The University of California is launching a pilot program next spring that could help thousands more California students transfer to a UC campus.
The UC Dual Admission pilot program creates a new transfer path for California high school students who are ineligible for admission because they haven’t met all of UC’s subject matter requirements.
Every year, there are several thousand students who apply to UC but don’t meet eligibility requirements because of curriculum limitations at their high school or other financial and geographic barriers. Yet these dedicated students have earned at least a 3.0 grade point average and could very well thrive on a UC campus as a transfer student.
This new Dual Admission pilot program is for them.
Starting with the admissions cycle in spring 2023, UC applicants who meet the Dual Admission program eligibility criteria will receive a letter inviting them to participate in the program. It will include a conditional offer of UC admission to the six campuses that participate in the Transfer Admission Guarantee program, including provisional information about federal, state and University financial aid.
Participating campuses include UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC Merced, UC Riverside, UC Santa Barbara, and UC Santa Cruz.
“Rather than just getting a letter that says they don’t meet UC’s admission requirements, these promising students will be invited to enroll at a California Community College, knowing they have a guaranteed spot at a UC campus if they complete the transfer requirements,” said Han Mi Yoon-Wu, executive director of Undergraduate Admissions.
“It’s one of the ways that UC is putting out the welcome mat to as many California students as possible. Transfer is a great path to a life-changing UC education. We want these students to know we can help them achieve it.”
Admission to the University will be contingent on the student enrolling at a California Community College and completing the courses for transfer. Participating students will also receive transfer preparation services, including access to UC advisers at the UC campus where they intend to enroll or that is nearest to their residence.
The program will be open to any California resident high school senior who applies for freshman admission during fall 2023, 2024 or 2025 and meets the following criteria:
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Has applied but not been admitted to a UC campus;
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Has a 3.0 UC GPA at the time of application;
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Is missing one or more A-G subject requirements at the time of high school graduation; and
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Is graduating from a California high school.
UC expects about 3,700 students will receive letters next spring inviting them to participate starting in fall 2023, the majority of whom come from groups that are underrepresented in higher education.
The program builds on UC’s ongoing efforts to encourage more students to transfer to the University and to streamline the process. About 30 percent of UC undergraduates have transferred from a community college, and more than half of transfer students receive enough financial aid to cover all their systemwide tuition and fees.
“Our data show that students who transfer to UC do as well — and sometimes better — than students who come in as freshman,” Yoon-Wu said. “Nearly 90 percent of transfers earn a degree. And within 10 years of graduating, UC alumni who started as transfers are among the top third of income earners in the state.”
You can find more information on UC’s Dual Admissions Pilot Project in this FAQ.
