University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Acceptance Rate & Admissions Data (2025-2026)
Every figure on this page comes from the school’s own Common Data Set (2025-2026 edition) and was independently verified against official sources.
#17
2026 US News Best National Universities
9.4%
acceptance rate
145,086
applicants
13,659
admitted
How Hard Is It to Get Into University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)?
UCLA admitted 13,659 of 145,086 applicants in its 2025-2026 Common Data Set, a 9.4% acceptance rate from the largest applicant pool of any university in America. Like all UC campuses it is test blind, and there is no early application round.
At this scale the application is deliberately lean: transcript, activities, and four Personal Insight Questions. Everything you want UCLA to know has to fit in those boxes.
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Common Data Set: What It Values Most
Every college officially reports how much each application factor matters in section C7 of its Common Data Set. These are University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)’s own published ratings from the 2025-2026 edition, not our opinion.
Academic factors
Rigor of coursework
Class rank
Academic GPA
Standardized test scores
Application essay
Recommendations
Nonacademic factors
Interview
Extracurricular activities
Talent / ability
Character / personal qualities
First generation
Alumni relation
Geographical residence
State residency
Religious affiliation
Racial / ethnic status
Volunteer work
Work experience
Level of applicant interest
Writing the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) supplement? See every current University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) essay prompt, with strategies.
What this means
UCLA rates rigor, GPA, and the essay, the Personal Insight Questions, very important, with extracurriculars, talent, character, volunteer work, and work experience one tier down at important. Reading 145,086 files forces clarity, and UCLA's filing says exactly where it looks: course choices, grades, and how concretely you can account for what you do outside class. With scores excluded entirely, the PIQs are not a formality; they are half the readable signal you control.
Testing policy
Test blind: scores are not considered at all.
How to Get Into University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA): 3 Ways to Stand Out
- 1
Answer the PIQs with specifics. The prompts ask what you did, led, created, or overcame; the strong answers name real situations and outcomes, and the weak ones describe qualities in the abstract.
- 2
Build a record that survives compression. Your activities list gets seconds of attention, so one or two commitments with unmistakable results, a job, a venture, a leadership run with numbers attached, beat a full but forgettable list.
- 3
Show work experience. UCLA's CDS formally rates employment and work experience, and in a pool this size, holding real responsibility is among the rarest and clearest differentiators.
Studying Business at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
UCLA has no undergraduate business major; business-minded undergrads typically pursue the Business Economics major in the College of Letters and Science (with the Anderson School of Management offering only graduate degrees).
UCLA has no undergraduate business major; the Business Economics major in the College of Letters and Science is the standard route, with Anderson School offerings layered on top. That makes the case-by-evidence approach even more important: an applicant whose PIQs show real contact with business, an internship, a venture, work with money or customers, is demonstrating the interest the major cannot yet certify.
Building a profile for University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)?
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) rates extracurriculars important in its own filing. Real internship experience is exactly that kind of signal.
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Admissions FAQ
Does UCLA look at SAT or ACT scores?
No. UCLA is test blind along with the rest of the UC system, so scores play no role. Its Common Data Set rates rigor, GPA, and the Personal Insight Questions very important, with the activities record the next tier down.
Does UCLA have Early Decision or Early Action?
No. All applicants file in the same November window and receive decisions in spring. Strategy at UCLA is entirely about the strength and clarity of the file, not timing.
Can you study business at UCLA?
Not as a direct undergraduate business major. Most business-minded students pursue Business Economics, a rigorous quantitative major, and supplement it with real-world experience. Applicants who bring that applied evidence to the PIQs start the story early.
Sources
Data reflects the 2025-2026Common Data Set, the most recent verified edition at the time of publication. Always confirm current requirements on the school’s admissions site.