UC San Diego (UCSD) doesn't set its own cutoff GPA, but UC publishes the GPAs of the students it admits. Admitted UCSD students had a Capped Weighted GPA of 4.12-4.28 in their middle 50% (Fall 2026). Unlike UCLA and Berkeley, UCSD doesn't publish a Fully Weighted range, so the capped number is the one to compare. Here's what it means and what you need to apply.
Check your GPA against UC San Diego
UC San Diego admitted students (Fall 2026), middle 50% Capped Weighted GPA: 4.12-4.28
Type your Capped Weighted GPA to see where it lands against UC San Diego's admitted students.
The minimum GPA to apply to UCSD
UCSD uses the University of California's minimum, the same at every campus:
- 3.0 UC GPA for California residents, 3.4 for non-residents.
- Only A-G courses from 10th and 11th grade count (plus the summers after 9th, 10th and 11th grade), not the GPA on your transcript.
- All fifteen A-G courses passed with a C or better.
That's the bar for eligibility. UCSD's admitted students are well above it, so use the admitted range to judge where you stand.
What GPA do you need for UCSD?
Half of UCSD's admitted students had a Capped Weighted GPA between 4.12-4.28. A quarter were above that and a quarter below.
- Above the range: higher than about three quarters of the admitted class.
- Inside it: in the middle of the admitted class.
- Below it: less likely, still possible - a quarter of admitted students were there too.
Some UCSD majors, including computer science and several engineering majors, admit far fewer students than the campus overall. If you're applying to one of them, aim for the upper part of the range.
Which GPA to compare for UCSD
UC calculates three GPAs. The Capped Weighted GPA adds an extra point for a B or better in honors courses, up to eight semesters of those points (no more than four from 10th grade). It's UC's main GPA and the one UC reports for UCSD.
So compare your Capped Weighted GPA to UCSD's range. If you compare your Fully Weighted GPA instead, you'll overestimate where you stand, because it counts honors points the capped range leaves out. For how both are calculated, see How to Calculate Your UC GPA.
How UCSD compares with the other UC campuses
UCSD sits just behind UCLA and Berkeley on the Capped Weighted scale. Since UCLA and Berkeley also publish Fully Weighted ranges, compare capped to capped when you weigh UCSD against them. See the UCLA and UC Berkeley GPA guides, or how UC Campus Matches work for all nine campuses.
GPA is one factor
UC reads every application holistically: course rigor in the context of your school, your Personal Insight Questions, activities, and intended major all count. UC doesn't use SAT or ACT scores, so your A-G grades carry more of the academic picture.
Note: Admit ranges come from UC's published first-year admit data. They describe past admitted classes and change yearly - they don't predict an individual decision.