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Only one in 10 students who applied to the University of California, Berkeley for first-year admission in 2026 received an offer, latest data shows. This makes Berkeley the most selective of the nine undergraduate UC campuses, dethroning UC Los Angeles from that position.
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Across the system, acceptance rates varied widely: from 10.5% at UC Berkeley to nearly half at UC Davis and close to 95% at UC Merced. From last year to now, all but two UC campuses — Berkeley and San Diego — saw an uptick in their acceptance rates, meaning they became easier to get into.
Overall, the UC system received more than 205,000 first-year applications for fall 2026 and admitted 153,272, amounting to an acceptance rate of nearly 75%. Last year, the system received around the same number of applicants and had an acceptance rate of 72.3%.
For California residents, the acceptance rate for first-year applicants increased by 1 percentage point to 78% this year. The UC system registered a record number of California first-year admissions at 102,031, nearly 1,500 more than last year.
This comes amid pressure from the state to increase undergraduate enrollment of in-state students. Per the system’s multi-year compact with the state, the UC must increase California undergraduate enrollment by at least 1 percent annually to receive state funding increases.
The system set itself a goal of adding 17,000 in-state undergraduates between 2020 and 2030. So far, it says it is on track to meet its target. The number of admitted students who will actually enroll this year is yet to be settled. Last year, the university enrolled nearly 42,000 of the more than 100,000 California students offered admission in the first-year class.
“For generations, a University of California education has been one of the state’s most powerful engines of social mobility, opening doors for talented students from every background and region of the state,” said UC President James Milliken. “The record number of California students we’re welcoming this year reflects UC’s enduring commitment to expanding opportunity while preparing the next generation of leaders, innovators, educators and public servants.”
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A little short of 70% of first-year applicants admitted to the UC system this year were California residents, while 18% were from other states in the country and 15% were international students. While the total number of California first-year applicants who received offers has increased systemwide, this number dropped for Berkeley, Davis and Merced since last year. UC Santa Cruz, meanwhile, admitted 45% more California residents to its first-year class this year compared to 2025.
What campus was the hardest to get into for first-years?
Across in-state, out-of-state and international students, the most to least selective UC campuses for first-year admits in fall 2026 are listed below. Apart from Berkeley and UCLA trading spots, the ranking for every other campus remained consistent from fall 2025 to 2026.
- Berkeley: 10.5% acceptance rate
- Los Angeles: 10.8% acceptance rate
- San Diego: 27.2% acceptance rate
- Irvine: 30.3% acceptance rate
- Santa Barbara: 44% acceptance rate
- Davis: 45.8% acceptance rate
- Santa Cruz: 82.1% acceptance rate
- Riverside: 88.2% acceptance rate
- Merced: 94.7% acceptance rate
Which UC campus was the most selective for transfer students?
The UC system offered admission to 32,360 transfer students in fall 2026, an increase of nearly 1,500 students since 2025. The system admitted a record 29,372 students from the California Community College system alone, marking a 6% uptick from last year. At the campus-level, all schools except UC Irvine increased the number of offers they made to transfer students between 2025 and 2026.
With a total applicant pool of 46,476 students, the UC system’s overall acceptance rate for transfer students in 2026 was slightly higher than last year’s at almost 70%. Mirroring the rankings for first-year admits, the most competitive schools for transfer students too were Berkeley and UCLA. This is consistent with the trend from 2025.
- Berkeley: 20% acceptance rate
- Los Angeles: 22.2% acceptance rate
- Irvine: 36.4% acceptance rate
- San Diego: 47.4% acceptance rate
- Davis: 58.3% acceptance rate
- Santa Barbara: 61.6% acceptance rate
- Merced: 67.5% acceptance rate
- Santa Cruz: 67.5% acceptance rate
- Riverside: 69.6% acceptance rate
The UC system is expected to release enrollment data for fall 2026 at the end of the year or early next year.
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