As of October 2026. Every number below is sourced; the list is at the end.
As of October 2026, UCLA and UC Berkeley are test-blind. They do not read an SAT or ACT score. The class of 2027 — this year's seniors, the ones filing their UC applications between October 1 and November 30, 2026 — will send none. So what sorts the pile? Mostly the GPA. UC uses its own version. At UCLA in fall 2025, students at 4.00 or above got in at 15.1%. Students at 3.70 to 3.99 got in at 1.6%.
The GPA band does the sorting
Here is the belief I hear every fall. With no test in the way, it all becomes a whole-person read. So a great essay can carry a 3.8. Then look at what UC published for fall 2025.
| Capped weighted GPA | UCLA admit rate | UC Berkeley admit rate |
|---|---|---|
| 4.00 and above | 15.1% | 17.0% |
| 3.70 to 3.99 | 1.6% | 3.1% |
| 3.30 to 3.69 | 0.5% | 0.8% |
UCLA took 12,548 students from the 4.00-and-above band. It took 449 from the 3.70 to 3.99 band. Berkeley took 12,932 and 731. So yes, real kids do get in with a GPA under 4.00. But almost every seat came from one band.
The essay is not what moved them there.
"Capped weighted" is not the GPA on the report card
This trips up good parents. The UC GPA counts approved college-prep courses from 10th and 11th grade. It adds honors points for only a set number of semesters. That is the "capped" part. A 3.9 on the report card and a 4.0 in UC's math are two different numbers. Know which one you have.
UCLA's own fall 2024 profile says it plainly. Its admitted first-years averaged a 4.6 weighted GPA. The average unweighted GPA was 4.0. The 25th percentile was 3.95. Berkeley prints ranges, not averages. For its 2026 admitted class, the middle half sat between 3.90 and 4.00 unweighted. It sat between 4.36 and 4.72 weighted.
Two scales. Same message.
Where you live moves the number too
For fall 2025, UCLA took 9.6% of the California students who applied. It took 11.2% of those from other states. Berkeley ran the other way: 13.6% of California students, 10.3% from other states. Students from other countries had the lowest rate: 6.3% at UCLA and 5.8% at Berkeley.
Those are raw rates. They do not hold GPA steady. See the full picture for UCLA and UC Berkeley. Your own high school sits in the rankings.
This could change before your 10th grader applies
UC has reopened the testing question. Its admissions board owes a report on February 12, 2027. Advice goes to the Regents by June 2027. UC says it "has not determined whether admissions requirements for fall 2028 ... will change." A 10th grader today is the class of 2029. They file in fall 2028, for fall 2029 admission.
Nobody knows which rules that class will face.
The move
This month, split the work in two. The UC band comes from 10th and 11th grade course grades. Do the capped weighted math yourself. Do not guess from the report card. Then handle the rest of the list. Private colleges, out-of-state publics, and most merit aid still read a score. Have your student sit one full SAT and one full ACT. Pick the better fit. Then prep for the whole exam for six to twelve weeks. Both mock exams are free at prepgurus.com/take-the-next-step, or call 949.229.5359.
Questions parents ask
If UCLA does not look at SAT or ACT scores, what decides it?
Mostly the capped weighted GPA. In fall 2025 UCLA admitted 15.1% of applicants in the 4.00-and-above band and 1.6% of those at 3.70 to 3.99.
Can my kid still get into UCLA with a GPA under 4.00?
Yes, but it is rare. UCLA admitted 449 applicants from the 3.70-to-3.99 band in fall 2025, against 12,548 from the 4.00-and-above band.
Does being a California resident help at UCLA?
Not in the raw fall 2025 rates. UCLA admitted 9.6% of California residents and 11.2% of out-of-state applicants, while Berkeley admitted 13.6% of Californians and 10.3% of out-of-state applicants.
Written by Nick Standlea, founder of Test Prep Gurus. Updated October 2026.
Sources
- University of California Office of the President — freshman admissions by capped weighted GPA band, fall 2025 (UCLA) — https://highschoolreach.com/colleges/university-of-california-los-angeles
- University of California Office of the President — freshman admissions by capped weighted GPA band and residency, fall 2025 (UC Berkeley) — https://highschoolreach.com/colleges/university-of-california-berkeley
- UCLA Undergraduate Admission — First-Year Profile, Fall 2024 (GPA statistics for admitted first-year students) — https://admission.ucla.edu/apply/first-year/first-year-profile/2024
- UC Berkeley Office of Undergraduate Admissions — Student Profile (middle-50% GPA ranges for the 2026 admitted first-year class) — https://admissions.berkeley.edu/apply-to-berkeley/student-profile/
- University of California — Statement from UC Academic Senate Chair Ahmet Palazoglu on the BOARS undergraduate admissions review (report due February 12, 2027; recommendations to the Regents no later than June 2027; "has not determined whether admissions requirements for fall 2028, or any future admissions cycle, will change") — https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/press-room/statement-uc-academic-senate-chair-ahmet-palazoglu-boars-undergraduate-admissions-review
- EdSource — University of California review of standardized testing in admissions — https://edsource.org/updates/university-of-california-review-of-standardized-testing-in-admissions-expected-by-end-of-academic-year
- Test Prep Gurus — free diagnostic SAT and ACT, program structure — https://www.prepgurus.com/frequently-asked-questions