Fresh interactive charts out this week are pulling back the curtain on how University of California acceptance rates swing by major, telling a very different story than a single campuswide admit number. The data show that computer science and engineering are still brutally competitive, while arts and humanities and some life-science programs let in a much higher share of applicants. For Bay Area students, it is a pointed reminder that where you apply, and what you say you want to study, can sharply change your odds.
The interactive project from the San Francisco Chronicle breaks out acceptance and enrollment rates by discipline and campus for the fall 2025 cycle, using official data from the University of California and the California State University systems. Its visual tables let readers see how many applicants in a given discipline were offered admission and what share of those admits actually enrolled. The result is a striking look at how much admit rates can jump or drop between majors on the very same campus.
That volatility sits on top of a broader systemwide pattern. As reported by the University of California, more than 77% of California first-year applicants for fall 2025 were offered a spot, a bump officials tied to an unusually large graduating class and intentional increases in initial offers at some campuses. UC said final enrollment figures will not be available until winter 2026.
Which Majors Shifted The Most
In the San Francisco Chronicle breakdown, computer science jumps out as one of the programs with the biggest year-to-year swings. The Chronicle’s tables show UC Berkeley’s computer science admit rate climbing from roughly 3.8% in 2024 to about 6.5% for fall 2025, while at UC Santa Barbara, computer science admissions moved from the high teens to the mid-30s. Engineering and life-science disciplines generally stayed highly selective across many campuses, with the share of admitted students who ultimately enrolled varying a lot by both major and campus.
The University of California’s admissions dashboard, updated Feb. 26, 2026, also publishes admitted GPA ranges by discipline, based on weighted, capped high school GPAs. According to the University of California, the middle 50% of admitted computer science applicants clustered around roughly 4.20-4.29, while arts and humanities admitted students had a 25th-percentile GPA closer to 4.06. UC notes that applicants can be admitted into different majors than the one they originally listed and that the charts leave out majors with very small applicant pools.
What This Means For Applicants
For students and families working through applications, the practical takeaway is to cast a wide net. That can mean applying to multiple campuses and having backup majors in mind, especially if you are aiming at high-demand programs. Counselors say that choosing an undeclared option or a related, less-impacted major can widen your chances of getting into a UC campus if your first-choice program is extremely limited. The charts still describe where applicants were admitted or enrolled in 2025, not a promise that future admit rates will look the same.
Together, the Chronicle’s interactive tables and UC’s admission dashboards offer a sharper picture of how selectivity is playing out by discipline across California’s public systems. The bottom line: even with overall offers up for fall 2025, the most sought-after majors remain fiercely competitive, and the major you pick still matters.
