This page shows how students from Palm Desert High School did when they applied to the University of California. It is not the admission rate for getting into Palm Desert High School itself.
In fall 2025, 131 students from Palm Desert High School applied to the University of California and 96 (73%) were admitted to at least one campus. The most popular choice was UC San Diego with 101 applicants. The hardest campus to get into was UC Los Angeles (9 of 77 admitted, 12%), and the easiest was UC Merced (100%). Admitted students had an average UC GPA (weighted, capped) of 3.96.
What stands out
Its rate of admission to at least one UC campus (73%) was 7 points below the Riverside County average (80%). The biggest change since 2021 was at UC Santa Cruz, where the admit rate for Palm Desert High School students rose from 34% to 74%. Compared with all applicants, its students did better at UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC Irvine and UC San Diego and worse at UC Santa Barbara.
Fall 2025 results by campus
| Campus | Applied | Admitted | Admit rate | All applicants’ rate | Enrolled | Avg GPA applied | Avg GPA admitted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Any UC campus | 131 | 96 | 73% | — | 46 | 3.85 | 3.96 |
| UC Berkeley | 54 | 11 | 20% | 11% | 5 | 3.96 | 4.26 |
| UC Davis | 50 | 25 | 50% | 44% | — | 3.98 | 4.16 |
| UC Irvine | 85 | 31 | 36% | 29% | 8 | 3.89 | 4.21 |
| UC Los Angeles | 77 | 9 | 12% | 9% | 3 | 3.97 | 4.20 |
| UC Merced | 27 | 27 | 100% | 94% | — | 3.86 | 3.86 |
| UC Riverside | 63 | 55 | 87% | 87% | 10 | 3.85 | 3.94 |
| UC San Diego | 101 | 33 | 33% | 28% | 10 | 3.90 | 4.25 |
| UC Santa Barbara | 83 | 27 | 33% | 38% | — | 3.90 | 4.27 |
| UC Santa Cruz | 50 | 37 | 74% | 72% | 6 | 3.80 | 3.99 |
“All applicants’ rate” is the campus admit rate across all freshman applicants that year, including out-of-state and international.
Five-year trend
| Campus | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Any UC campus | 63% (65/103) | 63% (80/128) | 72% (93/130) | 78% (105/134) | 73% (96/131) |
| UC Berkeley | — (—/36) | 11% (5/44) | 17% (10/59) | — (—/59) | 20% (11/54) |
| UC Davis | 31% (9/29) | 41% (17/41) | 39% (19/49) | 62% (32/52) | 50% (25/50) |
| UC Irvine | 17% (11/65) | 27% (24/88) | 26% (21/80) | 31% (30/96) | 36% (31/85) |
| UC Los Angeles | 10% (7/68) | 9% (7/82) | 8% (6/79) | 12% (10/85) | 12% (9/77) |
| UC Merced | 100% (12/12) | 84% (16/19) | 93% (13/14) | 100% (14/14) | 100% (27/27) |
| UC Riverside | 73% (33/45) | 78% (47/60) | 83% (43/52) | 84% (48/57) | 87% (55/63) |
| UC San Diego | 21% (16/75) | 24% (21/88) | 30% (27/90) | 37% (38/103) | 33% (33/101) |
| UC Santa Barbara | 25% (15/60) | 27% (20/75) | 35% (29/83) | 43% (34/80) | 33% (27/83) |
| UC Santa Cruz | 34% (10/29) | 44% (15/34) | 54% (32/59) | 75% (42/56) | 74% (37/50) |
Admit rate, with admitted / applied in parentheses.
Where would your GPA land?
Enter your GPA to compare yourself with students from Palm Desert High School who were admitted to each campus.
Other Riverside County high schools
Source: University of California Office of the President, UC Information Center, Admissions by source school. Freshman counts are fall terms; transfer counts are the academic year starting that fall. Average GPAs are UC’s weighted, capped high school GPA (transfer GPA for colleges). “—” 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.