University of California San Diego
La Jolla, CA
What are your chances of getting into University of California San Diego?
UC San Diego is a large, highly regarded public research university in La Jolla with a strong academic identity built around science, engineering, data, and health fields, while still offering breadth across the arts and social sciences. It is especially known for rigorous STEM study, major research opportunities, and distinctive strengths in areas like biological sciences, engineering, data science, oceanography, public health, and cognitive science. The campus sits near the Pacific on a sprawling coastal setting, which gives it a bright, outdoorsy feel even though the school itself is academically intense and often self-directed. Student life is shaped by the university’s college system, a busy research campus, and a culture that tends to attract focused, independent students who like big institutions but want a strong sense of academic purpose. Admission is selective, with an approximate 27% admit rate and a middle 50% SAT range of 1270 to 1480, so applicants should expect a competitive pool. The students who tend to thrive most are curious, resilient, comfortable with a fast pace, and willing to seek out opportunities rather than wait for them to come to them.
Calculate your chances at University of California San Diego
Enter your GPA and test scores, add other schools, and see where you stand instantly.
Your Academic Profile
Estimates based on admitted-student data. Real decisions also weigh essays, recommendations, and course rigor.
Your results
Enter your GPA to see your academic score.
Your chances map appears here once you enter a GPA and add colleges.
Strengths
- Strong reputation in STEM, data science, oceanography, and health-related fields
- Excellent research access at a major public university with lots of academic depth
- Beautiful coastal campus in La Jolla with a distinctive setting and outdoor appeal
- Large university resources, but organized through colleges that can make it feel more personal
Things to weigh
- Very competitive admissions and many strong applicants in popular majors
- Large campus can feel less intimate or less guided than a smaller college
- Some programs are especially selective, so major choice matters a lot
- La Jolla is beautiful but expensive, and the academic environment can feel intense and technical
Frequently asked questions
How hard is it to get into University of California San Diego?+
University of California San Diego admits about 27% of applicants, and the middle 50% of admitted students score between 1270 and 1480 on the SAT. Enter your GPA and test scores above and this calculator estimates your personal chances in seconds, and tells you whether University of California San Diego is a safety, match, or reach for your profile.
Is this the most accurate college admissions calculator?+
Counselly's chances calculator runs on real, current admissions data, the actual admit rates and SAT/ACT ranges colleges report to the U.S. Department of Education, not averages scraped from forums. Our algorithm weighs your GPA, test scores, and extracurricular strength against each school's admitted-student profile the way an admissions reader would begin, which makes it one of the most reliable free tools for seeing where you'll get into college.
How does the calculator predict my chances of getting in?+
It compares your academic profile to each college's real admitted class. We look at where your GPA and test scores fall within a school's 25th to 75th percentile range, combine that with the school's overall admit rate, and factor in your extracurricular strength, then translate it into a clear percentage and a Safety, Match, or Reach label. Everything recalculates instantly as you add schools or adjust your stats.
What counts as a good chance of getting into a college?+
Roughly above 60% is a Safety, you're comfortably ahead of the typical admitted student. Around 30 to 60% is a Match, realistic and worth prioritizing. Below 30% is a Reach, still absolutely worth applying to if it's a dream school. The strongest college lists balance all three, and Counselly helps you build exactly that kind of list.
Which colleges can I check my admission chances for?+
Hundreds of US colleges and universities, from Ivy League schools to large public flagships to smaller private colleges. Just start typing, MIT, UCLA, NYU, Michigan, and pick from the suggestions. We're continuously expanding our data, and your free assessment goes even further, matching you to programs across the country based on your full profile.
Can a calculator really tell me where I will get accepted?+
No tool can promise an outcome, and you should be cautious of any that claims to. What Counselly does exceptionally well is show you, honestly and instantly, exactly where you stand academically at each college, so you can build a smart, balanced list instead of guessing. Your essays, recommendations, and story do the rest, and your free assessment is built to help you strengthen all of them.
Is the college chances calculator free?+
Completely free, and no signup is required to use it. When you're ready to go further, your full assessment, the complete list of colleges where you're a strong fit plus a step-by-step plan to raise your odds, is also free to unlock with an account.
