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transparent spacing image New Student Handbook: 2008 Edition University of California, Irvine



FAQs for Freshman Admission



As a freshman student, what are my chances of graduating in four years?

Are most classes big (over 50 people) or are they intimate (less than 25)? Are there TAs?

Does UCI require the SAT II tests? If so, which ones?

I am a high school student and I have taken some classes at a community college. Can I use those classes on my freshman application? Can I also get degree credit for them?

Does UCI accept General Education Development (GED) diplomas?

How does UCI use Advanced Placement credit?

 

See also the FAQs about Applying to UCI


As a freshman student, what are my chances of graduating in four years?

The average time to graduate is four years and one quarter. The median amount of time to complete a degree is four years; this means that half of the UCI students complete their requirements and graduate in four years or less.

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Are most classes big (over 50 people) or are they intimate (less than 25)? Are there TAs?

The average class size is 31 students. The number of courses with fewer than 30 students is 79%. The student/faculty ratio is approximately 19:1. Yes, graduate students serve as TAs for some classes, conducting what are called "discussion sections." In general, professors teach the lecture section of a class twice a week and teaching assistants augment the lecture with a discussion once a week.

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Does UCI require the SAT II tests? If so, which ones?

Yes. Freshman applicants who graduated from high school in spring 2005 or earlier are required to have taken the SAT I: Reasoning Test (or ACT) and three SAT II: Subjects Tests prior to high school graduation. Freshman applicants who graduate high school after spring 2005 are required to take the ACT Assessment plus Writing or the SAT Reasoning Test and two SAT Subject Tests. If you are applying for admission for fall 2010, you must take the ACT Assessment plus Writing or SAT Reasoning Test and two SAT Subject Tests no later than December 2009.

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I am a high school student and I have taken some classes at a community college. Can I use those classes on my freshman application? Can I also get degree credit for them?

Transferable courses taken at a community college are awarded extra grade points in the admission process, just as Advanced Placement and certified honors courses are; however, the University limits the number of honors-level courses that a student can accrue to eight semesters. In addition to the extra grade points earned, units from transferable community college courses are applied toward overall units required for a student's college degree.

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Does UCI accept General Education Development (GED) diplomas?

If a student does not have a high school diploma, the University will accept the GED certificate, in place of a diploma. However, a student must still meet the Subject, Scholarship and Examination requirements. UCI also accepts California Certificate of Proficiency.

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How does UCI use Advanced Placement credit?

Students who earn scores of 3, 4, or 5 on the College Board Advanced Placement Examinations will receive credit toward graduation at UCI. The unit and subject credit allowed toward degree requirements assigned to each test are shown in the chart on pages 42-43 in the UCI General Catalogue and online at http://www.editor.uci.edu/09-10/intro/intro.11.htm.

 

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