Applying to UC? A new data dashboard sheds light on admissions for each academic discipline

The University of California loves data. Our researchers collect and analyze all kinds of information about the world. We also track all kinds of UC stats, many of them available on detailed public dashboards in the online UC Information Center.

This fall, UC published a new data dashboard that shows how many first-year students apply to and are admitted at each campus by academic discipline. If you plan to apply to a specific major, it's information that lets you know more about the applicant pool. But before you dive in, you need to understand how to use the dashboard - and how not to.

What the dashboard offers

Until now, UC published the overall first-year admission rates for each campus. The new dashboard expands that by providing additional detail on admissions by academic discipline. For each broad area of study, you can see the admit rate, along with how many students applied, were admitted and ended up enrolling. The dashboard lets you see the admission rate for your discipline versus the overall campus admission rate. You can look at just one campus, or you can compare disciplines across UC's nine undergraduate campuses. (A separate dashboard shows transfer admission rates by major.)

"If you are applying to a specific major at UC, the dashboard will give you a better sense of the admission rate for the discipline that houses your major, campus by campus," said Han Mi Yoon-Wu, UC's associate vice provost and executive director of undergraduate admissions. "Our goal is to give applicants more insight on admission rates. But no student should let this data dissuade them from pursuing a direction they are really passionate about. It's also important to know that many of our students apply without a major, and that's perfectly fine, too."

The dashboard lists 15 broad disciplines plus "undeclared" and "unknown," compared to 333 majors across the UC system. That means multiple majors are grouped within a given discipline. For example, the Engineering discipline at UC San Diego includes 15 different majors.

The percentage of applicants admitted to a particular discipline might not represent admissions for the specific major you are interested in, which may be more or less competitive than what you see on the dashboard. When in doubt, contact the campus admissions department.

For most first-year applicants, major and discipline aren't a factor in admissions, unless you are applying to a highly selective major. Looking at the dashboard, you'll see that admission rates are more competitive for the academic disciplines with majors that are most in demand, those with high numbers of students applying for limited slots. UC campuses use different terminology for those highly selective majors. You might see them listed as "selective," "capped," "high-demand" or "screening."

An example of a highly selective discipline that holds true across UC campuses is Computer Science. For Fall 2023 at UC Davis, for instance, there were 5,256 applicants to Computer Science, with 989 admitted and 118 who ultimately enrolled. The admit rate for the Computer Science discipline at UC Davis was 19 percent, versus an overall campus admit rate of 42 percent.

The goal of the dashboard is to give the public more transparency into UC admissions. Being able to compare the selectivity of disciplines and campuses gives applicants an additional piece of information in their process and a more refined understanding of the competition. That said, the dashboard shouldn't be used to assess any particular student's chances of admission.

The dashboard shows GPAs by discipline, for instance. But GPA is only a part of what campuses look at when reviewing applications. All UC campuses have a robust "comprehensive review" process that takes all aspects of a student's application into consideration. Grades are only part of the picture. Your Personal Insight Questions, activities and the rigor of your coursework are also important.

• First, the dashboard doesn't point the way to a workaround for snagging a spot at UC. There is no back door to UC admissions.
• The dashboard paints a picture in broad strokes. It doesn't give details on specific majors.
• Most importantly, the dashboard doesn't reflect your chances of admission, only rates overall.

Should you use the dashboard to decide what major to apply to?

You might be thinking: Should I just apply to a major in a discipline that's less selective, get into the campus of my choice, and then switch majors? The answer is a definitive No. It's usually not possible to switch into a highly selective major once you have enrolled. Those majors have limited slots, and they are filled with incoming first-year and transfer applicants.

If you have your heart set on a certain major, go ahead and apply to that major. But if it's more about the campus than the major for you, or if you are not really sure you want that major, you might want to think more deeply about your choice.

"Students should always apply to the disciplines and majors they are most interested in pursuing," advised Yoon-Wu. "Understand the competition, but don't take yourself out of the running."

If you haven't landed on your major yet, that's also OK. In fact, many students apply to UC as undeclared majors, or they apply to a discipline without specifying a major (like "undeclared engineering").

If you're not sure what major to apply for, get guidance: reach out to the college counseling office at your school or contact the admissions offices at the UC campuseswhere you plan to apply.

UC wants you!

Seeing a bunch of data on admission rates can feel very intimidating. But California students, hear this: UC wants you! Last year, two out of three California students who applied to UC got in.

What's more, UC is committed to expanding access to Californians and has increased enrollment over the last decade. The university admitted the largest and most diverse class in its history for fall 2024, and more than 83 percent of those students were Californians.

Find out what makes each UC campus unique, learn about requirements, and start your application - visit our admissions website for all the information you need.

Check out these additional dashboards in the Information Center:

Transfer admission by major is a similar dashboard, but for transfer students.

Admissions by source school tracks all the students coming to UC from California high schools and community colleges.

UC undergraduate alumni outcomes in California shows how much UC bachelor's-degree holders earn after they graduate.