The SAT and applying to UC schools

Guys, I really, really want to get into a UC school. I've heard varying stuff about how they consider SAT scores. Are they a big factor? What's the average SAT score of admitted students?

To clear up some misperceptions, as of the 2024-2025 application cycle, UC schools, including UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC Irvine, UCLA, UC Merced, UC Riverside, UC San Diego, UC Santa Barbara, and UC Santa Cruz, have decided to become test-blind. This means that they no longer consider SAT or ACT scores in the admissions process at all.

Since they’re test-blind, these schools won’t have a middle 50% score range for the SAT. Therefore, the concept of an "average SAT score" for admitted students does not apply for this application cycle at UC schools. Remember, your GPA, essays, extracurricular activities, and other factors are way more important in your application.

The new policy was implemented to make the admissions process more equitable, by not giving an advantage to students who have the resources to prepare for and retake standardized tests multiple times. So even if you have SAT scores, they won't be a factor in your UC application, and you don’t need to worry about them. Instead, focus on the other important parts of your application like your academic performance, essays, and extra-curricular activities. These are the sections where you'll stand out to the UC admissions committee and show that you'll do well at their schools.