If you are a hopeful engineer who is California dreaming, you probably have at least one UC school on your list. While all nine schools in the University of California system have engineering programs, UCLA’s Samueli School of Engineering is among the most popular. UCLA is a public land-grant research university located in Los Angeles. Generally, UCLA is one of, if not the hardest, UC to get into. Last year, their acceptance rate was 8.9%. The school hasn’t been releasing separate rates for in-state and out-of-state students, but it will be significantly lower for out-of-state students. Their acceptance rate is also different for engineers. But more on that in a second. The TLDR is that it is hard to get into UCLA; you need to be a top candidate. There are a couple of steps you have to take if you are a serious UCLA applicant. We are here to break them down.
But First Let’s Talk Acceptance Rates
While they haven’t published a specific engineering acceptance rate for the 2024/2025 cycle, they did for 2023. More specifically, Samueli released acceptance rates for each of their 10 majors. They didn’t break down in-state vs. out-of-state rates, but as a rule of thumb, in-state rates will be higher while out-of-state rates will be lower.
You will notice that all of these rates are competitive. No matter what you are studying, you need to be a top candidate in that field. Now, some people will see that Chemical Engineering has the highest acceptance rate and will say to themselves, “OK, I will apply as a chemical engineer then!” We understand the compulsion, but we also want you to notice that only around 1,000 students applied to that major, meaning only about 170 students were accepted. While Computer Science had a lower acceptance rate, they accepted around 360 students. Chemical engineering is a very specialized major. The students who get into specialized programs have specialized resumes. We will talk more about this later, but to get into Samueli, you need a history of exploration and involvement in your major. If you are applying as a chemical engineer, you need to be an expert in chemical engineering to be one of the small groups of students to get in. There is no easy way to get into UCLA; strategy can help, but you need to put in the work to make that plan work.
Get the Grades
You may have noticed on the chart above that accepted UCLA engineers have some crazy high weighted GPAs. While they vary slightly, ideally, applicants have around (at least) a 4.6-4.7 to be competitive. This means not only getting perfect or near-perfect grades in all of your classes but also taking multiple higher-level courses such as Honors, IB, AP, Accelerated, and/or Dual Enrollment.
UCLA wants applicants with impressive GPAs and transcripts. To get these types of weighted GPAs, you need to take as many higher-level courses as possible while still maintaining excellent grades. This very much includes the highest-level math and science classes available to you, as well as challenging courses in other subjects. Grades are especially important at the UCs as they do not look at SAT/ACT scores. Your grades are the best place to show your academic ability.
Build a Niche
So remember what we said earlier about needing a resume that supports your intended major. To be a UCLA-level candidate, you need to have an academic niche. An academic niche is really just a fancy way of saying defined academic interests and a history of involvement in those specific interests. You want your academic interests to be well defined and well explored. Ideally, you can become an expert in your intended field before stepping foot on campus. There are a couple of steps you need to take to do this.
Courses and Reading
To build a strong niche, you need to know a lot about your academic interests. We recommend starting by reading books. You don’t need to be an English major to read, and there are many great books about STEM subjects. You can supplement your reading list with podcasts, scientific journals, tech blogs, etc., but books will help you build a strong knowledge base.
We also recommend signing up for some online classes. Many universities offer pre-taped and often free courses through third parties like Coursera. You can also look into summer programs and community colleges. Taking courses outside of your school day will help you immensely, especially if you hope to do research or internships in the field down the road (which you should).
School Extracurriculars
You need to be involved in your school community, but you should also do it in a strategic way. You want to specifically join clubs that build on your academic niche. This could include robotics teams, Science Olympiads, mathletes, STEM tutoring clubs, solar car teams, computer science societies, etc. depending on your intended major. If your school doesn’t have STEM-based clubs, consider taking the initiative to start your own.
Signing up for the right clubs is just the first step. Once you have, you need to take on responsibilities and leadership roles in those activities. Just like you push yourself in your classes, push yourself in your clubs. Once a week, one-hour commitments are not going to impress UCLA. You need to commit time and effort to the clubs that matter most to you.
Out of School Extracurriculars
Ideally, you are doing impressive activities like educational programs, internships, and research all year round, but adding a mix of these types of opportunities to your summers is a must. These types of opportunities will build on your academic niche and show that you are serious about your intended major. Planning a strategic summer can be tricky. We routinely work with even freshmen to make sure their summers are working for them. If you need help, we have you covered. Contact us today!
Build Something Cool
Show off your skills by building something that you would be proud to tell Samueli about. This really could be anything (as long as it connects to your academic niche). We have worked with students who have built drones, computers, solar power systems, and much more. Engineering requires hand on skills, this is your opportunity to show what you can do. If you don’t have all the skills right now, that is almost better. Challenge yourself and teach yourself some new ones.
UCLA is a very competitive school to get into. For out-of-state engineers it can feel particularly impossible. Take a deep breath and be ready to put the work in. If you don’t know where to start, whether you are a high school freshman or a college transfer, we can help with all things college applications.
Reach out today for expert guidance!