UCLA publishes real GPA minimums, which makes it unusual. For graduate admission, UCLA’s Graduate Division requires an overall undergraduate average of B (3.0 on a 4.0 scale). For first-year undergraduate admission, the University of California requires 3.0 for California residents and 3.4 for nonresidents.
Those are the floors. They are not what it takes to get in. UCLA’s Computer Science department states that its average admitted applicant has a 3.60, and that the most competitive applicants are at 3.5 or above. Applicants who report UCLA outcomes to The GradCafe show an average undergraduate GPA of 3.78.
The distance between the published minimum and the real admitted range is the whole story here. This guide covers both, by department, with each figure traced to its source.
Does UCLA have a minimum GPA?
Yes, and this is where UCLA differs from most private universities, which publish nothing.
For graduate admission, UCLA’s Graduate Division requires an overall scholastic average of B (3.0 on a 4.0 scale), or a 3.0 average in graduate-level study in a related field. Every applicant to every program must clear this.
For first-year undergraduate admission, the UC system sets 3.0 for California residents and 3.4 for nonresidents, calculated only from A-G college-preparatory courses taken between the summer after 9th grade and the summer after 11th grade. That GPA is weighted for honors courses, and UC does not round, a 2.99 is a 2.99.
Here is the part that matters more than either number: meeting a minimum makes you eligible, not competitive. UCLA’s Graduate Division says plainly that programs may set requirements beyond the stated minimums and that many qualified applicants compete for limited places. The sections below show what that looks like in practice.
If you are a high school student, the UC requirements above are your answer and UC’s own GPA requirement page explains the calculation in full. The rest of this guide is about graduate admission, master’s and PhD, where the departmental variation is large and almost nobody has collected it in one place.
UCLA graduate GPA requirements by department
The 3.0 is a university floor. Departments build on top of it, and some of what they add is substantial.
| Department | GPA requirement | Beyond the minimum |
| Computer Science | 3.0 cumulative to be reviewed | Most competitive applicants at 3.5+; average admitted GPA 3.60 |
| Electrical & Computer Engineering | 3.0 cumulative to be reviewed | Most competitive applicants at 3.5+ |
| Mathematics | B (3.0) in junior/senior years | PhD applicants need 3.5 in upper-division math; admits typically 3.6–4.0 |
| Public Policy (Luskin) | 3.0 cumulative undergraduate | Admission described as selective; no published average |
| Information Studies (PhD) | 3.0 in the last 60 semester units | Provisional admission possible below 3.0 in exceptional cases |
Three things worth pulling out of this table.
The GPA that counts is not always your overall GPA. Computer Science and ECE read your cumulative figure. Mathematics reads your junior and senior years. Information Studies reads your last 60 semester units (90 quarter units). If your record improved over time, the department you apply to determines whether that improvement helps you before anyone reads your statement. Work out all three versions of your GPA before you build a shortlist.
Some departments publish what admitted applicants actually have. Computer Science naming a 3.60 average admitted GPA is rare and useful. It tells you that a 3.0 clears the filter and a 3.6 is the middle of the admitted pool a gap of six tenths between eligible and typical.
Below 3.0 is not always the end. Information Studies says it may recommend provisional admission in exceptional cases. That route is narrow and it is not advertised widely, but it exists, and it is worth asking a department about directly rather than assuming.
What GPA do admitted UCLA applicants actually report?
Published minimums tell you who is eligible. Reported outcomes tell you who got in.
Across 14,132 UCLA results submitted to The GradCafe, the average reported undergraduate GPA is 3.78. Of those entries, 5,411 recorded an acceptance.
You can read the most recent decisions, with GPAs attached, on the UCLA admissions results page.
An important caveat. These figures come from applicants who chose to report. They are not an official UCLA acceptance rate and they are not a representative sample — people who report tend to be engaged enough in the process to find a results database, which skews the pool toward more organised applicants. Read 3.78 as “the GPA of a typical person who reports to The GradCafe,” not as a requirement.
What makes it useful is the comparison. UCLA CS publishes a 3.60 average admitted GPA from its own records. Self-reported UCLA applicants average 3.78. Two independent numbers, both well clear of the 3.0 floor, pointing the same direction.
The programs with the most UCLA reports:
- Computer Science — 992 results (see the reports)
- Economics — 814 results (see the reports)
- Physics — 404 results (see the reports)
- Sociology — 403 results
- English — 380 results
For your own program, individual reports beat any average. One entry showing a 3.4 admitted to UCLA Sociology tells you more about your odds than a university-wide mean.
Does UCLA require the GRE?
There is no UCLA-wide test policy, and the variation here is wider than the GPA variation. Getting it wrong costs a cycle.
| Department | GRE policy |
| Computer Science | Optional for 2025-26; scores reviewed holistically with no extra weight. The CS subject test is not reviewed at all |
| Electrical & Computer Engineering | Optional for 2027-28; being reviewed again for the Fall 2028 cohort |
| Mathematics | General test not required. GRE Mathematics Subject Test required |
| Public Policy (Luskin) | Required for international applicants; recommended but not required for domestic applicants, and strongly recommended for anyone without a quantitative background |
| Information Studies (PhD) | Required, within the last five years. No minimum score |
Mathematics is the one that catches people. It does not want the General test and does require the Subject test, the opposite configuration to most departments, and the Subject test is offered on only a few dates a year. Miss those and you wait twelve months.
