University of California

The UC system has 9 schools statewide open to undergraduate students. Degrees available at the UCs are Bachelors (BA, BS), Masters (MA, MS, MEd), Doctorates and Professional Degrees.

Application Period:

August 1st - November 30th

Apply Here

Applying to the UC

UC Admission Requirements

G.P.A.- 3.0 & above

Completion of a minimum 15 unit College-Prepatory Course Requirements (A-G courses), 11 courses should be completed by the end of 11th grade

A grade of 'C' or better in A-G courses

High School Graduation

SAT/ACT test scores are not required for admission, but may be used as an alternative method to fulfill minimum requirements for eligibility or course placement

Honors & Awards received and Extracurricular Activities/ Community Service completed througout High School

Personal Insight Questions (PIQs)

** CA Residents: If student met the minimum adminission requirements and aren't admitted to any UC applied to, they'll be offered a spot in another campus if space is available, if:

Student ranks in the top 9% of CA high school students according to the updated Statewide Index

OR

Student ranks in the top 9% of their graduating class at a participating high school (ELC).

Application Checklist

You will need the following items to complete your UC Application:

Unofficial Transcripts (High School and College Transcripts, if applicable)

Social Security Number, if you have one

Citizenship Status

Annual Income

CA Statewide Student ID

Test Scores, optional

Payment Method (Credit Card, Check, or Money Order) for the application fee of $70 per campus, Fee Waivers available

Additional UC Resources

PIQ Guide for Freshman Applicants (1/2)

Use this guide to help you answer your Personal Insight Questions. Think of your PIQs as your admissions interview on paper. You must respond to 4 of the 8 questions. Each response is limited to 350 words.

The questions are listed below:

1. Describe an example of your leadership experience.

2. Describe how you express your creative side.

3. What would you say is your greates talent or skill?

Learn More

PIQ Guide for Freshman Applicants (2/2)

4. Describe how you have taken advantage of an educational opportunity or overcame an educational barrier.

5. Describe you most significant challenge and steps taken to overcome it.

6. Describe how you have furthered interest in an academic subject that inspires you.

7. What have you done to make your school or community a better place?

8. What do you believe makes your stand out as a strong candidate for UC admissions?

Learn More

Activites and Awards Worksheet

Use this worksheet to help you organize the actvities you participated in and awards received throughout your high school experience.

Describe each activity and its impact. Use strong verbs in descriptions of leadership positions and skills gained/developed. Quantify as much as you can in your descriptions- Ex. You were selected out of X amount of students, you led X amount of students in a team/project, etc.

UCs are looking for quality not quantity so focus on the activities and awards that are most important to you!

Learn More

Explore the 9 Universities of California:

UC
Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant university and the founding campus of the University of California system.
UCB
UC
Davis
The University of California, Davis near Davis, California. Named a Public Ivy, it is the northernmost of the ten campuses of the University of California system. The institution became the seventh campus of the University of California in 1959.
UCD
UC
Irvine
The University of California, Irvine is in Irvine, California. It was one of three new UC campuses established in the 1960s to accommodate growing enrollments across the UC system. The university also administers the UC Irvine Medical Center, a large teaching hospital in Orange.
UCI
UCLA
The University of California, Los Angeles is in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college. It was founded UCLA as the Southern Branch of the University of California in 1919, making it the second-oldest of the 10-campus UC system.
UCLA
UC
Merced
The University of California, Merced is a public land-grant research university and Hispanic-serving institution located in Merced, California, and is the tenth and newest of the University of California campuses. UC Merced was established in 2005.
UCM
UC
Riverside
The University of California, Riverside is in Riverside, California. It is one of the ten campuses of the University of California system. The main campus sits on 1,900 acres in a suburban district of Riverside with a branch campus of 20 acres in Palm Desert.
UCR
UC
San Diego
The University of California, San Diego is a public land-grant research university in San Diego, California. Established in 1960 near the pre-existing Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego is the southernmost of the ten campuses of the UC system.
UCSD
UC
Santa Barbara
The University of California, Berkeley is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant university and the founding campus of the University of California system.
UCSB
UC
Santa Cruz
The University of California, Santa Cruz is in Santa Cruz, California. Founded in 1965, UC Santa Cruz began with the intention to showcase progressive, cross-disciplinary undergraduate education, innovative teaching methods and contemporary architecture.
UCSC