Admissions · United States

UC Riverside Acceptance Rate: Admissions Statistics and TOEFL & IELTS Requirements

UC Riverside admitted 88.2% of first-year applicants for fall 2026: 63,958 of 72,542, according to University of California admissions data.

UC Riverside TOEFL and IELTS requirements at a glance

Minimum TOEFL iBT and IELTS Academic scores for UC Riverside
Applying for	TOEFL iBT	IELTS Academic
Undergraduate (first-year)	TOEFL iBT4.5 on the 1–6 scale for tests taken from January 2026; 80 on the 0–120 scale for tests taken before January 2026 (iBT or iBT Home Edition).	IELTS Academic6.5 or higher

Full requirements and official sources · Check your TOEFL band with a free mock test

UC Riverside's newest figure is the University of California's admit data for fall 2026. The three earlier years, and the in-state, out-of-state, international, wait-list and transfer breakdowns, come from UCR's Common Data Set, published by Institutional Research; the newest edition covers fall 2025. The page ends with the TOEFL and IELTS minimums UCR lists for international first-year applicants.

Figures read from official sources on 26 October 2026 · LingoLeap Admissions Research

UC Riverside acceptance rate by year

UC Riverside applicants, admits and acceptance rate by admission cycle
Cycle	Applicants	Admitted	Acceptance rate
Fall 2026 (UC admissions data)	72,542	63,958	88.2% source
Fall 2025 entering class	61,184	52,676	86.1% source
Fall 2024 entering class	57,714	44,356	76.9% source
Fall 2023 entering class	56,883	40,032	70.4% source

UC Riverside acceptance rate by applicant group

UC Riverside acceptance rate by admission round, college or applicant group
Group	Cycle	Rate	Detail
California residents	Fall 2025 entering class	86.2%	44,686 admitted of 51,828 source
Out-of-state (US)	Fall 2025 entering class	89.6%	2,810 admitted of 3,137 source
International	Fall 2025 entering class	83.3%	5,180 admitted of 6,219 source
California residents	Fall 2024 entering class	75.0%	36,711 admitted of 48,922 source
Out-of-state (US)	Fall 2024 entering class	91.0%	2,607 admitted of 2,864 source
International	Fall 2024 entering class	85.0%	5,038 admitted of 5,928 source
California residents	Fall 2023 entering class	68.5%	33,004 admitted of 48,180 source
Out-of-state (US)	Fall 2023 entering class	85.2%	2,372 admitted of 2,783 source
International	Fall 2023 entering class	78.6%	4,656 admitted of 5,920 source
Wait list (admitted of those who accepted a place)	Fall 2025 entering class	0.0%	0 admitted of 2,019 who accepted a place; 3,783 were offered one source
Wait list (admitted of those who accepted a place)	Fall 2024 entering class	71.8%	2,789 admitted of 3,884 who accepted a place; 7,215 were offered one source
Wait list (admitted of those who accepted a place)	Fall 2023 entering class	29.4%	1,145 admitted of 3,891 who accepted a place; 8,074 were offered one source
Yield (admits who enrolled)	Fall 2025 entering class	12.7%	6,686 enrolled of 52,676 admitted source
Yield (admits who enrolled)	Fall 2024 entering class	12.2%	5,419 enrolled of 44,356 admitted source
Yield (admits who enrolled)	Fall 2023 entering class	13.8%	5,525 enrolled of 40,032 admitted source
Transfer	Fall 2026	69.6%	10,382 admitted of 14,915; 96% of admits from California community colleges source
Transfer	Fall 2025	67.8%	9,341 admitted of 13,778 source
Transfer	Fall 2024	58.4%	7,180 admitted of 12,293 source
Transfer	Fall 2023	57.1%	6,911 admitted of 12,101 source

What the numbers mean

UC Riverside's first-year admit rate has risen sharply: 70.4% for fall 2023, 76.9% for fall 2024 and 86.1% for fall 2025 in its Common Data Set, and 88.2% for fall 2026 in University of California data. The two sources count applicants differently. For fall 2025 the UC Information Center shows 70,863 applicants and 61,312 admits (86.5%), against 61,184 and 52,676 (86.1%) in the Common Data Set, so compare the rates across the two sources, not the counts. The middle half of fall 2026 admits had a high school GPA of 3.66–4.17 on UC's scale.

