College profile
University of California-Irvine
CA · Public · Large city · 121,101 applicants 2023
A parent's read
- The major moves the money more than the admit letter. Computer Engineering grads from here earn about $132,357 four years out; fine and studio arts grads about $39,010 — a 3.4× spread on the same diploma. Have the major conversation before you deposit, not after.
- The payoff holds even at full price: roughly 5× over a decade. With no aid at all — the full in-state ~$38,632/yr — a decade of median earnings (~$80,735/yr) still runs about 5× the four-year cost. This payoff doesn't depend on qualifying for anything. (Out-of-state costs more.)
- Built for the AI economy. About 1 in 14 degrees here is already in AI, computer science, or data fields; its AI research output ranks #34 among US universities. This campus is leaning into the shift, not waiting for it.
- Almost everyone who starts here finishes. 87% graduate within six years — the standard federal measure. Nationally about a third of students who start a bachelor's never finish one, and an unfinished degree is the most expensive outcome in this decision: the debt stays, the credential doesn't.
Composed from this page's data — every claim is backed by a number in the sections below.
Parent/student verdict
SelectiveSelective but achievable for strong students. Affordable — net price averages ~$14,251/yr among aid recipients.
Best for
- Strong overall academic profile (avg admit unweighted GPA 3.95 per CDS — school is test-blind, so scores aren't part of the decision at all — the transcript carries the weight)
- Research-oriented students (R1 — top tier of federal research funding)
- Students who thrive in a large, programmatic environment
The reality
- You'd be near the bottom of their admitted class if: unweighted GPA below 3.84 (where the school's own admitted students landed)
- Out-of-state tuition is 3.2× the in-state rate
Verdict is composed from this college's structured data (admit rate, SAT bands, net price with aid and at full price, Carnegie classification, scholarship grids) using transparent rule thresholds — not a chat-bot's opinion.
What are your child's odds here?
Enter their numbers once — this and every college page shows their verdict, and the UC campus cards on California school pages light up with it too. Free, no email.
Weighted is the higher GPA, with honors/AP credit in it — pick whichever your school reports. PSAT scores work in the SAT box.
Institutional snapshot
What kind of college is this?
Source: admit rate is UC's Fall 2026 preliminary release (see banner above); federal IPEDS Admissions 2023 for scores; federal College Scorecard (20260606 vintage) for earnings + outcomes. SAT/ACT bands are the 25th–75th percentile of enrolled submitters.
High-school GPA
3.95 · 3.84–4.00 middle 50%The middle half landed in this range — a quarter are below the low end and a quarter above the high end. Above the top number is a genuine strength; below the bottom isn't automatic rejection. avg unweightedGPA on the plain 4.0 scale, no honors/AP bonus. When a college publishes an "average admitted GPA of 3.9," it's often this scale — don't compare it to a weighted 4.3. GPA, admitted students
| Admitted | 3.95 unweighted · 4.19 weighted (3.84–4.00) |
unweighted 4.0 scale + weighted (school-reported). UC Irvine Office of Undergraduate Admissions — Admitted Student Profile (2025 admit cohort) ↗
As published by the college in its Common Data Set / admissions data (2024-25) (source linked above). GPA basis (weighted vs. unweighted vs. 4.0-scale) varies by college and is labeled above.
Fall 2026 — just released by UC (preliminary)
126,005 applied · 38,165 admitted · 30.3% admit rate · admitted GPA middle 50%The middle half landed in this range — a quarter are below the low end and a quarter above the high end. Above the top number is a genuine strength; below the bottom isn't automatic rejection.: 4.06–4.27 · 52.0% of admits are California residents. First-year offers as of June 2026, per UC's own release ↗ — fresher than the federal figures below. Full analysis: UC's Fall 2026 numbers →
Admit rate by discipline — Fall 2025
The headline admit rate hides a wide spread by program.
University of California-Irvine's own systemwide data, by broad discipline. Campus overall: 29%. UC admits to the campus, not the major, at most programs — but the spread below is the real selectivity of each applicant pool, and capped programs (computer science, engineering, nursing) do gate by major.
