UC COUNSELOR CONFERENCE 2011
Freshman Q&A With
UC Evaluators
This workshop will cover:
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 Clarifying 2012 Admissions Requirements
 New ELC Process
 Campus selection using Comprehensive Review
 Online Courses
 Frequently asked evaluation questions
2012 Freshman Admission Requirements
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Coursework
• Complete any 11 UC-approved “a-g” courses prior to senior year
• Complete all 15-course “a-g” subject pattern by the end of senior year
• Courses must be completed with a grade of C or better
Grade point average
• Minimum 3.00 weighted GPA (for CA Residents)
• Minimum 3.40 weighted GPA (for Non-CA Residents)
• Based on “a-g” courses completed in 10th and 11th grades, including
summer courses
Examinations
• ACT with Writing or SAT Reasoning Test by December of senior year
Additional Identifiers for CA Residents
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For CA Residents:
Students who meet the general path requirements
AND additional criteria will be identified in one
(or both) of two groups:
Statewide path
 Top 9% statewide using UC’s admissions index
Local path (ELC)
 Top 9% of their high school class as determined by
UC
Statewide Top 9%
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Applicants in the Statewide path are in the top 9% of
all high school graduates in California, according to
the UC admissions index.
To meet statewide qualifications, applicants must
meet the general admission requirements AND:
• Have an appropriate UC Score on the admissions index
The admissions index is a sliding scale based on applicant’s
UC “a-g” GPA and UC Score.
http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/admissions/freshma
n/california-residents/admissions-index/
Local (ELC) Top 9%
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Local path (ELC) applicants are in the top 9% of
their class, of their participating high school.
To meet local qualifications, applicants must meet
the general admission requirements AND:
• Complete a specific pattern of 11 UC-approved “a-g” courses
prior to senior year --- minimum 3.00 weighted gpa
(1 year of history/social studies, 2 years of English, 2 years of
math, 1 year of lab science, 1 year of a language other than
English, 4 years of additional “a-g” courses)
• Have a GPA that meets or exceeds the 9% benchmark GPA that
UC established for the high school
The Applicant Pool
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12.5%
Master Plan
Commitment
New ELC Process
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The local path (ELC) has expanded to include students in the top
9% of their class, up from 4%, at each participating high
school.
The new ELC process works by comparing the GPA (weighted,
uncapped from the application) to a benchmark 9% GPA that
UC has established for the high school.
Benchmark GPAs were determined using historical ELC data.
Process & Changes for Schools
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Schools must still obtain parent permission to release student
data to UC.
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By June 30 every year, all participating schools will submit
contact information (not transcripts) for the top 15% of rising
seniors.
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A school will submit the transcripts of their top 15% of rising
seniors every three years for UC to reset its benchmark GPA.
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UC will set the school’s 9% benchmark GPA using weighted,
uncapped grades from “a-g” courses in 10th and 11th grade,
including summer coursework.
ELC Process for Students
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 Self-reported
“a-g” coursework and grades (not the
actual transcript) will be used to determine the UC
GPA.
 The
application system will verify that the applicant
has met the specific 11-course pattern and a minimum
(weighted, capped) 3.00 UC GPA.
 Student
is ELC if their UC GPA (weighted, uncapped)
meets or exceeds the 9% benchmark GPA of their 11th
grade high school.
ELC Communications to Students
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An outreach letter will be sent in September to students
identified by their high school as being in the top 15% of the
rising senior class.
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Students will no longer receive an ELC number and the outreach
letter will not identify them as ELC.
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The top 15% will be invited to register for UC4You fall
recruitment activities and to receive campus communications.
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ELC designation will be determined after students apply to UC.
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A positive ELC status will be reflected on the “My UC
Application” website within 6 weeks of application processing.
Comprehensive Review
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 UC has been using comprehensive review since 2002.
 All 9 UC campuses use comprehensive review.
 Consists of 14 academic and personal factors
 Comprehensive review is the process used to evaluate an
applicant for admission using multiple measures of
achievement and promise within the context of educational
opportunities and life experiences.
 This allows UC to go beyond grades and test scores and
review each applicant fully based on everything in their
application.
Comprehensive Review Factors
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Campuses draw from 14 academic and personal factors approved
by University faculty, including:
Grades and test scores and:
 Quality of senior year program
 Special talents, achievements & awards
 Promise for leadership
 Recent, marked improvement in academic performance
 Significant community service
 Participation in student government
 Intensive study and exploration of other cultures
Full list of factors:
www.universityofcalifornia.edu/admissions/freshman/how-applications-reviewed/
Questions?
