How to Apply to Mathematics at UCLA: Choose Your Major on the UC Application, Complete Pre-Major Courses and Grade Thresholds to Declare, With Eight Math Majors and Honors Programs, and Requirements for U.S. Domestic, International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Students

UCLA’s mathematics majors are taught by the Department of Mathematics. You apply through the University of California (UC) application and can choose a major on the application or apply undeclared. The department handbook says Mathematics of Computation is “generally housed in the College of Letters & Sciences,” and the Mathematics B.S. page requires General Education courses. UCLA Admission says that for first-year applicants to a major in the College, the choice of major will neither help nor hurt admission, and that the applicant’s major is not considered in review of College applications. Here is what you need to know for fall 2027 entry, based on UCLA and UC websites (the major section follows the department website and the 2026–2027 undergraduate handbook), for U.S. domestic students, international students (including students at high schools in China) and transfer students. This site has a separate UCLA computer science guide; this article mentions related majors only briefly.

1. The department’s majors

• Majors (2026–2027 handbook, all B.S.): Mathematics (pure mathematics), Applied Mathematics, Data Theory, Mathematics of Computation, Mathematics/Economics, Financial Actuarial Mathematics, Mathematics for Teaching, and Mathematics/Applied Science (Medical and Life Sciences, History of Science, or Individual plans; the Individual plan needs departmental approval and the handbook says it is rarely granted). Affiliated majors are Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences/Math and Computational and Systems Biology.
• Minors and specialization: a Mathematics minor (not open to math majors), a Mathematics for Teaching minor, and a Specialization in Computing that any math major except Data Theory and Mathematics of Computation can add.
• Versus computer science and statistics: the handbook says Mathematics of Computation is a math department major, while Computer Science, Computer Science and Engineering and Computer Engineering are in the Samueli School of Engineering. Statistics & Data Science is offered by Statistics; Data Theory is more math- and proof-heavy, and the two cannot be double-majored. These are not covered further here.
• Mathematics B.S. courses: ten pre-major courses (MATH 31A or 31AL, 31B, 32A, 32B, 33A, 33B, PIC 10A, PHYSICS 1A, plus two from a list of chemistry, physics, economics, philosophy and life science courses) and twelve major courses (MATH 115A, 131A, 110A, 110B, 120A, 131B, 132 and five upper-division electives). The handbook strongly recommends MATH 11, which teaches proof writing, first.
• Applied Mathematics B.S.: also ten pre-major courses (including PHYSICS 1B); twelve major courses including MATH 115A, 131A, 131B or 132, and 142, two of three two-term sequences (probability and statistics, differential equations, numerical analysis) and four electives.
• Other majors: see the handbook and UCLA General Catalog; they are not listed course by course here.
• Honors and combined degree: the department has an Honors Program (at least four UCLA math pre-major or major courses and a 3.6 GPA in them, plus honors coursework and a project) and the Departmental Scholars Program, which lets students earn a B.S. and an M.A. within four years; it requires an application, passing the Basic Qualifying Exam, and cumulative and major GPAs of at least 3.5, among other conditions. The handbook and the web page differ in some details; check the latest on the department site.

2. How admission works and declaring the major

• On the application: pick a major or “undeclared” on the UC application. UCLA says about 1,500 students are undeclared at a given time. After you submit, changing majors within the College is not allowed; changing into the College is allowed until 1 January.
• Pre-major first: the handbook says to declare a pre-major you need at least one regular quarter at UCLA in good standing with at least 12.0 units and grades that meet the requirements.
• Conditions to declare the major (Mathematics B.S. as the example): complete the pre-major courses “required to declare”, with a 2.5 GPA and at least a C in each sequenced math course, and a 2.0 GPA and at least a C- in each other lower-division course. Repeating more than two courses, or any course more than once, results in automatic dismissal from the major. All pre-major and major courses must be taken for a letter grade. Whether places are capped is not stated on the pages read; this is not published.
• Double majors: the handbook requires completing all pre-major courses for both majors, at least one quarter at UCLA and two upper-division courses in each major; petitions are made through the department site and take up to three weeks.
• Advising: the Student Services Office (ugrad@math.ucla.edu) holds drop-in advising hours during the term, and faculty advisers are available.

