University of California, San Diego vs University of California, Irvine: Admission, Deadlines, Fees Compared

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UC San Diego and UC Irvine are both University of California campuses on the same shared application, and both publish an admission rate, 27.20 percent at San Diego against 30.30 percent at Irvine, so San Diego is the more selective of the two by that published figure. San Diego sets English proficiency minimums above the UC systemwide floor for its international first year applicants, asking for IELTS 7.0 or TOEFL 83, against Irvine's IELTS 6.5 or TOEFL 80, a real gap for an applicant relying on either test. Irvine states plainly that it does not work with education agents for admission or enrollment, a detail not stated for San Diego here. Tuition sits close, USD 59,375 a year at Irvine against USD 60,901 at San Diego, so cost is not the deciding factor between them. Both run the same holistic, first year file review used across the UC system. A student with a borderline English score may find Irvine's lower floor and published higher acceptance rate the easier route in. Check each campus's own page for the major specific admission expectations within the shared UC process.