<p>…of admitting students. And each university, even in the UC system handles the process differently.</p>
<p>Class rank – median, mean, whatever you want to reference – of UCLA students would be higher than NYU’s. There is no floor to which NYU can accept students (same wrt USC). </p>
<p>UCLA is bound by state charter to accept only those that graduate at a certain percentile or above that; ie, it has an admissions floor, and consequently admits those from poor-performing high schools with lower SATs in order to match its diversity index (AA wrt wealth, or lack of it, if not wrt race). A top student from a poor-performing hs would also probably have a good unweighted, but fairly pedestrian weighted gpa.</p>
<p>NYU (and USC) can fish for students who have graduated lower in their respective classes, many of whom taken the SATs more than a couple times and raised their scores to be marketable to colleges and universities.</p>
<p>And since cost is much of the time a factor in attending NYU (and USC), this could mean that elevated SATs by a student applying there could mean significant coaching because he or she could afford it, which gives reason for those who’ve said that the SAT is no longer a standardized test, that, wealth runs commensurate with higher scores.</p>
<p>Is this the the complete case as to whats happening wrt to UCLA v NYU (and USC) ? Not totally; we cant pigeon-hole any university wrt its (their) admissions policies, but there is some trending towards this.</p>
<p>But since SAT scores are more of a short-term achievement, I would rather go with grades as a primary measure of admission, a more long-term accomplishment. The results show this: UCLA is a much more competitve university than NYU (and USC). </p>
<p>Wrt the rivalry: USC’s probably always has had higher SATs than UCLA, but UCLA produces much more high-powered professionals, because UCLA students are much more accomplished in the classroom and have greater grad school options.</p>
<p>My question to you, sentiment, that since you forwarded the notion that higher SAT scores -> tougher admission policies -> more competitive university, does that mean that USC with its higher SATs would be more competitive than Berkeley?</p>