UC Computer Science Admission: Berkeley, UCLA, UCSD

UC Computer Science Admission: Berkeley, UCLA, UCSD

At Berkeley, UCLA and UC San Diego, you are admitted to computer science directly, and your first-choice major is part of the decision. Berkeley and UCLA review that one major only. UCLA admitted 7.3% of 6,806 Computer Science applicants for fall 2025. San Diego lists every Computer Science and Engineering major as selective.

Much of what ranks for this question still talks about "L&S CS" at Berkeley. Our view: that label is out of date, and the plan built on it is too. Berkeley's Computer Science major now sits in the College of Computing, Data Science, and Society (CDSS), and UC's counselor guide lists CDSS among the colleges where "first-choice major is a factor in admission." The old advice, "get into Letters and Science and declare CS later", does not describe the route Berkeley publishes today.

Every page quoted below was checked on October 30, 2026, for the fall 2027 application (filing closes November 30, 2026). Campus policy comes from UC's Quick Reference Guide to UC Admissions, dated August 2026. For every major, not just CS, see UC selective majors and alternate majors by campus.

Seven campuses, seven CS doors

Sources: UC's guide (campus policy pages, checked October 30, 2026); Berkeley's majors page; UCLA's Choosing a Major ("These schools do not require supplemental applications", which includes Samueli); UCSD's majors page.

UCSD's majors page puts an asterisk, "Selective major", on Artificial Intelligence B.S., Computer Engineering, Computer Science B.S. and Computer Science with Specialization in Bioinformatics.

Berkeley: EECS or Computer Science in CDSS

Berkeley's majors page lists Computer Science, Data Science and Statistics in CDSS, "UC Berkeley's newest college." Electrical Engineering & Computer Sciences (EECS) is in the College of Engineering. Both colleges are on UC's list where your first-choice major is a factor, and Berkeley's application FAQ says it "will not review students for an alternate major."

So you choose one door:

• EECS (Engineering) if you want electrical engineering and computing together, inside the engineering college.
• Computer Science (CDSS) if you want computing next to data science and statistics. Berkeley's FAQ says "It is easier to transfer majors in the same college", and Data Science and Statistics share CDSS.
• EECS & Business Administration (M.E.T.) if you want two degrees, engineering and business. This is the only Berkeley CS route with its own essay.

Berkeley publishes no admit rate by major on the pages we checked, so which door is harder is unknown. Pick the one whose courses you want. Do not pick by rumoured odds.

What happens after you enrol, such as the rules for declaring the CS major, is set by CDSS advising, not by the admissions pages quoted here. Read CDSS's own pages before you rely on a GPA figure from a forum.

M.E.T.: the CS route with an essay

The M.E.T. supplemental application is a 350-word essay and a video. "All supplemental materials must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. PT on December 14, 2026" (a Monday). M.E.T.'s first-year page calls it "a 4-minute video". The prompt is quoted in full in the Berkeley Haas undergraduate application guide.

The fallback is the important part. Berkeley's FAQ: "Applicants who are not admitted to the M.E.T. Program will be considered for admission to UC Berkeley Engineering's major that corresponds to the major applied to." It adds: "admission to these majors is not guaranteed," and "Students may not select M.E.T. as an alternate major." So an EECS + Business applicant who misses M.E.T. is still reviewed for EECS.

UCLA: published CS numbers

Of the campus pages we checked, only UCLA's publish CS admit rates by major. From UCLA's fall 2025 profile by major, checked October 30, 2026:

The GPA table does not name its scale. Values above 4.0 mean it includes honors points; UCLA's main profile describes a fully weighted GPA with a maximum of 5.00. The Samueli total is from UCLA's fall 2025 profile by school.

Three rules sit behind the numbers:

• "UCLA reviews first-year applicants for one major only."
• Undeclared is not a soft entry: UC's guide says "selecting Undeclared-Engineering does impact admission due to space limitations."
• Changes "INTO these schools" (Engineering among them) are "allowed until January 1" after you apply. The page states no year.

Computer Science, Computer Science and Engineering, and Computer Engineering had rates within 2.6 points of each other in fall 2025 (our arithmetic: 7.3 minus 4.7). That is one year of data. It does not tell you which is easier next year.

UCSD, UCI, Davis, UCSB, UCSC

San Diego

"Applicants are reviewed for admission to their first-choice major." In the Jacobs School, UC's guide names Bioengineering, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering as "in high demand and limited in capacity." UCSD's FAQ asks you to make the alternate "not be selective." Mathematics and Cognitive Science are on UC's "high-interest" list, which UC says changes "each year", so check before you use either as a CS alternate.

Irvine

UC's guide: "Major choice is a factor in admission for all majors," and every major in the Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Science is on Irvine's most-selective list. An alternate is "case-by-case" and only "if space is available."

Davis

Most College of Engineering majors are on Davis's most-selective list. Davis asks for an alternate "not in the same area as the primary major," so a second engineering major is the wrong backup.

