Public · Irvine, CA

University of California-Irvine

Q: What is University of California-Irvine’s acceptance rate?

University of California-Irvine admits 28.6% of applicants (2025 data).

Q: Does University of California-Irvine require the SAT or ACT?

University of California-Irvine’s testing policy is not considered.

Q: How much does University of California-Irvine cost after financial aid?

The average net price is $13,866 a year (2025). That is the sticker price minus grants and scholarships, averaged across students who receive aid. Your own price depends on your family’s finances.

Q: What is University of California-Irvine’s graduation rate?

87% of students finish within six years.

Get to know the college, from admissions and cost to life on campus.

28.6%acceptance rate

Overview

29%

Acceptance rate

$14,251

Net price per year

6,736

Freshman class

Urban

Irvine, CA

uci.edu

Website

UC Irvine is a young public research university, opened in 1965, built on the idea that rigor and access aren't in tension: admissions reads every applicant test-blind, on GPA and context alone, and the New York Times has twice named it the university doing the most for the American dream. The real tradeoff: campus is spread out and heavily commuter, so intensity lives more in the lab than in a built-in social scene.

About University of California-Irvine

Type: Public Research University
Setting: Urban
Undergraduates: 30,197

Admissions

Acceptance rate

29%

of roughly 123,000 applicants

Application deadline

Nov 30

UC Application (Fall Admission)

Early Decision/Early Action: No
Accepts Common App: —

Cost

Net price

$14,251 per year

Average after grants

What families pay, by incomeBars run to the $39,170 full cost

Tuition and aid

Full cost of attendance: $39,170per year
In-state tuition: $15,722
Out-of-state tuition: $49,922
Average family income: $48,922
Students with a school grant: 56%
Average school grant: $10,164
Average federal debt: $12,821at graduation
Need-blind: —
Meets full need: —
Merit scholarships: Yes
CSS Profile: —
International aid: Not eligible for federal or state aid; no dedicated undergraduate institutional aid is described.

Academics

Students per faculty

19:1

Majors offered: 72
Freshmen who return: 94%
Notable: $668Min research funding, a campus record (FY 2023-24)

Students

Freshman class

6,736 students

30,197 undergraduates in all

Who studies here

White13%

Hispanic27%

Asian37%

Black2%

Two or more races6%

International12%

Other or not reported2%

Campus life

Setting: Urban
Location: Irvine, CA
Live on campus: —
Student organizations: —
Varsity sports: —

WHAT STUDENTS SAY

Built around a park, half the school commutes in

UC Irvine is laid out in a ring around Aldrich Park, and more than half its undergraduates commute in; only 47% live in campus housing. New University, UCI's own student paper, has run repeated editorials on the tradeoff, one arguing that the biggest hardship of living off campus is loneliness, with few spaces existing purely for students to gather. Student reviews echo the split: some call the campus peaceful and beautiful, others say there isn't much to do once classes let out. What fills the gap is 600-plus student organizations, 18 Division I teams, and a location close enough to Laguna Beach and Disneyland to make weekends easy.

Summarized by Spike from what students write: UCI Student Life, Student Reviews, New University, New University.