Students who want to apply to any of the nine UC campus must use the UC application. Unfortunately, it is a separate application with different activity descriptions and writing requirements than the Common Application. This year, the deadline for fall semester applications is December 2. Start early; do not underestimate the time it will take to complete it well!

To complete the UC application you need:

• Transcript for entering courses and grades

• SSN (if available) and contact information

• Test scores – IB, AP, English Proficiency and/or other international exams (NOT SAT OR ACT)

• Activities List

• Responses to 4 Personal Insight Questions (PIQs)

Campuses and Majors Section

You will select a major for each campus you apply to. Keep in mind that each campus offers varying majors and/or names the majors differently. They have tried to make it easier for you to find your major by listing some of them under multiple categories. You will also be able to select an alternative major but note that some campuses do not consider alternative majors for certain first-choice major selections if at all. Do your research as to how campuses consider these majors and how impacted each major is at your campus(es) of choice.

Ex. UC SB does not admit by major except for Engineering (strongly suggest picking a non-engineering backup major). UC Berkeley rarely considers the second-choice major listed.

Important notes: Campuses do not collaborate on their admissions decisions nor consider which other campuses a student has applied to. Some majors require supplements to the application and these will be visible once the student selects their major in the application.

Academic History Section

All grades are self-reported through the application and transcripts are not accepted. You will enter all grades from all courses taken in grades 9-12 including repeated courses. If you took a high school-level math or language course other than English in 7th or 8th grade, you can include them. There are no +/- used. Students are expected to meet the A-G requirements outlined here.

The UCs use their own calculation to determine what GPA a student has. The GPA only includes 10th and 11th grade; this includes courses taken in the summer after 9th, 10th, and 11th grades. They will recalculate GPAs for applicants, no need to try to calculate it yourself. However, if you want to get an idea of what your UC GPA is, you can use the UC A-G list to verify which courses are given weight. 

Activities and Awards Section

You can enter up to 20 activities from grades 9-12 in six categories:        

• Award or honor

• Educational preparation program

• Extracurricular activity

• Work experience

• Other coursework

• Volunteering / Community service

The prompts for how you will describe each of these vary by type of activity. Use the space wisely and describe the activities efficiently, highlighting your specific contribution. You have 350 characters for this. You do not have to use full sentences. Also, note that the activities are numbered but not ranked, so the order in which they are listed is not important.

If you were not able to participate in many activities due to lack of availability or personal circumstances, you can share that with admissions in the Activities & Awards and Additional Comments sections. If you take a gap year or are a transfer student, you can select the ‘after 12th grade’ option to enter activities post-12th grade.

Scholarships and Support Section

The options available here will vary depending on which campuses you select to apply to. You will select all criteria that apply to you and then see which scholarships are available depending on the responses. The responses to these prompts are not considered in the admission decision. They are used solely to determine eligibility for scholarships.

You can also apply for the Education Opportunity Program (EOP), a program for first-generation and/or low-income students that offers additional support resources such as mentoring and financial assistance.

Personal Insight Questions (PIQs) Section

Students will select four of the eight PIQs to respond to. Each response can be up to 350 words. The same responses will be sent to ALL campuses you apply to and can not be changed for each school. These questions are your opportunity to share details not seen anywhere else in the application. This is your chance to show the colleges who you are and what is important to you.

Additional Information Section

This section should be used to provide information about extenuating circumstances or details that could not be shared elsewhere; this can be academic and non-academic information. Examples of this may be an explanation of the high school coursework available to you, family crises, or lack of activities available in your area.

 Start early, take the time to research which campus(es) and majors are right for you, and craft thoughtful and thorough activity descriptions and PIQ responses. If you are a younger student, consider the A-G requirements early and make a plan to meet them. It is important to start thinking about how you will strengthen your academic and extracurricular profiles early. For guidance on your college planning and additional assistance with your applications, contact us.

FAQs

1. Does the UC require test scores?

Test scores are not required for admission to the UCs. They will consider scores from AP, IB, English Proficiency, and other international exams but NOT ACT or SAT scores. Submitting unofficial scores is fine.

2. Does the UC require recommendation letters?

No, however, as part of an extended review process or if you apply for select scholarships, you may be asked to submit one.

3. How many UC campuses can I apply to?

You can apply to as many as you want.

4. What are the English Language Proficiency requirements for the UCs?

There are many ways to demonstrate English proficiency. Take a look at the updated list of accepted exams here.