The University defines a transfer applicant as a student who has completed high school and who has been a registered student in another college or university or in college-level extension classes other than a summer session immediately following high school graduation. UCI considers a California community college transfer applicant as a student who has completed at least 30 semester units/45 quarter units at one or more California community colleges. A transfer applicant may not disregard the college record and apply for admission as a freshman. (Transfer applicants who are not residents of California should also refer to the section on Nonresident Admission Requirements.)

SELECTION CRITERIA

UCI attempts to accommodate as many qualified transfer applicants as possible. Priority consideration for admission of advanced-standing applicants is given to junior-level applicants (with a minimum of 60 semester/90 quarter units of transferable credit) from California community colleges and is based upon: (1) GPA in transferable courses; (2) depth of preparation toward general education and major requirements; and (3) participation in the PAIF (Preliminary Admission-in-the-Field) program, which requires early completion of a transferable English and mathematics course. Applicants with the strongest academic performance will be the most competitive for admission. Junior transfers from four-year colleges, including other UC campuses, and lower-division transfers will be considered as space permits. Applicants for fall quarter admission must complete required English composition and mathematics courses by the end of the spring term. Applicants for winter or spring quarter must complete required English composition and mathematics courses by summer or fall terms, respectively.

In the case that UCI is unable to accommodate all qualified applicants in their first-choice major, those students who indicate a valid alternate major may be offered admission in that major. Students who wish to change their major after enrolling at UCI must submit a change of major petition. This is of particular importance to those who apply in majors which are subject to additional course prerequisites and/or have a limit placed on the number of applicants admitted into the major. (See the following list.)

Some transfer applicants are selected based upon consideration of the academic criteria in conjunction with the following personal achievement criteria: an exceptionally challenging curriculum; outstanding accomplishments relevant to academic aims; hardships or unusual circumstances the applicant has faced, and the ways in which the student has responded to these challenges; a strong, thoughtful match between UCI's programs and the student's academic and career objectives, preparation, talents, and skills; and potential contributions to the campus. The level of performance needed to gain admission varies from year to year depending on the size and the academic quality of the applicant pool and the number of enrollment spaces.

Transfer applicants to the majors listed below must complete prerequisite courses for the major as specified.

Applied Ecology: Junior-level applicants with the highest grades overall and who satisfactorily complete course prerequisites will be given preference for admission to the Applied Ecology major. All applicants must complete one year of general chemistry with laboratory.

Biological Sciences: Junior-level applicants with the highest grades overall and who satisfactorily complete course prerequisites will be given preference for admission to the Biological Sciences major. All applicants must complete one year of general chemistry with laboratory.

Chemistry: Junior-level applicants with the highest grades overall and who satisfactorily complete course prerequisites will be given preference for admission to the Chemistry major. All applicants must complete the following required courses: one-year of general chemistry with laboratory, and one year of approved calculus.

Criminology, Law and Society: Applicants may be subject to additional screening.

Dance: Applicants must audition and be selected by faculty.

Earth and Environmental Sciences: Junior-level applicants with the highest grades overall and who satisfactorily complete course prerequisites will be given preference for admission to the Earth and Environmental Sciences major. All applicants must complete the following required courses: one year of calculus and one year of either general chemistry with laboratory or calculus-based physics with laboratory.

Ecology and Evolutionary Biology: Junior-level applicants with the highest grades overall and who satisfactorily complete course prerequisites will be given preference for admission to the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology major. All applicants must complete one year of general chemistry with laboratory.

Economics: Junior-level applicants with the highest grades overall and who satisfactorily complete course prerequisites will be given preference for admission to the Economics major. All applicants must complete the following required courses: one-year of microeconomics and macroeconomics theory, and one semester or two quarter courses of approved calculus.