3. Prerequisites, placement and credit

• High school courses (UC): 15 A-G courses, at least 11 finished before the last year, including three years of mathematics (four recommended), four of English and two of laboratory science (three recommended). UCLA says competitive applicants go well beyond the minimum. The pages read set no extra high school requirement for mathematics majors; this is not published.
• Math placement test: the department uses the ALEKS PPL online test to place students into MATH 1, 3A, 31AL or 31A; it is needed if you plan to take one of those courses and have no credit for them. It costs $20 (waived for students whose UC application fee was waived), has 20–30 questions in two hours without pausing, and allows up to three attempts in total. The department says it does not waive the test for lower AP scores (AP Calculus AB 4 or below, BC 3 or below) or an IB Analysis and Approaches HL score of 5 or below.
• AP Calculus (handbook, for math majors): AB 5 gives credit for MATH 31A (enroll in 31B); AB 4 or 3, 4 units of calculus; BC 5, credit for 31A and 31B (enroll in 32A); BC 4, 31A plus 4 units (enroll in 31B); BC 3, 8 units; scores of 1–2 get no credit. For scores of 3 or lower, use the placement test. AP Statistics 4–5 waives STATS 10; AP Computer Science is not equivalent to any UCLA course.
• IB Mathematics HL (handbook table): Mathematics HL 5 gives credit for MATH 1 and 4.0 units (enroll in 31A) and 6 gives 31A and 4.0 units (enroll in 31B); Analysis and Approaches HL 5 gives 8.0 unassigned math units, and 6 or 7 gives credit for MATH 31A (enroll in 31B); Further Mathematics HL 5–7 gives 8.0 units; the handbook says UC does not award credit for Applications & Interpretations HL or SL. UK and Singapore A-Level maths subjects earn credit for MATH 1 and 31A at grades A*, A or B; see the handbook for details.
• Other notes: AP, IB, A-Level and college courses may duplicate each other, and credit is given for one course only. Official AP and IB results are due by 15 July.
• Honors sequence entry: honors courses such as MATH 115AH and 131AH appear in the Departmental Scholars and Honors program requirements, and the handbook suggests Scholars-track students take 115AH in the spring of the first year if possible. Entry conditions for the honors courses themselves are not stated on the pages read; this is not published, so ask the department advisers.
• Math competitions: the admissions pages do not say how AMC, USAMO or IMO results are viewed; this is not published. The department’s merit scholarship page does list placing in the top 25% in the USAMO, comparable IMO-level performance, college-level coursework or original research as ways to show exceptional promise (see the costs section).

4. Rounds, materials and testing

• Filing period: the UC application opens 1 August and is submitted 1 October to 30 November (UC’s page); UCLA’s page says “October 1–December 1”. The two differ slightly; follow the UC application system. UCLA offers no early action or early decision and admits for fall only.
• Decisions and replies: admission decisions in March (UCLA’s page says late March); enrollment deposit and housing application by 1 May (UC lists 1 May as the statement-of-intent deadline); final transcripts by 1 July; AP and IB results by 15 July.
• Materials: the UC application and personal insight questions (four of eight, up to 350 words each). Transcripts are collected only after admission; UCLA does not require or accept letters of recommendation and does not interview.
• Testing: UCLA does not consider SAT or ACT scores for admission or scholarships; scores you send may only help meet minimum eligibility or course placement after enrolling.
• Application fee: UC’s page gives $95 per campus for international students (international students enrolled at a U.S. institution may qualify for $80); the amount for U.S. domestic applicants is not on the pages read; this is not published.
• Review: comprehensive review under 13 faculty-approved criteria, including grades and rigor of curriculum, special talents and awards, and the personal insight questions. UCLA reports a 4.0 unweighted GPA average for fall 2025 admits (its own wording).