| Discipline | Applicants | Admitted | Admit rate Fall 2025 |
Admit GPA (mid-50%)The middle half landed in this range — a quarter are below the low end and a quarter above the high end. Above the top number is a genuine strength; below the bottom isn't automatic rejection. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nursing | 7,079 | 57 | 1% | 4.27–4.34 |
| Business | 17,907 | 2,893 | 16% | 4.08–4.28 |
| Engineering | 20,276 | 5,387 | 27% | 4.15–4.29 |
| Computer Science | 6,794 | 1,874 | 28% | 4.17–4.29 |
| Life Sciences | 18,556 | 5,620 | 30% | 4.12–4.29 |
| Social Sciences | 20,261 | 6,409 | 32% | 4.00–4.25 |
| Other/Interdisciplinary | 4,376 | 1,424 | 33% | 4.07–4.27 |
| Arts & Humanities | 7,179 | 2,454 | 34% | 3.93–4.23 |
| Education | 2,018 | 721 | 36% | 4.00–4.25 |
| Public Health | 3,164 | 1,159 | 37% | 4.08–4.25 |
| Pharmacy | 1,419 | 700 | 49% | 4.04–4.25 |
| Physical Sciences/Math | 6,811 | 3,739 | 55% | 4.02–4.26 |
By specific major — Fall 2025
| Major | Applicants | Admitted | Admit rate Fall 2025 |
Admit GPA (mid-50%)The middle half landed in this range — a quarter are below the low end and a quarter above the high end. Above the top number is a genuine strength; below the bottom isn't automatic rejection. | Earlier year for comparison |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Biological Sciences Life Sciences | 16,508 | 4,859 | 29% | 4.14–4.29 | Fall 2021: 35% ↓ |
| Business Administration Business | 15,478 | 2,299 | 15% | 4.08–4.28 | Fall 2021: 16% |
| Business Administration, Management And Operations Business | 15,478 | 2,299 | 15% | 4.08–4.28 | Fall 2021: 16% |
| Undeclared Undeclared | 8,383 | 3,221 | 38% | 3.93–4.20 | Fall 2021: 41% ↓ |
| Nursing Science Nursing | 7,079 | 57 | 1% | 4.27–4.34 | Fall 2021: 2% |
| Psychology Social Sciences | 6,826 | 1,428 | 21% | 4.09–4.28 | Fall 2021: 28% ↓ |
| Psychology, General Social Sciences | 6,826 | 1,428 | 21% | 4.09–4.28 | Fall 2021: 28% ↓ |
| Psychology, Other Social Sciences | 6,826 | 1,428 | 21% | 4.09–4.28 | Fall 2021: 28% ↓ |
| Computer Science Computer Science | 5,418 | 1,608 | 30% | 4.17–4.29 | Fall 2021: 7% ↑ |
| Political Science Social Sciences | 3,030 | 1,125 | 37% | 4.00–4.26 | Fall 2021: 34% ↑ |
| Public Health Sciences Public Health | 2,645 | 945 | 36% | 4.09–4.26 | Fall 2021: 34% ↑ |
| Economics Social Sciences | 2,307 | 758 | 33% | 4.00–4.23 | Fall 2021: 22% ↑ |
| Aerospace Engineering Engineering | 2,193 | 502 | 23% | 4.16–4.29 | Fall 2021: 25% ↓ |
| Sociology Social Sciences | 2,102 | 826 | 39% | 3.95–4.19 | Fall 2021: 34% ↑ |
| Chemistry Physical Sciences/Math | 1,929 | 764 | 40% | 4.10–4.29 | Fall 2021: 31% ↑ |
| Business Economics Business | 1,816 | 473 | 26% | 4.07–4.27 | Fall 2021: 29% ↓ |
| Mathematics Physical Sciences/Math | 1,752 | 1,100 | 63% | 4.00–4.24 | Fall 2021: 25% ↑ |
| Mathematics, Applied Physical Sciences/Math | 1,752 | 1,100 | 63% | 4.00–4.24 | Fall 2021: 25% ↑ |
| Mathematics, Applied (Pre) Physical Sciences/Math | 1,752 | 1,100 | 63% | 4.00–4.24 | Fall 2021: 25% ↑ |
| Mathematics, Financial Actuarial (Pre) Physical Sciences/Math | 1,752 | 1,100 | 63% | 4.00–4.24 | Fall 2021: 25% ↑ |
| Data Science Other/Interdisciplinary | 1,677 | 446 | 27% | 4.17–4.29 | Fall 2021: 27% |
| Biomedical Engineering Engineering | 1,574 | 614 | 39% | 4.16–4.29 | Fall 2021: 37% ↑ |
| Computer Engineering Engineering | 1,511 | 321 | 21% | 4.16–4.30 | Fall 2021: 32% ↓ |
| Film And Media Studies Arts & Humanities | 1,434 | 428 | 30% | 3.96–4.20 | Fall 2021: 32% ↓ |
| Environmental Science And Policy Life Sciences | 1,400 | 628 | 45% | 4.00–4.25 | Fall 2021: 25% ↑ |