California residents make up most of the pool: 51,828 of 61,184 applicants for fall 2025, admitted at 86.2%. Out-of-state US applicants were admitted at 89.6% (2,810 of 3,137) and international applicants at 83.3% (5,180 of 6,219). In fall 2023 the gap was wider, with California residents admitted at 68.5% against 85.2% out-of-state and 78.6% international. UCR's international page lists a minimum high school GPA of 3.4 for non-residents.

UCR has no early decision or early action plan: all three Common Data Set editions answer No. Its wait list varies a great deal: no one was admitted from it for fall 2025 (2,019 accepted a place), against 2,789 of 3,884 for fall 2024 and 1,145 of 3,891 for fall 2023. Yield, the share of admits who enrolled, was 12.7% for fall 2025.

Transfer applicants were admitted at 69.6% for fall 2026 (10,382 of 14,915), 67.8% for fall 2025, 58.4% for fall 2024 and 57.1% for fall 2023; 96% of fall 2026 transfer admits came from California community colleges. UCR lists the University of California's English minimums: TOEFL iBT 4.5 for tests from January 2026 (80 before then), IELTS 6.5 or Duolingo 115.

UC Riverside TOEFL and IELTS requirements

Minimums for international applicants from the university's own pages. Since 21 January 2026 TOEFL iBT reports a 1–6 band score; the notes give the older 0–120 equivalent where the university states one. Convert TOEFL and IELTS scores.

Undergraduate (first-year)

TOEFL iBT: 4.5 on the 1–6 scale for tests taken from January 2026; 80 on the 0–120 scale for tests taken before January 2026 (iBT or iBT Home Edition).

IELTS Academic: 6.5 or higher

These are the University of California minimums, restated on UCR's international page. Duolingo English Test minimum 115. The test must be taken by December of the final year of secondary school. UC does not accept IELTS One Skill Retake or MyBest TOEFL; only the highest composite score from a single sitting counts. AP, IB, ACT, SAT and college English composition results can also meet the requirement. UCR notes that a UC campus may require a higher score for admission selection.

UC Riverside Admissions: International students (English language proficiency) · checked 26 October 2026

Check your score against UC Riverside

Take a free 2026-format TOEFL mock test for a 1–6 band estimate, then compare it with the minimum above and with other universities' requirements.

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FAQ

What is UC Riverside's acceptance rate?

UC Riverside admitted 63,958 of 72,542 first-year applicants for fall 2026, an acceptance rate of 88.2%, according to University of California admissions data. UCR's Common Data Set gives 86.1% for fall 2025, 76.9% for fall 2024 and 70.4% for fall 2023.

What is UCR's international acceptance rate?

UCR admitted 5,180 of 6,219 international first-year applicants for fall 2025 (83.3%), 5,038 of 5,928 for fall 2024 (85.0%) and 4,656 of 5,920 for fall 2023 (78.6%), according to its Common Data Set.

What is UCR's out-of-state acceptance rate?

For fall 2025, UCR admitted 2,810 of 3,137 out-of-state US applicants (89.6%), against 86.2% for California residents (44,686 of 51,828). For fall 2024 the figures were 91.0% out-of-state and 75.0% in-state.

What is UCR's transfer acceptance rate?

UCR admitted 10,382 of 14,915 transfer applicants for fall 2026 (69.6%), 9,341 of 13,778 for fall 2025 (67.8%), 7,180 of 12,293 for fall 2024 (58.4%) and 6,911 of 12,101 for fall 2023 (57.1%).

What is UCR's waitlist acceptance rate?

It varies. For fall 2025 UCR offered 3,783 applicants a wait-list place and 2,019 accepted, but none were admitted. For fall 2024 it admitted 2,789 of the 3,884 who accepted a place (71.8%), and for fall 2023 1,145 of 3,891 (29.4%). UCR has no early decision or early action plan.

What TOEFL score does UC Riverside require?

UC Riverside lists a TOEFL iBT (or iBT Home Edition) minimum of 4.5 for tests taken from January 2026, and 80 on the 0–120 scale for tests taken before January 2026. Only the highest composite score from a single sitting counts; MyBest scores are not accepted.

What IELTS score does UC Riverside require?

UC Riverside lists a minimum IELTS score of 6.5, the University of California minimum. The IELTS One Skill Retake is not accepted, and the test must be taken by December of the final year of secondary school. The Duolingo English Test minimum is 115.