Admissions Policies

As a premier public institution, the University of California seeks to enroll, on each of its campuses, a student body that demonstrates high academic achievement and exceptional personal talent, and that encompasses the broad diversity of backgrounds characteristic of California.

UC reviews each application in two steps:

1. Eligibility
   First the University determines if the student has met the minimum requirements to be considered for admission. These requirements, which are different for freshman and transfer students, are designed to ensure that all eligible students are adequately prepared for University-level work.
   
2. Selection
   When campuses receive applications from more eligible students than they can admit — as is most often the case — they use factors that go beyond the minimum admission requirements to select students. This process is called "comprehensive review."

Because the level of competition for admission to certain campuses is very high, not everyone can be admitted to his or her first choice. Look at the section on freshman selection to get an idea of the qualifications of the applicants at each campus or, if you’re a transfer applicant, review the selection criteria used by individual schools and programs.

Changes to Freshman Eligibility — Effective Fall 2012

The UC Board of Regents in February 2009 adopted changes to freshman admission requirements to give more high-achieving students the chance to apply to UC and receive a full review of their applications. The new rules will take effect for the fall 2012 entering class.

University of California | UC Board of Regents Approves Changes to Freshman Eligibility