The UC system is one of the best public university systems in the country, with both UCLA and Berkeley ranking in the top 30 schools nationally. The entire system uses the same application; though each school reviews applications separately. Because of how their application differs from the Common App, students are often concerned about what the schools are looking for, and how their application will be reviewed.
Fortunately, the UC system as a whole published a document that goes over admissions policies for the system, along with notes on university-specific policies. While this is not the same as knowing exactly what admissions officers will say about you, knowing how your application will be read and weighed will let you know what you should focus your efforts on.
Read on to learn more about the UC admission process and how it works.
UC Selection Process
All UC campuses use a holistic review process they call comprehensive review. The purpose is to understand the applicants in context. Each campus has its own unique standards, which we will discuss later, but a comprehensive review as a whole looks at the following things:
- GPA in all courses that fit into the A-G course system, including weighting from classes the UC system considers honors.
- Performance in classes beyond the minimum A-G admissions requirements.
- Performance in and number of honors courses, including AP and IB courses, plus dual enrollment college courses.
- Ranking in the top 9% of your graduating high school class.
- Quality of senior year schedule, judged based on number and difficulty of academic course load.
- Academic performance in the context of your high school.
- Outstanding performance in one or more academic subject matters.
- Outstanding work on a special project in an academic field (such as independent study or research).
- Signs of improvement in academic performance over time.
- Special talents or achievements in a non academic field, including the arts, music, athletics, significant leadership experience, notable community service achievements, or other significant achievements that demonstrate your intellectual vitality and ability to contribute to campus.
- Academic achievements in the context of your life outside of school, and any special considerations which arise.
- Your geographic location.
So what does all this tell us? First, all students are evaluated in their context. Thus if you attend a school that does not offer AP or IB, then you will not be penalized for not taking those classes. Conversely, if your school offers a full AP curriculum, and you take only one or two, that will also be taken into account.
Your academic performance and preparation are the most important single aspect of an admissions decision. UC schools want you to have taken hard classes, and to have done well in them. If you struggled initially but have shown major improvements recently, that is still acceptable, if less prized than consistent high performance.
California residents who are in the top 9% of students statewide, or who are in the top 9% locally, are guaranteed admission to a UC campus which has room. They are not guaranteed admission to any campus in particular, merely to the system as a whole.
Finally, all majors and colleges require academic performance above the minimum specified under the A-G guidelines. The minimum specified is just that, the minimum; UC schools want to see students who are eager to learn, rather than those who are satisfied with the bare minimum.
Each school has its own unique admissions procedures as well. We won’t go through all of them, but we will cover UCLA and UC Berkeley’s procedures.
UCLA
UCLA’s review process is based on 13 criteria, selected by the faculty. While they do not disclose these criteria publicly, they include both qualitative and quantitative elements, your accomplishments academically and personally, and your personal context as a student and person.
All freshman applications are read at least twice, and each reader assigns the application a score. Readers consider the following criteria when conducting their holistic review:
- First is your academic performance and preparation for college. This considers both the number of courses you took and the academic rigor of those courses. They look favorably on taking courses beyond the A-G minimum, and on taking a challenging senior year course load. This means they favor AP and IB courses. They compare your achievement to students at your high school, to understand your accomplishments in context.
- Next are your personal qualities. They look for leadership, character, motivation, initiative, responsibility, creativity, intellectual independence, maturity, and concern for your community. They look for these in your academics and your extracurriculars; your essays are seen as the best demonstrator of these characteristics.
- How you can contribute to the intellectual vitality and community on campus. There is no one way to contribute they’re looking for, rather they want to admit students who will generally add to the intellectual atmosphere on campus through their passions and interests.
- Your achievement in academic enrichment programs. This includes programs run by the UC system, as well as other summer programs run by colleges which prepare students for university. They care about time and depth of the program, academic rigor, and level of accomplishment.
- Other evidence of your achievements. This includes athletics, arts, employment, leadership, or community service.
- All of your achievements are judged in the context of opportunities you had, from your school, community, and background. They compare students in the same applicant pool who attended the same high school, as these students are thought to have had equal opportunities to succeed.
- Finally, any challenges you may have faced are taken into consideration. This includes financial situation, language spoken at home, and parental education level. They want to see how you responded to and overcame these challenges.
The most important takeaway from this is that all of your achievements are reviewed in context. This can be good or ill, but the more students from your school who apply to UCLA, the more you will need to stand out.
Visit our UCLA guide for more insight into the admission process.
UC Berkeley
UC Berkeley’s selection criteria are quite similar to UCLA’s, which is, perhaps, to be expected. They care about the following during their review of students:
- Your weighted and unweighted UC grade point average. (All UC schools calculate GPA using 11th and 12th grade courses only).
- Your 12th grade courses, and your pattern of grades over time.
- Any college preparatory, honors, AP, or IB courses you have taken. They also care about how well you have performed on AP or IB exams.
- Your achievements are compared to other applicants from your school, to help understand you in context.
- How you will contribute to the intellectual vitality and community on campus. They are looking for students with diverse passions and interests, who will be able to contribute to campus in unique ways.
- Your personal qualities, including character, leadership, initiative, originality, maturity, and concern for others.
- Any other achievements you have outside of academics, including in the arts or athletics.
As with UCLA, your achievements and successes are judged in the context of your school, and you are directly compared to your classmates. Thus, the more students from your school who apply to Berkeley, the more you will have to stand out in your achievements. Similarly, the more advanced courses your school offers, the more you are expected to participate in.
Visit our UC Berkeley guide for more insight into the admission process.
What this Means for You
Both UCLA and Berkeley are looking for evidence that you are academically prepared for college and that you are intellectually capable of handling the work involved. You should take the most rigorous courses available to you, especially since you are judged relative to your high school opportunities.
Your grades are the most important part of your application. The ideal is that you have high grades throughout your high school career, but showing improvement from freshman year on is also acceptable, especially since freshman grades are not counted in your GPA. Your senior grades are not counted, but the courses you take are, and you should not slack off academically in your senior year.
When writing your essays, you should look for places to show off your character traits. This is especially true if your extracurriculars do not directly display them. Being president of the student council clearly shows your leadership, but your involvement on a robotics team does not unless you tell them how you displayed it in an essay. Your essays are your last chance to speak directly to admissions officers and let them know who you are.
Final Thoughts
The UC Schools are among the best in the country, and they are incredibly popular with students. UCLA and UC Berkeley see some of the highest application numbers nationally, and their system for reviewing applications reflects that. They are looking for students who do more than simply what is the minimum required, but for ones who excel, and who will continue to do so.
College applications can be daunting, especially to schools that see so many applicants. If you want help preparing your applications to a UC, or want to know more about how applications are reviewed, schedule a free consultation with us. We have a depth of experience helping students get into college, and are always happy to hear from you.
