Odds of UCSD Colleges

UCSD is sounding really appealing to me, but I understand the different colleges have different selectivity. Do some UCSD colleges have higher acceptance rates than others?

The University of California, San Diego (UCSD) has a unique structure where it is divided into seven undergraduate colleges: Revelle College, John Muir College, Thurgood Marshall College, Earl Warren College, Eleanor Roosevelt College, Sixth College, and Seventh College.

These colleges are not different in terms of selectivity or acceptance rates. All students applying to UCSD are reviewed in one pool by the Office of Admissions. The college you are admitted to mainly determines your general education requirements, not your major or the selectivity of admissions.

When you apply, you're asked to rank the colleges in order of preference. If you're admitted to UCSD, the college assignment is done based on that ranking, as well as available space. However, a common misconception is that your college ranking will affect your chances of getting into UCSD, which is not the case.

It's still important to carefully consider and research each college’s general education requirements and philosophy to rank them accordingly; different colleges might be a better fit for different students. Remember that your college doesn't limit which majors you can choose from.

As of the time of this response, UCSD doesn't provide specific information on whether some colleges fill up faster than others or how many students are assigned to each college every year. The goal is to evenly distribute students among the colleges, with room for some variation based on each year's applicants and their college preferences.

So, rest assured, getting into a specific UCSD college doesn't depend on the specific acceptance rates of the colleges, but rather on your overall admission to the university.