UCSD vs UIUC: admit rates, GPA and how Taiwanese applicants choose
OfferLand users have reported 190 application results for UCSD and 230 for UIUC; 83 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 | UCSD | UIUC |
|---|---|---|
| Country | United States | United States |
| QS ranking (2027) | #81 | #74 |
| US News ranking (2027) | #29 | #34 |
| Application results | 190 | 230 |
| Applicants | 179 | 214 |
| Admit rate | 61.6% | 68.3% |
| Median GPA (admitted) | 3.72 | 3.70 |
| Median TOEFL (admitted) | 102 | 102 |
| Most-reported fields | Electrical Engineering & Computer Science (114),Materials Science (22),General Engineering (19),Data Science (12) | Electrical Engineering & Computer Science (100),Finance & Investment (27),General Engineering (25),Information Technology (24) |
Most-reported programs
Programs with at least 5 results, by number of results.
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% |
UIUC
| Program | Results | Admit rate |
|---|---|---|
| Computer Science, M.C.S. (Master's) | 58 | 39.7% |
| Electrical and Computer Engineering, M.Eng. (Master's) | 35 | 60.0% |
| M.S. in Finance (MSF) (Master's) | 27 | 100.0% |
| Information Management, Master of Science (Master's) | 21 | 95.2% |
| Materials Science & Engineering, MS (Master's) | 12 | 83.3% |
Applicants to both schools
83 applicants reported results at both schools: 51 were admitted to UCSD, 42 to UIUC, and 31 to both.
Of those admitted to both who reported a final choice, 3 chose UCSD and 4 chose UIUC. 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, admits to UCSD and UIUC look almost the same on paper: median GPA 3.72 vs 3.70 and a median TOEFL of 102 at both, with UIUC's overall admit rate slightly higher (68.3% vs 61.6%). Both schools' results are mostly EECS, but UIUC also has many reports from its MS in Finance and MS in Information Management, both with high reported admit rates, while UCSD's are concentrated in CSE, ECE and materials science. Of the 83 people who applied to both, 31 were admitted to both; of the 7 who reported a final choice, 3 picked UCSD and 4 picked UIUC. That is too few to show a preference either way.
- CS master's programs are harder than each school's overall rate: UCSD's CSE MS has 59 reports and a 47.5% admit rate; UIUC's MCS has 58 reports and 39.7%.Source: data on this page
- An NTU electrical engineering applicant with a 3.66/4.0 GPA was admitted to UCSD's CSE MS for Fall 2023 but rejected by UIUC's MCS, and ended up at Cornell Tech. It is one person's result, useful only as a single data point.Source: 2023 Fall CS 申請心得
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.