The demand for the coveted spaces at the 9 University of California has grown over the years, especially since many California students are preferring to stay in state thanks to the uncertainty around the pandemic. The acceptance rate for UCLA and UC Berkeley was 17% last year. The entire UC system received almost 250,000 applications in 2020.
While the UCs have been turning away plenty of qualified California residents – those whose parents are state taxpayers – they realized that they needed to do something to accommodate more students. By 2030, the University of California will add 20,000 students to their 9 campuses. As they should!
The demand for the coveted spaces at the 9 University of California has grown over the years, especially since many California students are preferring to stay in state thanks to the uncertainty around the pandemic. The acceptance rate for UCLA and UC Berkeley was 17% last year. The entire UC system received almost 250,000 applications in 2020.
While the UCs have been turning away plenty of qualified California residents – those whose parents are state taxpayers – they realized that they needed to do something to accommodate more students. By 2030, the University of California will add 20,000 students to their 9 campuses. As they should!
If you’re interested in transferring from a California community college to a UC campus, this is the time to set up your Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG). Six UC campuses offer a TAG to college students who meet specific requirements.
One of the benefits of having a TAG is that you will receive early review of your academic records, early admission notification and specific guidance about major preparation and general education coursework.
TAG applications are due Sept. 30, but you can only apply for a TAG at one campus. To keep your options open, apply to other UC campuses during the regular application cycle (Nov. 1-30).
Here’s how it works:
1. Use the UC Transfer Admission Planner to complete the TAG application, and review it with your community college counselor and/or UC campus TAG adviser. You’ll need to submit it Sept. 1–30.
2. You’ll find out if your TAG is approved in November. If it is, fulfill all remaining coursework and GPA requirements in your TAG agreement.
3. You still need to fill out the application for admission to UC and submit it Nov. 1–30.
Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG)
Six UC campuses offer an admission guarantee for junior transfer applicants. These campuses include UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC Merced, UC Riverside, UC Santa Barbara and UC Santa Cruz.
By participating in the program, students can ensure their admission to a specific UC campus and major. Over 80% of students admitted through the TAG program choose to enroll in a UC campus. TAG students come to UC prepared, with 61% graduating in two years. UC’s TAG Matrix provides information about the GPA, major preparation, and other criteria required by each campus.
If you’re going to be a freshman at one of the University of California campuses this fall, you may need to take their Analytical Writing Placement Exam (AWPE). Normally, it’s given at one of the 10 campuses but this year – Surprise! Surprise! – it’s going to be given online. The AWPE is scheduled for Saturday, June 20th. You only need to take this exam if you haven’t satisfied their Entry-Level Writing Requirement.
If you have satisfied any ONE of these requirements, you do NOT have to take the AWPE:
- 30 or better on the ACT, English Language Arts; or
- 680 or better on the SAT, Evidenced-Based Reading and Writing section; or
- 3 or above on either Advanced Placement Examination in English; or
- 5 or above on an International Baccalaureate (IB) Higher Level English A: Literature exam; or
- 6 or above on an IB Standard Level English A: Literature exam; or
- 5 or above on an IB Higher Level English A: Language and Literature exam; or
- 6 or above on an IB Standard Level English A: Language and Literature exam; or
- Successfully completed a UC-transferrable English Composition course offered by a college or university (not high school).
You should have received an email from your UC Registrar about the exam requirements and test date. If you didn’t, call the registrar to get more information.
Over 1000 colleges give students the option whether or not to declare their SAT or ACT scores with their college applications. Now the University of California is considering dropping the standardized test requirement for their admissions process at their 9 campuses. This is a highly controversial subject that comes on the heels of the admissions scandal where wealthy families paid proctors to cheat by giving their children unfair advantages.
Requiring SATs or ACTs has 2 problems: (1) These standardized tests do NOT identify students who will do well in college; and (2) Wealthy students who are average or even below average can receive excellent scores when their parents pay thousands of dollars for SAT or ACT private prep tutoring, which makes gives the rich students an unfair advantage over poor students.
The real problem colleges face is determining which students will be successful at their institutions. Grade point averages (GPAs) vary from school to school. In wealthy school districts where classes are taught by teachers who often hold advanced degrees, they often succumb to grade inflation due to an onslaught of demanding parents. On the other hand, in poorer school districts where they struggle to keep good teachers, these teachers burn out quickly when faced with students functioning several grade levels below average and often don’t have the foundation to learn the concepts. An “A” in one school could be a “C” in another.
Maybe the honest way for students to apply to colleges and for colleges to determine whether a student will be successful is to have a college application day where every student in the nation fills out the application form, writes their essays, and organizes their resumes in the school auditorium. Teachers and counselors could assist the students and answer questions as proctor the application day. That way, the colleges evaluate the students based on their own work and all students receive the same support and guidance. Just a thought…
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It used to be that college-bound students took the SAT 1 or ACT to demonstrate that they had the reading, writing, and math foundation to be successful in college, and they took the SAT 2 Subject tests to demonstrate their specific skills in academic subjects. While most colleges still require the SAT 1 or ACT today, very few colleges now require the SAT 2 Subject Tests.
If you happen to be strong in a particular subject area and you’re applying to competitive colleges, take the SAT 2 Subject Tests and submit them with your other scores. It might help you get in. But, if you’re not a good test taker or you aren’t ready for any of the subject tests, then skip them.
Check with the colleges on your list to make sure you don’t need the SAT 2 scores. In California, UCs don’t require SAT 2 Subject Test but they do recommend them for freshman applicants majoring in competitive majors like engineering, biology, chemistry, or physics. Here are the UC recommendations:
Berkeley:
Chemistry: Math Level 2 and science test (same as major)
Engineering: Math Level 2 and Physics
Irvine:
Engineering: Math Level 2 and Physics
Computer Science and Engineering: Math Level 2 and Physics
Pharmaceutical Science: Math Level 2, Biology M and/or Chemistry
Physical Sciences: Math Level 2
Public Health Sciences: Biology E, Biology M, and/or Chemistry
Public Health Policy: Biology E, Biology M, and/or World History
Los Angeles:
Engineering: Math Level 2 and Physics
Applied Sciences: Math Level 2 and a science test closely related to the major
Riverside:
Natural and Agricultural Sciences: Math Level 2 and Chemistry or Physics
Engineering: Math Level 2 and Chemistry or Physics
San Diego:
Engineering: Math Level 2 and Physics
Physical Sciences: Math Level 2 and a science closely related to major
Santa Barbara:
Engineering: Math Level 2
Mathematics: Math Level 2
Physics: Math Level 2 and Physics
Biology: Biology
Chemistry and Biochemistry: Chemistry
Computer Sciences: Math Level 2
Transfer students who attend California community colleges and hope to transfer to UCs need to get their Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) application in before September 30th.
Six UC campuses offer an admission guarantee for junior transfer applicants (Davis, Irvine, Merced, Riverside, Santa Barbara, and Santa Cruz). Simply complete the online UC TAG application at https://uctap.universityofcalifornia.edu/students/index.cfm. Use the useful Transfer Admission Planner (TAP) to help you get organized.
If you need help, just ask a Merit College Advisor at info@159.65.71.134!