UCLA vs UCSD: admit rates, GPA and how Taiwanese applicants choose
OfferLand users have reported 120 application results for UCLA and 190 for UCSD; 78 applicants applied to both. The table puts admit rates, admitted applicants’ scores, top fields and programs side by side.
Self-reported sample from OfferLand users, not official school data; figures based on fewer than 5 results are not shown. Data as of 2026-10-22.
Side by side
Admit rate = (admitted + enrolled) ÷ (admitted + enrolled + rejected); waitlisted and pending results are left out. Median GPA and TOEFL count each admitted applicant once. Figures based on fewer than 5 results are not shown.
| Metric | UCLA | UCSD |
|---|---|---|
| Country | United States | United States |
| QS ranking (2027) | #49 | #81 |
| US News ranking (2027) | #20 | #29 |
| Application results | 120 | 190 |
| Applicants | 120 | 179 |
| Admit rate | 50.0% | 61.6% |
| Median GPA (admitted) | 3.71 | 3.72 |
| Median TOEFL (admitted) | 103 | 102 |
| Most-reported fields | Electrical Engineering & Computer Science (52),General Engineering (23),Materials Science (13),Business Analytics (10) | Electrical Engineering & Computer Science (114),Materials Science (22),General Engineering (19),Data Science (12) |
Most-reported programs
Programs with at least 5 results, by number of results.
UCLA
| Program | Results | Admit rate |
|---|---|---|
| Computer Science (Master's) | 27 | 11.5% |
| Electrical & Computer Engineering (Master's) | 20 | 25.0% |
| Materials Science & Engineering (Master's) | 13 | 92.3% |
| Management – Business Analytics MS (Master's) | 10 | 66.7% |
| Mechanical Engineering (Master's) | 9 | 77.8% |
UCSD
| Program | Results | Admit rate |
|---|---|---|
| Computer Science and Engineering (Master's) | 59 | 47.5% |
| Electrical and Computer Engineering (Master's) | 46 | 65.2% |
| Material Science and Engineering (Master's) | 22 | 86.4% |
| Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (Master's) | 11 | 72.7% |
| Data Science (Master's) | 9 | 33.3% |
Applicants to both schools
78 applicants reported results at both schools: 29 were admitted to UCLA, 55 to UCSD, and 25 to both.
Of those admitted to both who reported a final choice, 4 chose UCLA and 3 chose UCSD. A small sample; treat it as a hint only.
AI summary (from OfferLand data and posts on the site, 2026-10-21)
In results reported to OfferLand, UCLA and UCSD admits have similar median GPAs (3.71 vs 3.72) and TOEFL scores (103 vs 102); the difference is the admit rate, 50% overall at UCLA against 61.6% at UCSD, with a wider gap in EECS programs. Of the 78 people who applied to both, UCLA admitted 29 and UCSD 55; among the 25 admitted to both, 7 reported a final choice, 4 for UCLA and 3 for UCSD, which is too few to say more than that both get picked. The most reported fields at both are EECS, engineering and materials science, with some business analytics results at UCLA and data science at UCSD.
- The admit-rate gap is widest in EECS master's programs: UCLA's CS MS admitted 11.5% of 27 reports and its ECE MS 25% of 20, while UCSD's CSE MS admitted 47.5% of 59 and its ECE MS 65.2% of 46.Source: data on this page
- One applicant's remote interview for UCLA's MS in Business Analytics was run by faculty; the formal questions took about 20 minutes and the rest felt like small talk. This applicant was not admitted.Source: UCLA Management – Business Analytics MS 面試
Written by AI from the data on this page and the cited posts and interview reports. It may contain mistakes and is neither official school information nor application advice; check the original posts and the schools’ own announcements.
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When citing these figures, please credit OfferLand. How the data is collected: About the data.