In fall 2025, 136,677 freshmen applied to UC San Diego and 38,455 (28%) were admitted. The hardest major area to get into was Public Health (17% of 1,760 applicants admitted); the most accessible was Physical Sciences/Math (39%).
Fall 2025 freshman results by major area
| Major area | Applied | Admitted | Admit rate | Admitted GPA (middle 50%) | Enrolled | 2021 → 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Health | 1,760 | 305 | 17% | 4.08–4.26 | 44 | 32% → 15% → 17% → 19% → 17% |
| Engineering | 20,205 | 3,938 | 19% | 4.17–4.30 | 1,074 | 34% → 20% → 18% → 17% → 19% |
| Computer Science | 10,785 | 2,143 | 20% | 4.16–4.30 | 581 | 19% → 14% → 12% → 13% → 20% |
| Business | 9,040 | 1,937 | 21% | 4.13–4.29 | 341 | 31% → 18% → 13% → 18% → 21% |
| Social Sciences | 24,878 | 6,501 | 26% | 4.08–4.28 | 1,262 | 29% → 21% → 23% → 24% → 26% |
| Other Health Science | 2,939 | 815 | 28% | 4.09–4.26 | 165 | 51% → 22% → 25% → 31% → 28% |
| Education | 1,100 | 336 | 31% | 4.08–4.25 | 52 | 26% → 23% → 26% → 29% → 31% |
| Other/Interdisciplinary | 10,626 | 3,246 | 31% | 4.09–4.28 | 660 | 34% → 26% → 28% → 30% → 31% |
| Architecture | 495 | 153 | 31% | 4.00–4.25 | 33 | 24% → 25% → 29% → 26% → 31% |
| Life Sciences | 25,093 | 8,177 | 33% | 4.15–4.29 | 1,752 | 38% → 27% → 33% → 36% → 33% |
| Arts & Humanities | 7,812 | 2,699 | 35% | 4.06–4.26 | 392 | 36% → 35% → 31% → 32% → 35% |
| Undeclared | 9,433 | 3,281 | 35% | 4.06–4.27 | 424 | 44% → 29% → 30% → 36% → 35% |
| Physical Sciences/Math | 12,511 | 4,924 | 39% | 4.13–4.29 | 1,021 | 42% → 29% → 32% → 36% → 39% |
| All major areas | 136,677 | 38,455 | 28% | — | 7,801 |
Sorted from most to least selective. The GPA range is the 25th to 75th percentile of admitted freshmen’s weighted, capped UC GPA.
Most popular transfer majors
| Major | Applied | Admitted | Admit rate | Admitted GPA (middle 50%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business Economics | 2,320 | 1,008 | 43% | 3.63–3.95 |
| Computer Science | 1,987 | 339 | 17% | 3.89–4.00 |
| Psychology | 1,475 | 979 | 66% | 3.44–3.90 |
| Economics | 989 | 561 | 57% | 3.62–3.95 |
| Biology | 829 | 393 | 47% | 3.44–3.87 |
| Communication Arts | 821 | 576 | 70% | 3.42–3.87 |
| Mechanical Engineering | 724 | 146 | 20% | 3.88–4.00 |
| Political Science | 705 | 537 | 76% | 3.47–3.93 |
| Data Science | 658 | 378 | 57% | 3.64–4.00 |
| Sociology | 610 | 446 | 73% | 3.40–3.90 |
| Electrical Engineering – BS | 599 | 232 | 39% | 3.62–3.98 |
| Human Biology | 581 | 302 | 52% | 3.51–3.90 |
| Computer Engineering | 493 | 96 | 19% | 3.81–4.00 |
| Cognitive Science | 365 | 276 | 76% | 3.51–3.91 |
| Molecular & Cell Biology | 343 | 192 | 56% | 3.59–3.93 |
Other campuses
Source: University of California Office of the President, UC Information Center: Freshman admissions by discipline and Transfers by major. UC reports freshman results by broad discipline (the major area students applied to, such as Engineering), not by individual major; transfer results are by individual major. GPA ranges are the 25th–75th percentile of admitted students (freshman: weighted, capped UC GPA; transfer: UC-transferable GPA). Counts include all applicants (California, out-of-state and international). Small counts are suppressed by UC. This site is independent and not affiliated with the University of California. Admit rates describe past applicants, not any individual student’s chances.