I’ve heard that because so many people apply to UCLA, the admission is for the most part very numbers (GPA and SAT) based. Does this mean a high GPA and SAT will guarantee admission? If so, what numbers?
There are no admission guarantees for UCLA or any of the UC’s. UC’s are very GPA focused, but having a high SAT/ACT will you make you more competitive. EC’s and essays will also contribute to your chances and many times these can overcome a less than stellar GPA or test scores but is all about the whole package (holistic review). Here are the averages for last year’s in-coming Freshman class, but remember that these are averages and the more competitive the major, the more competitive the GPA/Test scores are needed.
https://www.admission.ucla.edu/prospect/Adm_fr/Frosh_Prof15.htm
Also check out the decision thread for this year to get a idea of what type (s) of applicants are admitted.
Note that UCs generally appear to be GPA-heavy and test-score-light (although being top-end in both is certainly better). This season, it seems that many of the disappointed applicants to UCs were those who were test-score-heavy and GPA-light who mistakenly assumed that their better test scores would compensate for their lower GPAs.
Of course, the holistic reading of applications including subjective evaluation of essays and such means that high GPA and test scores are no guarantee of admission. Also be aware that admission thresholds could vary based on the division or major you apply to (e.g. engineering and CS majors are probably more competitive than most at UCLA).
^^^ Seconded. I had a low UC GPA (3.5) with a high SAT for UCs (2150) and was rejected by Davis, Irvine, SD, LA, and Cal. Essays and ECs mean very little if you can’t hit the benchmark for GPA, although they will be more important when the applicant pool is weeded out.