From Sfchronicle · · 2m
UC Acceptance Rates by California High Schools
California high schools show varying UC admission success rates for fall 2025.
In brief
California high schools show varying UC admission success rates for fall 2025. California high schools have different UC acceptance rates for fall 2025, with Mission High School admitting 45% of applicants to Berkeley versus 12% at Lowell High School. Originally reported by Sfchronicle.
UC Acceptance Rates for Fall 2025
Applications to the University of California rose substantially over the last decade, leading to a steep decline in acceptance rates to the most competitive campuses.
In-State Acceptance Rate
Over three-quarters (77%) of in-state applicants were admitted to at least one of the nine undergraduate campuses for fall 2025, the highest overall acceptance rate the system has seen in at least nine years.
Enrollment Rate
Around 42% of those admitted chose to enroll in the system for fall 2025.
UCLA and Berkeley Selectivity
UCLA is the most selective UC, admitting 10% of in-state applicants in the last admissions cycle, while Berkeley is the second most competitive with a 14% in-state acceptance rate.
Mission High School Success
San Francisco’s Mission High School had 45% of its applicants admitted to Berkeley for fall 2025, higher than at elite schools like Lick-Wilmerding High School (19%) and Lowell High School (12%).
Race and Ethnicity Disparities
At Mission High, fewer Hispanic students were accepted into Berkeley (45%) compared with Asian (58%) and Black (50%) students.
GPA Variations
Students interested in competitive campuses like UCLA, Berkeley, and San Diego have higher average GPAs, with the middle 50% of admitted GPAs at Berkeley falling between 4.0 and 4.3.
Major-Specific Rates
Berkeley acceptance rates for public health programs were as low as 2% while arts and humanities disciplines had rates as high as 25% for fall 2025.
Most Selective Majors
The most selective disciplines across the UCs were nursing at UCLA (1%), nursing at Irvine (1%), public health at UC Berkeley, and business at UC Berkeley (5%).
The bottom line
California high schools have different UC acceptance rates for fall 2025, with Mission High School admitting 45% of applicants to Berkeley versus 12% at Lowell High School.
