Big Door vs. Little Door? Engineering

Being Competitive Versus Meeting Minimum Requirements for UCLA & Berkeley

It is easy to find the UC minimum requirements, which seem to be posted everywhere. But most students really want to know how they compare to the competition and what does it actually take to be a competitive applicant at each of the UCs. I have said this before, but I know it bears saying again, UCLA and Berkeley are not backup schools to the Ivy League. They are now more selective than the Ivy League if you compare them to the Ivy League Early Decision, Early Action and Single Choice Early Action admit rates.

To see if you are competitive for UCLA admissions you can compare your own stats to UCLAs freshmen student profile for 2014. This detailed information, so kindly provided by UCLA, will give you some idea of where you stand. Keeping in mind that there are additional factors that come into play with regards to the “Comprehensive Review” process and actually 14 factors of consideration. As frustrating as it is, perfect GPA and test scores alone will not guarantee admission to any of the top tier schools, but it does put you in the running.

I am asked this question so often that I am posting the answer for everyone here.
What are the
lowest GPA and test scores of students admitted to UCLA?

  Unweighted
GPA < 3.0
Weighted
GPA < 3.0
SAT < 1500
ACT < 22
UCLA 2014 Admits 41 students 17 students 356 students 335 students

Big door little door
Admitted UCLA Engineering GPA & Test Sores by Discipline

 

However it is important to note that even these numbers, as detailed as they are, can still be misleading. To really understand how competitive you are you must consider if you are trying to enter in through a Big Door or a Little Door. On the left you will find UCLA engineering student profiles for students admitted in 2014. If you compare these GPA and test scores to the general UCLA population they would be in the top percentile. The engineering numbers shown below, were presented this fall at the Counselors Conference at UCLA by the UCLA Engineering department.

Below are UCLA numbers for students admitted by Field of Study. The Field of Study numbers emphasize how much the admission numbers vary by Field of Study.

Big Door vs. Little Door
Admitted UCLA Freshmen by Field of Study