UCLA Transfer Acceptance Rate and Requirements — 2024

UCLA is a school with a single-digit acceptance rate for freshman applicants. However, unlike at other elite universities like Stanford or Harvard, transferring into UCLA is a proposition with fairly reasonable odds. In fact, UCLA admits 5,000-6,000 applicants every year. In further good news, acceptance rates for transfers at UCLA are actually higher than for first-years. The following blog will reveal the UCLA transfer acceptance rates as well as other crucial items like the UCLA transfer deadline, the UCLA transfer requirements, the UCLA transfer GPA, and much more.

UCLA Transfer Acceptance Rate

Below we present the most current available UCLA transfer acceptance rate as well as historical data.

For entry in the fall of 2023, 6,189 students were accepted, and 23,974 applied. This means that the UCLA transfer acceptance rate is 25.8%.

For entry in the fall of 2022, there were 5,961 students admitted out of a pool of 24,930 applicants. This means that the UCLA transfer acceptance rate was 23.9%.

For entry in the fall of 2021, there were 5,622 transfer applicants and 28,645 individuals were accepted. This means that the UCLA transfer acceptance rate was 19.6%.

When trying to get the complete picture of how difficult it is to transfer into any given institution, it is important to look at historical data. While many schools have wild fluctuations in acceptance rates from cycle to cycle, you can see that UCLA’s have remained stable in recent years.

Historical UCLA transfer rates are as follows:

UCLA Transfer Acceptance Rate (Continued)

Also, at a school of UCLA’s size, it’s essential to look at the transfer acceptance rates of different colleges—and even of different majors within those colleges. For example, the College of Letters and Science admitted 32% of Fall 2023 transfer applicants while the School of Engineering admitted 11%. Meanwhile, the School of Theater, Film & Television admitted just 3.1%. If we look at these numbers even more closely, we find that majors within the College of Letters and Science varied from an acceptance rate of 65% (Applied Linguistics) to 10% (Atmospheric and Ocean Sciences). The School of Engineering had a similar spread.

UCLA Transfer Acceptance Rate by College

UCLA Transfer Deadline

For every academic program, the UCLA transfer deadline is November 30.

The application window opens on August 1, so you can begin completing all materials at that time.

The FAFSA deadline is March 2.

You will also have to submit supplemental applications for many programs within the following schools:

• School of the Arts and Architecture
• Herb Alpert School of Music
• School of Nursing
• School of Theater, Film and Television

UCLA Transfer Requirements

All students must submit the following items as part of their UCLA application:

• A University of California Application
• Personal insight questions
• Supplemental materials (for some majors)

Official transcripts and letters of recommendation are not part of the UCLA transfer requirements. In fact, they are not even accepted during the admissions process. That said, by January 31, all applicants will need to complete a Transfer Academic Update (TAU) that provides their fall grades and planned spring coursework. If accepted, you will then need to provide final, official transcripts.

In addition to completing the aforementioned items, you’ll need to have achieved/earned the following:

• Junior-level standing (60 semester or 90 quarter transferable units completed) by the end of the spring term before you transfer.
• GPA of 3.2 or higher earned in transferable courses (the average GPA is over 3.5)
• Two transferable courses in English composition or critical thinking and writing.
• One transferable math course that has a prerequisite of intermediate algebra or higher.
• Four transferable college courses in at least two of the following subject areas: arts and humanities, social and behavioral sciences, physical and biological sciences.

We recommend thoroughly reviewing the UC Transfer Admission Guide for all UCLA transfer requirements.

Additionally, UCLA has articulation agreements with CA community colleges, which are official guarantees of course transfer between institutions (upon acceptance).

UCLA Transfer GPA

Students admitted as transfers to UCLA in 2023 had a mid-50th percentile GPA range of 3.72-4.0. The median GPA for a successful transfer applicant was 3.88.

Colleges that Send the Most Transfer Students to UCLA

The colleges that saw the greatest number of 2023 applicants to UCLA were:

1. Santa Monica College (1,548) – 36% accepted
2. Pasadena City College (1,043) – 35% accepted
3. Deanza College (891) – 23% accepted
4. Diablo Valley College (733) – 25% accepted
5. Irvine Valley College (714) – 34% accepted

UCLA Transfer Acceptance Rate (Continued)

UCLA Transfer Application Essays

Required UCLA Essay

1. Please describe how you have prepared for your intended major, including your readiness to succeed in your upper-division courses once you enroll at the university.

Choose 3 of the following 7 questions (in addition to the mandatory prompt above):

1. Describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have positively influenced others, helped resolve disputes, or contributed to group efforts over time.
2. Every person has a creative side, and it can be expressed in many ways: problem solving, original and innovative thinking, and artistically, to name a few. Describe how you express your creative side.
3. What would you say is your greatest talent or skill? How have you developed and demonstrated that talent over time?
4. Describe how you have taken advantage of a significant educational opportunity or worked to overcome an educational barrier you have faced.
5. Describe the most significant challenge you have faced and the steps you have taken to overcome this challenge. How has this challenge affected your academic achievement?
6. What have you done to make your school or your community a better place?
7. Beyond what has already been shared in your application, what do you believe makes you a strong candidate for admissions to the University of California?

All essays have a 350-word maximum, and applicants are encouraged to answer the three that align most closely with their individual experiences and circumstances.

When Do UCLA Transfer Decisions Come Out?

UCLA transfer decisions come out in late April.

Final Thoughts – UCLA Transfer Acceptance Rate

UCLA plucks 92% of their transfer students from California community colleges. An additional 5% come from current University of California students. Only 2% come from non-CA schools. A sizable 34% of entering transfers are from underrepresented backgrounds and 41% are first-generation students.

If you are looking for information on how to apply to UCLA as a first-year student, you may find the following blogs to be of interest:

• How to Get Into UCLA
• UCLA Supplemental Essay Prompts and Tips

Those searching for application info on other institutions may wish to visit our Dataverse pages:

• Transfer Admissions Deadlines
• Transfer Acceptance Rates