diff --git a/db/external_sst_file_ingestion_job.cc b/db/external_sst_file_ingestion_job.cc
index 04d0685413a..b85bce11e91 100644
--- a/db/external_sst_file_ingestion_job.cc
+++ b/db/external_sst_file_ingestion_job.cc
@@ -886,16 +886,16 @@ Status ExternalSstFileIngestionJob::AssignLevelAndSeqnoForIngestedFile(
     SequenceNumber* assigned_seqno) {
   Status status;
   *assigned_seqno = 0;
-  if (force_global_seqno) {
+  if (force_global_seqno || files_overlap_) {
     *assigned_seqno = last_seqno + 1;
-    if (compaction_style == kCompactionStyleUniversal || files_overlap_) {
+    // If files overlap, we have to ingest them at level 0.
+    if (files_overlap_) {
+      file_to_ingest->picked_level = 0;
       if (ingestion_options_.fail_if_not_bottommost_level) {
         status = Status::TryAgain(
             "Files cannot be ingested to Lmax. Please make sure key range of "
             "Lmax does not overlap with files to ingest.");
-        return status;
       }
-      file_to_ingest->picked_level = 0;
       return status;
     }
   }
@@ -947,12 +947,6 @@ Status ExternalSstFileIngestionJob::AssignLevelAndSeqnoForIngestedFile(
       target_level = lvl;
     }
   }
-  // If files overlap, we have to ingest them at level 0 and assign the newest
-  // sequence number
-  if (files_overlap_) {
-    target_level = 0;
-    *assigned_seqno = last_seqno + 1;
-  }
 
   if (ingestion_options_.fail_if_not_bottommost_level &&
       target_level < cfd_->NumberLevels() - 1) {
diff --git a/db/external_sst_file_test.cc b/db/external_sst_file_test.cc
index cc808d496a5..c00ac78ab97 100644
--- a/db/external_sst_file_test.cc
+++ b/db/external_sst_file_test.cc
@@ -1848,6 +1848,92 @@ TEST_P(ExternalSSTFileTest, IngestFileWithGlobalSeqnoAssignedLevel) {
   VerifyDBFromMap(true_data, &kcnt, false);
 }
 
+TEST_P(ExternalSSTFileTest, IngestFileWithGlobalSeqnoAssignedUniversal) {
+  bool write_global_seqno = std::get<0>(GetParam());
+  bool verify_checksums_before_ingest = std::get<1>(GetParam());
+  Options options = CurrentOptions();
+  options.num_levels = 5;
+  options.compaction_style = kCompactionStyleUniversal;
+  options.disable_auto_compactions = true;
+  DestroyAndReopen(options);
+  std::vector<std::pair<std::string, std::string>> file_data;
+  std::map<std::string, std::string> true_data;
+
+  // Write 200 -> 250 into the bottommost level
+  for (int i = 200; i <= 250; i++) {
+    ASSERT_OK(Put(Key(i), "bottommost"));
+    true_data[Key(i)] = "bottommost";
+  }
+  CompactRangeOptions cro;
+  cro.bottommost_level_compaction = BottommostLevelCompaction::kForce;
+  ASSERT_OK(db_->CompactRange(cro, nullptr, nullptr));
+  ASSERT_EQ("0,0,0,0,1", FilesPerLevel());
+
+  // Take a snapshot to enforce global sequence number.
+  const Snapshot* snap = db_->GetSnapshot();
+
+  // Insert 100 -> 200 into the memtable
+  for (int i = 100; i <= 200; i++) {
+    ASSERT_OK(Put(Key(i), "memtable"));
+    true_data[Key(i)] = "memtable";
+  }
+
+  // Insert 0 -> 20 using AddFile
+  file_data.clear();
+  for (int i = 0; i <= 20; i++) {
+    file_data.emplace_back(Key(i), "L4");
+  }
+
+  ASSERT_OK(GenerateAndAddExternalFile(
+      options, file_data, -1, true, write_global_seqno,
+      verify_checksums_before_ingest, false, false, &true_data));
+
+  // This file don't overlap with anything in the DB, will go to L4
+  ASSERT_EQ("0,0,0,0,2", FilesPerLevel());
+
+  // Insert 80 -> 130 using AddFile
+  file_data.clear();
+  for (int i = 80; i <= 130; i++) {
+    file_data.emplace_back(Key(i), "L0");
+  }
+  ASSERT_OK(GenerateAndAddExternalFile(
+      options, file_data, -1, true, write_global_seqno,
+      verify_checksums_before_ingest, false, false, &true_data));
+
+  // This file overlap with the memtable, so it will flush it and add
+  // it self to L0
+  ASSERT_EQ("2,0,0,0,2", FilesPerLevel());
+
+  // Insert 30 -> 50 using AddFile
+  file_data.clear();
+  for (int i = 30; i <= 50; i++) {
+    file_data.emplace_back(Key(i), "L4");
+  }
+  ASSERT_OK(GenerateAndAddExternalFile(
+      options, file_data, -1, true, write_global_seqno,
+      verify_checksums_before_ingest, false, false, &true_data));
+
+  // This file don't overlap with anything in the DB and fit in L4 as well
+  ASSERT_EQ("2,0,0,0,3", FilesPerLevel());
+
+  // Insert 10 -> 40 using AddFile
+  file_data.clear();
+  for (int i = 10; i <= 40; i++) {
+    file_data.emplace_back(Key(i), "L3");
+  }
+  ASSERT_OK(GenerateAndAddExternalFile(
+      options, file_data, -1, true, write_global_seqno,
+      verify_checksums_before_ingest, false, false, &true_data));
+
+  // This file overlap with files in L4, we will ingest it into the last
+  // non-overlapping and non-empty level, in this case, it's L0.
+  ASSERT_EQ("3,0,0,0,3", FilesPerLevel());
+
+  size_t kcnt = 0;
+  VerifyDBFromMap(true_data, &kcnt, false);
+  db_->ReleaseSnapshot(snap);
+}
+
 TEST_P(ExternalSSTFileTest, IngestFileWithGlobalSeqnoMemtableFlush) {
   Options options = CurrentOptions();
   DestroyAndReopen(options);