UCLA's BS in Computer Science, housed in the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, sits inside the most applied-to university in the United States, drawing roughly 145,000 first-year applications for a class of under 14,000 across all majors. Computer Science is consistently one of UCLA's most sought-after majors, competing for attention with UCLA's globally famous Film, Television and Theater program and its Anderson-adjacent Business Economics track, but pulling from the same holistic, test-blind University of California admissions process every other applicant goes through. For international applicants comparing UCLA CS to Berkeley, USC, or the elite private schools, the pitch is a public-university price point (relative to private peers), a Los Angeles location with a growing tech and entertainment-tech employer base, and a UC application process that skips the SAT/ACT entirely.
This guide walks through exactly what it takes to get into UCLA's Computer Science program: acceptance rate realities, cost, requirements, English-test rules, and what graduates go on to do.
Acceptance Rate
UCLA does not publish a Computer Science-specific acceptance rate. What we know, grounded in UCLA's own published data:
- UCLA's university-wide undergraduate acceptance rate was 9.4% for Fall 2025 (13,659 admitted of 145,085 applicants), among the lowest of any US public university and roughly on par with several Ivy League schools.
- UCLA does not break out a Computer Science-specific or Samueli School-specific admit rate, so there is no more precise published figure. Given how consistently oversubscribed CS is relative to UCLA's other majors, applicants should treat the true CS-specific rate as likely at or below the 9.4% university-wide figure, not above it.
- Because UCLA admits students to the university (via the UC Application) rather than directly into a fixed departmental cohort the way some other schools do, your overall UC Application strength matters as much as, or more than, simply "choosing" Computer Science as your intended major.
Bottom line: treat 9.4% as an honest university-wide proxy, not a Computer Science-specific figure, and prepare as if CS is meaningfully more competitive than that headline number suggests.
Fees and Cost of Attendance
UCLA's undergraduate cost of attendance follows the standard UC nonresident/international schedule (2026-27 figures):
| Cost Item | Amount (USD/year) |
|---|---|
| Tuition and fees (nonresident, incl. Nonresident Supplemental Tuition) | $55,700 |
| Living expenses | $29,070 |
| Total estimated cost of attendance | $84,770 |
For the standard four-year BS in Computer Science, this puts total sticker-price cost at roughly $339,000 before any scholarships or aid. UCLA's undergraduate application fee is $95. UCLA does not offer large-scale need-based institutional aid to international undergraduates; the primary UCLA-specific award most international CS applicants can access is the merit-based Regents Scholarship, awarded automatically through the standard application with no separate form required.
Admission Requirements
UCLA Computer Science applicants go through UCLA's standard undergraduate process; there is no separate CS-only application track. Based on UCLA's published requirements:
- UC Application (not the Common Application), the single application used across all UC campuses
- Four of eight Personal Insight Questions (350 words each), replacing a single personal essay
- Official secondary school transcripts showing UC-required "A-G" coursework, with strong math and science grades particularly important for CS applicants
- TOEFL iBT (87+) or IELTS Academic (7.0+) scores for applicants who don't qualify for a waiver
- No letters of recommendation are required or accepted for most applicants, unlike most private US universities
- No SAT or ACT scores are considered; the UC system has been test-blind since 2020
UCLA does not publish a minimum GPA, but the median weighted GPA among Fall 2025 admits was 4.61 on UC's capped-weighting scale, and CS-track admits typically present strong grades specifically in calculus, physics, and any available computing coursework. The Regular Decision deadline is November 30, with decisions released late March.
How to Get Into UCLA's Computer Science Program
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Let your Personal Insight Questions carry your entire narrative. Since UCLA accepts no letters of recommendation and no single long essay, your four 350-word PIQ responses are the only place admissions readers hear your voice directly, so use at least one to speak concretely about a CS project, competition, or independent build rather than a generic "I love coding" statement.
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Show a genuine STEM track record, not just a strong GPA. UC's holistic reviewers weigh your A-G coursework specifically, so calculus, physics, and any AP/IB computer science or equivalent courses matter more for a CS applicant than a high grade in an unrelated elective.
