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Admissions Information
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Completing the Application
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- Should a a high school student apply to UC as a freshman or a transfer student after a December graduation if he or she has concurrently attended commmunity college and earned 40 transferable units?
- When a student repeats a course, how should the two courses be reported by the student and by the school? What if the school district policy requires that the school show 0 credits for the first course, and an R with the grade for the second course?
- If a student withdrew from a community college course, does she still need to report it on her UC application?
- Does a student need to start the application process all over again if he or she applied to UC and was admitted, but never enrolled, choosing to attend another college or university instead and then deciding that was the wrong choice?
- Should freshman applicants enter all courses taken or only those that are on their school's UC-certified course list?
- If an applicant is taking concurrent classes at two community colleges, or at a high school and a community college, does the application allow him to report courses at both institutions?
- On the transcript, our high school's student-data-management system attaches summer school to the previous year's courses. Would a student taking a UC-required class between ninth and 10th grade not have that course counted for admission?
- A student took three semesters of transferable American Sign Language at a community college in seventh and eighth grades. On the application, should he list the number of terms taken as three, or as the equivalent in terms of high school credit? What would the equivalent be?
- Many of my high school seniors have immigrated to the United States, and the two-year language other than English requirement will be waived because of their SAT Subject Tests, AP exams or formal schooling in a foreign language in their home countries. How do they indicate that on the online application?
- How should a student enter trimester grades in the online application?
- One of my students spent his junior year in Finland and received IB grades. How do you convert them into letter grades?
- Our school is on a block schedule. Should students use the semester, quarter or both options when completing their applications?
- Do you have a tutorial on the personal statement and how best to write it?
- I have a student who will qualify for an application fee waiver. How do I verify this for the UC campuses to which he is applying?
- I have a senior student applying to six UC campuses. He was electronically denied a fee waiver request but looked into more options and found that he could get a College Board fee waiver from his counselor. Where should he send his College Board fee waiver request?
- I am assisting several students who are undocumented and eligible for nonresident tuition exemptions under AB540. What should these students list on the application when asked for a Social Security number? What about the residency question? Also, when should they submit their AB540 affidavits before they apply for admission?
- If a student decides to apply to an additional campus after submitting an application, will the original application be sent to the additional campus?
- Would a student be better off declaring a selective major or applying to UC as undeclared?
- One of our students has been in foster care for four years, since eighth grade. How should she complete Part 3 of the application (family information)? The mother resides in a mental board-and-care home; the father's name and whereabouts are unknown.
- If both parents are deceased, should a student include his guardian’s occupation, name, etc., or should he write “deceased” for parent information on the application?
- A student has gone through high school using her middle name as her first name. Which name should she use on her UC application?
- Can a student tailor the application to a specific campus?
- If a student is using a paper application and applying to several UC campuses, should he make a separate copy for each campus he is applying to?
Should a high school student apply to UC as a freshman or transfer student after a December graduation if he or she has concurrently attended community college and earned 40 transferable units?
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.
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When a student repeats a course, how should the two courses be reported by the student and by the school? What if the schol district policy requires that the school show 0 credits for the first, failed, course and an R, with the grade earned, for the second course?
The student must self-report the grades for both courses on the application, and the University 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.
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If a student withdrew 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.
top Does a student need to start the application process all over again if he or she applied to UC and was admitted, but never enrolled, choosing to attend another college or university instead and then deciding that was the wrong choice?
Yes, he or she would have to reapply as a transfer student.
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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 should also be listed.
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If an applicant is taking concurrent classes at two community colleges, or at a high school and a community college, does the application allow him to report classes at both institutions?
Yes. The student should first enter the information for one community college or the high school, including the dates of attendance. After he clicks on "save school," the popup will close and return to the section entitled "Add School(s) Attended." The student should then click "add a school" and enter the second community college; include the dates of attendance, even if they overlap with those of the first school entered. 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.
In the Academic History section (Part 3), the student should enter all coursework completed or in progress at both institutions.
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On the transcript, our high school's student-data-management system attaches summer school to the previous year's courses. Would a student taking a UC-required class between ninth and 10th grade not have that course 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.
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A student took three semesters of transferable American Sign Language at a community college in seventh and eighth grades. On the application, should he list the number of terms taken as three, or as the equivalent in terms of high school credit? What would the equivalent be?
The student should list the equivalent high school credit. The equivalent can be determined by the community college courses' prerequisites. Many colleges list the prerequisites for their second course in a language as "Language 1 at this college or two years of high school language." In this case, Language 1 is equivalent to two years, or four semesters.
If you don't have access to the community college course catalog, check on www.assist.org. Select the community college, click on UC-Transferable Courses, then select the department from the drop-down menu.
top Many of my high school seniors have immigrated to the United States, and the two-year language other than English requirement will be waived because of their SAT Subject Tests, AP exams or formal schooling in a foreign language in their home countries. How do they indicate that on the online application?
