“What are my chances?” is the most common transfer question, and the honest answer is that it depends almost entirely on the campus and the major. A single UC can admit transfers to one major at 60% and another at under 15% in the same year. Below are the real 2025 numbers, major by major, next to the freshman rate for the same school.
UC transfer acceptance rates by major, vs the freshman door
The freshman column is why this page exists. In most of these majors the transfer door is far wider — UC Davis admits 47% of computer science transfer applicants and 12.4% of freshman ones. It is not universal, so check your own row.
| UCLA major | Transfer rate | Freshman rate |
|---|---|---|
| Computer Science | 5% | 3.2% |
| Business Economics | 10% | 4.1% |
| Mechanical Engineering | 12% | — |
| Communication | 13% | 9% |
| Economics | 16% | — |
| Biology | 17% | 8.4% |
| Psychology | 21% | — |
| Political Science | 34% | 7% |
| Sociology | 41% | 18.4% |
| UC Berkeley major | Transfer rate | Freshman rate |
|---|---|---|
| Business (Haas) | 5% | 3.8% |
| Computer Science | 5% | — |
| Psychology | 7% | 11.4% |
| Economics | 14% | — |
| Data Science | 15% | — |
| Media Studies | 19% | — |
| Molecular & Cell Biology | 23% | 8.7% |
| Political Science | 31% | 16.2% |
| Sociology | 32% | — |
| UC San Diego major | Transfer rate | Freshman rate |
|---|---|---|
| Computer Science | 17% | 4.6% |
| Mechanical Engineering | 31% | — |
| Data Science | 34% | — |
| Human Biology | 48% | 21.3% |
| Business Economics | 54% | — |
| Cognitive Science | 61% | 12.4% |
| Economics | 65% | 16.7% |
| Psychology | 71% | 26.8% |
| Communication | 73% | — |
| UC Davis major | Transfer rate | Freshman rate |
|---|---|---|
| Data Science | 25% | — |
| Mechanical Engineering | 43% | 21.6% |
| Computer Science | 47% | 12.4% |
| Managerial Economics | 57% | — |
| Biological Sciences | 58% | 33.9% |
| Animal Science | 69% | 41.2% |
| Psychology | 70% | 46.8% |
| Economics | 75% | 28.4% |
| Communication | 77% | — |
| UC Santa Barbara major | Transfer rate |
|---|---|
| Computer Science | 12% |
| Economics & Accounting | 44% |
| Biology | 45% |
| Statistics & Data Science | 58% |
| Economics | 62% |
| Political Science | 63% |
| Communication | 71% |
| Psychological & Brain Science | 72% |
| Sociology | 75% |
Why “the UC transfer rate” is misleading
Overall campus transfer admit rates hide huge variation. UC publishes transfer admission data by campus and major through the UC Information Center, and the spread is dramatic. Highly impacted majors like computer science, business/economics, biology, and nursing admit a much smaller share of applicants than less-impacted ones, even at the same campus.
The practical takeaway: always look at the admit rate for your specific campus-and-major combination, not the campus average. You pick a major per campus on the application itself, so decide before you file. See how to apply to transfer to a UC, step by step. And if you're weighing the Cal States too, the CSU transfer acceptance rates by major show the same pattern with friendlier numbers.
What drives the differences
- Major impaction: popular majors receive far more qualified applicants than they have seats.
- Campus selectivity: UCLA and UC Berkeley admit transfers at lower rates than UC Riverside, UC Merced, or UC Santa Cruz. Here are the five easiest UCs to transfer into, with their real admit rates.
- GPA and major-prep completion: within a major, admitted students cluster at the high end of both.
- Residency: California community college transfers are prioritized under UC policy.
Rough ranges (confirm the specifics for your path)
As a general frame, less-selective campuses admit a majority of qualified transfer applicants to many majors, while the most impacted major-and-campus combinations (for example, CS or business at UCLA, Berkeley, or UCSD) can sit well under 20%. Treat any single number as a starting point and verify the current figure for your exact campus and major. For a campus-level example, here is the UC Berkeley transfer acceptance rate and which majors are brutal, and on the friendlier end, the UC Davis transfer acceptance rate, where TAG can guarantee your spot.
Where to find verified, per-path numbers
Transfermatic’s transfer plan pages show admit-rate and GPA data for specific community-college-to-UC-by-major paths, so you can see the realistic bar for your situation rather than a campus-wide average. Combine that with the official UC Information Center data when you finalize your list.
Related: See admit-rate data on transfer plan pages · UC transfer GPA by campus and major · The UC Berkeley transfer acceptance rate, by major · Which UCs have nursing programs · Example: De Anza to UC Berkeley computer science
