TL;DR: For fall 2026, UC Berkeley admitted 10.5% of first-year applicants (13,967 offers from 133,154 applicants on UC’s Berkeley admit data page; Berkeley’s own July 29 release gives 13,982 offers) and UCLA admitted 10.8% (15,903 from 146,692). Residency flips which is harder, by an Oriel Admissions calculation from UC Office of the President tables: California residents were admitted at 12.4% at Berkeley but 10.2% at UCLA, while out-of-state applicants were admitted at 14.9% at UCLA but 10.0% at Berkeley. Berkeley and UC Merced were the only UC campuses to admit out-of-state applicants at a lower rate than residents. The middle-range High School GPA was 4.16 to 4.28 at Berkeley and 4.20 to 4.30 at UCLA. Both read the same UC application, so most serious candidates apply to both. To discuss your family’s admissions strategy, schedule a consultation.
How Do UC Berkeley and UCLA Compare on Admissions?
| Fall 2026 (preliminary) | UC Berkeley | UCLA |
|---|---|---|
| Applicants (UC admit data page) | 133,154 | 146,692 |
| Admits | 13,967 | 15,903 |
| Overall admit rate | 10.5% | 10.8% |
| California resident admit rate | 12.4% | 10.2% |
| Domestic out-of-state admit rate | 10.0% | 14.9% |
| International admit rate | 5.4% | 8.1% |
| High School GPA, middle range | 4.16-4.28 | 4.20-4.30 |
Sources: UC Admissions first-year admit data pages for Berkeley and UCLA (preliminary, as of June 2026); residency rates are an Oriel Admissions calculation from the UC Office of the President fall 2026 application table (as of January 21, 2026) and admissions fact sheet (offers as of June 17, 2026). UC defines High School GPA as the A-G GPA from 10th and 11th grade with up to eight semesters of honors credit. Berkeley’s own July 29, 2026 release gives 13,982 first-year offers.
The headline numbers are nearly identical; the residency split is where strategy lives. UCLA drew about 13,500 more applicants, and among California residents it was the harder admit for fall 2026. Berkeley, by contrast, admitted domestic out-of-state applicants below its in-state rate, 10.0% against 12.4%, the only selective UC campus to do so (UC Merced was the other campus with a lower out-of-state rate), while UCLA admitted out-of-state applicants at 14.9% against 10.2% for residents. In our view, that makes UCLA the likelier of the two for an out-of-state family. The pattern reversed in fall 2025, when UCLA’s overall rate (9.4%) was below Berkeley’s (11.4%) by the same calculation. The full residency table for all nine campuses is in our UC out-of-state admissions guide.
How Do the Two Campuses Differ Academically?
The differences are structural. At UC Berkeley, the Computer Science BA is offered by the College of Computing, Data Science, and Society, which places admitted students directly in their major; the Letters and Science college removed computer science from its high-demand list as of fall 2023; and the College of Engineering, which offers Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, names EECS as an impacted major where a later change of major is highly unlikely. For high school students interested in business, Berkeley Haas lists the Spieker Undergraduate Business Program, the Global Management Program, and the Management, Entrepreneurship, and Technology Program, alongside a two-year business major for continuing Berkeley students. UCLA asks applicants to choose among its undergraduate units, including the College, the Samueli School of Engineering, and schools of the arts, music, nursing, public affairs, theater, film and television, education, and public health; engineering applications are reviewed by the engineering school; and the business-related major UCLA lists is Business Economics in the College. In the view of Oriel Admissions, neither campus should be entered on a plan of switching into an oversubscribed program later.
Detailed campus profiles sit in our UC Berkeley acceptance rate and UCLA acceptance rate guides, with admission strategy in how to get into UC Berkeley and how to get into UCLA.
Which Should a Family Prioritize, and Does It Matter?
For application strategy, the question is largely moot: both campuses read the same UC application, the same four personal insight questions, and the same activities list, and adding the second campus costs $80. Oriel Admissions advises nearly every candidate competitive for one to file to both and let the offers decide. Where prioritization matters is in the writing and the major selection: a student whose strongest case is a committed, evidenced program choice, such as the engineer or the future business student, plays to Berkeley’s structure, while a student with elite breadth across a strong College profile plays to UCLA’s. Residency then adjusts the expected value: on fall 2026 figures, Californians should treat UCLA as the marginally harder admit and nonresidents should treat Berkeley that way, and international families face long odds at both, with Berkeley at 5.4% the harder of the two.
On outcomes and enrollment fit, in our experience no career door opens from one and closes from the other; the choice is program structure, Northern against Southern California, and where the student’s specific department is stronger. Families weighing the Southern California pair should also see our USC vs UCLA comparison; families running the cost side of the decision at full nonresident price (UC estimates $90,100 on campus for 2027-28) should start with whether UC is worth it out of state.
Frequently Asked Questions About UC Berkeley vs UCLA
For fall 2026, Berkeley overall: 10.5% against 10.8%. Residency decides the real answer, by an Oriel Admissions calculation from UC Office of the President tables: California residents found UCLA harder (10.2% against 12.4% at Berkeley), while out-of-state applicants found Berkeley harder (10.0% against 14.9% at UCLA).
Both are strong; the difference is access. At Berkeley, the Computer Science BA is in the College of Computing, Data Science, and Society, which places admitted students directly in the major, and the College of Engineering calls EECS an impacted major. UCLA engineering applications are reviewed by the engineering school. Apply directly to the program at both.
Berkeley Haas lists programs for high school students, including the Spieker Undergraduate Business Program and the Global Management Program, while the business-related major UCLA lists is Business Economics in the College. A student set on undergraduate business should compare those structures directly.
For fall 2026, yes: 14.9% against Berkeley at 10.0%. Berkeley and UC Merced were the only UC campuses that admitted out-of-state applicants at a lower rate than California residents.
Yes. The UC application covers both campuses with one file and one set of personal insight questions; the second campus costs $80. UC says campuses review independently and do not consider where else a student applied.
The middle-range High School GPA of fall 2026 admits was 4.16 to 4.28 at Berkeley and 4.20 to 4.30 at UCLA, using the UC A-G GPA from 10th and 11th grade with honors credit.
UC does not consider SAT or ACT scores in admission, and neither campus interviews. UC does not require or read letters of recommendation at application, but Berkeley invites a small share of applicants to send up to two letters, due January 10.
By admitted major first, then by department strength in the specific field, then by geography and campus culture. For a nonresident, UC estimates the 2027-28 on-campus cost at $90,100 at either campus.
Sources: UC Admissions, Berkeley first-year admit data; UC Admissions, UCLA first-year admit data; UC Office of the President, fall 2026 admissions fact sheet; UC Berkeley, fall 2026 admissions announcement; UC Berkeley College of Computing, Data Science, and Society admissions; UC Berkeley Letters and Science high-demand majors; Berkeley Haas undergraduate admissions; UCLA Undergraduate Admission, majors; UC Berkeley application FAQs.
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.
