Working on your UC application? Find tips and inspiration here

Whether you're already working on your UC application or just getting started, here's a roundup of helpful resources and information. (Click the links below for a shortcut to each section.)

The UC application
Selecting a major
Paying for college
UC alumni outcomes
UC inspiration

The UC application

Get expert tips on how to answer the Personal Insight Questions

Are you in the midst of drafting the Personal Insight Questions on the UC application? Get expert tips on what the "PIQs" are and how to go about answering them.

Breaking down the Personal Insight Questions

Hungry for more guidance on the PIQs? Check out these YouTube videos from the UC Santa Barbara admissions team. Since there's just one application for nine campuses, the advice applies to all UCs.

How UC evaluates first-year applications

Two University of California admissions directors answer common questions about how UC campuses evaluate applications.

This data dashboard sheds light on admissions for each academic discipline

Learn about a UC data dashboard that shows how many first-year students apply to and are admitted at each campus by academic discipline. If you plan to apply to a specific major, it's information that lets you know more about the applicant pool.

Want help transferring to UC? An online hub streamlines the information you need

Thinking about transferring to UC and looking for information on how to make it happen? Find links to all the resources and planning tools you need on the UC transfer hub.

More than 77 percent of California applicants were offered UC admission for fall 2025

What are the chances you'll get into one of UC's nine top-ranked campuses? If you're a California student, there's good news.

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Selecting a major

What's in a major?

Between its nine undergraduate campuses, UC offers more than 300 majors. That's a lot of choices. Want some help thinking about majors? This interactive tool helps you connect your interests with different fields of study.

What can I do with my major?

From Entomology to Political Science, get the lowdown on different majors and the careers they lead to. Take the Major Quiz to help pinpoint your interests.

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Paying for college

How much is UC going to cost?

Interested in going to a UC, but unsure of how much it'll actually cost? A UC expert shares why everyone should apply for financial aid.

10 tips on financial aid at the University of California

Students looking at college sometimes assume they can't afford it. But did you know that nearly 70 percent of UC undergrads get gift aid that doesn't need to be repaid? And more than half of California undergrads get enough gift aid to cover all systemwide tuition and fees.

More than half of UC transfer students pay no tuition: 8 little-known facts about paying for UC

Transfer students are often surprised at how much financial help UC provides to offset college costs. In fact, UC has one of the best financial aid programs in the country - the idea is to put that degree within reach, no matter who you are or where you're starting from.

Is college worth it? For University of California grads, the data offers an undeniable 'Yes!'

Is college really worth all the time, effort and money? Not only do 67% of UC graduates enter the workforce with no student debt, but their degrees deliver an array of benefits, from making more money to living longer and being happier.

Yes I can - and you can too

"Receiving financial aid made me realize that going to college was totally doable." Meet five alumni and current students and find out how they made their way to UC and got financial aid to pay for their education in these short videos.

A UC degree launched Miguel Tamayo's life as an aerospace engineer. Here's how he paid for college.

Growing up in Los Angeles, Miguel Tamayo dreamed of attending the University of California, but was scared that he would need to take out a ton of loans. Financial aid changed everything.

Transfer student Alexis Acosta followed her curiosity to UC. Here's how she paid for college.

When Alexis Acosta was ready to transfer to UC from community college, she worried about how she would fit in and how she would pay for it all. It turned out there were a lot of resources to help.

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UC alumni outcomes

What will that UC degree get you? 25 years of data show UC alums in high-growth careers across industry sectors

UC degrees fuel high-growth careers, often in the industries that have made California the world's fourth-largest economy, including biotech, computing, engineering, finance, education, health care, and the entertainment industry.

Next up for UC's Class of 2025? Building California's brilliant future

Meet a few of UC's most recent alumni and find out where they're going next.

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UC inspiration

Discover your place at the University of California

Across our nine unique undergraduate campuses, UC students learn to ask questions, push boundaries, transform themselves and prepare to shape our collective future. Join a community of thinkers, explorers and dreamers - find your place at UC.

What makes a UC education stand apart? Opportunities for hands-on learning and undergraduate research

Undergraduates at all UC campuses roll up their sleeves to learn by doing. Experiential learning beyond the classroom lets students go deeper, connecting their education to real work in the field.

The UC experience: Classes, clubs and programs you can only find here

There's so much to explore in college. Get a glimpse of some of the thousands of unique experiences that await students across UC's nine undergraduate campuses.

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