Is UCLA harder to get into than Penn State for undergraduate admissions?

The biggest practical difference is that UCLA is one of the most selective large public universities in the country, while Penn State is selective but notably more accessible for a broader range of applicants. UCLA gets an enormous application volume, uses a highly competitive holistic review, and is especially tough for popular majors. Penn State also receives many applications, but in a general undergraduate comparison, it is not as hard to get into as UCLA.

So yes, UCLA is harder to get into than Penn State for undergraduate admissions overall. That is true even before getting into major-by-major differences. For many students, UCLA belongs in the reach category, whereas Penn State is more often a target or possible target depending on grades, curriculum strength, and residency.

A few details help explain why. UCLA does not consider test scores in admission, so the academic record, course rigor, activities, and context matter a lot, and the applicant pool is exceptionally strong. Penn State admissions can also vary by campus, program, and entry term, which can make it a little more flexible in practice than UCLA’s main-campus process.

Major choice still matters. At UCLA, programs like engineering, business economics, and some life science pathways can be especially competitive. At Penn State, certain direct-entry programs can also be harder than the university overall, but the baseline level of selectivity is still usually below UCLA’s.