| Education Sciences Education | 1,326 | 599 | 45% | 3.96–4.22 | Fall 2021: 31% ↑ |
| Art Arts & Humanities | 1,211 | 375 | 31% | 3.80–4.16 | Fall 2021: 29% ↑ |
| Physics Physical Sciences/Math | 1,145 | 607 | 53% | 4.03–4.26 | Fall 2021: 52% |
| Physics, Applied Physical Sciences/Math | 1,145 | 607 | 53% | 4.03–4.26 | Fall 2021: 52% |
| Physics, General Physical Sciences/Math | 1,145 | 607 | 53% | 4.03–4.26 | Fall 2021: 52% |
| Physics, General - Secondary Education Physical Sciences/Math | 1,145 | 607 | 53% | 4.03–4.26 | Fall 2021: 52% |
| Cognitive Sciences Other/Interdisciplinary | 1,084 | 240 | 22% | 4.15–4.29 | Fall 2021: 38% ↓ |
| Applied And Computational Mathematics Physical Sciences/Math | 1,072 | 789 | 74% | 4.04–4.26 | — |
| English Arts & Humanities | 1,023 | 401 | 39% | 4.00–4.26 | Fall 2021: 30% ↑ |
| Game Design And Interactive Media Computer Science | 1,004 | 137 | 14% | 4.17–4.28 | Fall 2021: 11% ↑ |
| Chemical Engineering Engineering | 907 | 550 | 61% | 4.13–4.29 | Fall 2021: 58% ↑ |
| History Arts & Humanities | 849 | 312 | 37% | 4.00–4.26 | Fall 2021: 33% ↑ |
| International Studies Other/Interdisciplinary | 837 | 417 | 50% | 4.00–4.25 | Fall 2021: 39% ↑ |
| Environmental Engineering Engineering | 716 | 391 | 55% | 4.09–4.28 | Fall 2021: 40% ↑ |
| Drama Arts & Humanities | 700 | 260 | 37% | 3.88–4.20 | Fall 2021: 31% ↑ |
| Biology/Education Education | 692 | 122 | 18% | 4.14–4.28 | Fall 2021: 22% ↓ |
| Business Information Management Business | 613 | 121 | 20% | 4.09–4.28 | Fall 2021: 8% ↑ |
| Anthropology Social Sciences | 594 | 322 | 54% | 4.00–4.24 | Fall 2021: 33% ↑ |
| Social Policy And Public Service Social Sciences | 587 | 325 | 55% | 4.01–4.25 | Fall 2021: 31% ↑ |
| Software Engineering Engineering | 573 | 164 | 29% | 4.14–4.29 | Fall 2021: 22% ↑ |
| Public Health Policy Public Health | 519 | 214 | 41% | 4.00–4.24 | Fall 2021: 31% ↑ |
| Applied Physics Physical Sciences/Math | 503 | 255 | 51% | 4.00–4.25 | Fall 2021: 52% |
| Philosophy Arts & Humanities | 492 | 193 | 39% | 4.00–4.25 | Fall 2021: 38% |
| Literary Journalism Other/Interdisciplinary | 478 | 173 | 36% | 4.00–4.25 | Fall 2021: 29% ↑ |
| Urban Studies Social Sciences | 445 | 263 | 59% | 3.95–4.21 | Fall 2021: 36% ↑ |
| Urban Studies, Planning, And Policy Social Sciences | 445 | 263 | 59% | 3.95–4.21 | Fall 2021: 36% ↑ |
| Earth System Science Physical Sciences/Math | 410 | 224 | 55% | 3.97–4.20 | Fall 2021: 61% ↓ |
| Informatics Computer Science | 372 | 129 | 35% | 4.14–4.28 | Fall 2021: 19% ↑ |
| Quantitative Economics Social Sciences | 364 | 122 | 34% | 4.10–4.29 | Fall 2021: 40% ↓ |
| Language Science Social Sciences | 336 | 163 | 49% | 4.00–4.25 | Fall 2021: 35% ↑ |
| Art History Arts & Humanities | 270 | 105 | 39% | 4.00–4.25 | Fall 2021: 44% ↓ |
| Dance Arts & Humanities | 270 | 112 | 41% | 3.78–4.22 | Fall 2021: 50% ↓ |
| Gender And Sexuality Studies Social Sciences | 261 | 134 | 51% | 4.00–4.21 | Fall 2021: 42% ↑ |
| East Asian Cultures Social Sciences | 205 | 95 | 46% | 4.00–4.19 | Fall 2021: 37% ↑ |
| Global Cultures Other/Interdisciplinary | 159 | 62 | 39% | 4.00–4.21 | Fall 2021: 38% |
| Social Ecology Other/Interdisciplinary | 141 | 86 | 61% | 3.96–4.20 | Fall 2021: 32% ↑ |
| Chicano/Latino Studies Social Sciences | 120 | 95 | 79% | 3.70–4.07 | Fall 2021: 18% ↑ |
| Spanish Arts & Humanities | 104 | 39 | 38% | 3.84–4.22 | Fall 2021: 27% ↑ |
Majors are shown as UC's systemwide data reports them; programs too small to clear UC's reporting floor don't appear. Admit rates by major reflect who applies as much as who gets in — at most UC programs, students are admitted to the campus, not the major.
