California is a very popular college destination. Most often, the colleges students bring to the conversation are the ‘UCs’ or the University of California colleges.
If places like Berkeley, UCLA, or UC San Diego are on your mind, here are three things you need to know about admission to the UCs – 
Know what’s expected & plan ahead 
The UCs have specific high school course requirements, aligned to the California state requirements. They refer to these as the “A-G” requirements and you’ll want to make sure that you are planning ahead throughout high school to meet these to be considered as an applicant. Most students who are taking a rigorous program in high school are on track to meet these. The one that we find most catches students off guard is the arts requirement. The UCs require that an applicant has completed two semesters in the same artistic discipline – dance, music, theater, visual or interdisciplinary arts. The courses can be taken in different years and on different topics (think ceramics and painting) but must be within the same discipline.
Each of the nine undergraduate-serving UC campuses has its own admission review process, and acceptance rate, but they all use the same UC application and a student cannot apply with the Common App. The UCs are transparent about the criteria used to evaluate applicants. You can learn about the 13 points used in the comprehensive review process here and even understand how the UCs calculate GPA and assess the rigor of your classes. Heavy emphasis is placed on strong grades in advanced (AP or IB) coursework in grades 10 and 11. An out of state student with less than an A average in grades 10 and 11, or just a couple of AP or IB courses may find UC admissions to be extremely challenging.
Understand the out of state story
As a public university system, UC has a mandate to admit and enroll California residents, with 2021 legislation passed to significantly reduce non-resident enrollment by 2030. Each year, the most competitive campuses such as UCLA, Berkeley, and San Diego are all reducing out of state enrollment. This means each year it is becoming more challenging to gain admission from outside of California. If you view the published non-resident numbers for UC campuses, you will find that the current non-resident enrollment in most cases hovers around or just below 20%. However, these statistics encompass two different populations: out of state US students, and international students. Because international applicants are often expected to be ‘full pay’ students, the international student population makes up a much larger portion of non-resident enrollment. This means being a US student from outside of California is often the most narrow entry into these popular and competitive institutions that already purport admitted student GPA averages at and above 4.0.
What else to consider
Students who are considering University of California schools should make sure they are eligible and solid applicants in the pools for the UC campuses they are applying to. The application is involved and lengthy, so it’s worth identifying several campuses where you will submit to make this application worth your while. Beyond this, consider the California State system; though many of these schools are also quite competitive, several offer higher acceptance rates for out of state students than their UC counterparts. Give serious consideration to private colleges in California too. There are many excellent options at a range of different admissibility levels. As private institutions, some of these will offer merit scholarships that make tuition more affordable.
As always, we encourage students & families to look beyond the sweatshirt ‘name brand’ schools to explore the many fantastic colleges that align with your values and offer the opportunities, experiences, and community you seek.
TBU Advisors are experienced in supporting students to navigate their college choices and personal best fit. If you’d like to explore working with a TBU Advisor, get in touch here. We look forward to connecting with you.
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