Freshman Admission

You are considered a freshman applicant if you are still in high school or have graduated from high school but have not enrolled in a regular session at any college or university.

There are three paths to eligibility for California resident freshmen:

1. Eligibility in the Statewide Context | Students must complete specific coursework and college admissions tests and earn the required GPA and test scores.
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2. Eligibility in the Local Context (ELC) | Students must rank in the top 4 percent of their graduating class at a participating California high school.
3. Eligibility by Examination Alone | Students must achieve specified high scores on their college admissions tests.

Because many campuses receive applications from more eligible students than they have space for, meeting the minimum requirements for any of these paths may not be enough to gain you admission to the campus of your choice. When you are considering where to apply, you can learn more about how each campus selects students from the pool of eligible applicants and who is admitted.

Nonresident Students

The University sets slightly different eligibility criteria for applicants who are not California residents. Nonresident students are not guaranteed admission to UC, even if they meet the eligibility criteria.