Santa Barbara

"The Robert Mehrabian College of Engineering is generally the most selective," you are admitted to a specific major, and there are no alternates inside it. The College of Creative Studies (CCS) has its own Computer Science major with a separate application. Its apply page asks for a letter of intent to the CCS Computer Science faculty and says "Letters of recommendation are required for applications to CCS Computer Science", from "at least two persons". The "Priority deadline for CCS Applicants applying to UCSB for Fall 2027 is January 5, 2027." Because "CoE requires Engineering as your first-choice major", CCS can be your second choice. The UCSB College of Creative Studies application guide covers the letter.

Santa Cruz

UC's guide says first-year applicants "receive the same application review regardless of major", yet "the Computer Science majors (B.A. and B.S.) are selective. Students interested in Computer Science must apply to the major." Santa Cruz also encourages CS applicants to list an alternate.

What the PIQs have to do for a CS applicant

The UC application sends the same four personal insight answers to every campus. Outside the M.E.T. essay and the CCS letter, no campus in this guide asks you to explain why you want computer science. So the answers you choose carry your CS case.

Applying to CS outside the UC system too? The why computer science essay covers the Common App supplements and the capacity rules at UW, UIUC and UMD.

• Question 6 (academic subject) is the natural home for the subject itself: what question in computing holds you, and what you did about it.
• Question 2 (creative side) or Question 3 (talent or skill) can carry a project, if the response is about how you think, not a list of languages.
• Question 4 (educational opportunity or barrier) fits if your school had no CS course and you found another way.

UC's PIQ page says "All questions are equal," so no question is a "CS question." Constructed CS answers, with line-by-line notes, are in UC PIQ examples for CS and engineering majors. Whether all four should be about CS is covered in do UC PIQs need to be about your major.

A CS applicant's checklist

1. At Berkeley, choose EECS, Computer Science (CDSS) or M.E.T. as your first choice. There is no second look.
2. At UCLA, choose one Samueli major. Avoid Undeclared-Engineering unless you truly have no preference; UC says it "does impact admission."
3. At San Diego, Irvine and Santa Cruz, list an alternate you would study, outside CS and engineering, and not on that campus's selective list.
4. At Davis, keep the alternate out of the College of Engineering's area.
5. At Santa Barbara, decide whether to add CCS Computer Science, and line up two recommenders before January 5, 2027.
6. If you list M.E.T., put December 14, 2026, 11:59 p.m. PT in your calendar now.
7. Make sure at least one of your four PIQs shows what you have done with computing, in plain words.

Questions about UC computer science admission

Is Berkeley CS still in Letters and Science?

No. Berkeley's majors page lists Computer Science in the College of Computing, Data Science, and Society, and UC's guide lists that college among those where your first-choice major is a factor.

Berkeley EECS vs CS: which should I apply to?

The one whose courses you want. Berkeley reviews only your first choice and publishes no admit rate by major on the pages we checked. EECS sits in Engineering; Computer Science sits in CDSS with Data Science and Statistics.

UCLA CS vs Computer Science and Engineering: which is easier?

In fall 2025, Computer Science admitted 7.3% and Computer Science and Engineering 7.2%. That gap is too small and too recent to plan around. UCLA reviews one major, so choose the one you want.

Does UCSD consider an alternate major for CS applicants?

Yes, if there is space. UC's guide: "If not offered admission to the first-choice major, applicants may be considered for an alternate major or Undeclared, if there is space."

Is computer science impacted at UC Santa Cruz?

UC's guide calls the CS majors "selective" and says they "may be more selective than other majors." It does not use the word "impacted." For UCSD's college choice, see which UCSD college to rank first for engineering.

Get a free review of your UC PIQ

Get a free Quick Review of your UC PIQ against GradPilot's UC PIQ academic passion rubric for Question 6. It reads whether you name the subject and the question that holds you, show how you followed it, and say what you came to understand. If your CS evidence is a project, use the UC PIQ creative side and talent rubric for Questions 2 and 3, or start from the UC PIQ review page.

Also useful: does your major matter for UC admissions for the non-CS view, and the college essay hub for every UC and Common App guide.

Sources

Retrieved October 30, 2026, except where noted.

• University of California, Quick Reference Guide to UC Admissions (August 2026): campus answers on major as a factor, Undeclared, alternates, supplemental materials and most selective programs; fall 2027 filing period.
• UC Berkeley, Academic Programs and Majors (no year stated): CDSS and Engineering majors; M.E.T. tracks.
• UC Berkeley, Application FAQs (no year stated): no alternate review; M.E.T. fallback; changing majors.
• Berkeley M.E.T., Supplemental Application and First-Year Admissions (fall 2027 cycle): 350 words, video, December 14, 2026 deadline.
• UCLA, First-Year Profile by Major, Fall 2025 and First-Year Profile, Fall 2025: Samueli applicants, admit rates and GPA ranges.
• UCLA, Choosing a Major as a First-Year (no year stated): one major; Samueli needs no supplemental application; change deadlines.
• UC San Diego, Majors and FAQ (no year stated): selective markers; non-selective alternate advice.
• UC Santa Barbara College of Creative Studies, Apply (fall 2027): CCS Computer Science letter of intent, two letters of recommendation, January 5, 2027 priority deadline.
• University of California, Personal insight questions: "All questions are equal."