Engineering: Applicants must select either Aerospace Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering: Premedical, Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Engineering (a general program of study which is open to upper-division students only), Environmental Engineering, Materials Science Engineering, or Mechanical Engineering as their major on the application. Junior-level applicants with the highest grades overall and who satisfactorily complete course prerequisites will be given preference for admission. All applicants must complete the following required courses: one year of approved calculus, two courses in calculus-based physics with laboratory for engineering and physics majors, three additional courses as specified by the major, and completion of lower-division writing. See the The Henry Samueli School of Engineering section of this Catalogue for information on courses required for each major.

Computer Science and Engineering: Junior-level applicants with the highest grades overall and who satisfactorily complete course prerequisites will be given preference for admission to the Computer Science and Engineering major. Students are encouraged to complete as many of the lower-division degree requirements as possible prior to transfer, including one year of calculus, one year of engineering physics (with laboratory) including electromagnetism, one year of Java programming, and one additional approved course for the major. Students who enroll at UCI in need of completing lower-division course work may find that it will take longer than two years to complete their degrees. For further information, contact the Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences at (949) 824-5156 or The Henry Samueli School of Engineering at (949) 824-4334. NOTE: The major in Computer Science and Engineering will be available to transfer students effective fall 2006.

Information and Computer Science, Computer Science, and Informatics: Junior-level applicants with the highest grades overall and who satisfactorily complete course prerequisites will be given preference for admission to the majors in Information and Computer Science, Computer Science, and Informatics. All applicants must complete the following required courses: one year of discrete mathematics if available; if not, first-year calculus (a semester of pre-calculus and a semester of calculus may not be used to fulfill this requirement); and one year of transferable computer science courses, including a programming course involving concepts such as are found in C++, Java, Eiffel, or another object-oriented high-level language. Programming-only courses in Basic, Fortran, Cobol, Pascal, and C are not acceptable. Students should select UC-transferable courses that do not focus strictly on learning a programming language but instead focus on topics such as object-oriented design, data structures, algorithms, and computer architecture, if such courses are available. NOTE: The major in Informatics will accept junior-level transfer students beginning fall 2006.

NOTE: It is strongly recommended that transfer students enter the ICS, CS, or Informatics major with knowledge of Java, as it is used in most programming-related courses. The lower-division requirements consist of five courses which must be taken in a certain order and which are prerequisite for upper-division courses. Students who transfer to UCI in need of completing any part of this sequence may find that it will take longer than two years to complete their degree.

Mathematics: Junior-level applicants with the highest grades overall and who satisfactorily complete course prerequisites will be given preference for admission to the Mathematics major. All applicants must complete one year of approved calculus.

Music: Applicants must audition and be selected by faculty.

Physics: Junior-level applicants with the highest grades overall and who satisfactorily complete course prerequisites will be given preference for admission to the Physics major. All applicants must complete the following required courses: one year of calculus-based physics with laboratory for engineering and physics majors, and one year of approved calculus.

Psychology and Social Behavior: Applicants may be subject to additional screening.

TRANSFER STUDENT ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

The University of California requirements for admission as a transfer applicant vary according to the high school record. Transfer applicants who have completed a California Certificate of Proficiency or the equivalent must also meet regular University entrance requirements.

Transfer applicants should also refer to the section on Information for Transfer Students: Fulfilling Requirements for a Bachelor's Degree.

The transcript submitted from the last college attended must show, as a minimum, that the student was in good standing and had earned a grade point average of 2.00 or better in all transferable course work.

A transfer applicant must also meet one of the following conditions:

1. Students who were eligible for admission to the University when they graduated from high school--meaning they satisfied the Subject, Scholarship, and Examination Requirements or were identified by the University during their senior year in high school as eligible under the Eligibility in the Local Context (ELC) program--are eligible to transfer if they have a C (2.0) average in their transferable college course work.

2. Students who met the Scholarship Requirement but did not satisfy the Subject Requirement must take transferable college courses in the subjects they 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 transferable college course work to be eligible to transfer.

