For CPP, you can calculate the admission index and see how he stands versus recent past competitively determined thresholds by major here: Freshman Student Profile .
For CPSLO, previous versions of its MCA admissions index supposedly gave bonus points for:
- up to 4 semesters of (advanced) math beyond the minimum of 6 semesters (must report algebra 1 or geometry taken in middle school to get “credit” for it in the point system).
- up to 4 semesters of lab science beyond the minimum of 4 semesters (check your high school’s listings on the UC doorways to see what qualifies – CS probably does not count).
- additional points for English, foreign language, or arts beyond the minimums.
Math had by far the largest bonus points for additional semesters taken. Unfortunately, CPSLO does not like to reveal the current MCA formula, nor the historical admission thresholds by major, like CPP does.
UC admission is based on holistic review, though courses and grades are likely the strongest factor (except in cases like UCB or UCLA engineering where there are so many applicants at or close to the maximum that other factors become stronger to distinguish between them). Here is some past frosh admission information by (recalculated) HS GPA:
Recalculate your HS GPA with GPA Calculator for the University of California – RogerHub . Use the weighted capped version for the table below.
Fall 2021 admission rates by campus and HS GPA range from Freshman fall admissions summary | University of California :
| Campus | 4.20+ | 3.80-4.19 | 3.40-3.79 | 3.00-3.39 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berkeley | 30% | 11% | 2% | 1% |
| Davis | 85% | 55% | 23% | 10% |
| Irvine | 60% | 31% | 14% | 1% |
| Los Angeles | 29% | 6% | 1% | 0% |
| Merced | 97% | 98% | 96% | 89% |
| Riverside | 97% | 92% | 62% | 23% |
| San Diego | 75% | 35% | 5% | 1% |
| Santa Barbara | 73% | 28% | 4% | 1% |
| Santa Cruz | 91% | 81% | 46% | 9% |
These are for the whole campus. Different divisions or majors may have different levels selectivity (usually, engineering and computer science majors are more selective).