Fall 2023
A Word from Gary Clark
I hope your school year is off to a great start and that you were able to enjoy a restful summer with family and friends. But here we are beginning yet another fall in the world of college admission and that means we bid a fond farewell to summer and embrace the excitement and opportunity to support our students, families and each other through another admission cycle.
I don’t know that I can recall a year that felt…predictable. This was certainly no such year! Here are a couple of notes and highlights from this past cycle:
- Applications at both the freshman and transfer level decreased from the previous year. I think our freshman numbers came back down to earth a bit from the massive increase following our move to SAT/ACT-free, but we were a little more concerned about the drop in transfers. We’re hopeful that enrollment at our community colleges here in CA increases this fall and that we see our application numbers both at UCLA and throughout the system bounce back. Our transfer students bring such incredible ability and perspective to our campus community.
- We were quite active with our waitlist, for both freshmen and transfers, as we sought to increase capacity for CA residents in our incoming class. While we aren’t able to make so many offers each year, we are always excited to have the opportunity to offer waitlisted students some good news, even if that news comes a little later than they had hoped.
- This incoming class will be one of the most racially/ethnically diverse we have ever enrolled! One of our driving values here is inclusive excellence and we are committed to creating a campus environment that reflects that each year.
Like many others, we’ve been following the recent Supreme Court decision regarding Affirmative Action. Please know that we remain committed to attracting, admitting and enrolling an incoming class of students that reflects the diversity of our state. California passed Prop 209 in 1996, which banned the use of race, ethnicity, or sex from consideration in public employment, contracting and education, including university admission. For the past 25 years, we have continued to develop and improve upon best practices in the recruitment and enrollment of students who have been historically underrepresented in higher ed. Our commitment has not changed. We will be sure that students and families understand that they are welcome here and that we value them and all of their identities.
Finally, I want to wrap this up with an update on my role and share some exciting news about our interim executive director of undergraduate admission. Following a national search, I am excited to share that I will now serve as UCLA’s associate vice chancellor of enrollment management. While I feel incredibly fortunate and excited to step into this role, I will greatly miss working so closely with our team in undergraduate admission over the last 10+ years. But my move into this new role means we get to celebrate our deputy director, Ffiona Rees, as our new interim executive director of undergraduate admission! Ffiona has been with us for over eleven years in various leadership roles and has most recently served as the chair of NACAC. She’s a wonderful colleague, advocate, supporter and leader in this profession and we are fortunate to have her serve in this role.
We look forward to seeing many of you and your students this fall! We are grateful for the long hours and dedication you show to your students and families each year and hope that we can continue to serve as a resource to help in any way we can.
Take care of yourself, be safe, be well and, of course…Go Bruins!
Best,
Gary Clark
Associate Vice Chancellor
UCLA Enrollment Management
Program Highlight: Residential Life
UCLA offers a 4 year housing guarantee for freshmen and a 2 year housing guarantee for transfer students. The vast majority of students choose to take advantage of this opportunity and live in a safe, supportive, and inclusive living-learning community that engages residents in the fostering of their academic success, personal growth, leadership development, and social responsibility. Students have a variety of building types and accommodations available, from high-rise halls, plaza buildings, suites to apartments. And they have a variety of meal choice options from dining halls that have earned UCLA the title of “Best College Food in America”.
Additionally, students are able to choose to live in a Living Learning Community (LLC), this allows students to be engaged in academic experiences with their peers and interact with faculty, while enjoying being a part of a diverse community that shares common interests. UCLA offers 14 LLCs, and each community collaborates with campus departments and organizations, allowing students to engage in activities that enhance their collegiate experience. Students are a part of a close-knit community that encourages personal growth, fosters social responsibility and develops leaders. All students, regardless of major, identity, or background are welcome to apply for a LLC. Some of the LLCs include Afrikan Diaspora, Chicanx/Latinx, Global Health, Public Service & Civic Engagement, Technology & Innovation and Transfer Experience.
Application Update
Admitted transfer student statistics such as GPA and admit rate vary by major, for detailed information please visit Admitted Transfer Student Profile.
Reminder: the UC application can now be submitted on October 1 instead of November 1. The new application filing period is now October 1–November 30.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. How has/will UCLA’s admission review and selection process be impacted given the SCOTUS decision this past summer?
A. California passed Proposition 209 in 1996, which banned the use of race, ethnicity, or sex as criteria in public employment, contracting, and education, including university admission. UCLA has been operating within these guidelines for nearly 25 years. UCLA has implemented a range of programs and practices that adhere to the law while supporting our campus’ efforts to create a community that is inclusive of, and welcoming to, a population as diverse as the state of California’s. The UC system adopted a comprehensive application review process, which included 14 factors (now 13 with the move away from SAT/ACT), for consideration in the admission decision. UCLA employs a holistic review process, involving a thorough and individualized assessment of each applicant. This assessment takes into consideration student’s academic and non-academic achievements within the context of the opportunities available to students and challenges they may have faced and overcome.
UCLA is deeply committed to supporting the continued diversity of our campus. We will continue to take steps to identify what we can do, legally and appropriately, to preserve and expand the diverse nature of our university community. We take great pride in the many backgrounds represented at UCLA, consistent with the broad diversity of the state of California.
Q. Will UCLA be decreasing the admission of domestic non-resident and international students?
A. Yes, UCLA is complying with California legislation intended to limit nonresidents and prioritize in-state applicants. Over the next five years, UCLA will decrease from 22% non-resident enrollment to 18%.
As a public, land-grant institution, the University of California takes pride in its commitment to prioritizing the enrollment of California residents, consistent with the California Master Plan for Higher Education.
Q. What majors require supplemental applications and when are the deadlines?
A. Freshman and transfer students applying to majors in the School of Arts and Architecture, School of Music, School of Nursing and School of Theater, Film and Television must submit supplement materials directly to their respective department. The first step is to submit the UC application between October 1–November 30 and the second step is to complete the supplemental application. The supplemental application is unique to each major and may require an audition, portfolio, resume, writing samples, and/or letters of recommendation.
Supplemental application submission deadlines vary by major, some are due as early as December 5 and others are due as late as December 20. We encourage students to check department websites for detailed information.
Q. Does UCLA consider admission to an alternate major if the student is not admitted to the first-choice major?
A. For freshman applicants UCLA guarantees review of an applicants’ first-choice major.
For transfer students, in general, applicants are not considered for admission to alternate majors. However, transfer students who participate in the Transfer Alliance Program (TAP) and are not selected for admission to their first-choice major will be reviewed for their alternate major if:
1. They selected an alternate major on the UC application at the time they submitted it
2. They are not admitted to their first-choice major
3. They have not listed an alternate major that is restricted in the College (Biology, Business Economics, Communication, Economics, Education and Social Transformation, English, Global Studies, Human Biology and Society, International Development Studies, Mathematics/Economics, Mathematics Financial Actuarial, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, Statistics)
TAP priority consideration does not apply to primary or alternate major in the following specialty schools: School of Arts and Architecture, School of Music, School of Nursing and School of Theater, Film and Television.
Additional Resources
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The official course transfer and articulation system for California's public colleges and universities.
UC Quick References for Counselors
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UCLA First Year International and Transfer Guides
Downloadable guides for first year, international, and transfer applicants.
University of California A-G Course List (CA high schools only)
Find a specific institution's A-G course list. view associated schools within a school district or network. List of online schools with A-G course lists.
Upcoming Events
Virtual Admission Presentations
UCLA Fall Open House: October 14, 9:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.