TL;DR: UC Irvine admitted 30.3% of first-year applicants for fall 2026 (38,165 offers), and by an Oriel Admissions calculation from UC Office of the President tables it admitted 49.5% of domestic out-of-state applicants, more than double the 22.7% rate for California residents. That 26.8-point gap is the third widest in the UC system, behind UC Davis (36.2 points) and UC Santa Barbara (29.3 points). Admitted students had a High School GPA (UC’s A-G GPA from 10th and 11th grade, with honors credit) of 4.06 to 4.27 in the middle range. UC Irvine admits by major, and the Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences does not accept pre-admission major changes. UC estimates $90,100 for a new nonresident living on campus in 2027-28, and the fall 2027 application is filed between October 1 and November 30, 2026. To discuss your family’s admissions strategy, schedule a consultation.
What Is the UC Irvine Acceptance Rate?
The UC Irvine acceptance rate for fall 2026 is 30.3%: 38,165 offers of admission from 125,987 first-year applicants in UC’s January application table (126,005 on UC’s Irvine admit data page) in the preliminary count the University of California published in July 2026 (UC Office of the President, fall 2026 admissions fact sheet). That compares with 28.7% for fall 2025 and 28.8% for fall 2024, so the three-year picture is a campus that has grown less selective with more applicants (3,326 more than fall 2024) and more admits (2,852 more). The residency split is the number that matters for a family reading this page: by an Oriel Admissions calculation, California residents were admitted at 22.7%, domestic out-of-state applicants at 49.5%, and international applicants at 45.5%.
| Cycle | Applicants | Admits | Overall rate | California residents | Domestic out-of-state | International |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2026 | 125,987 | 38,165 | 30.3% | 22.7% | 49.5% | 45.5% |
| Fall 2025 | 124,214 | 35,661 | 28.7% | 21.6% | 47.6% | 42.8% |
| Fall 2024 | 122,661 | 35,313 | 28.8% | 21.8% | 49.9% | 43.1% |
UC Irvine first-year admissions, fall 2024 to fall 2026, computed from the UC Office of the President preliminary application tables (fall 2026 applicants as of January 21, 2026) and admit tables (fall 2026 admits as of June 17, 2026). Rates are admits divided by applicants within each residency group.
Two things stand out across the three cycles. Out-of-state applicants have been admitted at a higher rate than California residents in every year shown (49.9% against 21.8% in fall 2024, 49.5% against 22.7% in fall 2026), which is the reverse of the pattern at most selective private universities and the reason the rest of this page is written for out-of-state families. And the international rate has moved from 43.1% to 45.5% over the same period, so the campus has been opening its international admission. Sources for each year: fall 2024 applications, fall 2024 admits, fall 2025 applications, fall 2025 admits, and the fall 2026 fact sheet. Our guide to UC acceptance rates by campus puts these numbers next to the other eight campuses.
What Is the UC Irvine Acceptance Rate for Out-of-State Students?
For fall 2026, the UC Irvine acceptance rate for domestic out-of-state applicants was 49.5%, based on preliminary University of California systemwide data reflecting offers as of June 17, 2026. California residents were admitted at 22.7% and international applicants at 45.5%, against an overall rate of 30.3%. The 26.8-point gap is large, but UC Davis (71.0% for out-of-state applicants against 34.7% for residents, a gap of 36.2 points) and UC Santa Barbara (29.3 points) showed wider gaps for fall 2026. UC San Diego, the usual comparison, admitted 27.2% overall and 37.2% of out-of-state applicants.
| Applicant Group | Applications | Admits | Admit Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| California residents | 87,177 | 19,830 | 22.7% |
| Domestic out-of-state | 16,902 | 8,368 | 49.5% |
| International | 21,908 | 9,967 | 45.5% |
| All first-year applicants | 125,987 | 38,165 | 30.3% |
Source: rates computed from the UC Office of the President fall 2026 preliminary application table (as of January 21, 2026) and admissions fact sheet (offers as of June 17, 2026). Figures may shift as waitlist offers are finalized.
The composition of the admitted class tells the same story: nonresidents made up 48% of all fall 2026 admits at UC Irvine (22% domestic out-of-state and 26% international) despite California residents dominating the applicant pool. In our view, like UC San Diego, UC Irvine reflects the value of Nonresident Supplemental Tuition ($39,270 for 2026-27) and the lower rate at which admitted nonresidents tend to enroll. The full campus-by-campus picture is in our guide to UC admissions for out-of-state students.
What Academic Profile Does UC Irvine Expect?
Admitted first-years for fall 2026 had a middle-range High School GPA of 4.06 to 4.27 on UC’s Irvine admit data page. UC defines that GPA as the A-G grade point average from 10th and 11th grade coursework, including up to eight semesters of honors courses. Families should convert the transcript with our UC GPA calculator before judging fit. UC does not consider SAT or ACT scores in admission under the systemwide test-free policy, does not require or read letters of recommendation at application, and UC Irvine holds no interviews, so the transcript, the activities list and the four personal insight questions carry the file. In the experience of Oriel Admissions, a nonresident student in that GPA band with a coherent activity record is in a strong position at the university level.
