How High School Students
with “Mixed” Academic
Records Can Meet Admission
Subject Requirements
Presentation
Content
Using international secondary
school courses to meet “a-g”
subject requirements
Starting Points
• A student with mixed records presents records
from schools in both the United States and
other countries.
• UC does not accept pass along credit from
international secondary school – will not accept
U.S. high school’s interpretation.
• Applicants must report international academic
courses exactly as they appear on their official
secondary school record.
Accurate Self-Reporting of International
Courses on the Admission Application
Pass along credit is a “no-no”
UC COUNSELOR CONFERENCE September 2014
Report Courses & Marks exactly as they
appear on the official secondary record
= area “b”
= area “e”
= area “c”
= area “d”
= area “d”
= area “d”
= area “a”
= area “a” or “g”
= area N/A
= area N/A
UC COUNSELOR CONFERENCE September 2014
A-G Requirements
Each subject area
requirement will be
discussed with
examples shown
from real transcripts.
a. History/Social Science
If graduating from a U.S. high school:
• a year-long U.S. History course, or one semester of U.S.
History and one semester of U.S. Government is required in
addition to one year of World History/Geography/Cultures.
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Example: History/Social Science Courses
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b. English- Language of Instruction in
Composition & Literature
Use courses in composition and literature in the language
of instruction for coursework outside of U.S. and use
English courses for coursework completed in the U.S.
• If the student graduates from a California high school:
a non-ESL/ELD college prep English course is required in the
senior year (a senior-year level course is not specifically required).
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Example: Language of Instruction
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c. Mathematics
Combinations of math courses in an
integrated-style with single subject discipline
courses are acceptable.
NOTE: Depending upon how the geometry material is
covered, the combinations for some integrated
programs may be different.
• UC provides guidance on acceptable
combinations of courses.
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Example: Mathematics
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Geometry
Details about meeting area “c” and UC’s
Geometry requirement
Meeting the Geometry Requirement with
Integrated-Style Math Courses
All applicants must complete a Geometry course or a
sequence of courses covering the equivalent of a full
year of geometry concepts) with a letter grade of “C”
or better to satisfy the math “c” subject requirement.
• Combinations of integrated-style mathematics courses
can fulfill the Geometry requirement.
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d. Laboratory Science
If a student completes only part of an integrated-style
science course sequence outside the U.S., the
combinations may be used to satisfy the full area “d”
subject requirement.
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Example: Lab Science
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e. Language other than the language of
instruction (LOLI – aka foreign language)
Use the language of instruction beginning with the U.S.
equivalent of sixth grade based on middle school transcripts.
• Generally, a bilingual student is considered to have met the “e” requirement and
may choose not to enroll in courses in a language other than English.
Other options for satisfying area “e”:
• Assessment by language faculty at college/university
• Certification by the high school principal
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Example: Language Other Than The Language of
Instruction
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f. Visual and Performing Arts (VPA)
A student who did not complete a yearlong VPA-type
international course must complete a yearlong UCapproved VPA course.
• Online courses: UC does not accept online high school VPA courses.
• College/university VPA online courses are acceptable.
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Example: Visual and Performing Arts
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Validation of Coursework: “Subject Omission”
means validation of a lower-level course even if the lowerlevel course was not actually completed.
Validation of Grades: “Grade Deficiency”
means validation of “D” and/or “F” grades in a lower-level
course after completion of a higher-level course with a
letter grade of C or better.
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Validation of Geometry
Grade deficiency—yes
deficient grade 1st sem validated by 2nd sem grade
deficient grade 2nd sem validated by advanced math course
Omission—no
By exam—no
If no specifically named geometry course—integratedstyle math courses with geometry content are acceptable
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Repeating courses
Courses used to satisfy the minimum “a-g” requirements in which a
student earns D or F grades must be repeated with grades of C or
better to satisfy the subject requirement.
NEW: effective immediately, each “a-g” course in which a student
received a grade of “D” or “F” may be repeated as many times as
necessary until the first instance in which the student receives a grade
of “C” (or better).
The repeated grade of “C” (or better) will be used
in calculating the GPA.
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Repeating an academic year
Even if a student “repeats” an academic year, they must
report their entire academic history.
Students cannot choose to exclude any courses/marks
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English Proficiency Requirement
If the student has had less than 3 years of instruction in
English, they must demonstrate English proficiency.
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English Proficiency
Proficiency can be demonstrated in any one of the following ways:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Combined ACT English/Writing - score 24 or higher
SAT Writing - score 560 or higher
AP English Language and Composition or AP English Literature and Composition=score 3,4 or 5
IB Standard Level exam English: Literature, or English: Language and Literature=score 6 or 7
IB Higher Level exam English: Literature, or English: Language and Literature=score 5, 6 or 7
TOEFL -score 80 or higher
IELTS - score 7 or higher
Examinations must be completed by December of the senior year of high school
& official scores must be submitted to UC by the following January.
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Evaluation Tips/Tools
External Exams results
Student must report external
exam results on the
admission application.
After accepting an offer of
admission, the student must
submit the official external
exam results to the
UC campus.
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Tips
• External agency evaluations are not considered/accepted by UC and can be
costly for your students.
• Encourage students to obtain an official, sealed academic record/transcript as
early as possible.
• UC very rarely makes exceptions for submitting official academic
records/transcripts of international coursework.
• If your student reports difficulty with obtaining official records, encourage them to
contact the Ministry of Education in the country for their records.
UC COUNSELOR CONFERENCE SEPTEMBER 2014
In Closing
Counselor Resources
Quick Reference for Counselors – September 2014
Options for Satisfying A-G Subject Requirements
Validation Matrix
On website:
http://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/counselors/downloadableguides/index.html
Geometry Factsheet
To determine the language of instruction at the international
school, try Google search
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Student Resources
UC Admission Application
Additional Comments boxes
Explanation about Academic Record/History
Explanation of school calendar, grading system, external marks
Provide explanation of anything in the application they may be
unclear
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Future Questions:
AskUC@ucop.edu