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• A D M IS S IO N S R E Q UIRE M E N T S
• A P P L IC A N T P A T H S
• NEW ELC PROCESS
• C O M P RE H E N S IV E RE V IE W
Online Courses
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The faculty have approved an online course policy to allow
for partnerships:
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An online provider must apply to UC for "program status”
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Once provider is granted "program status," it must
submit online courses to UC for "a-g" approval
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As courses are granted approval, a program course list
will be created on the Doorways website
See “a-g” Guide website for detailed information:
www.ucop.edu/a-gGuide/ag/online_course.html
Can students take online courses to satisfy “a-g” Subject
Requirements?
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Yes. Currently, the University has approved some online courses
from 16 online course providers:
 APEX Learning Virtual School
 Aventa Learning
 Brigham Young University
Independent Study (BYU)
 Connections Academy
 Education Program for Gifted
Youth Online High School at
Stanford University (EPGY)
 Education2020
 Florida Virtual School
 K12, Inc.
 Kaplan Virtual Education
 Laurel Springs Online
 National University Virtual High
School
 PASS Program / Cyber High
 Riverside Virtual School
 UC College Prep Online (UCCP)
 UC Irvine Extension
 VHS, Inc. Virtual High School
Global Consortium
Tips for Using Online Courses to Satisfy Requirements
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UC will honor online courses offered by other providers IF:
• The high school principal certifies that the course is
comparable to other college preparatory courses offered
at the school site
• Lists the course on the student's transcript and includes
the institution/provider through which the course was
taken, the number of units, and the grade(s) received
Online courses in laboratory science and visual and
performing arts do not satisfy UC requirements.
Students must self-report all online courses on their
application.
Frequently Asked Evaluation
Questions
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Should a student submit their test scores to more
than one UC campus?
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 Freshman applicants for fall 2012 must arrange to
have official score reports sent to us by December
2011.
 If you report your scores to one campus, they will
be shared with every campus to which you have
applied.
Can a student take time off prior to applying?
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 Requirements for admission are determined by the
year of application.
 The online application has added a question that
addresses any gap in education for
freshmen applicants.
 Offer of admission is valid for term of application
only.
Are AP and IB exams granted the same credit at
each UC campus?
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 AP and IB unit credit is standard across the
campuses.
 If
subject content is duplicative, the University will award
credit for only one to the student’s advantage.
 Satisfaction of college and/or major requirements
varies by campus.
Meeting the “b” Requirement
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A student lived in Germany through the 10th grade. He
took English in his foreign school and got A’s and took
two years of English here. Has he met the four-year “b”
requirement?
 Student would fulfill the language of instruction “b”
requirement with:
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German courses in Germany
English courses completed in the U.S.
 The English courses in Germany would satisfy the two years
of the (“e”) subject area.
Laboratory Science Requirement
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If a student satisfactorily completes a year of Biology and
a year of AP Environmental Science, has the student
satisfied the laboratory science requirement?
 Yes, the student has satisfied the two-year laboratory science
requirement:
Biology is considered to be a biological science; AP
Environmental Science is considered to be an interdisciplinary
science.
 An interdisciplinary science course that is in the “d” subject area
can be combined with biology, chemistry or physics to satisfy the
laboratory science requirement.
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Repeating vs. Validating
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What is the difference between
repeating and validating a
course?
Repeating
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
Repeating a course occurs when a student earns a
D or F grade and then a course with the same
curriculum is taken to clear the grade.

The new grade earned will be used in the GPA
calculation.
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All “a-g” coursework (original and repeats)
should be reported on the application.
Validating
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 Occurs when student successfully completes an advanced
course (C grade or higher) in area of sequential knowledge;
student is presumed to have completed the lower-level
coursework.
 Example:
Spanish 2 is completed with a C grade; Spanish 1 is
validated by Spanish 2.
 Can also be used to clear subject deficiency in which a grade
of D or F was earned
 Example:
Algebra 1 is completed with a D grade; Algebra II is
completed with a C grade; Algebra I is validated by Algebra II
 Grade of D or F remains in the GPA calculation.
 Applies to courses in mathematics and languages other than
English
Questions?
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Resources
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UC Admissions website:
www.universityofcalifornia.edu/admissions/
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Comprehensive review: http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/admissions/freshman/howapplications-reviewed
Admissions index: http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/admissions/freshman/californiaresidents/admissions-index/
ELC student and parent information:
http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/admissions/freshman/california-residents/local-path/
Recommended Subject Tests:
http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/admissions/freshman/requirements/examinationrequirement/SAT-subject-tests/
“a-g” Guide website for detailed information on online courses:
www.ucop.edu/a-gGuide/ag/online_course.html
Doorways “a-g” website: http://www.ucop.edu/doorways/