As a "giant" among American public universities, the University of California (UC) remains a top-tier choice for students globally, offering world-class academic resources, strong career prospects, and an exceptional return on investment. As UC campuses continue to climb in global rankings, the difficulty of admission is rising in tandem. While students await the main wave of admission decisions in March, the University of California has officially updated its Fall 2026 application data . The report covers overall and campus-specific data for freshmen, transfer students, in-state, out-of-state, and international applicants. This cycle, the UC system received a record-breaking 251,907 total applications . While this number may seem daunting, a closer look at the data reveals that the real story isn't just about increased difficulty—it’s about a structural shift  in the applicant pool. Today, we analyze the Fall 2026 trends across the nine UC campuses to help families navigate the road ahead. Overall UC Application Trends According to the UC Office of the President (UCOP), the system received 251,907 applications  for Fall 2026, a 0.8% increase over last year. Freshman Applicants:  205,431 (+0.1%) International Applicants:  32,070 (-0.1%) Transfer Applicants:  46,476 (+3%) The transfer segment is clearly the primary driver behind this year's record-breaking numbers, rising from 44,666 in Fall 2025 to 46,476  this cycle. Freshman application data has reached a "high-level plateau"—it is no longer surging wildly but remains consistently at a historic peak. Meanwhile, the transfer track is becoming significantly more crowded. Campus-Specific Highlights: The Most Popular Choices Among the nine campuses, UCLA  remains the "most popular" with 146,000 applications, followed closely by UCSD  (141,000) and UCB  (133,000). UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles): With over 146,000 freshman applicants, UCLA saw 24,718 international students (17% of the pool). Last year's international acceptance rate was a tight 6%, and we expect similar selectivity this year. UCB (University of California, Berkeley): Berkeley received 133,128 freshman applications, including 25,220 from international students (19%). Notably, UCB’s new Electrical & Computer Engineering  program has provided a fresh option for Engineering applicants, potentially easing the bottleneck in the traditional EECS track. UCSD (University of California, San Diego): UCSD’s freshman application volume now exceeds Berkeley’s. It is also the top choice for international students , receiving 25,480 international applications—more than any other UC campus. Last year’s international admit rate was a friendly 28%. Other Campuses: UCI  (125k+), UCSB  (108k+), and UCD  (104k+) all surpassed the 100,000-application milestone. These three remain very welcoming to international students, with acceptance rates often exceeding 40%. Rising Proportion of Low-Income Applicants A significant structural shift occurred this year: the proportion of applicants from low-income families rose from 41.4% to 43.6% . This reflects the UC system's commitment to its public mission of educational equity. For applicants, this means that personal background, social contribution, and public value narratives  are becoming increasingly important in the holistic review process, rather than just academic metrics alone. Looking Ahead: Five Key Characteristics of UC Admissions As we move toward the mid-March release of decisions, several trends have become clear: Application Volume Stability:  Numbers have stabilized at a record-high plateau. High Selectivity:  Competition remains intense and stable. Equity Policy Weight:  Family background and social impact are carrying more weight. Transfer Surge:  The transfer path is heating up significantly. Diverse Environments:  A multicultural student body is the new normal. While UCB and UCLA remain the most difficult to enter, campuses like UCSD  are catching up, with its Computer Science and Engineering thresholds nearing those of the "Big Two." Strategic Advice:  * UCD  is excellent for Biology and Agriculture. UCI  holds a strong reputation for Business. UCSB  excels in Materials Science. For those seeking higher ROI or specialized niches, UCSC’s  Game Design and UCR’s  Business School remain highly competitive yet accessible options.