Source: University of California Information Center ↗, first-year applicants by broad discipline (data back to Fall 2012). GPA is UC's capped weighted GPAUC's own GPA recalculation: extra points for honors/AP/IB classes, but capped at 8 semesters of bonus. That cap is why UC admitted-GPA bands cluster between 4.0 and 4.3 — a 4.28 here is a stronger number than it looks next to an uncapped 4.6 from a high school transcript.. UC's own guidance: use this as a general guide to selectivity, not a predictor of any one student's chances. Small programs are suppressed by UC.
Outcomes & cost
What graduates actually earn, finish, and owe.
Federal College Scorecard data. Earnings are median annual income measured years after entering. Debt is for federal-aid borrowers only (cash-pay students aren't counted).
The real cost
What University of California-Irvine actually costs
Which side your family lands on isn't set by any national income line — it's set by University of California-Irvine's own aid decision: the gap between its price and your family's finances.
University of California-Irvine's own published aid policy · 2026-27
Who qualifies: CA residents; UC Blue and Gold, systemwide tuition only.
Most California families that earn up to $100,000 receive enough grant and scholarship funds to cover their UC tuition.
Income thresholds assume typical assets. Policy independently verified against the college's financial-aid pages ↗.
Your odds + estimated cost across your whole college list, side by side.
The payoffTen years of typical graduate pay minus four years of cost — how many dollars ahead a typical graduate runs by year ten. Check both the full-price and with-aid versions to see which applies to you; median pay reflects who a college admits and what they study as much as the college itself., both ways
+$653K ahead at full price +$750K with aidSource: College Scorecard (average net price among Title IV first-time, full-time undergraduates who received aid) and each college's published cost of attendance. We don't show the federal net-price-by-income brackets: their categories were fixed in 2008 and never adjusted, and none of the averages is your family's own number — the full story. Payoff = (10-yr median earnings × 10) − (4 years of cost), in dollars — how far ahead a typical graduate runs by year ten; medians travel with the students a college admits and the majors they choose as much as with the college itself. Full price is the published cost of attendance, largely in-state for publics; earnings are 10 years after enrollment, all majors combined.
What students study here
Most popular majors at University of California-Irvine
Top 5 fields of study by bachelor's degrees awarded (most recent IPEDS Completions). Use this to see what University of California-Irvine actually graduates — not just what it markets.
What those majors earn here
Median earnings 4 years after entry, by major — University of California-Irvine's own graduates, not national averages.
| Major (CIP) | 4-yr earnings |
|---|---|
| Computer Engineering. | $132,357 |
| Computer Science. | $127,404 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing. | $119,502 |
| Management Information Systems and Services. | $108,038 |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering. | $106,871 |
| Materials Engineering. | $106,547 |
| Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering. | $100,537 |
| Mechanical Engineering. | $99,111 |
| Chemical Engineering. | $97,656 |
| Biomedical/Medical Engineering. | $96,874 |
Sources: IPEDS Completions (C2023_a; bachelor's-level first majors, 2-digit CIP family — share is of the top 5 only) · College Scorecard program-level outcomes (PP-FOS). Full college-vs-major comparison: /college-outcomes →
Student body & economic mobility
Who attends here — and what the campus adds.
Opportunity Insights data. It measures two things at once: how many lower-income students a college enrols, and how many of them reach the top earnings quintile later. A high rate says the college does both — it does not establish that the campus caused the earnings, because the students it admits differ from the students it doesn't. Read it as a signal about access and destination, not as proof of value added.
Full leaderboards: /college-mobility →
Alternatives to University of California-Irvine
Matched not just by selectivity, but by strategic goal — what a family actually decides on.
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Feeder high schools
Which high schools send graduates to University of California-Irvine?
