Does UCLA Require SAT Scores?

UCLA is test-free, not test-optional. SAT and ACT results are excluded from admission and scholarship decisions, even when a student has taken the tests. There is no current SAT cutoff to meet or superscore to build for UCLA selection.

An old average or a historical 25th–75th percentile range is not a target for today's applicant. A 1500 cannot offset weaker school grades in this process.

The writing distinction is easy to miss: UCLA accepts a qualifying legacy paper SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing score of at least 680, from the version offered before March 2024, for Entry-Level Writing. That does not make a current digital SAT Reading and Writing score interchangeable with it. UCLA's SAT reporting code is 4837.

UCLA Acceptance Rate: Fall 2026

UCLA admitted 10.8% of first-year applicants for fall 2026. UC reports 146,692 applications and 15,903 offers of admission.

These are first-year figures, not transfer admission rates. They describe an entire applicant pool; they do not give an individual student a 10.8% chance.

Historical school-level rates: Fall 2025

School-level figures belong to different applicant pools and, in some cases, different supplemental assessments. They are not a ranking of how easy individual majors are to enter.

UCLA GPA Requirements and Admitted-Student Grades

The UC minimum is 3.0 for California residents and 3.4 for nonresidents in the required college-preparatory courses. Meeting that minimum establishes one eligibility condition; it does not make admission automatic.

For fall 2026, UC reports a middle-50% high-school GPA range of 4.20–4.30. UCLA's separate fall 2025 profile gives the following fully weighted and unweighted figures:

Fully weighted GPA includes additional points for qualifying advanced courses, while unweighted GPA does not. The fully weighted figure is not interchangeable with a capped UC GPA. Keep the year and calculation method attached when comparing numbers.

How UC Calculates GPA

UC uses A-G grades from the summer after Grade 9 through the summer after Grade 11. Letter grades convert to points: A=4, B=3, C=2 and D=1; plus and minus signs do not change the value.

• For the capped calculation, qualifying honors work can add up to eight semester points, with no more than four from Grade 10.
• For nonresident minimum-GPA eligibility, AP and IB courses receive honors weight; school-designated honors classes do not.
• Add the applicable points, divide by the number of course grades and do not round the result.

If your school reports percentages or another grading scale, enter those original marks in the application. Do not turn a CBSE percentage into a self-invented 4.0 GPA. UC assesses the academic record in its educational context.

School Subjects Required for UCLA

The standard A-G requirement is 15 year-long courses, with at least 11 completed before the final year of school. Courses must earn a C or better.

UCLA considers which subjects and advanced classes a school actually offers. If a required subject is unavailable, it considers the application in that context. A missing opportunity and a decision not to take an available course are different situations.

What UCLA Reviews Instead of SAT Scores

UCLA reads the full academic record: course difficulty, grades over time and the strength of the final-year schedule. It also considers sustained achievements, responsibilities, activities and the opportunities or challenges surrounding them. These factors do not carry published fixed weights.

The personal insight responses add evidence that a transcript cannot show. First-year applicants choose four of eight questions, with a maximum of 350 words per response. No question has an admission advantage over another.

For example, describing the work you did in a school science project is more informative than calling yourself “passionate about science”. Identify the question you investigated, your own contribution and what changed after you tested an idea. This is a writing approach, not a formula for admission.

Programme options are listed in the UCLA university profile. Some specialised schools also assess a portfolio, audition or other supplemental material.

UCLA Requirements for Indian Applicants

UC's India-specific requirement names completion of Class X and XII state-board or CBSE examinations, with average marks above 60 for admission consideration. This is a minimum country-specific condition, not UCLA's competitive cutoff.

Report board subjects and marks under International Exams and enter school coursework as it appears on your records. Do not submit a converted GPA in place of the original marks.

English proficiency is separate from SAT

Students who completed all secondary education in English are considered proficient. UCLA also specifies a three-year English-instruction condition for students with some schooling in another language.

These are UCLA's competitive score expectations, not the general UC minimums. UCLA recommends TOEFL, IELTS or DET rather than using SAT or ACT as English-proficiency evidence.

UCLA Application Dates for Fall 2027

The application-opening date is not the first submission date. For fall 2027, the form opens in August and the filing window runs from October through November. Specialised programmes may require a separate supplement in addition to the UC application.

Scores and gradestesting policy, GPA and admission figures Prepare the applicationrecords, personal responses and dates

1. SAT policy
2. Admission figures
3. GPA measures
4. Required subjects

1. Academic records
2. Personal insight responses
3. Application calendar