3. Students who were not eligible for admission to the University when they graduated from high school because they did not meet the Scholarship Requirement must:

a. Complete 60 semester units or 90 quarter units of transferable college credit with a grade point average of at least 2.4 (no more than 14 semester units or 21 quarter units may be taken Pass/Not Pass), and

b. Complete the following course pattern requirement, earning a grade of C or better in each course:

i. Two transferable college courses (3 semester or 4-5 quarter units each) in English composition; and

ii. One transferable college course (3 semester or 4-5 quarter units) in mathematical concepts and quantitative reasoning; and

iii. Four 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 behavorial sciences, the physical and biological sciences.

NOTE: For UCI, in fulfilling items i and ii, the courses in English and mathematics should be completed no later than the following term:

Applicants for: Courses must be completed by:

Fall Spring term
Winter Summer term
Spring Fall term

ADMISSION FOR A SECOND BACHELOR'S DEGREE

A student whose educational objective has changed substantially after receiving the bachelor's degree may be considered for admission to a program for a second degree. Admission as a candidate for a second bachelor's degree requires that the applicant be fully eligible for admission to the University and have strong promise of academic success in the new major. All such admissions are subject to the approval of the dean or director of the UCI school or program in which the second degree will be earned.

Students who have not attended UCI as undergraduates during a regular academic quarter should complete an Application for Undergraduate Admission available from the Office of Admissions and Relations with Schools. Students who have attended UCI as undergraduates during a regular academic quarter should obtain and complete a Second Baccalaureate Application form through the Registrar's Office.

Nonresident Admission Requirements

Admission requirements for applicants who are not California residents vary slightly from requirements for California residents. However, all nonresident freshman and transfer applicants are subject to the same selection criteria as California residents, as explained in a previous section. Refer to the Expenses and Fees section for information regarding residence classification for tuition purposes and the Nonresident Tuition Fee.

NONRESIDENT FRESHMAN APPLICANT

A nonresident freshman applicant must (1) graduate from a regionally or state-accredited high school, or complete an appropriate proficiency examination; (2) complete satisfactorily the "a through g" pattern of subject requirements listed under requirements for California residents; (3) earn a grade point average of at least 3.40 or higher in the required high school subjects (3.00 is equal to a B average); (4) meet the examination requirement: either the ACT Assessment plus Writing test or the SAT Reasoning Test (critical reading, mathematics, and writing). In addition, all applicants must complete two SAT Subject Tests in two different subject areas: history/social science, English literature, mathematics, laboratory science, or language other than English. (The SAT Subject Test in literature may not be substituted for the Writing test); and (5) meet the Eligibility Index for nonresidents. (NOTE: Because of the recent changes to the SATs and the ACT, the Eligibility Index is being revised and was unavailable at press time. A new Eligibility Index will be available at http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/admissions/.)

NONRESIDENT TRANSFER APPLICANT

The minimum admission requirements for nonresident transfer applicants are the same as those for residents, except that nonresidents must have a grade point average of 2.8 or higher in all transferable college course work.

ADMISSION OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

The credentials of an international undergraduate applicant--a student who holds or expects to hold a student, exchange, visitor, or diplomatic visa and who wishes to attend school in the United States--are evaluated in accordance with the general regulations governing admission. The application should be submitted to the University of California Undergraduate Application Processing Service early in the appropriate application filing period. This will allow time for exchange of necessary correspondence and, if the applicant is admitted, will help the student in obtaining the necessary passport visa. Official certificates and detailed transcripts of records should be submitted directly to the UCI Office of Admissions and Relations with Schools only when requested.

International applicants whose native language is not English will be required to demonstrate their English proficiency. This is most often accomplished by achieving a minimum score of 550 (paper-based) or 213 (computer-based) on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), or with a score of 7 (academic module) on the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) examination. Arrangements to take the TOEFL may be made by writing directly to TOEFL/TSE Services Educational Testing Service, P.O. Box 6151, Princeton, NJ 08541-6151, USA; telephone (609) 771-7100; World Wide Web: http://www.toefl.org/. For information about the IELTS test, see http://www.ielts.org/. Students must ask the Educational Testing Service or IELTS to forward results of their tests to the Office of Admissions and Relations with Schools. Completion of an acceptable English composition course (as determined by the Office of Admissions and Relations with Schools) with a grade of C or better will also clear the English proficiency requirement for international applicants.