From February through March, the U.S. K-12 admissions cycle reaches its peak. Currently, top-tier private day schools have begun releasing their decisions. At InAmerica, we are celebrating a continuous wave of offers, with many of our students securing placements at prestigious institutions. However, because the competition for elite private schools is incredibly fierce, it is inevitable that some excellent candidates will find themselves on a Waitlist . What is a Waitlist? Don't Panic! A Waitlist status means that after reviewing your application, the school recognizes your strength and potential but cannot offer direct admission due to limited space. Essentially, the Waitlist acts as a "backup pool." If an admitted student chooses not to enroll, the school will select candidates from the Waitlist to fill those vacancies. Being waitlisted is not  a reflection of your worth. In fact, top schools often have far more qualified applicants than they have seats. Factors such as a higher-than-expected yield (the percentage of admitted students who enroll), low student attrition, or an exceptionally competitive applicant pool this year can all influence the decision. If you find yourself in this position, do not be discouraged—there are still proactive steps we can take to secure an acceptance. What Should You Do After Being Waitlisted? Typically, waitlisted students may not know if a spot has opened up until after April 10th , as schools must wait for admitted students to make their final decisions. Here is your strategic action plan: 1. Formally Accept Your Spot Immediately Do not overlook the instructions in your decision email. If you remain deeply interested in the school, ensure you accept your place on the Waitlist as soon as possible. Usually, you only have 24 to 48 hours  to respond, as many other students are also waiting for an opportunity. 2. Analyze the Reason for the Waitlist On one hand, while the school appreciates your credentials, you may have lacked a specific "spark" that set you apart. In this case, you should work with your consultant to communicate with the school, adjust your materials, and highlight new achievements. On the other hand, the school may believe you are overqualified and fear they are not your First Choice . Schools care deeply about their Yield —the ratio of admitted students who actually enroll. If this is your dream school, you must reinforce your commitment and demonstrate why you are a perfect "culture fit" to boost your chances. 3. Strengthen Your Profile with New Materials During this period, continue to strive for academic excellence. If the school requests updated transcripts, ensure your grades remain stable or show an upward trend. Participate in extracurricular activities that enrich your profile and focus on developing "soft skills" such as communication, leadership, and teamwork. 4. Follow Up Consistently—But Respectfully You cannot remain passive, but you must avoid "over-communicating." Provide meaningful updates, such as recent awards, improved grades, or new projects. Constant, repetitive inquiries without new information can often be counterproductive. 5. Leverage Resources and "The Right Connections" To stand out in the waitlist pool, efficiency is key. It is important to understand the "unspoken rules" of admissions: the opinion of the Admissions Officer is paramount when choosing between students with similar scores. Building a professional bridge between a specialized agency and the admissions office can be the deciding factor in whether a student is "plucked" from the pool. 6. Maintain a Plan B Many schools do not begin pulling from the Waitlist until April or June, and the process can sometimes last through the summer into September. If you decide to wait, you must coordinate a Plan B . Families often face a dilemma: being waitlisted at a dream school while having to commit to another school before the waitlist results are out. This requires a serious strategic discussion with your consultant.

