How UC Weighs Majors in Applications

If you're applying to college using the Common App, chances are you've come across your "preferred major" section that lets you rank a few majors you're interested in. Most schools consider this, but it's not a deciding factor for admission. However, the UC Application is different, with more weight placed on your major and alternate major selections. This article breaks down how the major selection system works and how you can maximize your chances with it.

System Overview

On the UC app form, you choose a major and an alternate major. You have to be strategic in this choice because the UC designates a few types of majors: capped majors, high demand majors, and selective majors. Capped majors means that the school has a hard block on how many students they accept for a certain major. High demand majors are extremely popular and are most often selected straight out of high school, with transferring to such a major being substantially more difficult once at the university. Selective majors are the majors that require separate consideration and sometimes extra profiles for applications, like engineering, nursing, or business.

Some majors close early for selections, so be sure to check yours here: https://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/campuses-majors/majors/

The good news is that the only hard cap for 2026 is UC Santa Cruz's Computer Science major. However, take a look at the following lists to see what majors are high demand and selective.

High Demand - UC Berkeley (Letters & Science)

• Art Practice

• Operations Research & Management Science (Analytics)

• Political Economy

• Public Health

• Social Welfare

Selective

UC Davis

• Computer Science

• Design

• Psychology

• Landscape Architecture

UC Irvine

• Biological Sciences

• Business Administration

• Criminology, Law, and Society

• Computer Science

• Mechanical Engineering

• Nursing Science

• Political Science

• Psychology (B.S.)

• Public Health Sciences

UC Santa Barbara (audition-based selective majors)

• Dance B.A.

• Music B.M.

UC San Diego (Selective / Screened majors)

• Data Science

• Public Health

• Bioengineering

• Chemical Engineering

• Computer Science & Engineering

• Electrical & Computer Engineering

• Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering

• Structural Engineering

• NanoEngineering

A word to the wise, the following majors are not specifically restricted, but they are very popular, making them more competitive overall: Biology, Psychology, Communications (UCLA), Chemistry, and Economics (depending on the campus).

The good news is that if your dream major isn't on this list, it's far more likely you will get accepted with your first choice major. If you're interested in these majors that come with a "warning label", read on to find out the best strategies for application.

Strategies

If you're interested in one of these selective majors, you need to chops to make it in. UCs are competitive overall, but some of these majors (particularly with Berkeley and most Engineering programs) are tiptoeing into Ivy League level acceptance difficulty. You need to demonstrate that you have concrete skills in these areas already with advanced coursework and ideally extracurricular and personal projects to demonstrate these skills. Additionally, you need to have a crystal clear PIQ narrative to show why this major is it for you.

I know you're thinking that comp sci is a great money-making major, or that business seems super easy, but if you want money or ease, you should look at different majors at your school of interest. It's not worth getting into a competition you don't have a chance of winning if you don't already have some distinction in the competitive areas. Admissions officers filter through thousands of applications in a week; they can see if you're just "in it for the money" or don't really care about what you say you plan to study. A phony candidate will get passed over for the passionate one every time, so when choosing your major and writing your PIQs, be honest about what you want to do with your studies.

Another strategy to use if you want to get into a competitive major is applying to the less competitive UCs. Riverside, Santa Cruz, and Merced have the least overall demand for these majors by volume, so it's worth a shot here if you want to go for engineering, business, and even pre-med biology.

Most schools also consider your alternate major as part of your narrative, so having it be somewhat consistent with your existing skill profile and PIQ narrative is going to be your best option. UCLA and Berkeley rarely, if ever, consider you for an alternate major, so choose wisely!

Also, another thing to consider is that most careers outside of engineering and medicine/nursing are very flexible with the undergrad degree you get. You can still start a business with a degree in economics instead of business admin, and you can work in tech with data and information science instead of comp sci. Think of your long term career goals and what the broader skills you need to get there look like. Do you need research experience? Technical expertise? Big picture thinking? Try finding majors that develop these skills overall instead of going for the most obvious track.

Another workaround for getting your desired skills in a certain area is minoring in a more competitive field. That way, you get the core skills without the admissions competitiveness. Obviously, try to pair the minor with a major adjacent to your desired career path, but for programs with minors available, you can do 1 or 2 of those to bolster your skill sets.

Final Thoughts

The UC major system is strict for some, and helpful for others. The most important thing is to choose a major that aligns with the skills you need for the future, not just the obvious labels you might first think of. Additionally, if you elect for a competitive first choice major, do so with concrete skills and experience in the area, and do so for the first application because transferring will be even more difficult! Finally, the best students are wise and take opportunities where they have them: don't be afraid of the less prestigious UCs if you get in a competitive major there and nowhere else, and don't write off minoring in your desired subject to get your career in the field you want. Remember, skills outweigh labels in the real world.

If you're not sure which majors to pick or want to improve your narrative, schedule a call with one of our counselors today!