UNDERGRADUATE STUDY

Undergraduate Admission
Registration
Financial Support
Majors and Degrees
Degree Requirements
Capstone Majors
Undergraduate Research
Internships and Service Programs
Lower Division Seminar Programs
Advising and Academic Assistance
Academic Excellence

CATALOG HOME

About UCLA
Curricula and Courses
College and Schools
Undergraduate Study
Graduate Study
Academic Policies
Appendixes

Catalog PDF

UNDERGRADUATE ADMISSION

Undergraduate Admissions and Relations with Schools
1147 Murphy Hall
(310) 825-3101

http://www.admissions.ucla.edu

Prospective UCLA undergraduate students should give careful thought to adequate preparation in reading, writing, mathematics, laboratory sciences, languages, visual and performing arts, and other subject areas related to a degree objective or major. To be competitive, UCLA applicants need to present an academic profile much stronger than that represented by the minimum UC admission requirements.

Applying for Admission

To apply for admission to UCLA, complete the UC Application for Admission and Scholarships. Applicants may apply for the Fall Quarter at http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/admissions/.

One application is used for the nine UC campuses with undergraduate programs. Students apply to one UC campus for a nonrefundable application fee; an additional fee is charged for each additional campus.

When to Apply

All majors and programs in the College of Letters and Science, School of the Arts and Architecture, School of Theater, Film, and Television, School of Nursing, and Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science are open for Fall Quarter. The application filing period is November 1-30 of the prior year. See http://www.admissions.ucla.edu/prospect/applying.htm for up-to-date information on application procedures.

Notification of Admission

The UC Undergraduate Application Processing Service e-mails notices to acknowledge receipt of applications. Subsequently, UCLA UARS notifies students of the admission decision. Fall Quarter freshman applicants are notified beginning in late March and transfers in late April.

Students who are offered admission are asked to submit a Statement of Intent to Register and a Statement of Legal Residence. A nonrefundable deposit, also required at this time, is applied to the Student Services Fee as long as students register in the term to which they are admitted.

Entrance Requirements

Entrance requirements established by the University follow the guidelines set forth in the California Master Plan for Higher Education, which requires that the top 12.5 percent of the state’s high school graduates be eligible for admission to the University of California. Requirements are designed to ensure that all eligible students are adequately prepared for University-level work.

Fulfilling the minimum admission requirements does not assure admission to UCLA. Admission is based on demonstrated high scholarship in preparatory work going well beyond the minimum eligibility requirements. High school honors level and advanced placement courses are good preparation regardless of the desired major. UCLA offers admission to those students with the best overall academic preparation, viewed in the context of the applicants’ academic and personal circumstances, extracurricular and volunteer experiences, and the overall strength of the UCLA applicant pool. For details, see http://www.admissions.ucla.edu.

Admission as a Freshman

Students are considered freshman applicants if they have not enrolled in a regular session of any college-level institution since graduation from high school. Students who attend summer session immediately following high school graduation are still considered freshman applicants.

Minimum Admission Requirements

To be considered for admission as a freshman, students must meet the subject requirement, the scholarship requirement, and the examination requirement.

Subject Requirement

The subject requirement, sometimes called A to G requirements, is a sequence of high school academic courses required for admission to the University. Each course must be completed with a grade of C or better. The requirement consists of 15 year-long courses, with 11 completed by the end of the junior (eleventh grade) year. These are the minimum requirements; students should exceed these requirements whenever possible.

1. History/Social Science. Two years of history/social science, including one year of world history, cultures, and geography, and one year of U.S. history or one-half year of U.S. history and one-half year of civics or American government
2. English. Four years of college preparatory English that include frequent and regular writing, and reading of classic and modern literature, poetry, and drama. No more than one year of ESL-type courses can be used to meet this requirement
3. Mathematics. Three years of college preparatory mathematics that include the topics covered in elementary and advanced algebra and two- and three-dimensional geometry (four years are recommended, including trigonometry and calculus). Approved integrated mathematics courses taken in the seventh and eighth grades may be used to fulfill this requirement if the high school accepts them as equivalent to its own mathematics courses
4. Laboratory Science. Two years of laboratory science (three years are recommended) that provide fundamental knowledge in at least two of the three foundational subjects: biology, chemistry, and physics. Advanced laboratory science courses that have biology, chemistry, or physics as requisites and offer substantial new material may be used to fulfill this requirement. The last two years of an approved three-year integrated science program that provides rigorous coverage of at least two of the three foundational subjects may also be used to fulfill this requirement
5. Language Other than English. Two years of the same language, other than English (three to four years are recommended). Courses should emphasize speaking and understanding and include instruction in grammar, vocabulary, reading, composition, and culture. Courses in languages other than English taken in the seventh and eighth grades may be used to fulfill part of this requirement if the high school accepts them as equivalent to its own language courses
6. Visual and Performing Arts. One year-long approved arts course from a single visual and performing arts discipline: dance, drama/theater, music, or visual art
7. College Preparatory Electives. One year (two semesters), in addition to those required in a to f above, selected from the following areas: history, English, advanced mathematics, laboratory science, language other than English (a third year in the language used for the e requirement or two years of another language), social science, and visual and performing arts (nonintroductory-level courses)

Scholarship Requirement

California residents are eligible for admission to the University of California with a 3.0 grade-point average; nonresidents are eligible with a 3.4 GPA. Minimum eligibility does not guarantee admission to UCLA.

