Irvine, CA · public · 30,197 undergraduates
University of California, Irvine acceptance rate, SAT range and net price
UC Irvine admitted 30.3% of first-year applicants for fall 2026, about 1 in 3, and nearly every student who stayed on its waiting list the year before got in.
Net price per year at UC Irvine
$15,164
Target · admit rate 30.3%
| Admit rate, Fall 2026 entering class, preliminary admits (snapshot) | 30.3% (1 in 3) |
| Test scores | Not considered (test-free) |
| This site’s label | Target |
| Sticker price 2026-27, in-state | $45,206 |
| Paid by families with $75,001-$110,000 (2023-24) | $15,164 |
| Share of the sticker price | 34% |
Net price: average paid after grants by students on federal aid in that income band (2023-24), not a quote. The label is a fixed rule of this site (admit rate under 15% is a reach for everyone), not a prediction. Your exact price: UC Irvine net price calculator. How this is calculated.
Admissions: UC Admissions, UC Irvine first-year admit data (fall 2026 snapshot); residency split from UCOP Fact Sheet Fall 2026 First-Year and Transfer Admissions, Table 1a (offers as of June 17, 2026) · net price: College Scorecard, 2023-24 · figures checked · Built by Radif Partners · Method and data
- Admit rate, newest cycle
- 30.3%
- SAT middle 50%
- test-free
- Sticker price 2026-27
- $45,206
- Net price, income $48k to $75k
- $11,642
UC Irvine admitted 38,165 of 126,005 first-year applicants for fall 2026, an acceptance rate of 30.3%, in the University of California's preliminary snapshot. Its Common Data Set 2025-2026 covers the class before: 35,964 admits from 124,231 applications and 6,421 enrolled first-years. Admission is test-free, as at every UC campus, and the middle half of fall 2026 admits held a 4.06 to 4.27 high school GPA. The financial aid office budgets $45,206 for a new California resident living on campus in 2026-27 and $84,476 for a nonresident. Federal averages for 2023-24 put the net price at $8,123 for families under $30,000 and $11,642 between $48,001 and $75,000, and the UC Blue and Gold plan covers tuition for most California families earning up to $100,000.
Irvine's waiting list worked almost like a second admission round
For fall 2025, UC Irvine offered 12,967 applicants a place on its waiting list. 5,738 accepted it, and 5,737 of them were admitted, nearly every one. Students who receive a waitlist offer from Irvine should accept it: on that record the list is less a consolation than a delayed yes. The residency split points the same way for nonresidents. Californians got 18,922 offers from 86,230 applications, about 21.9%, while out-of-state U.S. applicants got 7,784 of 16,381, about 47.5%, and international applicants 9,258 of 21,620, about 42.8%.
The enrolled class is still mostly Californian: of the 6,421 first-years who arrived in fall 2025, 4,870 were state residents, 472 came from other states and 1,079 from abroad.
UC Irvine: the out-of-state premium
Extra tuition for a non-CA student
$136,800
| In-state tuition and fees 2024-25 | $15,722 |
| Out-of-state tuition and fees 2024-25 | $49,922 |
| Gap per year | $34,200 |
Published tuition and fees, before any nonresident scholarship; future increases not included.
Campus fees that raise the Irvine budget
A new student in 2026-27 pays the same systemwide charge as at any UC campus, $15,588, but Irvine adds $4,701 of campus fees, against $842 at UCLA. On campus the budget then counts $19,376 for housing and food, $1,512 for books and supplies, $2,801 for personal costs and $1,228 for transportation, for $45,206. A student living at home or off campus has a different budget. Nonresidents add $39,270 of Nonresident Tuition and Fees.
UC Irvine: net price for your family income
Average net price, 2023-24
$11,642
| Income band | $48,001-$75,000 |
| Share of the 2023-24 cost | 30% |
In-state students; federal figure for students on federal aid.
No scores, no early round, one application
Irvine does not look at SAT or ACT results for admission or for the Regents and Chancellor's scholarships. There is no Early Decision or Early Action; the UC application, filed between October 1 and November 30, covers Irvine and any other campus the student lists, and California students in the top 9 percent of their school or the state are guaranteed a seat somewhere in the system. Irvine admits at roughly three times the rate of UC Berkeley, close to UC San Diego. Put them side by side with UC Davis in the comparison tool.
From University of California, Irvine’s own documents
- For fall 2025, Californians filed 86,230 applications and got 18,922 admissions (21.9%), while out-of-state U.S. applicants got 7,784 of 16,381 (47.5%) and international applicants 9,258 of 21,620 (42.8%). source
- Of UC Irvine's 6,421 enrolled first-years in fall 2025, 4,870 were Californians, 472 out-of-state U.S. students and 1,079 international students. source
- UC Irvine admitted 5,737 students from its fall 2025 waiting list, almost every one of the 5,738 who accepted a place. source
- For fall 2026 UC Irvine admitted 38,165 of 126,005 first-year applicants (preliminary), a 30.3% rate. source
- Nonresidents add $39,270 of Nonresident Tuition and Fees to UC Irvine's $45,206 on-campus resident budget for 2026-27. source
- UC guarantees first-year admission to a UC campus, though not necessarily the campus of choice, to California students in the top 9 percent of their high school or of the state. source
Net price at University of California, Irvine by family income
| Family income | Average net price 2023-24 | Share of the 2023-24 cost |
|---|---|---|
| $0-$30,000 | $8,123 | 21% |
| $30,001-$48,000 | $9,313 | 24% |
| $48,001-$75,000 | $11,642 | 30% |
| $75,001-$110,000 | $15,164 | 39% |
| $110,001 and up | $30,546 | 79% |
| All aided students | $14,251 | 37% |
Cost of attendance at University of California, Irvine, 2026-27
| Item | In-state | Out-of-state |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition | $15,588 | $54,858 |
| Fees | $4,701 | $4,701 |
| Housing and food | $19,376 | $19,376 |
| Books and supplies | $1,512 | $1,512 |
| Personal | $2,801 | $2,801 |
| Travel | $1,228 | $1,228 |
| Total | $45,206 | $84,476 |
University of California, Irvine admissions by cycle
| Entering class | Applicants | Admitted | Enrolled | Admit rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2026 entering class, preliminary admits (snapshot) | 126,005 | 38,165 | n/a | 30.3% |
| Fall 2025 entering class | 124,231 | 35,964 | 6,421 | 28.9% |
| Fall 2024 (federal IPEDS figure) | n/a | n/a | n/a | 28.6% |
Outcomes at University of California, Irvine
| Measure | Value | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Graduated within 6 years | 87% | fall 2018 entering cohort |
| Returned for a second year | 94% | fall 2023 entering cohort |
| Median earnings 10 years after entry | $80,735 | measured 2020-2021, 10 years after entry, 2022 dollars |
| Median federal debt of graduates | $15,000 | students who finished in 2019-20 and 2020-21 |
| Undergraduates | 30,197 | fall 2024 |
| Students with a Pell Grant | 36% | 2023-24 |