During this application cycle, thousands of students across the U.S. have received their college admission decisions faster than ever, thanks to AI technology. In recent years, as many universities transitioned to test-optional policies, the barrier to entry lowered, leading to an explosion in application volumes. This has placed unprecedented pressure on admissions departments. Today, we take a closer look at which U.S. universities are integrating AI into their admissions process, why they are doing it, and what this means for the future of applications. Which Schools are Using AI to Read Essays? 1. Virginia Tech Virginia Tech is currently the most vocal university regarding its use of AI in the application process. According to ABC News , the university officially launched a self-developed AI essay review system for the Fall 2025 cycle, a project three years in the making. "Humans get tired; sometimes they are in a good mood, sometimes they aren't. AI doesn't get tired, it doesn't get angry, and it doesn't have 'off' days. AI is consistent," said Juan Espinoza, Associate Vice Provost for Enrollment Management at Virginia Tech. He noted that the AI reader is primarily used to confirm essay scores. Under the new system, the AI model—trained on historical data and scoring rubrics—acts as one of the readers. If there is a significant discrepancy between the AI and a human reader on a 12-point scale, a second human intervenes. Like many universities, Virginia Tech saw a surge in applications after going test-optional. For a freshman class of 7,000, the school received a record 57,622 applications for Fall 2025. Even with 200 human readers, the school struggled to keep up, leading to delayed decisions in the past. The AI tool can scan approximately 250,000 essays in under an hour, whereas a human takes an average of two minutes per essay. Espinoza stated that, based on current usage, "We’ve saved at least 8,000 hours." 2. California Institute of Technology (Caltech) Caltech has introduced a sophisticated new step in its selection process specifically designed to verify the authenticity of research projects submitted by students. High schoolers submitting research projects record videos where they are interviewed by an AI-generated voice. The AI asks a series of questions regarding their papers and experiments, similar to a thesis defense. These recordings are then reviewed by faculty and admissions officers, who also evaluate the student’s test scores, transcripts, and personal statements. "This is an authenticity test—we want to know if you actually did the work," said Ashley Pallie, Director of Admissions at Caltech. "We want to bring the student's authentic voice back into the process; it’s a way to make admissions more credible." In other words, they want to determine if an applicant truly conducted the research or simply paid for a "ghostwritten" project. Pallie also noted that AI-assisted technology helped the university screen about 10% of early applicants, with plans to expand its use in 2026. 3. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) UNC has actually been using AI since 2019, though it took five years for the news to become widely known. Vice Provost Stephen Farmer stated that the "PEG" automated scoring system is often more consistent than human scoring. However, he pointed out that if a human reader disagrees with the system’s score, they can override it. According to a report by GradPilot , UNC spent nearly $200,000 on the AI scoring system. After the student newspaper, The Daily Tar Heel , exposed the practice earlier this year, the backlash from parents and applicants forced the school to update its website, clarifying that "all applications undergo a comprehensive holistic review by professionally trained human evaluators." 4. Stony Brook University (SUNY) Stony Brook uses AI not only to review transcripts but also to "highlight" key information. The AI summarizes essays and recommendation letters, extracting vital details that admissions officers should notice. Richard Beaty, Associate Vice Provost for Enrollment Management, gave an example: if a student’s grades dipped in their sophomore year, it might be due to a serious illness, a death in the family, or having to care for younger siblings. While these details are often hidden in various corners of the application, AI helps pull this context forward so admissions officers see the "why" behind the numbers rather than just cold data. 5. Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) Georgia Tech is launching an AI tool to review transcripts for transfer students, replacing the manual data entry process. "AI will completely solve these issues," said Rick Clark, Executive Director of Strategic Student Access. The school hopes to expand this service to all high school transcripts soon. Georgia Tech is also testing AI for other uses, such as identifying low-income students who qualify for federal Pell Grants but may not be aware of it. What Does AI Review Mean for Applicants? The trend of U.S. universities adopting AI stems from a simple fact: they are overwhelmed. With test-optional policies driving a massive increase in applications, the workload for admissions offices has skyrocketed. The efficiency of AI is undeniable—reviewing 250,000 essays in an hour is a task 200 humans couldn't finish in months. According to the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), the most common use of AI remains preliminary screening and document organization. While the industry continues to discuss ethical and compliance boundaries, the specific limits are currently decided by individual institutions. For most schools, AI acts as a "checking and accelerating" tool—it ensures applications are complete and courses meet requirements before a human officer conducts the formal assessment. So, how does this affect you? 1. A "Perfect" Essay Might Be "Dangerous" A Kaplan survey found that 50% of admissions officers have a negative view of AI involvement in essay writing. Many noted they now look specifically for stylistic consistency. If your essay reads like a native speaker but your English proficiency elsewhere in the application clearly doesn't match, it raises red flags. 2. Authentic Voice Better Than the Fancy Vocabulary Princeton University’s Dean of Admission put it clearly: "We aren't looking for perfection; we are looking for authenticity." They want students to write confidently in their own voices. Caltech’s official guide also states: "Our supplemental prompts are meant to spark your curiosity... Do not let a reliance on AI take that opportunity away." When materials are screened by machines, clarity, logic, and authenticity become paramount. In a hybrid machine-human process, inconsistencies, gaps in coursework, or hollow content are identified more quickly than ever. AI involvement in admissions is an irreversible trend. While it currently focuses on essays, next year it may expand to activity lists, recommendation letters, and interviews. For students currently preparing their applications, the most important takeaway is this: No matter who is reading your essay, sincerity remains the best strategy.  Writing that is perhaps a bit "raw" or "unpolished," but truly records your thoughts and growth, is what is most likely to move a human—or an AI. After all, AI is trained by humans; it has learned to recognize the very things that make a human admissions officer take notice. Instead of worrying about whether an AI will misjudge you, focus your energy on writing an essay that truly belongs to you.