Students who wish to improve their English proficiency to meet the TOEFL or IELTS requirement may enroll in the intensive Program in English as a Second Language sponsored by UC Irvine Extension. Information is available from English and Certificate Programs for Internationals, UC Irvine Extension, P.O. Box 6050, Irvine, CA 92616-6050; telephone (949) 824-5591.

In addition to achieving a minimum TOEFL or IELTS score, all international students whose native language is other than English must take an Academic English/English as a Second Language Placement Test upon arrival and prior to registration. Based upon the results of this test, students may be required to improve certain language skills by enrolling in Academic English/English as a Second Language courses during their first year, with other major course work being adjusted accordingly.

Generally, financial assistance and scholarships from the University are not available to the nonimmigrant-visa student. International students must provide proof that sufficient funds will be available to meet their educational commitments while studying in the United States. International undergraduate students are considered as nonresidents of California and are required to pay nonresident tuition in addition to fees paid by legal residents of California.

Please direct all inquiries regarding the undergraduate admission of international students to the Office of Admissions and Relations with Schools.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY OF PERMANENT RESIDENT, REFUGEE, AND INTERNATIONAL (F-1 VISA) STUDENTS: ACADEMIC ENGLISH/ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE

Any student (a) whose first or native language is not English, (b) who has not satisfied the UC Entry Level Writing requirement, and (c) whose score on the verbal portion of the SAT Reasoning Test is 430 or less (NOTE: at press time this score was subject to change due to the recent changes in the SATs), or any such student without a verbal SAT Reasoning Test score, must, regardless of the student's TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) score, IELTS (International English Language Testing System) score, or TSWE (Test of Standard Written English) score, take an Academic English/English as a Second Language Placement Test (AE/ESLPT) prior to the first quarter of enrollment. Also, any student who is identified as an ESL student through the UC Analytical Writing Placement Examination must take the AE/ESLPT. The test is given prior to the beginning of each quarter, during Welcome Week prior to the beginning of fall quarter instruction, and on dates to be announced. Information is available from the Testing Office (telephone 949-824-6207) and the Office of Academic English/English as a Second Language (telephone 949-824-6781).

Based upon the results of the test, students may be required to enroll in AE/ESL courses prior to enrolling in any other required writing courses. Students required to enroll in AE/ESL courses must begin satisfying their AE/ESL requirements within their first or second quarter at UCI. They must take these courses in consecutive quarters. The AE/ESL requirements are to be completed within the first six quarters at UCI. Students who have not satisfied the AE/ESL requirements by the end of their sixth quarter will be ineligible to enroll for a seventh quarter at UCI. The UC Entry Level Writing requirement must be satisfied during the quarter following the completion of AE/ESL requirements. If the AE/ESL requirements are completed during the first quarter of enrollment, the UC Entry Level Writing requirement must be satisfied before the beginning of the fourth quarter of enrollment.

AE/ESL courses, offered by the School of Humanities and listed in the School's section of this Catalogue, include classes in writing, speaking and listening, and reading and vocabulary development.

CREDIT FOR AE/ESL COURSE WORK

Students whose first language is not English may receive up to 12 baccalaureate credits for AE/ESL course work. Students may receive workload credit for courses taken beyond this 12-unit limit but will not receive additional credits applicable to the bachelor's degree.

CREDIT FOR NATIVE LANGUAGE

Students whose first language is not English may receive credit for course work in their native language and literature, provided such courses were completed on the college level in the country of the vernacular, or on the upper-division or graduate level at UCI or another accredited English-speaking institution. Some restrictions apply; see the School of Humanities section for information.

Undergraduate Admissions, continued