How to Apply to Psychology at UC San Diego: Six Uncapped Psychology Majors and a Ranking of Eight Colleges, and Requirements and Timeline for Chinese, Canadian High School and Transfer Students

At the University of California San Diego (UC San Diego), psychology is offered by the Department of Psychology. Every undergraduate belongs to one of eight undergraduate colleges (Revelle, Muir, Marshall, Warren, Roosevelt, Sixth, Seventh and Eighth), each with its own general education requirements, but you can pursue any major regardless of your college. Here is what you need to know for fall 2027 entry, based on UC San Diego and UC official information, for students at high schools in China, students at Canadian high schools (including BC and Vancouver), and transfer students.

1. Psychology majors

• Six majors from fall 2026:
  • Psychology BA;
  • Experimental Psychology BS (replacing the former Psychology BS, with an emphasis on research design and data analysis);
  • Psychology BA with a Specialization in Clinical Psychology (new in 2026);
  • Psychology BS with a Specialization in Clinical Psychology;
  • Business Psychology BS;
  • Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience BS.
  The former BS specializations in cognitive, developmental, human health, sensation and perception, and social psychology are closed to new students from fall 2026.
• Which to choose: the department suggests a BS for future clinical or research psychologists and the BA for non-research careers.
• Not capped: the department says its majors are not capped or impacted, share similar lower-division requirements and mostly allow switching at any time. The only selective first-year majors are Data Science, Engineering and Public Health.
• Honors Program: apply in fall of junior year for a two-year program of mentored research; UCSD says successful applicants typically have a 3.3 UC San Diego GPA (or 3.5 transfer GPA for first-quarter transfers) and have completed, or nearly completed, lower-division major courses.

2. First-year applications

• Dates: the UC application opens August 1, 2026; submit October 1 to November 30; portal invitations arrive in December; decisions are posted before the end of March; selected applicants may opt into the waitlist by April 15, with final waitlist decisions mid to late summer; accept by May 1; final transcripts by July 1 and AP and IB results by July 15.
• College ranking: you rank up to four undergraduate colleges on the UC application.
• Minimums: A-G courses with C or better and, for nonresidents including international students, a 3.4 GPA, calculated from 10th and 11th grade A-G courses. UCSD notes that competitive applicants go well beyond the minimum and that it receives more than 130,000 first-year applications a year.
• SAT/ACT: UC San Diego does not consider SAT or ACT scores in admission or scholarship decisions; submitted scores may only be used to meet minimum requirements or for placement.
• Review: GPA (with weight for UC-approved honors, AP and IB), the number and rigor of courses, your senior schedule, Personal Insight Questions (four of eight, 350 words each), achievements and context.

3. English requirements

If your native language is not English and you attended high school where English is not the language of instruction, you must show proficiency (minimum scores to be considered):

• TOEFL iBT 4.5 (from January 2026) or 83 for earlier tests;
• IELTS Academic 7;
• Duolingo 115;
• also AP English Language or Literature 3 or higher, or IB English A HL 5+ or SL 6+.

4. Students at high schools in China

• Chinese national curriculum: complete 12 years of education and earn the graduation certificate; all grade 12 subjects passed with C or better and an overall 3.0 equivalent. If admitted, your school sends English records for grade 9 and grades 10-12 and a stamped copy of the graduation certificate directly to UCSD; notarized translation booklets are not accepted. UCSD does not mention Gaokao results.
• A-Level curriculum: at least five IGCSE/GCSE/O-Levels and three A-Levels; after admission you must pass at least three A-Levels with C or better, and A to C grades may earn credit.
• Prepare TOEFL 4.5 (new scale), IELTS 7 or Duolingo 115 or higher.

5. Students at Canadian high schools

• British Columbia: the Secondary School Graduation Diploma (Dogwood); Ontario requires the OSSD and Quebec the DES plus a pre-university DEC.
• Grades: all grade 12 classes passed with C or better and an overall 3.0 equivalent. Admission is cleared only on receipt of the provincial Ministry of Education record and diploma; internal transcripts can be sent until then.
• Students educated in English-speaking countries do not need an English test.

6. Tuition and aid (US$)

• Tuition for students entering in 2026-27 (per quarter, three quarters a year): tuition 4,734, student services fee 462 and nonresident supplemental tuition 13,090, for 18,286 a quarter or 54,858 a year.
• Campus fees: about 1,886 a quarter including mandatory health insurance (1,065), or about 5,659 a year, plus a one-time 225 enrollment services fee and a one-time 200 visa administration fee for international students.
• Locked tuition: under UC’s Tuition Stability Plan, tuition stays flat for each entering class for up to six years. Rates for 2027-28 entrants have not been published.
• Housing, food and total cost: the full cost of attendance appears in a dynamic tool and is not listed on static pages; check UCSD Financial Aid and Scholarships.
• Aid: international students are not eligible for federal or state aid and must prove sufficient funds for their visa; UCSD notes that students whose parents are not California residents find it extremely difficult to qualify as residents for tuition.

7. Transfer students

• Dates: also October 1 to November 30; decisions by April 30; final waitlist decisions by July 31.
• Minimums: at least 60 semester (90 quarter) UC-transferable units by the end of spring, junior-level admission only; a minimum GPA of 2.4 for California residents and 2.8 for nonresidents, though admits usually exceed this; and the seven-course pattern including two English composition courses.
• Psychology: it is not a selective major, and the admissions office’s transfer major preparation list does not include it; the department advises transfers to complete statistics and research methods as soon as possible.
• English: applicants from English-medium high schools or universities can meet it with B or better in two English composition courses; others submit TOEFL 4.5, IELTS 7 or Duolingo 115 by January, taken within two years before transfer.
• Credit: up to 70 semester (105 quarter) units of lower-division credit, with subject credit beyond that; AP, IB and A-Level units are not counted in the cap. Applicants with 70+ lower-division and 20+ upper-division semester units may be considered seniors.
• Where transfers come from: more than 90% come from California community colleges, but UCSD also admits students from other UC campuses and four-year institutions. Community college students who complete Cal-GETC (or IGETC if they started before fall 2025) meet lower-division general education for every college except Revelle.

Checklist

Students at high schools in China:

• Submit the UC application by November 30, 2026, choosing a psychology major and ranking four colleges
• A 3.4 GPA in required courses at minimum (competitive applicants are well above)
• TOEFL 4.5 (new scale), IELTS 7 or Duolingo 115 or higher
• Tuition and campus fees alone are about US$60,000 a year, fully self-funded

Students at Canadian high schools (including BC and Vancouver):

• Apply by November 30; no SAT or ACT needed
• C or better in every grade 12 course; send the Ministry record after admission

Transfer students:

• Junior standing and a nonresident GPA of 2.8 or higher (the higher the better)
• Apply by November 30; decisions by April 30

Sources: UC San Diego and the University of California, First-year application requirements; First-year application review; First-year timeline; International students; Undergraduate colleges; Cost and financial aid; Transfer requirements; Transfer timeline; Psychology: new and prospective students; Psychology curriculum updates effective fall 2026; Psychology Honors Program; Psychology transfer students; 2026-27 undergraduate registration fees; UC requirements for international applicants. Information is for fall 2027 entry (fees are rates for students entering in 2026-27). Check UC San Diego and UC for the latest details.