5. U.S. domestic students

• California residents and non-residents: the costs page (updated July 2026) lists a nine-month budget: university fees $16,430 and a total of $45,500 for California residents living in residence halls; non-residents add $39,270 of Nonresident Supplemental Tuition for a total of $84,770.
• Residency: UCLA says that if your parents are not California residents, the financial independence requirement makes it extremely difficult for most undergraduates to be classified as residents, and transfer students should not assume their residency carries over.
• In-state preference or guarantee: not described on the UCLA pages read; this is not published.
• Aid: citizens and permanent residents file the FAFSA (California high school graduates who are not citizens and qualify under AB540 file the California Dream Act Application); the priority filing deadline is 2 March. California residents also file a GPA Verification Form for Cal Grant consideration. A Bruin Financial Aid Letter combines scholarships, grants, low-interest loans and work-study and arrives with the admission decision. UCLA says aid for non-residents’ extra fees consists primarily of Federal Parent and/or private loans.
• Math department scholarship: see section 8.

6. International students

• Who is international: UCLA treats students who need an F-1 visa as international; they use the same UC application. UCLA admits students from nearly 90 countries each year. It does not admit applicants who already hold a bachelor’s degree or have the equivalent of three years (130 quarter units or more) of transferable university work as first-years.
• High school courses (UC for international applicants): 15 year-long academic courses with a 3.4 GPA, including two years of history, four of composition and literature in the language of instruction, three of college-preparatory mathematics, two of college-preparatory science, one of visual and performing arts and one more course, plus any requirements specific to your country.
• English: UCLA says applicants who completed all secondary schooling in English are proficient; if you studied in a country where English was not the language of instruction and have had less than three years of English instruction, you must take the TOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo English Test. UCLA looks for competitive scores of TOEFL iBT 5 or higher (sub-scores 5 or higher; new scale from 21 January 2026) or above 100 with sub-scores above 24 on the old scale, IELTS 7.5 or higher, or Duolingo 135 or higher. UC’s minimums are TOEFL iBT 4.5 or better (80 before January 2026), IELTS 6.5 and Duolingo 115, and UC says a campus may require more. UC does not accept IELTS One Skill Retake or MyBest TOEFL. Self-report scores on the application, with everything reported by January; send official scores only to the campus where you enroll after admission. UCLA may also require its English-as-a-Second-Language Placement Examination after admission.
• Testing: UCLA does not consider the SAT or ACT and does not encourage using them to show English proficiency.
• Transcripts: UCLA asks for records from your secondary schools showing subjects and grades and any national or government certificates; you report courses and marks on the application and send official records after admission; university coursework documents need English translations.
• Proof of funds and aid: UCLA does not award scholarships or financial aid to undergraduates who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents. International students must prove sufficient funds; for students admitted for fall 2026 the minimum is about $80,739, with another $5,000 recommended, and the minimum usually grows each year. Students on non-immigrant visas must have adequate medical insurance.
• Agents: UCLA does not partner with agents.

7. Students at high schools in China

• Same process: the UC application, choosing UCLA, as for other international applicants.
• Filling in the Chinese curriculum (UC’s country page): if you follow the Chinese national curriculum, list all courses and marks from grade 9 to grade 12 exactly as on your official records, and be ready to submit your upper middle school graduation certificate and official grade 9–12 records if admitted. If you follow IGCSE/GCSE/GCE, complete at least five IGCSE/GCSE/O-Levels and at least three academic A-Levels and report them on the International Exams page; IB students have separate instructions.
• Gaokao: the UC and UCLA pages read do not say whether or how the Gaokao is used; this is not published. Ask UCLA Undergraduate Admission.
• Credential evaluation: no specific evaluation-agency requirement is stated on the pages read; this is not published.
• English and funds: see above; the pages read state no China-specific exemption.

