Counselors
Invite UC San Diego
Fair and Presentation RequestsAsk UC San Diego to participate in your virtual college fair or a virtual presentation at your high school, community college, or community based organization. You can direct questions to requestschoolvisit@ucsd.edu.
COVID-19
UC's Response on AdmissionsUC is committed to ensuring that COVID-19-related academic disruptions don’t threaten any students’ ability to strive for and attain a UC education.
Triton Talks: Counselor's Corner
Join the Office of Admissions Staff for a Counselor specific Triton Talk series! Learn about updates to the UC Application, and other important tips for the 2021 application cycle, and get your questions answered by knowledgeable Admissions staff! Register using the links below.
Digital Viewbook
Interested in learning more about life at
Please note: this digital viewbook is optimized for viewing on a laptop or desktop.
A non-interactive version is available as well.
Look for these items for additional content:
New & Capped Majors
New Majors
- Chemistry and Biochemistry: Biochemistry
- Mechanical Engineering with a Specialization in Controls and Robotics
- Mechanical Engineering with a Specialization in Fluid Mechanics and Thermal Systems
- Mechanical Engineering with a Specialization in Materials Science and Engineering
- Mechanical Engineering with a Specialization in Mechanics of Materials
- Mechanical Engineering with a Specialization in Renewable Energy and Environmental Flows
- Political Science - International Affairs
- Political Science - Race, Ethnicity and Politics
- Public Health with Concentration in Biostatistics
- Public Health with Concentration in Climate and Environmental Sciences
- Public Health with Concentration in Community Health Sciences
- Public Health with Concentration in Epidemiology
- Public Health with Concentration in Health Policy and Management Sciences
- Public Health with Concentration in Medicine Sciences
Majors with Capped Status – For All Students
On the UC Application, students should indicate their desired major. If it is on this list, they should also indicate an alternate major.
- Biological Sciences
- Data Science
- Mathematics
- Physics
- Public Health
- Jacobs School of Engineering – all majors in these departments:
Note: A capped major is not the same as a major requiring pre-major status.
Transfer Major Preparation
Applicants to the following departments and the Jacobs School of Engineering must complete minimum coursework to be admitted into the major. Students will be screened for the number of courses completed, the grades earned in those courses and cumulative GPA.
- Biological Sciences
- Chemistry & Biochemistry
- Cognitive Science
- Economics
- Engineering
- Mathematics
- Physics
- Psychology
Personal Insight Questions
First-Year
- Must answer 4 out of 8 questions
- Each answer limited to 350 word maximum
First-Year Personal Insight Questions
Transfers
- Must answer 1 required question
- Must also answer 3 out of 7 additional questions
- Each answer limited to 350 word maximum
Portfolio Review
First-Year and Transfer applicants may be asked to submit an optional supplemental application and/or a portfolio/audition video for faculty review, when applying to these majors:
- Music
- Interdisciplinary Computing and the Arts
- Music
- Music Humanities
- Theatre & Dance
- Dance
- Theatre
- Visual Arts
- Art History
- Interdisciplinary Computing and the Arts
- Media
- Speculative Design
- Studio
College System
UC San Diego is excited to welcome Seventh College as the newest addition to our unique College System. The college's philosophy focuses on Interdisciplinary explorations of our changing planet. At Seventh College, students will develop skills for impactful, responsible engagement and will use this breadth of knowledge to augment their studies and offer real-world solutions. Incoming first-year students begin this fall (2020). Transfer students will begin enrolling Fall 2022.
Seventh College will begin enrolling first-year students for the Fall 2020 term and will begin enrolling transfer students during the Fall 2022 term.
First Year Experience
Each UC San Diego college offers 2-unit First Year Experience courses for first-year and transfer students. These courses address challenges students often face transitioning from high school and community college to a large research university. Faculty lead weekly lectures and undergraduate leaders host smaller discussions. Students gain: effective research and study skills, stronger time management skills, enhanced communication skills, more confidence interacting with faculty, and much more.
Co-Curricular Record
UC San Diego's Co-Curricular Record (CCR) is the first tool of its kind in higher education, highlighting student achievements in opportunities beyond the classroom. The CCR provides students with a brief description of their accomplishments and the skills they developed during their undergraduate years. It is validated by the registrar and helps students with their job search by making connections between academic skills learned and marketable competencies, "soft skills," which students have developed and demonstrated in and out of the classroom.
Admissions Snapshot
First-Year
Note: Ongoing litigation related to the University’s admissions processes may affect the content of these materials. However, no matter what happens in the litigation, nobody will be required to submit an SAT or ACT score for Fall 2021, and applications will not be viewed negatively based on the lack of a score.
UC San Diego currently plans to be test-optional for Fall 2021 admissions. Under UC San Diego’s test-optional admissions policy, nobody will be required to submit an SAT or ACT score for admission consideration, and applications will not be viewed negatively based on the lack of a score. Testing has always been only one of many factors considered in our review process. Moreover, UC San Diego recognizes that demand for SAT/ACT administrations this fall may be challenging due to COVID-related cancellations in recent months. We also understand that there are real safety concerns about gathering to take a standardized test. We want to reiterate that submission of a test score is NOT required. Your safety is more important to us than a test score. Optional means optional. We look forward to reading your application!
We are test-blind for Fall 2023 and 2024 applicants. For historical context, the ranges shown reflect the middle 50% of our Fall 2020 admitted students. Among this pool of admitted students, 25% also had a GPA or test scores higher than the range posted here, and 25% had lower.
| Admit Ranges (based on Fall 2020 admitted class) | |
|---|---|
|
GPA
|
4.07-4.28 |
|
ACT
|
29-34 |
|
SAT Composite
|
1330-1510 |
|
SAT Mathematics
|
670-790 |
|
SAT Evidence-Based Reading/Writing
|
640-740 |
|
Average Honors/AP/IB/College Courses
|
15.5 |
|
Average A-G Course Totals
|
50.2 |
Admissions Snapshot
Transfer
The ranges shown reflect the middle 50% of our Fall 2020 admitted transfer students. Among this pool of admitted transfer students, 25% also had a GPA higher than the range posted here, and 25% had lower.
| Admit Ranges (based on Fall 2020 admitted class) | |
|---|---|
|
GPA
|
3.47-3.88 |
