Ask anyone about UC admissions and you will hear the campus admit rates: UCLA around 9%, Berkeley around 11%. Those numbers hide a second, bigger gap. Inside every campus, the major area you apply to can make your odds several times better or worse. UC publishes freshman results by broad discipline (the major area an applicant chose, such as Engineering or Business), and fall 2025 shows just how wide the spread is.
The hardest and most accessible major area at each campus
| Campus | All majors | Hardest major area | Most accessible |
|---|---|---|---|
| UCLA | 9.4% | Nursing: 0.5% (31 of 5,668) | Physical Sciences/Math: 15% |
| UC Berkeley | 11% | Public Health: 2.2% (74 of 3,415) | Arts & Humanities: 25% |
| UC San Diego | 28% | Public Health: 17% (305 of 1,760) | Physical Sciences/Math: 39% |
| UC Irvine | 29% | Nursing: 0.8% (57 of 7,079) | Physical Sciences/Math: 55% |
| UC Santa Barbara | 38% | Engineering: 21% (2,694 of 12,679) | Physical Sciences/Math: 55% |
| UC Davis | 44% | Computer Science: 19% (946 of 4,893) | Public Admin: 76% |
| UC Santa Cruz | 72% | Public Admin: 65% (124 of 192) | Physical Sciences/Math: 80% |
| UC Riverside | 87% | Computer Science: 81% (4,111 of 5,068) | Public Admin: 93% |
| UC Merced | 94% | Arts & Humanities: 91% (1,476 of 1,625) | Engineering: 97% |
Five things the data shows
Nursing is the hardest door in the UC system. UCLA admitted 31 of 5,668 nursing applicants (0.5%), and UC Irvine admitted 57 of 7,079 (0.8%). Both programs are tiny compared with demand. If nursing is the goal, apply to every program you would attend, including CSU and private options.
Berkeley’s hardest areas are not engineering. Public health (2.2%) and business (4.5%) were tougher than computer science (6.5%) and engineering (7.1%). Arts and humanities admitted 25%, more than double the campus rate.
Computer science is the hard one at the “easier” campuses. UC Davis admitted 44% of freshmen overall but 19% in computer science. Even at UC Riverside, computer science (81%) was the most selective area on campus.
Engineering is the bottleneck at UC Santa Barbara and UC San Diego. Santa Barbara admitted 21% of engineering applicants against 38% overall; San Diego admitted 19% against 28%.
Physical sciences and math are consistently easier. At seven of the nine campuses, physical sciences and math was the most accessible or second most accessible area: 55% at Santa Barbara, 55% at Irvine and 39% at San Diego. These are demanding majors, but the applicant pools are smaller.
Should you pick an easier major to get in?
Only if you would genuinely study it. Several campuses make it hard to switch into high-demand majors such as computer science, engineering, business and nursing after you enroll, and some do not allow it at all. A student admitted in an area they do not want may end up transferring later anyway. A better strategy is to apply to the major you want, list a sincere alternate where the campus allows it, and balance your list across campuses where that major is more accessible.
Also keep in mind that UC groups many majors into one area. “Engineering” at UCLA covers every engineering major, from civil to aerospace, so a single major can be more or less selective than the number shown. GPA matters inside each area too: the middle half of admitted UCLA engineering freshmen had a UC GPA of 4.25–4.32.
See your major at every campus
Our UC admit rates by major table shows every campus and major area side by side, with five-year trends and admitted GPA ranges on each page. To see where your own GPA falls, pick your major area in the UC chances calculator.
Source: University of California, UC Information Center, freshman admission by discipline, fall 2025 (with fall 2021–2024 for trends). Counts include California, out-of-state and international applicants. GPA ranges are the middle 50% (25th–75th percentile) of admitted students. ScoreCalc is independent and not affiliated with the University of California.
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