8. Costs, scholarships and outcomes

• Budget (US$, nine months, California resident in residence halls): university fees 16,430, housing 12,299, food 7,568, books and supplies 1,588, transportation 969, personal 2,761, health insurance 3,885, total 45,500; non-residents add 39,270 of Nonresident Supplemental Tuition for a total of 84,770. Off-campus apartment and commuter figures differ; see the page. The UC health insurance fee can be waived with adequate coverage.
• UCLA Math Undergraduate Merit (MUMS) Scholarship: the page says it goes to one incoming freshman with an exceptional background and promise in mathematics, covers tuition, fees, and room and board, and is renewable for four years if the student keeps a 3.5 math GPA, declares and stays in the math major, passes the basic exam by the end of the third year, and applies to and is accepted into the Departmental Scholars Program for the fourth year. The application is on a third-party site by 30 November, but the page refers to students applying for fall 2023 and asks for TOEFL and SAT/ACT scores, which conflicts with UCLA Admission saying it does not consider SAT or ACT; the page does not say whether international students are eligible, while UCLA Admission says it gives international undergraduates no scholarships. This article did not visit the third-party site; ask the department whether the scholarship is still offered and who is eligible.
• Research programs: the handbook lists the department’s Directed Reading Program (a quarter with a graduate-student mentor), IPAM’s RIPS summer program, and several campus Undergraduate Research Center programs. Other department-specific scholarships are not described on the pages read; this is not published.
• Outcomes: the handbook gives only general career notes (people with a math background may work as analysts, research associates, technical consultants, computer scientists or systems engineers) and prints no placement figures; these are not published.

9. Transfer students

• Who transfers: anyone who has completed college-level coursework in a regular session since high school graduation must apply as a transfer student; you may not apply as a first-year to ignore your college record, and UCLA does not accept students with a bachelor’s degree or roughly three years of transferable work (130 quarter units or more). International transfers are also junior level with 90–130 quarter units; UCLA prefers California community college students, and historically three out of four admitted international transfers were attending a California community college.
• Timeline: fall only. UC application 1 October to 30 November; grade updates in January (priority 31 January); financial aid forms by 2 March; decisions in late April; statement of intent by 1 June; final transcripts by 1 July.
• Criteria: junior standing (60 semester or 90 quarter transferable units) by the end of spring before transfer; a UC-transferable GPA of 3.2 or higher; completed major preparation; and the 7-course pattern (two English composition and critical thinking courses, one math course with an intermediate algebra prerequisite, and four courses across at least two of arts and humanities, social and behavioral sciences, and physical and biological sciences). UCLA says admitted transfers average above a 3.5 GPA and have completed most or all major prep. UC adds that English composition from international universities not taught in English is not accepted.
• Applying for mathematics: transfer applicants must apply to a specific major and complete the major preparation by the end of spring before transfer. UCLA’s popular-major admit-rate table does not list mathematics, so a math admit rate is not published on the pages read. The handbook’s Mathematics B.S. pre-major list (section 1) is a useful guide; confirm against the General Catalog and transfer-planning tools. The handbook describes a Transfer Credit Petition for courses from other institutions.
• After transferring: the department states no separate GPA or course requirement for transfer students; this is not published. Declaring the major still requires the pre-major courses and grades.

Checklist

U.S. domestic students:

• Submit the UC application between 1 October and 30 November, choosing mathematics or undeclared; no SAT or ACT, no recommendation letters
• Write the personal insight questions; file the FAFSA (California residents also the GPA Verification Form) by 2 March if you need aid

International students (including students at high schools in China):

• Same deadlines; if you have had less than three years of English instruction, take TOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo and self-report
• Enter your courses and marks as your country’s instructions require; prepare proof of funds (UCLA gives international undergraduates no aid)

Transfer students:

• Reach 90 quarter units with a UC-transferable GPA of 3.2 or higher and finish the math preparation; apply 1 October to 30 November
• Submit the statement of intent by 1 June; finish the pre-major courses before declaring

If you want mathematics: take at least three years of high school math, sit the placement test, work through MATH 31A (or 31AL), 31B, 32A, 32B, 33A and 33B, meet the 2.5 sequence GPA and C-or-better rules, declare the major, and start MATH 11 early to learn proofs.

Sources: UCLA and the University of California, First-year applicants; First-year requirements; Choosing a major; International applicants; Transfer applicants; Deciding on a major as a transfer; Tuition and fees; Financial aid and scholarships; UC requirements for international applicants; UC first-year information by country; UC English language proficiency; UC dates and deadlines; Department of Mathematics: majors, minors and honors; Department of Mathematics 2026–2027 Undergraduate Handbook; Department of Mathematics: placement test; Department of Mathematics: AP credit; Department of Mathematics: advising; Department of Mathematics: Undergraduate Merit Scholarship. Information is for fall 2027 entry (the costs page is marked as updated July 2026; check which year it applies to). Check UCLA and UC for the latest details.