View case studies that highlight the educational journey of successful students, from their K-12 education to college admissions. Read more here. InAmerica International Since 2010 Case Studies K-12 College Graduate student Schedule Free Consultation Reserve Your Personalized Session To arrange your personalized session, kindly fill out this form and one of our dedicated advisors will reach out to you within one business day. Kindly remember that a parent or legal guardian's presence is required. First name* Last name* Parent/Guardian Choose one School Grade* Email* Phone* Subject Write a message Yes, subscribe me to your newsletter. Submit

Discover the inspiring journey and offerings of InAmerica Education, where we focus on providing top-notch educational consulting services. InAmerica International Since 2010 Press & News BACK InAmerica Founder and Managing Director Lilly Yu’s 10th Anniversary Gala Speech The InAmerica story began more than ten years ago in a college dorm room. An undergraduate from Zhejiang began her path of entrepreneurship by starting a small test prep company. At that time she was 20 years old. It was a winding path that took her first to the Graduate School of Education at University of Pennsylvania, then to the City of New York. InAmerica 的故事始于十年前的一间大学宿舍，一位来自浙江的本科生通过创办一个小型的考试辅导机构开始了她的创业之路。当时她只有20岁。这是一条曲折却收获颇丰的道路，带着她走进了宾夕法尼亚大学的教育研究生学院，然后来到了纽约。 What has changed in the past ten years? 过去十年改变了什么，发生了什么？ What has changed is that InAmerica is no longer that one-person shop looking for their first clientele. InAmerica education now has dozens of team members and hundreds of contractors around the world, and has assisted thousands of families, with every part of a child’s education - from pre-k (our youngest student being just 1.5 years old) all the way through to graduate school, alongside offering a variety of enrichment programs including research opportunities, internships, personal projects, tutoring programs, summer camps, and more. InAmerica 发生了巨变，不再是一个单打独斗的个人公司，已成长为拥有数十名团队成员和遍布全球上百家合作方的全球化教育咨询公司，已累计协助数以千计的家庭达成升学目标。我们助力孩子的每一个成长阶段，包括从幼儿的学前教育（最小的学生只有1岁半）一直到研究生阶段，提供了科学规划方案的同时提供丰富的背景提升方案，包括科研机会、实习、个人项目、辅导课程、夏令营等。 But what hasn’t changed in the past ten years is the dedication to help each child, and every family, find their best school fit and right education path. 但在过去的十年中InAmerica始终没有改变初心：致力于帮助每个孩子和每个家庭找到最适合的学校和教育路径。 What hasn’t changed is how rewarding it feels not only seeing the joy of a family receiving their dream offer, but also the transformation years after a child enrolls at the school, and more, the formation of their characters and personalities. 我们不仅共同感受到了家庭收到他们梦寐以求的录取通知书时的喜悦， 更重要的是见证了孩子在进入梦校后的成长，以及个性和性格的成功塑造，这份成功教育规划所带来的成就感也从未改变。 And of course, what hasn’t changed is the optimism that every challenge is an opportunity for positive changes, and growth. 当然，我们保持乐观的态度也从未动摇，每一个挑战都是一个积极变化和成长的机会。 