UCI Comprehensive Review and Information on Appeals

• Overview of UC Irvine's Comprehensive Review Process
• Appeals to UCI for 2008-09
• Options for Applicants Not Offered Admission

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Overview of UC Irvine's Comprehensive Review Process

UC Irvine appreciates receiving the thousands of applications for new freshman and new transfer consideration. Admissions selection is based on Comprehensive Review and evaluation of all applications submitted.

Applicants are selected after extensive review that consists of the applicant's academic achievement, personal accomplishments, and academic promise. As set by the Board of Admissions and Relations with Schools and campus faculty on the UCI Committee on Undergraduate Admissions and Relations with Schools, UCI uses a Comprehensive Review process. Freshman applications are reviewed for completion of required college-preparatory coursework (A-G), required tests, demonstrated academic achievements, activities, talents, and skills, all in the context of a student's circumstances and experiences. The following faculty-approved criteria are taken into consideration.

• High school grade point average in UC-required courses
• Standardized test scores
• Number of, content of and performance in academic courses completed beyond the University's minimum eligibility requirements
• Number of, and performance in honors and AP courses
• Being identified as "eligible in the local context" by ranking in the top 4 percent of the high school class, as determined by the University's academic criteria
• Quality of the senior year program, as measured by the type and number of academic courses in progress or planned
• Quality of academic performance relative to educational opportunities available in the applicant's school
• Outstanding performance in one or more academic subject areas
• Outstanding work in one or more special projects in any academic field
• Recent marked improvement in academic performance
• Special talents, achievements, and awards in a particular field, or experiences that demonstrate unusual promise for leadership or ability to contribute to the intellectual vitality of the campus
• Completion of special projects that offer significant evidence of an applicant's special effort and determination or that may indicate special suitability to an academic program on a specific campus
• Academic accomplishments in light of an applicant's experiences and circumstances, such as disabilities, low family income, first generation to attend college, need to work, disadvantaged social or educational environment, difficult personal and family situations or circumstances, refugee status or veteran status
• Location of the applicant's secondary school and residence, to provide for geographic diversity in the student population and to account for the wide variety of educational environments existing in California

We consider all information that the applicant provides in the application, including the personal statement. Additionally, most applications are read by two trained reviewers.

Transfer applications are reviewed for academic performance in UC-transferable coursework, and specifically consider the applicant's college grade point average, number of UC-transferable units completed and depth of preparation for the applicant's intended major.

Highest priority for admission is given to California resident junior-level applicants from California community colleges. Preference also will be given to community college students who have participated in academically selective honors courses or programs. Junior transfer students from four-year colleges, including other UC campuses, and lower division transfer students (who are eligible for UC from high school) may be considered as space permits.

In addition, UCI considers the following as part of Comprehensive Review for transfer applicants:

• Completion of a specified pattern or number of courses that meet breadth or general education requirements.
• Completion of a specified pattern or number of courses that provide continuity with upper division courses in the student's major.
• The student's grade point average in all transferable courses.
• Participation in academically selective honors courses or programs.
• Special talents, achievements and awards in a particular field, such as visual and performing arts, communication or athletic endeavors; special skills, such as demonstrated written and oral proficiency in other languages; special interests, such as intensive study and exploration of other cultures; experiences that demonstrate unusual promise for leadership, such as significant community service or significant participation in student government; or other significant experiences or achievements that demonstrate the student's promise for contributing to the intellectual vitality of a campus.
• Completion of special projects undertaken in the context of the student's college curriculum or in conjunction with special school events, projects or programs.
• Academic accomplishments in light of the student's life experiences and special circumstances.
• Location of the student's college and residence.

UC Irvine's admissions process for freshman and transfer applicants honors academic achievement and accords priority to applicants with high academic accomplishment. At the same time, in keeping with the guidelines established by our faculty, UCI selects well-prepared, highly competitive applicants who have the potential for success in college.

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Appeals to UCI for 2008-09

Students may appeal decisions made by the Office of Admissions and Relations with Schools (OARS) that affect their admissions status at UCI. However, OARS does not encourage students to submit appeals for consideration since decisions affecting admissions status are made after thorough review and all materials received. If students do submit an appeal for consideration, the student takes the responsibility to submit all documentation required for appeal consideration by any appropriate deadline that may apply. Students submitting appeals will be notified in writing on their final appeal decisions, but are advised not to change their existing college or educational pursuits to wait for the appeal decision. Four types of appeals are described below.

Appeals to Closure of the Application Filing Deadline

To apply for admission after a filing period has ended or for a closed filing period, you must file a written appeal and provide required documents directly to OARS. Consideration for appeals is based on your overall application and extenuating circumstances and students are advised that appeals of this type may not be accepted, regardless of circumstances. No faxes, e-mails or incomplete packets will be considered.

