What is the easiest UC to get into as a transfer?

UC Riverside, which admitted 69.6% of transfer applicants for fall 2026. UC Santa Cruz and UC Merced are right behind at 67.5% each. Merced led the year before at 72%.

Is UC Merced a good school or just an easy one?

Both. It is a real research university, ranked in the US News top 60 nationally, with the same UC degree and UC faculty system as every other campus. It is just the newest and least famous.

Do any of these UCs guarantee transfer admission?

All five offer TAG, the Transfer Admission Guarantee. Meet the GPA and course requirements, file the TAG application in September, and the seat is guaranteed before you even apply.

What GPA do I need for the easiest UCs?

Admitted transfers mostly sit between 3.2 and 3.9 depending on campus and major. Davis and Santa Barbara run higher, Merced, Riverside, and Santa Cruz admit strong students starting near 3.2.

Is UC San Diego easy to transfer into?

Easier than its reputation. UCSD admitted 47.4% of transfer applicants for fall 2026, which puts it just outside this top five and far ahead of UCLA (22%) and Berkeley (20%).

The 5 Easiest UCs to Transfer Into (Real Admit Rates)

If UCLA and Berkeley feel out of reach, here's the part nobody tells you: the easiest UCs to transfer into admit most of the people who apply. Same UC system, same diploma family, admit rates near 70%. Here are the five, with the fall 2026 numbers UC just published. And whichever one you pick, on our platform you put in your community college and your UC, and you get the exact classes that get you there.

The easiest UCs to transfer into, ranked

Rates are UC's official transfer admit data for fall 2026, with the year before for comparison. GPA is the middle range of admitted transfers.

Campus	Fall 2026	Fall 2025	Admit GPA range	Known for
UC Riverside	69.6%	68.2%	3.23–3.83	Business, pre-med, engineering
UC Santa Cruz	67.5%	68.8%	3.24–3.90	CS, psychology, marine bio
UC Merced	67.5%	72.1%	3.18–3.80	Engineering, psychology, biology
UC Santa Barbara	61.6%	58.9%	3.50–3.94	Econ, communication, sciences
UC Davis	58.3%	57.0%	3.44–3.92	Biology, ag sciences, pre-vet

Admit rates from UC's published transfer admit data (fall 2026 and fall 2025). UC San Diego was sixth at 47.4%.

69.6%

of transfer applicants got into UC Riverside for fall 2026, the highest rate in the UC system

UC transfer admit data

The five campuses

UC Riverside

The UC that punches hardest for social mobility, near LA at a fraction of the stress. Now the easiest UC to transfer into, at 69.6%, and strong for business and pre-med.

UC Santa Cruz

A campus in a redwood forest with strong CS, games, and marine science, and Bay Area access without Berkeley-level competition. About two in three transfer applicants get in.

UC Merced

The newest UC, and it led the whole system at 72% the year before. Real research campus, rising fast in the rankings, with room for transfers in engineering and the sciences.

UC Santa Barbara

Top-40 national university on an actual beach. About 62% of transfer applicants get in, but admits sit at a 3.50 to 3.94 GPA, so it rewards a clean record.

UC Davis

The hardest school on this list still admits well over half. Ranked #32 nationally, elite in ag, bio, and pre-vet, and deeply transfer-friendly by culture.

The one just outside the top five

UC San Diego gets treated like a reach, but it admitted 47.4% of transfer applicants for fall 2026. That's more than double UCLA's 22% and Berkeley's 20%. If you want a beach campus with top STEM programs like bioengineering, computer science, and cognitive science, UCSD is a realistic target, not a dream.

Picked your UC? Get the classes that get you in.

Put in your community college and your UC. That's it.

Get My Transfer Plan

Bottom line

The easiest UCs to transfer into are not consolation prizes. They are the same system, several sit inside the top-15 public universities nationally, and all five hand out guaranteed seats through TAG if you meet the requirements. Check how the rates change by major, confirm the GPA your target expects, and line up the exact classes. One of these five says yes to most people who do that. Casting wider than California? Here is the full easiest-universities tier list. Deciding on fit rather than odds? Here is which UC is right for you, campus by campus.