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Demonstrate technical initiative outside the classroom. Because there's no supplemental portfolio or interview for CS the way there is for UCLA's Film, Television and Theater program, hackathons, open-source contributions, competitive programming, or independent projects are the clearest way to differentiate yourself in an already-strong applicant pool.
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Clear the English-proficiency floor comfortably, not exactly. UCLA's bare minimum (TOEFL 87 / IELTS 7.0) sits below the practical target (TOEFL 100 / IELTS 7.5) needed to avoid UCLA's mandatory English as a Second Language Placement Examination (ESLPE) after enrollment, so aim past the minimum if you don't want an unplanned English course competing with your CS course load in year one.
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Apply well ahead of the November 30 deadline. UCLA's volume of applications means technical issues (transcript delays, portal errors) are common near the deadline; submitting early reduces this risk entirely.
English Proficiency Requirement (IELTS/TOEFL)
UCLA Computer Science applicants follow UCLA's standard undergraduate English-proficiency policy:
- IELTS: minimum 7.0 overall, recommended 7.5
- TOEFL: minimum 87 overall (pre-January 2026 scale), recommended 100
- The ESLPE trap: admitted students scoring below IELTS 7.5 or TOEFL 100 must take UCLA's own English as a Second Language Placement Examination (ESLPE) upon arrival, so the "safe" target is meaningfully higher than the bare admission minimum
- Waiver: generally available to applicants who completed at least three years of secondary or postsecondary education at an English-medium institution, or who hold citizenship in a UC-recognized English-speaking country
For the full breakdown of UCLA's testing policy, see UCLA IELTS requirements and UCLA TOEFL requirements.
Career Outcomes
UCLA does not publish outcomes data broken out specifically for Computer Science, but the university's broader undergraduate recruiting picture gives a useful proxy, since CS graduates are heavily represented among UCLA's most in-demand hires:
- Top recruiters (university-wide undergraduate): Google, Amazon, Meta, Walt Disney Company, Deloitte, and Warner Bros. Discovery, with Google, Amazon, and Meta specifically drawing heavily from UCLA's CS and Samueli School talent pool
- UCLA's Westwood location, minutes from Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, and the broader Los Angeles tech and entertainment-tech corridor, gives CS graduates unusually direct access to both traditional Big Tech recruiting and the growing intersection of software engineering with the entertainment industry
- Notable alumnus: Vinton Cerf, widely credited as a "father of the internet" and co-designer of the TCP/IP protocols, conducted graduate studies at UCLA, underscoring the university's long history in computing research
UCLA does not publish a university-wide or Samueli-specific graduate employment rate or average starting salary, so applicants should treat individual employer offers and department-level outcomes surveys, where available, as the more reliable signal.
FAQ
Does UCLA publish a separate acceptance rate for Computer Science? No. UCLA only publishes a university-wide undergraduate acceptance rate (9.4% for Fall 2025). CS is widely understood to be more selective than that headline figure given how oversubscribed the major is, but UCLA does not release a department-specific number.
Do I need to submit SAT or ACT scores to apply to UCLA CS? No. The University of California system has been test-blind since 2020, and this applies to Computer Science applicants exactly as it does to every other UCLA major.
What IELTS or TOEFL score do I need for UCLA Computer Science? UCLA's published minimum is TOEFL iBT 87 or IELTS Academic 7.0. However, admitted students scoring below TOEFL 100 or IELTS 7.5 must take UCLA's mandatory ESLPE placement exam upon arrival, so applicants should target the higher scores.
How much does UCLA's Computer Science degree cost? Nonresident/international tuition and fees run $55,700/year, with total cost of attendance around $84,770/year, roughly $339,000 for the full four-year degree before any scholarships or aid.
Are letters of recommendation required for UCLA Computer Science? No. UCLA does not require or accept letters of recommendation from most applicants, unlike most private US universities. Your UC Application, transcripts, and Personal Insight Questions carry the entire file.
Is UCLA Computer Science harder to get into than UCLA overall? Almost certainly, though UCLA does not publish an exact figure. Applicants should treat the university-wide 9.4% acceptance rate as a floor on selectivity, not an accurate estimate of how competitive the CS applicant pool specifically is.