Appeals to Closure must include the following:

• Appeal Cover Sheet (download and print: MS Word or PDF)
• Letter of appeal clearly stating new or compelling reason for appeal consideration, written and signed by the applicant
• Completed UC Application for correct term (fall for freshman applicants or fall or winter for transfer applicants)
• Check for application fee made payable to Regents of the University of California
• Other additional documentation

Letters of recommendation are NOT REQUIRED unless requested by our staff to support appeal information; if recommendations or additional information are needed, our staff will request them from you. Mail your appeal to:

Office of Admissions and Relations with Schools
University of California
204 Aldrich Hall
Irvine, CA 92697-1075
Attn: Appeals Committee

Once our office receives your appeal, you should receive written notification regarding its status within four to six weeks.

Appeals to Submit Late Statements of Intent to Register

An applicant who has received an offer of admission has a specific time period in which to accept provisional admission by submitting a positive Statement of Intent to Register (SIR). SIR deadlines are provided on the admission offer letter and generally are May 1 for freshman applicants and June 1 for transfer applicants. Students who would like to accept admission at UCI after their SIR deadlines must submit an appeal as follows:

Freshman Late SIR Appeals: Submit the following items in ONE package and include student name and Application ID number on each sheet of materials submitted:

• Appeal Cover Sheet (download and print: MS Word or PDF)
• Letter of appeal clearly stating new or compelling reason for appeal consideration, written and signed by the applicant
• Official and final high school transcript and any applicable official college transcripts from appropriate terms in the respective school's sealed envelope; please note the transcript must have course information, final grades senior year and graduation date
• Applicable documentation to support case
• Letters of recommendation are NOT REQUIRED unless requested by our staff to support appeal information

Transfer Late SIR Appeals: Submit the following items in ONE package and include student name and Application ID number on each sheet of materials submitted:

• Appeal Cover Sheet (download and print: MS Word or PDF)
• Letter of appeal clearly stating new or compelling reason for appeal consideration, written and signed by the applicant
• All official and final college transcript(s) for appropriate terms attended in the respective schools' sealed envelopes. Updated list of courses in progress for the current term, if applicable
• Applicable documentation to support case
• Letters of recommendation are NOT REQUIRED unless requested by our staff to support appeal information.

Applicants will receive communication via the Message Center to check their MyAdmissionsApplication@UCI web pages for admissions status when late SIR appeals have been made. Reviews will be completed within four to six week and no faxes, e-mails or incomplete packets will be considered.

Appeals to Selection Decisions, and Appeals to Cancellation Decisions

UC Irvine does not set aside space in our class for students who appeal admissions selection decisions or who would like to appeal admissions cancellation decisions. Every application has been reviewed extensively. For an appeal to have merit in any of these above cases, the applicant must show evidence of academic information that was not present on the application (information that clearly shows the student to have a stronger academic record than had been earlier evidenced) or there must be substantially new and compelling information that was not present during the initial review. For freshman appeals, high grades in the senior year are not a basis for the reversal of a decision.

UC Irvine will begin to respond to freshman appeals to selection decisions by mid-April; however, we cannot guarantee a response by May 1, the date by which many institutions expect their freshman applicants to make enrollment and housing commitments, or by June 1 for transfer students. The review and decision process for a fall term appeal may not be completed until after June 1, when the size of the entering fall class is known. Therefore, it is in the applicant's best interest to have an alternate plan for enrollment at another college for the fall should his/her appeal be denied. Applicants will be informed in writing regarding the Committee's decision, and decisions also will be posted online at MyAdmissionsApplication@UCI. On-campus housing for applicants admitted after May 1 (freshmen) or June 1 (transfers) is not guaranteed, and on-campus housing is not guaranteed for applicants whose appeals to cancellation may be granted.

While all appeals are reviewed on a case-by-case basis, the rate of a decision being reversed based upon an appeal has historically been low.

Students submitting appeals should submit the following, including all supporting documentation not originally presented on the application; submission of an appeal does not mean an appeal will be granted.

