that’s just a bad way to build a strategy.
The truth is that we rarely know the full context behind those outlier decisions. Some of those students may be recruited athletes, first-generation applicants, or students from under-resourced schools whose academic records are being interpreted in context. Others may have unusual life experiences that shaped their application in ways the numbers alone cannot capture. Every selective university ends up with a handful of these atypical profiles in its admitted class, but those cases are not representative of how the vast majority of decisions are made, and statistically speaking, most applicants should not assume they fall into that category.
Considerations
This is the section of the Common Data Set where the data stops telling the entire story. UCLA certainly evaluates measurable academic indicators like GPA and course rigor, but those factors primarily determine whether a student is prepared for the university’s academic demands. Beyond those bars, admissions officers consider a broader set of “considerations” that are far more subjective. This is where strategy, positioning, and telling a story with your application begin to matter much more. Let’s start with academics:
| Academic Factors | Very Important | Important | Considered | Not Considered |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rigor of secondary school record | X | |||
| Class rank | X | |||
| Academic GPA | X | |||
| Standardized test scores | X | |||
| Application Essay | X | |||
| Recommendation(s) | X |
Key Takeaways for Academic Factors:
UCLA wants you getting the best grades possible in the hardest classes your school offers
Class rank doesn’t matter to UCLA
As mentioned, UCLA doesn’t use test scores in their admissions decisions
| Nonacademic Factors | Very Important | Important | Considered | Not Considered |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interview | X | |||
| Extracurricular activities | X | |||
| Talent/ability | X | |||
| Character/personal qualities | X | |||
| First generation | X | |||
| Alumni/ae relation | X | |||
| Geographical residence | X | |||
| State residency | X | |||
| Religious affiliation/commitment | X | |||
| Volunteer work | X | |||
| Work experience | X | |||
| Level of applicant’s interest | X |
Key Takeaways for Nonacademic Factors:
UCLA does not track demonstrated interest
UCLA (and the UCs in general) care a lot about having work experience and volunteer work on your resume
First-gen students have a slight advantage
Legacy status, interviews, and religious affiliation do not matter to UCLA
On the nonacademic side, some elements of an application are simply fact, and you can’t (and shouldn’t) do anything to ‘fix’ them. Geographic background or first-generation status, for example, are straightforward pieces of information in your file. But many of the qualities admissions offices care about most, things like character, intellectual curiosity, creativity, or how you spend your time outside of school, don’t come with a clear scoring system. Admissions readers piece together those traits by looking across the entire application, looking at your Personal Insight Questions, activities, and the overall story that emerges from the file. You can be intentional about how you present yourself, but interpretation ultimately rests with the admissions committee.
A note on extracurriculars: for students who are genuinely competitive at UCLA, especially those out-of-state applicants or those pursuing selective majors, surface-level involvement and resume padding will not work. The strongest applicants aren’t simply collecting clubs or filling their activity lists with disconnected commitments. Instead, they tend to invest deeply in a smaller number of pursuits that reflect genuine curiosity and sustained effort. Their activities connect in meaningful ways and reveal a clear sense of direction. Admissions officers are often looking for depth, continuity, and originality rather than sheer quantity. Helping students build that kind of intentional profile, one where interests, achievements, and goals reinforce each other, is a core part of the work we do every year.
Conclusion
By this point, it should be clear that UCLA sits among the most competitive public universities in the country. The acceptance rate alone hints at that reality, but the numbers we’ve walked through paint a more useful picture of what selectivity at UCLA actually looks like in practice.
That said, admissions outcomes are never determined by statistics alone. Data can reveal patterns (typical academic ranges, application volume, yield behavior, etc.), but it can’t fully explain how UCLA evaluates individual applicants, and it certainly doesn’t capture everything that makes a student compelling. When we work with students, whether they’re targeting competitive majors, applying from out of state, or simply trying to position themselves well within a massive applicant pool, we never use a one-size-fits-all approach. Every strategy is built around the student’s specific strengths, interests, and long-term goals. There’s no guaranteed path to UCLA, but there are smart ways to shape an application so that it reads clearly and purposefully. Our job is to help students build a profile that stands out in one of the largest and most competitive applicant pools in the country.
One way to increase your odds? Working with college consultants who are experts in the field and have a high rate of success getting students into UCLA. We help countless students gain admission to top universities every single year – reach out to us today to get started.