Examination Requirement

All freshman applicants must submit scores from either the ACT Assessment plus Writing Tests score or the SAT Reasoning Test score.

The tests should be taken by December of the senior year, as they are part of the review process. Students should request that test results be sent directly to UCLA when they take the test.

Admission Selection

UCLA selects students using a carefully designed holistic review process that takes into account an applicant’s achievements, both academic and nonacademic, in the context of the opportunities available to the student. Among other factors, holistic review specifically considers academic grade-point average; performance on standardized tests; the quality, quantity, and level of coursework taken; sustained participation in activities that develop academic and intellectual abilities; leadership and initiative; employment and personal responsibilities; and overcoming life challenges related to personal or family situations.

Because admission requirements and selection criteria may change, freshman applicants should see http://www.admissions.ucla.edu/prospect/Adm_fr.htm for the most complete and up-to-date information.

Admission as a Transfer Student

Students are considered transfer applicants if they have been a registered student (1) at another college or university or (2) in college-level extension courses. (This does not include attending a summer session immediately following high school graduation.) Students may not disregard their college record and apply for admission as a freshman.

In accordance with the California Master Plan for Higher Education, first preference is given to California community college applicants. Applicants transferring from other UC campuses are next in priority, followed by applicants transferring from other colleges and universities. Each application receives a comprehensive review, integrating all available information. Students attaining senior standing are generally not admitted.

Academic criteria are as follows: junior-level standing (60 semester/90 quarter transferable units completed) by the end of the spring term before transfer, grade-point average in transferable courses, significant preparation for the major, completion of the English composition and mathematics requirements, and progress toward completion of the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC), another UC campus general education requirements, or UCLA general education requirements.

For details on transfer admission requirements, refer to the guidelines in the application. See http://www.admissions.ucla.edu/prospect/Adm_tr/tradms.htm.

Intercampus Transfers

Undergraduate students registered in a regular session at any University of California campus (or those previously registered who have not since registered at any other school) may apply for transfer to another campus of the University. Submit the UC Application for Transfer Admission and Scholarships with the required application fees. The filing periods are the same as those for new applicants. Students who have attended another UC campus and wish to be considered for admission to UCLA must have been in good standing when they left that campus. Intercampus transfers are not automatic; students must compete with all other applicants.

Transfer Credit and Credit by Examination

The University awards unit credit to transfer students for certain courses completed at other accredited colleges and universities. To be accepted for credit, the courses must be comparable to those offered at the University, as determined by UARS. All courses that meet the criteria are used in determining eligibility for admission.

To convert semester units into quarter units, multiply the semester units by 1.5. For example, 12 semester units x 1.5 = 18 quarter units.

College credit for examinations given by national testing services is generally not allowed, except for the AP Tests given by the College Board and the International Baccalaureate higher-level examinations. See http://www.admissions.ucla.edu/trcredit.htm.

International Applicants

To be considered for admission to the University of California, international students must have completed secondary school with a superior average in academic subjects and have earned a certificate of completion that would enable them to be admitted to a university in the home country.

The application for admission, copies of official certificates, and detailed records of all secondary schools attended should be submitted as early as possible after the filing period opens. This allows time for the necessary correspondence and, if students are admitted, to obtain passport visas.

Proficiency in English . Students whose native language is not English must have sufficient command of English to benefit from instruction at UCLA. First-year undergraduate students who have not otherwise satisfied the Entry-Level Writing requirement and who have not taken the Analytical Writing Placement Examination (AWPE) by the time they enter UCLA must take the AWPE in their first term at UCLA. Results of the AWPE are reviewed to determine whether students should complete the English as a Second Language (ESL) requirement, prior to satisfying the Entry-Level Writing requirement, in order to demonstrate sufficient command of English. If held for the ESL requirement, students must complete the requirement by taking the designated ESL courses.

In addition, they are advised to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) as a preliminary means of testing their ability. Make arrangements for this test by contacting TOEFL/TSE Publications, P.O. Box 6151, Princeton, NJ 08541-6151, (609) 771-7100 or at http://www.ets.org. Have the test results sent directly to the UCLA Office of Undergraduate Admissions and Relations with Schools.

Second Bachelor’s Degree

By policy, second bachelor’s degrees are not generally granted.