The University of California Schools: The Complete Guide + Which Should You Choose?

As the University of California (UC) deadline draws near, perhaps you’re wondering whether you should apply. If so, to which campuses? Each school has something very different to offer its students , and you probably want to know which is the best fit for you. In this guide, we’ll cover the basics of UC admissions and then share our thoughts on what makes each campus unique. By the end of this article, we hope you will be confident that your school list includes the right UC schools for you. If you’re working on your essays, make sure to check out How to Write the University of California Essays. The University of California includes ten schools. All of them except UC San Francisco have undergraduate programs. They are: The UC schools make up the most selective tier of California public postsecondary schools. There are also 23 California State Universities, known as CSUs or Cal State schools. Additionally, California has 114 community colleges throughout the state. California has devoted immense resources to all of these, meaning that students all across these 147 campuses have some amazing programs. In this post, we are only going to focus on these ten schools. You can learn more about the Cal State System in another post. Before we dive in, it is also worth noting that California holds a number of private universities as well, including Stanford, Pepperdine, and the Claremont Colleges. Private universities require separate applications and are not in the UC System, even though they are in California. The main advantage of going to a UC school is that you can study nearly any major offered to undergraduates at a fraction of the cost of most private universities. Each UC undergraduate program is fully equipped with coursework in natural sciences, social sciences, and the humanities. They also have the research libraries and extracurricular program that go along with a traditional liberal arts education. The application filing period is November 1-30. All applications must be submitted by November 30 . All UC schools use the same application. To add a school, all you have to do is check an additional box on the application. The application fee is $70 for each UC school to which you apply. Here is a full list of the UC application requirements: Estimating your chance of getting into a college is not easy in today’s competitive environment. Thankfully, with our state-of-the-art software and data, we can analyze your academic and extracurricular profile and estimate your chances. Our profile analysis tool can also help you identify the improvement you need to make to enter your dream school. All domestic applicants are encouraged to fill out the FAFSA or the California Dream Act Application . The FAFSA is for all residents of the U.S. who would be eligible to federal or state aid. Undocumented students should file the California Dream Act Application for state and school financial aid instead. Students who fill out these forms automatically will be considered for all public financial aid programs , including federal aid, Cal Grants, the Middle Class Scholarship Program , and the Blue and Gold Opportunity Program . You will receive a letter or email if it is determined that you can receive one of these types of aid. There are also private scholarships available from third parties. Check out our related posts on How to Secure Funding for College to find third party scholarships designed for you. In the rest of this article, we explore how the UC campuses compare with one another. UC Berkeley, also known as Cal, is the flagship UC school. Berkeley became famous in the sixties due to a surge of political activism. Students still participate in regular protests, usually left-leaning politically. Lovingly termed the Harvard of the West, this is an academic powerhouse. Cal is especially strong in the natural sciences. Due to high demand, it can be difficult to get into the lectures that satisfy pre-med requirements. GPA cutoffs also make it difficult to declare impacted majors. Even though this school increasingly places an emphasis on hard sciences, non-science majors continue to be generously funded. Among humanities majors, Classics and Music are two very strong programs. We recommend this school if you have an outstanding academic profile, a love of learning, and the thick skin required for navigating a larger university. If Berkeley is the reigning champion of the UC System, UCLA is its most viable challenger. This beautiful campus opens up spectacular internship opportunities to which few have access, particularly in the medical and film industries. This is also a major research university, with many opportunities to conduct research in the humanities as well as natural sciences. Students who are interested in pursuing research should check out their desired department to see what projects professors are leading currently. UCLA operates a vast number of teaching hospitals and research hospitals, including several on campus . This is a great pick for someone who knows they want to go into health care but still wants to explore different types of medicine before committing. We recommend this school if you have a strong academic profile, a desire to take advantage of living in LA, and the independence to thrive in a large university setting. Farther south we have UC San Diego (UCSD), which brings the best of work and play together in the scenic beachside city of San Diego . We cannot understate the value of this school’s location . It’s right beside the Pacific Ocean, and because it’s farther south than the South Bay or San Francisco, the water is warm enough When you sign up for our program, we carefully pair you with the perfect admissions specialist based on your current academic and extracurricular profile and the schools in which you’re interested. Your personal application specialist will help you with branding, essays, and interviews, and provide you with support and guidance in all other aspects of the application process.