Freshmen Selection Appeals: Submit the following items in ONE package postmarked by April 15, 2008 and include student name and Application ID number on each sheet of materials submitted:

• Appeal Cover Sheet (download and print: MS Word or PDF)
• Letter of appeal clearly stating new or compelling reason for appeal consideration, written and signed by the applicant
• High school transcript from most recent term; please note the transcript must have course information and grades from fall semester of your senior year and any additional semesters available at the time of appeal; an official transcript in the school's sealed envelope is preferred
• Other additional documentation
• Letters of recommendation are NOT REQUIRED unless requested by our staff to support appeal information

Transfer Selection Appeals: Submit the following items in ONE package postmarked by May 15, 2008 and include student name and Application ID number on each sheet of materials submitted:

• Appeal Cover Sheet (download and print: MS Word or PDF)
• Letter of appeal clearly stating new or compelling reason for appeal consideration, written and signed by the applicant
• College transcript through most recent term for college(s) currently attending. Updated list of courses in progress for the current term, if applicable
• Applicable documentation: please note that the Office of Admissions and Relations with Schools may request additional documentation from an applicant, as needed
• Letters of recommendation are NOT REQUIRED unless requested by our staff to support appeal information

For Cancellation Appeals: Please submit the following items in ONE package and include student name and Application ID number on each sheet of materials submitted:

• Appeal Cover Sheet (download and print: MS Word or PDF)
• Letter of appeal clearly stating new or compelling reason for appeal consideration, written and signed by the applicant
• College transcript through most recent term for college(s) currently attending. Updated list of courses in progress for the current term, if applicable
• Applicable documentation: please note that the Office of Admissions and Relations with Schools may request additional documentation from an applicant, as needed
• Letters of recommendation are NOT REQUIRED or ACCEPTED unless requested by our staff to support appeal information

Please Note:
Appeals submitted via e-mail or fax to ANY Office of Admissions and Relations with Schools staff will not be considered. Rather, applicants submitting appeals should submit the above described package as soon as possible to the following address:

         Office of Admissions and Relations with Schools
         University of California
         204 Aldrich Hall
         Irvine, CA 92697-1075
         Attn: Appeals Committee

Incomplete appeals (those lacking any of the above materials) will not be considered.

There are no interviews but questions may be directed to the Director at (949) 824-6703.

Choice of major is generally not a factor in the admission decision except in specifically selective and restrictive majors including Dance, Engineering, Music (at both the freshmen and transfer level), Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Earth and Environmental Science, Economics, Information and Computer Science majors, Mathematics and Physics at the transfer level.

A selection appeal for fall quarter 2008 admission and supporting documentation must be postmarked by April 15, 2008 for freshman appeals and by May 15, 2008 for transfer appeals, and sent to UC Irvine.

All appeal requests will be reviewed thoroughly. Appeal decisions are considered final.

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Options for Applicants Not Offered Admission

Applicants who have not been offered admission at UC Irvine have several options.

• All UC campuses offer a quality education. If you applied to another UC campus and have been offered admission, we strongly encourage you to consider that offer. Many of our applicants also have admission offers at a number of excellent private colleges and we encourage applicants to consider that option.
  
  
• One or more UC campuses may utilize the UC referral pool for UC-eligible applicants not offered admission at any of the campuses to which they have applied. Applicants who are selected by campuses from the UC referral pool will be contacted directly with this information and relevant deadlines for action.
  
  
• UC Irvine is committed to assisting students in transferring from the California Community College system. At the transfer level, we give highest priority to community college students who present a well-planned course of study, a competitive grade point average, and who apply with junior-level standing. If, after considering all of your options for higher education, you decide to enroll at a community college, we urge you to contact the Transfer Center at that college for assistance in planning a course of study that will lead to successful transfer in the future. In fact, UCI offers a guaranteed admission program for California community college transfers who satisfy UC transfer requirements and meet specific campus criteria. Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) is an excellent avenue to UCI admission and is offered to all eligible students at all California community colleges.
  
  
• Many community colleges are also part of a network of California Community College Honors programs that offer a set of enriched academic services to students. It is our experience that these programs are particularly effective in helping to facilitate a smooth transfer to UC Irvine, and we strongly urge students to consider participating in such a program, if available. Participating colleges are listed below.

California Community Colleges Offering Honors Transfer Programs

Allan Hancock College American River College Antelope Valley College Cerritos College Cerro Coso College Chaffey College Citrus College City College of San Francisco College of the Canyons College of the Redwoods College of San Mateo Cypress College East Los Angeles College El Camino College Foothill College Fullerton College Glendale College Golden West College Grossmont College Irvine Valley College Long Beach City College Los Angeles City College Los Angeles Harbor College Los Angeles Mission College Los Angeles Pierce College

Los Angeles Southwest College Los Angeles Valley College Los Medanos College MiraCosta College Moorpark College Mt. San Antonio College Mt. San Jacinto College Orange Coast College Pasadena City College Rio Hondo College Sacramento City College Saddleback College San Bernardino Valley College San Diego City College San Diego Mesa College San Diego Miramar College Santa Ana College Santa Barbara City College Santa Monica College Santiago Canyon College Skyline College Victor Valley College West Los Angeles College West Valley College

Additional information on transferring to the University of California may be found at www.ucop.edu/pathways (look for Answers for Transfers).

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