I want to thank our InAmerica team members and wonderful partners, whether you joined us for years or just recently. Thank you for empowering InAmerica’s mission to achieve the best educational outcome for every child, which can be a stressful time for many families. From a 6am meeting, to finishing up an essay at 11pm. Everyone of you contributes to the growth. 我要感谢我们的 InAmerica 优秀的团队成员和各位合作伙伴，无论您是多年前还是最近加入我们。感谢你们认可并坚守InAmerica的教育使命，陪伴许多家庭共度这充满压力的时期，为每个孩子实现最佳的教育结果而努力。无论是早上6点的会议还是到晚上11点的论文修改，各位同仁为 InAmerica 的成长都做出了竭诚的贡献。 And I want to of course thank our clients, without whom none of this would be possible. We cannot express in words how much we appreciate your support and your trust. Thank you for allowing us to be part of your children’s educational journey. 同时，我要感谢 InAmerica 的所有客户，没有你们，就没有InAmerica今天所取得的一切成就。真的无法用言语来表达对你们所给予的支持和信任的感激之情。感谢你们让 InAmerica 成为孩子教育旅程的一部分。 From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank everyone for being part of the InAmerica family. Thank you for being there as we lead the charge to a brighter future in admissions preparations and educational consulting. 从我的内心深处，我要感谢成为 InAmerica 大家庭一员的每个人。是你们长久以来的认可与支持，使 InAmerica 的升学规划和教育咨询可以更顺利的引导同学们走向更光明的未来。 This is just the first chapter for InAmerica, and we are just getting started. 首个十年，只是 InAmerica 的第一章，我们才刚刚开始，未来还有更长远的路要走。 First, we are not content with resting on our laurels - we will constantly seek to provide an even higher level of services on a larger scale. 首先，我们不仅仅只安于现状，我们将不断寻求在更大范围上提供更高水平的服务。 Second, we will continue adding new members to our team, those who believe in our mission and culture of excellence, customer centricity, and diversity. 其次，InAmerica 将持续增加新的血液，欢迎那些愿意践行和认可 InAmerica 卓越文化和使命、以客户为中心，并拥有多元化背景的有志之士的加入。 Lastly, InAmerica will become a thought leader and a trusted authority in the field of education consulting so that we can truly espouse our values and beliefs that every child can shine and have unlimited potential. 最后，InAmerica 将成为教育咨询领域的思想领袖和值得信赖的权威公司，因此我们可以更广泛的传播 InAmerica 的教育价值观和教育信念，即每个孩子都可以闪耀光芒，并拥有无限潜力。 We will be the solid bedrock during this unstable time, and become the foundation for a brighter future for not just InAmerica students, but the larger community and society as a whole. 在这个瞬息万变、充满挑战的时代，我们不仅是 InAmerica 学生求学成才之路上最坚实的基石，同时目标成为更广泛社区和整个社会未来教育的基石。 Together we will write the next chapters of the InAmerica story. May the next ten years, and the many ten years to come be just as rewarding as or more regarding than our first. 我相信，我们将共同谱写 InAmerica 的新一篇章，携手踏上充满希望的未来，开创更多积极的可能性。在未来的十年甚至许多个十年，我们也将如第一个十年一样，收获颇丰，并相信未来一定能获得更多成就。 让我们共同期待下一个十年、愿我们初心不变 愿我们归来仍是少年。

The InAmerica Research Project, led by our Enrichment Department, empowers students to explore academic interests through guided, in-depth research. With mentorship from expert advisors, students develop critical thinking, analytical, and presentation skills, producing original projects that enhance their learning experience and strengthen their academic profiles. 2020-2023 Publication Summary Search