UCSD went from bad to worse IMO. Before, the ones who didn’t get direct admit had to achieve a certain GPA, but now I heard it’s both achieving a certain GPA, then getting subjected to a lottery.
UIUC I heard had a really high benchmark for entering if you weren’t a direct admit, but not sure of the details. Similarly, I heard for U-Dub that if you are not a direct admit, it’s almost next to impossible to get in.