In fall 2025, 62% of out-of-state freshman applicants were admitted to at least one UC campus, compared with 77% of California residents. Out-of-state applicants had higher admit rates than Californians at UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC Santa Barbara, UC Santa Cruz and UC San Diego. They had lower rates at UC Berkeley and UC Merced.
Freshman admit rates for out-of-state applicants
| Campus | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2025 applicants | California residents, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Any UC campus | 61% | 48% | 53% | 55% | 62% | 42,406 | 77% |
| UC Berkeley | 14% | 8.5% | 8.1% | 7.3% | 10% | 30,172 | 14% |
| UC Davis | 80% | 59% | 60% | 57% | 63% | 13,185 | 37% |
| UC Irvine | 74% | 37% | 47% | 50% | 47% | 16,386 | 22% |
| UCLA | 14% | 8.9% | 8.6% | 9.2% | 11% | 31,573 | 9.6% |
| UC Merced | 70% | 75% | 73% | 81% | 84% | 1,483 | 96% |
| UC Riverside | 83% | 84% | 84% | 90% | 89% | 3,153 | 87% |
| UC Santa Barbara | 36% | 29% | 33% | 38% | 55% | 16,870 | 32% |
| UC Santa Cruz | 81% | 69% | 81% | 81% | 84% | 7,102 | 71% |
| UC San Diego | 59% | 31% | 32% | 33% | 39% | 24,929 | 25% |
Transfer admit rates for out-of-state applicants
| Campus | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2025 applicants | California residents, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Any UC campus | 30% | 30% | 31% | 31% | 36% | 1,459 | 71% |
| UC Berkeley | 5.5% | 8% | 6.1% | 8.8% | 13% | 699 | 22% |
| UC Davis | 18% | 14% | 28% | 25% | 22% | 419 | 57% |
| UC Irvine | 18% | 12% | 17% | 14% | 13% | 463 | 39% |
| UCLA | 4.7% | 7.7% | 6.3% | 7.6% | 11% | 806 | 23% |
| UC Merced | 26% | 32% | 35% | 31% | 32% | 126 | 73% |
| UC Riverside | 28% | 33% | 29% | 27% | 43% | 258 | 68% |
| UC Santa Barbara | 29% | 32% | 26% | 24% | 25% | 439 | 59% |
| UC Santa Cruz | 22% | 21% | 24% | 20% | 23% | 354 | 69% |
| UC San Diego | 32% | 32% | 24% | 22% | 22% | 548 | 53% |
UC campuses limit the share of nonresident students they enroll, and nonresidents pay supplemental tuition. Admit rates for each group can move a lot from year to year.
Frequently asked questions
Which UC is hardest to get into for out-of-state students?
In fall 2025, UC Berkeley (10%) and UCLA (11%) had the lowest admit rates for out-of-state freshman applicants.
Which UC is easiest to get into for out-of-state students?
In fall 2025, UC Riverside (89%) had the highest admit rate for out-of-state freshman applicants, followed by UC Santa Cruz (84%).
What is the UCLA out-of-state acceptance rate?
In fall 2025, UCLA admitted 11% of out-of-state freshman applicants (3,544 of 31,573), compared with 9.6% of California residents.
What is the UC Berkeley out-of-state acceptance rate?
In fall 2025, UC Berkeley admitted 10% of out-of-state freshman applicants (3,117 of 30,172), compared with 14% of California residents.
Campus pages
Source: University of California Office of the President, UC Information Center, Undergraduate admissions summary, fall 2021–2025. Freshman figures are for fall; transfer figures are fall transfers. “Out-of-state” is UC’s “domestic nonresident” (U.S. students from outside California); “international” is UC’s “international nonresident”. The systemwide admit rate counts applicants admitted to at least one UC campus. “—” means UC suppressed a small count. This site is independent and not affiliated with the University of California. Admit rates describe past applicants, not any individual student’s chances.