What 67 UCLA Decisions Say About Who Gets In
UCLA is test-blind, so grades and activities carry the whole application. A tally of 67 self-reported 2026 decisions shows a GPA gap, an edge for academic activities, and a boost for California residents.
UCLA admits about 9% of applicants, and it’s test-blind: SAT and ACT scores play no part at all. That leaves grades, activities, and the UC’s Personal Insight Questions to decide everything. So what separated admitted applicants from everyone else this year?
A tally of 67 self-reported 2026 results from r/collegeresults offers some clues: 30 admitted, 32 rejected, and 5 waitlisted. Everyone applied in the UC’s single filing period, since UCLA has no early round.
First, a caution
Sixty-seven people is a small group, and students who post results tend to be strong applicants. A difference of three or four people between the groups could easily be noise. Treat these patterns as worth knowing, not as guarantees.
Grades were the clearest difference
| Admitted | Rejected or waitlisted | |
|---|---|---|
| Median unweighted GPA | 3.99 | 3.88 |
| Median weighted GPA | 4.50 | 4.40 |
| Median AP/IB courses | 12 | 10 |
| Median activities listed | 10 | 10 |
Half of the admits who shared their GPA had a perfect 4.0 (10 of 20), compared with just 4 of 29 in the other group. Without test scores to balance a weaker transcript, grades do more of the work at UCLA than at most selective schools.
Same number of activities, different kinds
Both groups listed a median of 10 activities. The difference was in what they listed. Academic activities showed up more often among admits:
- Science or academic competitions (Science Olympiad, quiz bowl, subject olympiads): 43% vs. 24%, the biggest activity gap
- Selective summer programs: 33% vs. 16%
- Research: 63% vs. 49%
Career-style activities showed up more often among applicants who weren’t admitted:
- Internships: 30% vs. 46%
- Business or entrepreneurship: 10% vs. 27%
- Robotics or engineering teams: 10% vs. 24%
- Community service: 53% vs. 65%
That doesn’t mean internships or service hurt anyone. These activities were common in both groups. A fair reading is that academic depth lined up with admission at UCLA more than career-style experience did. National-level awards didn’t help either: 53% of admits had one, compared with 70% of the other group.
California residents did better
Fourteen of 26 California residents in the sample were admitted (54%), compared with 13 of 35 out-of-state and international applicants (37%). That fits the UC system’s mission to serve California first.
Key takeaways
- Grades matter more at test-blind schools. A 3.99 vs. a 3.88 showed up clearly in this data.
- Depth beats breadth. Admits didn’t list more activities. They listed more competitions, academic programs, and research.
- Residency matters. In-state applicants had a noticeably better rate.
- The UC application is its own thing. The Personal Insight Questions, timing, and major choice all work differently from Common App schools, and some UCLA majors are much harder to get into than the campus-wide rate suggests.
For the full breakdown, read CollegeIntel’s analysis of UCLA accepted vs. rejected applicants. If UCLA is on your list, it’s a useful look at where to focus before the November filing period.