Luskin’s split policy is the other trap: domestic applicants can skip the GRE, international applicants cannot. If you are applying from outside the US, do not rely on a summary that says “GRE optional at UCLA.”
Note also that several of these policies carry an explicit expiry. ECE’s optional policy is stated for 2027-28 and under review for Fall 2028. Check your own program’s page in the cycle you are applying to including against this guide.
Can you get into UCLA grad school with a 3.0 GPA?
A 3.0 makes your application eligible for review at every UCLA graduate program. Whether it makes you competitive depends heavily on the department, and at the quantitative programs the honest answer is that 3.0 is well below the middle of the admitted pool.
Nothing below is a workaround. These are what committees weigh alongside the transcript:
- Which GPA is being read. As above, Mathematics reads junior/senior years and Information Studies reads your last 60 units. A 2.9 overall can be a 3.4 in the window that counts. Calculate it and state it.
- Your GPA in the relevant subject. UCLA Mathematics requires 3.5 in upper-division math for PhD applicants regardless of overall GPA, evidence that subject performance is read separately. A strong major GPA is worth making visible.
- An upward trend. A 2.8 across your first two years and a 3.6 across your last two reads very differently from a flat 3.2. Draw attention to it rather than hoping it is noticed.
- Research or professional evidence. For PhD applications, a publication, conference paper or sustained research assistantship carries real weight. UCLA Math states explicitly that no score at any level guarantees admission and that the committee weighs course breadth, letters and statement together.
- A recent graded record. Relevant graduate-level coursework taken as a non-degree student gives a committee current evidence that an old transcript cannot.
- Provisional admission, where it exists. Information Studies names it. Ask the department rather than assuming.
What none of this does is guarantee an outcome. The reliable way to calibrate is to read what people with profiles like yours actually reported.
International applicants: GPA conversion and English requirements
If your degree is from outside the US, your GPA is not compared to a 4.0 scale directly. UCLA assesses foreign credentials against the standards of the awarding country’s system, so start early and expect to supply full transcripts and degree certificates.
English proficiency is separate from GPA and has its own thresholds, which vary by department. UCLA Computer Science, for example, requires a TOEFL of at least 87 (computer-based) or an IELTS of at least 7.0, taken within two years of applying, and does not accept Duolingo. Students admitted after taking TOEFL or IELTS generally must also sit UCLA’s English as a Second Language Placement Exam unless their scores exempt them, TOEFL iBT 100+ or IELTS 7.5+ are exempting scores.
Do not assume one department’s thresholds apply to another, and check whether your test is accepted at all before you book it.
Where UCLA sits against comparable schools
Reported undergraduate GPA averages across schools applicants commonly consider alongside UCLA:
| School | Reported admit share | Results reported | Avg reported UGPA |
| UCLA | 38.3% | 14,132 | 3.78 |
| NYU | 39.0% | 14,467 | 3.75 |
| USC | 46.0% | 11,197 | 3.77 |
| Stanford | 23.5% | 21,539 | 3.84 |
UCLA, NYU and USC confirmed live on 2026-10-27.
The spread is narrow 3.75 to 3.84 across four very different schools which is itself worth noticing. Reported GPA varies far less between schools than selectivity does. A 3.78 does not distinguish you at UCLA any more than it would at USC; what distinguishes applicants is everything else in the file.
Same caveat throughout: these are shares of self-reported outcomes, not official acceptance rates.
FAQ
What is the minimum GPA for UCLA graduate school?
UCLA’s Graduate Division requires an overall undergraduate average of B (3.0 on a 4.0 scale), or a 3.0 average in graduate-level study in a related field. Individual departments may require more, and some calculate the GPA differently Mathematics uses junior and senior years, and Information Studies uses your last 60 semester units.
What GPA do you need for UCLA Computer Science?
A 3.0 cumulative GPA is required for your application to be reviewed. The department states that its most competitive applicants have at least a 3.5, and that the average GPA of admitted applicants is 3.60.
Does UCLA require the GRE?
It depends on the department. Computer Science and Electrical & Computer Engineering treat it as optional. Mathematics does not want the General test but requires the Mathematics Subject Test. Public Policy requires it for international applicants only. Information Studies requires it. Several of these policies have stated expiry dates, so check your program’s page for the cycle you are applying to.
Can I get into UCLA grad school with a 3.0 GPA?
A 3.0 meets UCLA’s minimum, so your application will be reviewed everywhere. At quantitative departments it sits well below the admitted middle UCLA CS reports a 3.60 average among admits. An upward grade trend, a strong major GPA, research experience and recent graduate coursework all carry weight. Information Studies also allows provisional admission below 3.0 in exceptional cases.
What GPA do admitted UCLA applicants actually report?
Across 14,132 UCLA results reported to The GradCafe, the average reported undergraduate GPA is 3.78, with 5,411 entries recording an acceptance. These are self-reported and self-selected figures, not official UCLA statistics.
What GPA do you need to get into UCLA as an undergraduate?
The University of California requires a minimum 3.0 for California residents and 3.4 for nonresidents, calculated from A-G college-preparatory courses taken between the summer after 9th grade and the summer after 11th grade, weighted for honors courses. UCLA is far more selective than those minimums suggest.
Before you apply
UCLA tells you the floor. It does not tell you the middle except in Computer Science, which does, and the gap there is six tenths of a grade point.
Search the UCLA admissions results for your program and read the GPAs people reported alongside their outcomes. If you have already heard back from UCLA this cycle, submit your result it takes two minutes, and it is why this data exists for the next applicant.
