Does UC San Diego require the SAT? No, it's test blind
UC San Diego is test blind: it won't read an SAT or ACT score, even if you send one. It admits 27% of applicants, so grades, courses and essays decide.
UC San Diego doesn't read SAT or ACT scores
A score won't be read even if you send one, so it can't help or hurt. With a 27% admit rate, UC San Diego is a Target for everyone; grades, courses and essays decide.
UC San Diego by the numbers
- Admit rate
- 27%
- Middle 50% SAT
- Not read
- Test policy
- Test blind
Test blind · checked Nov 9, 2026 · UC San Diego admissions · SAT range from the Common Data Set, 2025–26; admit rate from it or IPEDS
UC San Diego admit rate over 10 years
Applications rose 72%, from 78,061 in 2015 to 134,450 in 2024, and UC San Diego's admit rate went from 34% to 27%.
- 34%
- 27%
Show the numbers
| Fall | Applied | Admitted | Admit rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 134,450 | 35,917 | 27% |
| 2023 | 130,771 | 32,062 | 25% |
| 2022 | 131,197 | 31,103 | 24% |
| 2021 | 118,386 | 40,493 | 34% |
| 2020 | 100,062 | 36,634 | 37% |
| 2019 | 99,114 | 31,200 | 31% |
| 2018 | 97,894 | 29,428 | 30% |
| 2017 | 88,446 | 30,061 | 34% |
| 2016 | 84,208 | 30,028 | 36% |
| 2015 | 78,061 | 26,335 | 34% |
In fall 2024, 7,330 of the 35,917 admitted students enrolled. Applicants and admits from IPEDS, the federal college survey, by fall of entry.
UC San Diego GPA and class rank
What enrolled first-year students brought from high school.
- Average high school GPA
- 3.88
- 94% of new students reported one
- Top 10% of their class
- 100%
- of new students who reported a rank
Common Data Set 2025–26.
UC San Diego waitlist
Waitlist
36,709 applicants were offered a spot, 25,411 took it, and 5,284 were admitted from it.
21%of students who stayed on the waitlist got in
Common Data Set 2025–26.
UC San Diego cost and outcomes
What students pay after grants, how many finish, and what they earn.
- Average net price
- $12,470
- per year, after grants
- Graduate in 6 years
- 86%
- Median earnings
- $84,943
- 10 years after starting
- Undergraduates
- 36,644
College Scorecard, 2022–23, from the US Department of Education. Net price averages federal-aid students across family incomes.
Colleges like UC San Diego
Other colleges that don't read scores, with similar admit rates.
- PitzerClaremont, CA · 25% admittedTest blind
- UC IrvineIrvine, CA · 29% admittedTest blind
- ReedPortland, OR · 25% admittedTest blind
- Cal Poly SLOSan Luis Obispo, CA · 31% admittedTest blind
- UC Santa BarbaraSanta Barbara, CA · 33% admittedTest blind
- San Diego StateSan Diego, CA · 36% admittedTest blind
More colleges in California
Sources
- UC San Diego Common Data Set 2025–26
SAT and ACT ranges, early decision, waitlist, GPA and class rank, as the college reported them.
- College Navigator (IPEDS)
Applications, admissions and enrollment by year, from the federal college survey.
- College Scorecard
Net price, graduation rate and earnings, from the US Department of Education.
- UC San Diego admissions
Test policy for 2026–27, checked Nov 9, 2026.
- UC San Diego website
University of California-San Diego
Updated Nov 9, 2026. Spot a number that's off? Email support@tryashore.com and we'll check it against the source.
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