Enrolled — from the schools' matriculation lists
58 high schools publish a numbered matriculation list — where their graduates actually enrolled, counted, in the school's own School Profile — and name University of California-Irvine on it. Between them they printed 197 enrolled graduates. Ranked by graduates per class year enrolling at University of California-Irvine, from each school's own published list: the number that school printed, divided by the class years its list covers. The published total and the school's own years label are shown beside every school, so a one-year list and a five-year list can sit on the same page. A list whose class years we cannot read is not divided by a guess — it is listed below with its total instead.
and 47 more
Published, but not ranked — these schools name University of California-Irvine on a list of where their graduates enrolled whose class years we cannot read ("Since 2023", or no class year printed), so their totals are shown rather than divided: The Lovett School (1, List as of 5/1/2026 (no class year printed on the list itself; page 2 header reads "College Acceptance and Matriculation" and links this file as the "Class of 2026 matriculation list")).
Admitted — from the schools' acceptance lists
11 high schools publish a numbered list of college acceptances — where their graduates were admitted, not where they enrolled — and name University of California-Irvine on it. Between them they printed 76 admissions. Ranked by admissions per class year to University of California-Irvine, from each school's own published acceptances list: the number that school printed, divided by the class years its list covers. Admits are counted at each college a student was admitted to, the same way the UC Reach Score counts a student admitted to three UC campuses three times — so this is a count of admissions, not of students. The published total and the school's own years label are shown beside every school, and a list whose class years we cannot read is listed below with its total rather than divided by a guess.
and 1 more
All 69 feeder schools, ranked →
Counted from each school's own published document, linked on that school's page. A high school that is not here does not publish a numbered list we could read — that is all absence means, and it says nothing about its graduates. Where a school publishes both, the two lists are shown separately: an acceptances list is not a list of enrollments, and the two are never added together.
Related reading
UC admissions · August 14, 2026
UC admissions · August 7, 2026
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At a glance
JSON · Using this page with an AI assistantUniversity of California-Irvine is a public four-year college in CA. It admitted 30% of applicants (121,101 applied, 2023). Test policy: Test-blind.
Average admitted GPA 3.95 (unweighted, 2024-25, as published by the college).
Cost: about $14,251 a year on average with aid, $38,632 a year at full price for in-state students.
Median earnings ten years after entry: $80,735 a year. Payoff, meaning ten years of that pay minus four years of cost: $750,346 ahead with aid, $652,822 ahead at full price.
Highest median earnings four years after the degree, by program: Computer Engineering ($132,357); Computer Science ($127,404); Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing ($119,502).
Admit rate by major, Fall 2025 (the UC admits to the campus, not the major, at most programs, so read these as a guide to selectivity): lowest Nursing Science 1% (7,079 applied); highest Chicano/Latino Studies 79% (120 applied).
Economic mobility (Opportunity Insights): 12% of students came from families in the bottom fifth of income, and 55% of those reached the top fifth as adults.
Aid pledge published by the college for 2026-27: families earning under $100,000 pay no tuition (CA residents; UC Blue and Gold, systemwide tuition only).
Nursing: freshmen are admitted directly into the nursing major; NCLEX-RN first-time pass rate 91.3% (2024/2025, California Board of Registered Nursing).
High schools that publish a numbered matriculation list and name University of California-Irvine: 58, 197 enrolled students between them — ranked by graduates per class year, most often Orange County School of the Arts (9.0 per class year, 9 over 1 class year, Class of 2026); Saint Francis Catholic High School (6.0 per class year, 6 over 1 class year, Class of 2025); Sage Hill School (5.0 per class year, 15 over 3 class years, 2023-2025). Each figure is the number that school printed divided by the class years its own list covers; the totals and years are shown. These are the schools that publish such a list, not every school that sends students; full list: https://highschoolreach.com/leaderboards/feeder-schools/university-of-california-irvine.
High schools that publish a numbered list of college acceptances naming University of California-Irvine: 11, 76 admissions between them — ranked by admissions per class year, most often Archbishop Mitty High School (42.0 per class year, 42 over 1 class year, Class of 2025); Lycée Français de San Francisco (6.3 per class year, 19 over 3 class years, Classes 2022, 2023, 2024); Staten Island Academy (3.0 per class year, 3 over 1 class year, College Acceptances 2026). Admits are counted at each college, so this counts admissions, not students. These are a different set of documents from the matriculation lists above and the two are never added together; full list: https://highschoolreach.com/leaderboards/feeder-schools/university-of-california-irvine.
Machine-readable version of this page: https://highschoolreach.com/colleges/university-of-california-irvine.json