UC admitted GPAs by high school tell a surprisingly consistent story. For fall 2025, the average student admitted to UCLA from a California public high school had a 4.24 UC GPA; at Berkeley, 4.22. And from one high school to the next, that number hardly moves: among schools with at least 10 UCLA admits, the school-level average admitted GPA sat between 4.18 and 4.30 for the middle 80% of schools. A 4.2 isn't a standout at UCLA or Berkeley -- it's roughly what admitted students look like everywhere.
What "UC GPA" means here
The University of California Information Center reports a weighted, capped GPA from 10th and 11th grade A-G courses: extra points for up to eight semesters of honors-level courses, no more than four of them in 10th grade. It's UC's own calculation, not the weighted GPA on your transcript, which is often higher. All figures below are fall 2025 freshman applicants from California high schools, from UC's "Admissions by source school" dashboard (updated March 12, 2026). Campus averages are our applicant-weighted calculation from the school-level figures.
Average GPA of applicants and admits, by campus
| Campus | Applicant avg (public HS) | Admit avg (public HS) | Admit avg (private HS) |
|---|---|---|---|
| UCLA | 3.92 | 4.24 | 4.24 |
| Berkeley | 3.95 | 4.22 | 4.21 |
| UC Santa Barbara | 3.89 | 4.21 | 4.24 |
| UC San Diego | 3.89 | 4.20 | 4.23 |
| UC Irvine | 3.87 | 4.18 | 4.18 |
| UC Davis | 3.88 | 4.15 | 4.16 |
| UC Santa Cruz | 3.81 | 4.02 | 4.05 |
| UC Riverside | 3.80 | 3.89 | 3.92 |
| UC Merced | 3.79 | 3.82 | 3.85 |
The gap between applicants and admits is the story of selectivity: about 0.3 points at UCLA, Berkeley, UCSB, UCSD, and Irvine, and under 0.1 at Merced and Riverside, which admit most applicants.
How much admitted GPA varies by high school
| Campus | High schools with 10+ admits | Lowest school avg | 10th percentile | Median | 90th percentile | Highest school avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UCLA | 261 | 3.99 | 4.18 | 4.25 | 4.30 | 4.34 |
| Berkeley | 297 | 4.04 | 4.16 | 4.23 | 4.27 | 4.32 |
| UC San Diego | 752 | 3.85 | 4.09 | 4.22 | 4.28 | 4.35 |
At UCLA and Berkeley, the middle 80% of high schools fall within about a tenth of a point of each other. The spread is wider at UC San Diego, which admits from far more schools.
The same GPA, very different odds
Because admitted GPAs cluster so tightly, a school's admit rate depends mostly on how many strong applicants it sends. At big feeder schools like Dougherty Valley, Lowell, and Lynbrook, UCLA admitted 7% to 8% of applicants -- and those admits averaged 4.18 to 4.28. At UCLA's highest-rate schools, admits averaged 4.14 to 4.30. The GPA bar looks similar; the number of classmates clearing it doesn't. See UCLA and Berkeley by high school.
What this means for you
- Calculate your UC GPA, not your school's weighted GPA -- only 10th and 11th grade A-G courses count, with capped honors points.
- At the most selective campuses, a 4.2 makes you typical, not distinctive. The rest of the application -- especially the Personal Insight Questions -- carries real weight; see how UC admissions actually works.
- Check your rank in your own school. UC's Eligibility in the Local Context program guarantees a UC spot to roughly the top 9% at each high school -- see California's guaranteed admission paths.
- Compare campuses in UC acceptance rate by high school.