UCSD vs USC: admit rates, GPA and how Taiwanese applicants choose
OfferLand users have reported 190 application results for UCSD and 206 for USC; 72 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 | USC |
|---|---|---|
| Country | United States | United States |
| QS ranking (2027) | #81 | #153 |
| US News ranking (2027) | #29 | #27 |
| Application results | 190 | 206 |
| Applicants | 179 | 192 |
| Admit rate | 61.6% | 77.5% |
| Median GPA (admitted) | 3.72 | 3.71 |
| Median TOEFL (admitted) | 102 | 100 |
| Most-reported fields | Electrical Engineering & Computer Science (114),Materials Science (22),General Engineering (19),Data Science (12) | Electrical Engineering & Computer Science (105),General Engineering (21),Business Analytics (18),Finance & Investment (12) |
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% |
USC
| Program | Results | Admit rate |
|---|---|---|
| Computer Engineering, M.S. (Master's) | 54 | 61.1% |
| Electrical Engineering, M.S. (Master's) | 25 | 92.0% |
| Master of Science in Business Analytics (MSBA) (Master's) | 18 | 72.2% |
| MS Finance (MSF) (Master's) | 12 | 90.9% |
| Mechanical Engineering, M.S. (Master's) | 10 | 90.0% |
Applicants to both schools
72 applicants reported results at both schools: 39 were admitted to UCSD, 52 to USC, and 32 to both.
Too few people admitted to both have reported a final choice (2) to show a preference.
AI summary (from OfferLand data and posts on the site, 2026-10-21)
In results reported to OfferLand, USC admits a larger share of applicants than UCSD (77.5% vs 61.6%), while the median GPA of admits is nearly identical (3.71 vs 3.72) and the median TOEFL is 100 at USC and 102 at UCSD. Both are mostly EECS, with USC also showing business analytics (MSBA) and finance master's results and UCSD showing materials science and data science. Of the 72 people who applied to both, 32 were admitted to both, but only 2 reported a final choice, both for UCSD, which is far too small a sample to draw a conclusion.
- In the main programs, UCSD's CSE MS has 59 reports and a 47.5% admit rate; USC's MS in Computer Engineering has 54 reports and 61.1%, and its MS in Electrical Engineering 25 reports and 92%.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 both of USC's CS master's tracks they applied to (cs28 and cs37). It is a single case.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.