UC Admission Requirements

There are three paths to satisfying the university’s minimum admission requirements for freshman students: Eligibility in the Statewide Context, Eligibility in the Local Context, and Eligibility by Examination Alone.

The path by which most students attain UC eligibility. To be eligible in the statewide context, students must satisfy the subject, scholarship, and examination requirements described below.

Subject Requirement Students must complete or have validated 15 units of high school courses to fulfill the subject requirement. At least 7 of those 15 units must be taken or validated in the last two years of high school. (A unit is equal to an academic year or two semesters of study.)

This sequence of courses, called the “a-g” Subject Requirement, is shown in the box on this page. More information about the “a-g” Subject Requirement is at www.universityofcalifornia.edu/admissions/ undergrad_adm/paths_to_adm/freshman/subject_reqs.html.

The university will accept only those “a-g” courses that appear on the official UC-Certified Course List for the California high school the student attended. The UC-Certified course list is available at https://doorways.ucop.edu/list.

Scholarship Requirement The Scholarship Requirement defines the grade point average (GPA) students must attain in the “a-g” subjects and the scores from the ACT Assessment plus Writing or SAT Reasoning Test and SAT Subject Tests that must be earned to be eligible for admission to the university. Students qualifying for admission in the statewide context must present an “a-g” GPA and test score total that meets the criteria on the Eligibility Index. Visit the UC Office of the President Web site, at www.universityofcalifornia.edu/admissions/undergrad_adm/ paths_to_adm/freshman/scholarship_reqs.html for a current Eligibility Index.

Honors Courses The university assigns extra points for up to four year- long university-certified honors level, Advanced Placement, and/or UC-designated International Baccalaureate courses taken in grades 10, 11, and 12: A=5 points, B=4 points, C=3 points. College-level courses in the “a-g” college preparatory subjects that are transferable to the university are also assigned honors grade points. A maximum of two yearlong courses taken in grade 10 are assigned honors points. Grades of D are not assigned extra honors points. (Extra points will be awarded to 10th graders only when they take honors courses that have been certified by the university as honors-level courses.) Acceptable honors- level courses include Advanced Placement courses, specific Standard Level and all Higher Level International Baccalaureate courses, and college courses that are transferable to the university.

Examination Requirement Students must submit the following test scores taken no later than December of the senior year:

• Either the ACT Assessment plus Writing or SAT Reasoning Test. Students must report each test score from the ACT Assessment plus Writing (from the same sitting) and the composite score. The critical reading, mathematics, and writing scores on the SAT Reasoning Test must be from the same sitting.

• Two SAT Subject Tests in two different areas: history/social studies, English (literature only), mathematics (Level 2 only), science, or languages.

ACT Assessment Test plus Writing To register, obtain a registration packet from a high school counselor or register at act.org.

SAT Tests To register, obtain a registration packet from a high school counselor or register at collegeboard.com. Undergraduate Admission / 23

a. History/Social Science (2 years required) Two years of history/social science, including one year of U.S. history or one-half year of U.S. history and one-half year of civics or American government; and one year of world history, cultures, and geography.

b. English (4 years required) Four years of college preparatory English that include frequent and regular writing, and reading of classic and modern literature. Not more than two semesters of ninth-grade English or no more than one year of approved ESL-type courses can be used to meet this requirement.

c. Mathematics (3 years required, 4 years recommended) Three years of college preparatory mathematics that include the topics covered in elementary and advanced algebra and two- and three-dimensional geometry. Approved integrated math courses may be used to fulfill part or this entire requirement, as may math courses taken in the seventh and eighth grades that the student’s high school accepts as equivalent to its own math courses.

d. Laboratory Science (2 years required, 3 recommended) Two years of laboratory science providing fundamental knowledge in two of these three core disciplines: biology (which includes anatomy, physiology, marine biology, aquatic biology, etc.), chemistry, and physics. The final two years of an approved three-year integrated science program may be used to fulfill this requirement.

e. Language Other Than English (2 years required, 3 years recommended) Two years of the same language other than English. Courses should emphasize speaking and understanding, and include instruction in grammar, vocabulary, reading, composition, and culture. Courses in language other than English taken in the seventh and eighth grade may be used to fulfill part of this requirement if the student’s high school accepts them as equivalent to its own courses.

f. Visual and Performing Arts (1 year required) A single yearlong approved arts course from a single visual and performing arts discipline: dance, drama or theater, music, or visual art.

g. College Preparatory Electives (1 year required) One year (two semesters) in addition to those required in “a–f” above, chosen from visual and performing arts (nonintroductory-level courses), history, social science, English, advanced mathematics, laboratory science, and language other than English (a third year in the language used in the “e” requirement or two years of another language).

The following information is provided in compliance with the Federal Student Right-To-Know Act. It reflects four-, five-, and six-year cumulative graduation rates of the 3,509 incoming first-time freshmen for Fall 2002 and does not include graduation of students who transferred to other colleges and universities. All students enrolled in a degree program are included.

Graduated in four years 39.4%

Graduated in five years 60.4%

Graduated in six years 64.3% 24 / Undergraduate Admission

Under the Eligibility in the Local Context (ELC) path, the top four percent of students at each participating California high school are designated UC eligible and guaranteed admission to one of UC’s nine general campuses, though not necessarily at their first-choice campus.

To be considered for ELC, a student must complete 11 specific units of the subject requirement by the end of the junior year. The 11 units include 1 unit of history/social science, 3 units of English, 2 units of mathematics, 1 unit of laboratory science, 1 unit of language other than English, and 2 units chosen from among the other subject requirements. With the assistance of each participating high school, the university will identify the top four percent of students on the basis of GPA in the required course work.

The university notifies ELC students of their status at the beginning of their senior year. A student designated UC eligible through ELC must submit the UC undergraduate application during the November filing period and complete remaining eligibility requirements by appropriate deadlines — including the subject and examination requirements — to be considered fully eligible.

To qualify for Eligibility by Examination, students must satisfy the same examination requirement as students who are eligible in the statewide context. That is, students must complete the ACT Assessment plus Writing or the SAT Reasoning Test, and two SAT Subject Tests. Students must achieve a minimum UC Test Score, calculated according to the UC Eligibility Index, of 410 (425 for nonresidents). Additionally, students must earn a minimum UC Score Total of 63 on each component of the ACT Assessment plus Writing or SAT Reasoning Test and on each SAT Subject Test. Visit www.universityofcalifornia.edu/admissions/undergrad_adm/ paths_to_adm/freshman/scholarship_reqs.html for a current Eligibility Index.

Students may not qualify for Eligibility by Examination if they have completed a transferable college course in any academic subject covered by the SAT Subject Tests. An applicant who is currently attending high school may qualify for admission to the university by examination alone without completing a high school program.

High School Proficiency Examination If a student does not have a high school diploma, the university will accept the Certificate of Proficiency awarded by the State Board of Education upon successful completion of the California High School Proficiency Examination. The university also will accept proficiency examinations from other states, or the General Education Development (GED) Certificate, in place of a diploma. However, a student must still meet the subject, scholarship and examination requirements.

Two paths to UC eligibility exist for nonresidents at the freshman level. The first is the same as described under Eligibility in the Statewide Context and the second is the same as described under Eligibility by Examination Alone, with the following exception:

Scholarship Requirement Students whose GPA is 3.40 or above satisfy the minimum scholarship requirement if they achieve the test score total indicated in the Eligibility Index under Nonresidents.