University of California

Should a high school student apply to UC as a freshman or transfer student after high school graduation if he or she has concurrently attended community college?

As long as the student does not enroll in a regular session of the community college (or other institution of higher learning) after high school graduation, that student would apply as a freshman. If the student plans to continue taking community college courses after high school graduation, he or she will be considered a transfer student.

If an applicant is taking concurrent classes at two community colleges, or at a high school and a community college, can he report classes at both institutions?

Yes. The student should list information for both institutions, including the dates of attendance, even if they overlap. In answer to the question "Is this your current or most recent school?" the student should enter "yes" for the college where he has the most units, or for his high school if he is applying as a freshman, and enter all coursework completed or in progress at both institutions.

When a high school student repeats a course, how should he and the school report the two courses?

The student must self-report the grades for both courses on the application, and we will determine which course and grade will be used in the GPA calculation. Schools should follow their own or their district's policy in recording grades on the student's transcript.

If a student withdraws from a community college course, does she still need to report it on her UC application?

Yes. Students should report all coursework as it appears on their transcripts.

Should freshman applicants enter all courses taken or only those that are on their school's UC-certified course list?

Students should enter courses that appear on their school's UC-certified course list. Students who have attended more than one high school should list courses taken from each school's course list. Transferable community college courses and/or community college courses that meet an “a-g” requirement should also be listed. Students can list non-"a-g" courses in the Activities & Awards section of the application.

Our high school's data-management system attaches summer school to the previous year's courses on the transcript. Would a UC-required course taken between ninth and 10th grade still be counted for admission?

The student should report the course under "10th grade" even if it appears on the transcript as a ninth-grade course. It will earn credit toward the subject requirement and be used in calculating the GPA.

In contrast, courses taken in the ninth grade earn credit toward the subject requirement but are not used in calculating the GPA.

If the language other than English requirement is waived for a high school senior because he satisfied it with the SAT Subject Test, an AP exam or formal schooling in a foreign language in another country, how should he indicate that on the application?

If the student doesn't enter coursework showing that he has fulfilled the "a-g" requirements, he will receive an error message. When that happens, he should check the box that indicates he is aware of the possible deficiency (even though it is not a subject deficiency). In the additional comments box in the Academic History section, he should report that he has fulfilled the language other than English requirement through one of the alternatives you mention. When UC evaluators see the student's test scores, they will note that the requirement has been met. 

If a student takes a community college course in a language other than English, but has already satisfied UC's requirement in this subject area with coursework or documented proficiency, and the high school did not include the course on its transcript, is the student still required to report this extra course and grade?

Applicants are required to report coursework from all institutions they have attended. Failure to submit complete information may jeopardize an applicant's chances for admission, and will result in the cancellation of an admission offer if it later becomes known that the applicant did not do so, even if he or she withdrew from a course before a grade was earned.

One of my students spent his junior year abroad and received IB grades. How do you convert them into letter grades?

There is no need to convert them into letter grades. In the application, the student should select "Other" for Grading System and then enter those grades manually for each course. He can use the Additional Comments box in the Academic History section to explain the grading system.

The admissions office at each campus has experienced international specialists who will evaluate the student's foreign coursework. They are knowledgeable about the different grading systems and methods of reporting coursework in other countries.

If a student is denied a fee waiver on the application but is eligible for a College Board fee waiver, what should he do?

If the student has applied and is denied the fee waiver, he should indicate that he wants to pay by check. When he receives a bill from the application processing service, he should send the College Board fee waiver to the address provided.

I am assisting several students who are undocumented and eligible to apply to UC under AB540. Are there special instructions for these students in filling out the application?

When asked their country of citizenship, they should select "No Selection" from the drop-down menu. Applicants who don't have a Social Security number should leave that field blank.

Students should submit the UC Nonresident Tuition Exemption Application and Affidavit, available from campus registrar's offices, as soon as they are accepted for admission.

For more information about the AB540 tuition exemption, including contact information for the campus registrars, see this document (PDF).

What a student do if she wants to apply to an additional campus after submitting an application?

The student should log back in to her application, select the desired campus and major, provided they are still open, and pay an additional fee ($70 per campus; $80 per campus for international applicants). The student should not start a new application.

Would a freshman applicant be better off declaring a selective major or applying to UC as undeclared?

For information about applying undeclared and applying to selective majors at each of UC's undergraduate campuses, download the PDF document UC Campus Policies and Procedures on Evaluating Freshman Applicants.

How should a student in foster care answer the family information questions on the application?

The student can leave blank the sections on parents' occupations. For parents' highest level of formal education, required of EOP applicants, she should enter her parents' education level. If it is unknown, she should choose "No Selection."

For family income and size, which is required if the student is applying for a fee waiver or for EOP, she should fill out the section as an independent student.

If a student's parents are both deceased, should he provide his legal guardian's job, title, etc., on the application, or should she enter "deceased" for parent information on the application?

The student should provide the information for his or her legal guardian.

A student has gone through high school using her middle name as her first name. Which name should she use on her UC application?

When filling out the application, the student should use her full legal name as it appears on her birth certificate. The application asks for other names used on records; this is where she should enter the name she has used during high school.