Pittsburgh Prep

UCLA looks straightforward on paper. It’s not.

At University of California, Los Angeles, the out-of-state admit rate is 9%, with only 24% of seats going to OOS and international students combined. The waitlist sits around 15,000, with about 11% admitted.

The disconnect is that strong OOS applicants are competing for a much smaller slice, while in-state admits are evaluated under a different set of priorities.

Across the UC system, the picture is shifting. At University of California, San Diego, a 2025 admissions report found 12.5% of incoming freshmen testing below high school math readiness.

UC has been test-blind since 2020, and even with changes coming, decisions remain highly contextual.

If you’re applying from PA or the Northeast, UCLA is a high-reach and is made up of a different set of students than in the past. So? Plan accordingly.