Did you know that in 2021, California students were 3.67 times less likely to be admitted to UC Irvine than out-of-state students?
Put another way, UCI denied 80% of California applicants vs just 26% of out-of-state applicants.
The trend is similar with all of the competitive UC campuses, with the exception of UC Berkeley.
See the chart below--
In light of this trend, it is in every California student's best interest to keep their options for college open and consider colleges outside the UCs.
How does a student stand out from the pack when applying to selective colleges outside the UC system?
ACT and SAT scores.
In the pie-chart below you can see that the percentage of four-year colleges that are "test-blind" is very small (mostly, it's the UCs and Cal States). While the vast majority of other colleges are "test-optional," meaning that they will accept an ACT or SAT.
Now, the big question? Do ACT and SAT scores help students gain admission to selective colleges?
The chart below tells a story. The grey bars are the admit rates for students applying without an ACT/SAT score, while the red bars are for students applying with a score. As you can see, the red bars are much higher.
A few highlights:
Notre Dame: Students were nearly twice as likely to be accepted to Notre Dame with an ACT or SAT score.
USC: Students with an ACT or SAT score were accepted 30% more often.
Boston: Students without scores had an admission rate of 14%. Students with scores had an admission rate of 25%.
Conclusion:
If you're going to apply to colleges outside of the UCs, there is a simple 3-step plan to help you reach your goals for the future:
1) Prepare for the ACT or SAT
2) Raise Your Scores
3) Stand Out from the Pack