Admissions Factors

What UCLA Looks For

UCLA rates 3 factors as very important: rigor of high school courses, academic GPA and application essay.

How UCLA rates each factor

Each college sorts 18 factors into four levels on its Common Data Set.

Very important

Important

Considered

Not considered

The numbers behind the class

Overall admit rate

9.4%

13,659 of 145,086 applicants

Early decision admit rate

No early decision

Admitted from the waitlist

11.1%

1,514 of 13,612 who stayed on it

Enrolled first-years had an average high school GPA of 3.94.

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A link to this page, plus the comparison table for every college we track.

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Frequently asked questions

What does UCLA look for in applicants?

UCLA rates 3 factors as very important: rigor of high school courses, academic GPA and application essay.

Does UCLA consider legacy status?

UCLA rates alumni relation as "not considered" in its 2025-26 Common Data Set.

Does UCLA track demonstrated interest?

UCLA rates the level of an applicant's interest as "not considered".

What is UCLA's waitlist acceptance rate?

13,612 students stayed on the waitlist and 1,514 were admitted, a rate of 11.1%. The number changes a lot from year to year because it depends on how many admitted students enroll.

Source: UCLA’s own Common Data Set 2025-26, Section C. Last checked 2026-10-08. The ratings are the college’s own description of its process. Counts are for one entering class.