US holisticUnited States · Bachelor’sResearched 0d ago

Computer Science

University of California, San Diego

PortPath researches criteria from public sources and can be incomplete or out of date. Always verify against the program’s official announcement before relying on it. PortPath never predicts admission chances.

Overview

UC San Diego admits first-year Computer Science applicants through the university's holistic first-year review, while Computer Science itself is a selective major with limited space. The CSE department states it does not separately review undergraduate applications, so emphasis comes from campus-wide holistic review plus the fact that Computer Science is selective and impacted.

Admission criteria

PortfolioLow

Not used for UC San Diego Computer Science first-year admission. UC San Diego lists portfolio review as optional only for certain arts majors, not for Computer Science.

Bar to clear: Not used by this program

Statement of PurposeMedium

UC San Diego thoroughly reviews the personal insight questions as part of holistic first-year admission. For Computer Science, this is not a separate departmental statement, but the essays help show motivation, initiative, creativity, leadership, maturity, and contribution to campus.

Bar to clear: Strong UC personal insight responses showing motivation, initiative, and contribution

Academics & GPAHigh

This is the most emphasized dimension. UC San Diego explicitly considers 10th-11th grade A-G GPA, course rigor, grades beyond minimum requirements, honors/AP/IB/college courses, and senior schedule. Computer Science is a selective major, so competitive applicants typically need academics above the UC minimums.

Bar to clear: 3.0+ CA / 3.4+ non-CA minimum; fall 2025 middle-50% admitted GPA 4.12-4.29

Test scoresLow

SAT and ACT are not considered for admission or scholarships, so standardized entrance tests are effectively not used for most applicants. However, English proficiency testing is required for applicants whose native language is not English and whose schooling was not in English.

Bar to clear: SAT/ACT not used; if English-proficiency required: IELTS 7.0 or TOEFL 83+ (pre-Jan 2026) or DET 115+

Application components

Statement of purposeTranscript / GPAEnglish test report if required

How to stand out

→Prioritize the strongest possible A-G record, especially advanced math, science, and other rigorous courses relevant to Computer Science.

→Use the UC personal insight questions to show sustained technical curiosity, initiative, problem-solving, and impact rather than generic interest in coding.

→If you are an international applicant who needs English proof, clear the requirement comfortably rather than aiming only at the minimum.

→Apply directly to Computer Science if that is your goal, because UC San Diego CSE majors are selective and switching in later is limited.

Source confidence

89%Well sourced

Sources

UC San Diego First-Year Student Application Review

admissions.ucsd.edu/first-year/application-review.html

Official holistic review page; says every application including personal insight questions is thoroughly reviewed, GPA and course rigor are considered, SAT/ACT are not considered, and English proficiency is required in some cases.

UC San Diego First-Year Student Application Requirements

admissions.ucsd.edu/first-year/application-requirements.html

Official requirements page; gives A-G and GPA minimums, states competitive applicants exceed minimums, says SAT/ACT are not considered, and notes portfolio review is optional only for certain arts majors.

UC San Diego International Students