Admissions
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Freshman and Transfer Applicants
Eligibility vs. Selection

Eligibility - Freshman

The university defines freshman applicants as students who have graduated from high school or have graduated from high school and have not enrolled in a regular session at any college or university. If you attend a summer session immediately after graduating from high school, you are still considered a freshman applicant.

To be considered eligible for admission to UC Irvine, freshman applicants must satisfy the university’s minimum admission requirements.  Prospective California-resident and non-California resident applicants can become eligible for admission as follows:


California Residents

There are three ways for California-resident freshman applicants to become eligible:
  1. Eligibility in the Statewide Context - students must complete specific coursework and college admissions tests and have earned the required GPA and test scores.
  2. Eligibility in the Local Context (ELC) - students must rank in the top 4 percent of their graduating class at a participating California high school.
  3. Eligibility by Examination Alone - students must achieve specified high scores on their college admissions tests.
Non-California Residents

There are two ways for non-California resident freshman applicants to become eligible:
  1. Eligibility in the Statewide Context as described above, and
  2. Eligibility by Examination Alone, with the following exceptions:
    1. Scholarship Requirement
      Students satisfy the Scholarship Requirement with a GPA of 3.4 or above earned along with the test score indicated in the Eligibility Index under "Nonresidents."
    2. Admission by Examination Alone
      Students must achieve a UC Score Total of at least 425.  In addition, students must achieve a minimum UC Score of 63, according to the Translation Table on each component of the ACT or SAT Reasoning Test and on each SAT Subject Test.
Selection – Freshman

Selection for admission to UC Irvine as a freshman is very competitive and it is highly recommended that applicants exceed the minimum admission requirements.  See UC Irvine Freshman Admission Requirements.

 


Eligibility – Transfers

The university defines transfer applicants as students who have graduated from high school and enrolled in a regular session at a college or university (do not disregard your college record and apply as a freshman). To be eligible for admission to UC Irvine as a transfer student, applicants are strongly encouraged to exceed the minimum level of achievement described below and review the information at Transfer Admission, Selection and Preparation.


California Residents

There are several ways to meet the university's minimum transfer admission requirements.  The path you use depends on the degree to which you have satisfied UC's minimum eligibility requirements for freshmen at the time you graduated from high school.

 

  1. If you were eligible for admission to the university when you graduated from high school -- meaning you satisfied the Subject, Scholarship and Examination requirements -- you are eligible to transfer if you have a C (2.0) average in your UC transferable college coursework.
  2. If you met the Scholarship Requirement but did not satisfy the Subject Requirement, you must take UC transferable college courses in the subjects you are missing, earn a grade of C or better in each of these required courses and earn an overall C (2.0) average in all UC transferable college coursework to be eligible to transfer.
  3. If you were not eligible for admission to the university when you graduated from high school because you did not meet the Scholarship Requirement, you must:
    1. Complete 90 quarter units or 60 semester units of UC transferable college credit with a grade point average of at least 2.4 (no more than 14 semester/21 quarter units may be taken Pass/No Pass); and
    2. Complete the following course pattern, earning a grade of C or better in each course:
      • two UC transferable college courses (3 semester or 4-5 quarter units each) in English composition; and
      • one UC transferable college course (3 semester or 4-5 quarter units) in mathematical concepts and quantitative reasoning; and
      • four UC transferable college courses (3 semester or 4-5 quarter units each) chosen from at least two of the following subject areas: the arts and humanities, the social and behavioral sciences, and the physical and biological sciences.
      3. Students who satisfy the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) prior to transferring to UC may satisfy Option 3b above of the transfer admission requirements. For more information about the IGETC, contact your Transfer Center Counselor.
Non-California Residents

The minimum admission requirements for non-California residents are very similar to those for California-residents. In all cases, nonresidents must have a grade point average of 2.8 or higher in all UC transferable college coursework.  Please contact the UC Irvine Office of Admissions and Relations with Schools for details.

Selection – Transfer

Selection for admission to UC Irvine is highly selective at the transfer level.  It is strongly recommended that applicants exceed the minimum admission requirements.  See Transfer Admission, Selection and Preparation.
 
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