If applicants don't enter coursework showing they have fulfilled the "a-g" requirements, they will receive an error message. When that happens, they should check the box that indicates they are aware of the possible deficiency (even though it is not a subject deficiency). In the Additional Comments box in Step 7, they should report that they have fulfilled the language other than English requirement through one of the alternatives you mention. When the evaluators see the students' test scores, they will note that the requirement has been met.
If the students had foreign language instruction in their home countries, they should add that coursework manually in Step 4 of the application.
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How should a student enter trimester grades in the online application?
In the online application, applicants are asked to indicate their term type. If a student selects the trimester system, the application will allow her to enter three grades per course.
top One of my students spent his junior year in Finland 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 Step 7 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.
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Our school is on a block schedule. Should students use the semester, quarter or both options when completing their applications?
If a student is completing the online application, in Step 4, Part 1, he should select the term system according to how many final grades received per class. If the student receives one final grade in a course, he should select "Full." If he earns two final grades per course, he should select "Semester." The application is programmed to show the correct number of grade fields on the grade entry page.
Applicants filing a paper application should list each final grade received. For example, if the applicant received two final grades for a block course, he should enter both final grades for that course in the appropriate semester column. He should list the course name twice and write "Block System" next to it. The applicant should check the term box(es) in Item 68 that correlate(s) to the number of final grades received for the block course(s) in grades 10 and 11.
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Do you have a tutorial on the personal statement and how best to write it?
Students can access an informational page about the personal statement on the Admissions website. Counselors will find the PowerPoint presentation from the Fall 2007 Counselor Conference available for download here.
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I have a student who will qualify for an application fee waiver. How do I verify this for the UC campuses to which he is applying?
If the student is using the online application, he should apply for the fee waiver online. He will be notified immediately if he qualifies.
If he is filing a paper application, he should enclose a College Board fee waiver form. If your school doesn't have the fee waiver forms, he can attach a letter to his application stating his family's gross income and the number of family members supported by that income, and requesting consideration for an application fee waiver.
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I have a senior student applying to six UC campuses. He was electronically denied a fee waiver request but looked into more options and found that he could get a College Board fee waiver from his counselor. Where should he send his College Board fee waiver request?
If the student has applied online and was denied the fee waiver, he should wait until he is billed. At that time, he can send his College Board fee waiver request to the Application Processing Service at the address provided on the bill. The fee waiver covers the application fee for up to four campuses; the student will have to pay the fee for the other two campuses he applied to.
If the student is filing a paper application, he should attach the fee waiver request to the application before he mails it.
top I am assisting several students who are undocumented and eligible to apply to UC under AB540. What should these students list on the application when asked for a Social Security number? What about the residency question? Also, when should they submit their AB540 affidavits before they apply for admission?
The students should answer the following questions:
- Have you lived in California for at least the last 12 months?
- If you are under 18, does your parent or legal guardian live in California?
- Is your current/most recent school a California high school or college, or have you attended a California high school for two or more years?
Students can leave blank the following items:
- — Social Security number
- — Are you a U.S. citizen?
- — Country of permanent residence
- — Current immigration status/citizenship status
- — Nonimmigrant visa
- — State of legal residence of parent, spouse, legal guardian
The application does not allow applicants to leave the Country of Citizenship field blank. For that item, undocumented students should choose "No Selection" from the drop-down menu.
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.
top If a student decides to apply to an additional campus after submitting an application, will the original application be sent to the additional campus?
Yes. If a student notifies the UC Application Processing Service (P.O. Box 4010, Concord, CA 94524-4010) and includes a check for the additional application fee ($60 per campus), the service will forward the application to the new campus. Students should note, however, that most campuses are closed after November 30, and applicants can add a campus only if it is open to new applicants.
top Would a student 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.
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One of our students has been in foster care for four years, since eighth grade. How should she complete Part 3 of the application (family information)? The mother resides in a mental board-and-care home; the father's name and whereabouts are unknown.
In Part 3 of the application, the student can leave blank the sections on Parents' Occupations and State of Legal Residence of Parent, Spouse or Legal Guardian.
For Family Income & Size, which is required if the student is applying for a fee waiver or for EOP, she should fill out the section for independent students.
For Parents' Highest Level of Formal Education, required of EOP applicants, she should enter her parents' education level. If it is unknown, she should enter No Selection.
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If both parents are deceased, should a student include his guardian’s occupation, name, etc., or should he write “deceased” for parent information on the application?
The student should provide the information for his or her legal guardian.
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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. On the application, there is a field called Other Names Used on Records where she should enter the name she has used during high school.
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Can a student tailor the application to a specific campus?
No. An applicant cannot tailor the application to a specific campus if he or she is applying to two or more campuses.
top If a student is using a paper application and applying to several UC campuses, should he make a separate copy for each campus he is applying to?
No. The paper application must be mailed to the Application Processor as noted in the downloadable instructions and on the last page (the checklist) of the application form packet. The Application Processor will then disseminate the application to each of the student's campus choices.
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