How Does Admission by Major Change the UC Irvine Strategy?
UC Irvine admits students into a first-choice major, and the university-level admit rate conceals sharp differences between programs. Computer science and the other majors in the Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences are the clearest case: the school says it does not accept pre-admission changes of major, so a student admitted to a different major must enroll first and then meet the change-of-major criteria. In our experience, when a first-choice major is full, the alternate major becomes the real decision rather than a formality. UC also notes that UC Irvine no longer offers Engineering/Undeclared and asks students to apply directly to an engineering major or to Undergraduate/Undeclared.
Internal switching exists but runs on published criteria. The Bren School sets unit caps for applying (60 units for Data Science and Software Engineering, 90 for Informatics, Computer Science and Engineering, Computer Science and Game Design, and 120 for Business Information Management), requires the change-of-major courses to be completed with grades posted, and says it makes no exceptions to its change-of-major policies or GPA requirements. Oriel Admissions advises a full-pay out-of-state family to treat the intended major as the application, not the campus: if the student needs computer science, the seat must be won in the fall application, and the alternate major should be a program the student would genuinely complete.
What Does UC Irvine Cost an Out-of-State Family?
UC estimates a 2027-28 cost of $90,100 for a new nonresident undergraduate living on campus, including $57,300 in UC tuition with Nonresident Supplemental Tuition; UC tuition for California residents is $16,278. UC tuition stays flat for up to six years under the Tuition Stability Plan. UC says obtaining residency is extremely difficult for undergraduates with nonresident parents and that virtually all of them remain nonresidents for their entire undergraduate career, and its cost page describes no separate aid program for nonresidents. The budget conversation is therefore simple: about $90,000 a year for four years, with any award treated as a bonus.
What Should Out-of-State Applicants Do to Stand Out?
For fall 2027, the application opened August 1, 2026, the filing period runs October 1 to November 30, 2026, and UC releases decisions in March, with some campuses earlier. Because UC Irvine has no Early Decision, no Early Action and no interviews, the strategy lives inside the file: maximize A-G rigor through 11th grade, choose the four personal insight question prompts that best show the intended major, and build the campus list so UC Irvine sits as a high-value target beneath reaches such as UC Berkeley, UCLA and UC San Diego on the same application. A binding Early Decision bid at a private university coexists with the UC application, since nothing on the UC side is binding until the May 1 Statement of Intent to Register.
Frequently Asked Questions About the UC Irvine Acceptance Rate
Yes, at the university level. For fall 2026, UC Irvine admitted 49.5% of domestic out-of-state applicants against 22.7% of California residents, by an Oriel Admissions calculation from UC Office of the President tables. Competitive majors such as computer science remain difficult for everyone.
For fall 2026, UC Davis, with a gap of 36.2 points (71.0% for out-of-state applicants against 34.7% for residents), followed by UC Santa Barbara at 29.3 points and UC Irvine at 26.8 points.
The Bren School does not accept pre-admission changes of major, so the student would enroll in the alternate major and could apply through the change-of-major process, which has unit caps and no exceptions to its GPA requirements. Choose an alternate the student would genuinely complete.
No. UC does not consider SAT or ACT scores in admission, does not require or read letters of recommendation at the time of application, and UC Irvine holds no interviews.
Applicants list a first-choice major and may list an alternate. In our experience the alternate should be a realistic program outside the most oversubscribed schools, because an alternate that is just as competitive as the first choice protects nothing.
No. For fall 2027, there is one filing period, October 1 to November 30, 2026, with decisions in March. Nothing on the UC side is binding until the May 1 Statement of Intent to Register.
Rarely. UC says virtually all nonresident undergraduates with nonresident parents remain nonresidents for their entire undergraduate career. Budget all four years at the nonresident rate, which the Tuition Stability Plan holds flat from the year of entry.
UC San Diego was more selective overall for fall 2026 (27.2% against 30.3%), while UC Irvine admitted out-of-state applicants at a higher rate (49.5% against 37.2%). Many out-of-state families apply to both on the same application and let the offers and admitted majors decide.
Sources: UC Admissions, Irvine first-year admit data; UC Office of the President, fall 2026 admissions fact sheet; UC Office of the President, fall 2026 application table; UC Irvine Donald Bren School, change of major; UC Admissions, dates and deadlines; UC tuition and cost of attendance; Legislative Analyst’s Office, nonresident tuition rates at UC (May 2026).
About Oriel Admissions
Oriel Admissions is a college admissions consulting firm advising families nationwide on elite university admissions strategy, with offices in Princeton, New Jersey and New York. Our team brings deep expertise across every dimension of the application, and our distinctive 360 approach develops strategy, positioning, activities, essays, and interviews as one coherent whole. To discuss your family’s admissions strategy, schedule a consultation.
