UNDERGRADUATE ADMISSIONS, CONTINUED

Transfer Applicants

Nonresident Applicants

Admission as a Transfer Applicant

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.)

Preliminary Admissions-in-the-Field: UCI's Preliminary Admissions-in-the-Field (PAIF) program offers on-the-spot provisional admission to well-qualified students from participating California community colleges. Although admission to UCI is selective in most majors, through PAIF, admission can be guaranteed for transfer students who meet the selection criteria (see PAIF Selection Guidelines later in this section).

SELECTION CRITERIA

UCI attempts to accommodate as many qualified transfer applicants as possible. Priority consideration for admission of transfer 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 an Undergraduate Petition for Change of Major to the academic counseling office in the school or program of their prospective major. 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.

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 with grades of B or better and have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher.

Business Administration: Junior-level applicants with the highest grades overall (minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0) and who satisfactorily complete lower-division courses in calculus (Mathematics 2A-B), economics (Economics 20A-B), and statistics and accounting (Management 7, 30A, 30B) will be given preference for admission. Management 10 may be completed at UCI. NOTE: Admission to the major will be available in fall 2008.

Business Information Management: Junior-level applicants with the highest grades overall (minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0) and who satisfactorily complete course prerequisites will be given preference for admission. Students are encouraged to complete as many of the lower-division degree requirements as possible prior to transfer, including: one year of UC-transferable college mathematics; one year of computer science courses, with at least one UC-transferable course involving object-oriented programming (C++, Java, Eiffel, or another object-oriented high-level language; Java is strongly recommended); and courses equivalent to Economics 20A-B and Management 30A, 30B.

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.

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 including one year of calculus, one year of calculus-based physics (mechanics, electricity, and magnetism with laboratory), one year of programming with at least one course in object-oriented programming (Java recommended), and one additional approved transferable course for the major (an approved math, science, or CSE course). 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.

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 majors in Economics, Business Economics, and Quantitative Economics. All applicants must complete the following required courses: one course in microeconomics, one course in macroeconomics, and one semester or two quarters 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, one course in calculus-based physics with laboratory for engineering and physics majors, additional courses as specified by the major, and completion of lower-division writing. See The Henry Samueli School of Engineering section of this Catalogue for information on courses required for each major.

Humanities (all majors in the School): Applicants must have completed the UC Entry Level Writing requirement.

Information and Computer Sciences: Applicants must select either Computer Science, Informatics, or Information and Computer Science 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. CS and ICS majors must complete one year of discrete mathematics if available, if not, first-year calculus; Informatics majors must complete one year of college mathematics (appropriate courses are listed at http://www.ics.uci.edu/informatics/ugrad/index.php and in the Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences section). All applicants must complete one year of transferable computer science courses involving concepts such as those found in C++, Java, Eiffel, or another object-oriented high-level language (Java is strongly recommended). See the Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences section of this Catalogue for information on courses required for each major.

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.

Nursing Science: Admission to the major is limited and selective. Junior-level applicants with the highest grades overall and who satisfactorily complete lower-division requirements will be given preference for admission to the Nursing Science major. All applicants must complete the following required courses: one year of general chemistry with laboratory and one year of biological sciences equivalent to UCI's Biological Sciences 93 and 97 with grades of B or better. Applicants must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher to be considered.

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.

Public Health: Junior-level applicants with the highest grades overall and who satisfactorily complete lower-division requirements will be given preference for admission to the Public Health majors. All applicants to the B.S. degree in Public Health Sciences must complete one year of general biology and one year of general chemistry. All applicants to the B.A. degree in Public Health Policy must complete one year of courses in anthropology, economics, sociology, and/or psychology.

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 GPA of 2.0 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 and have met the prerequisites for their major.

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 (90 quarter) units of 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/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 behavioral sciences, and 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

PRELIMINARY ADMISSION-IN-THE-FIELD (PAIF) ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Highest admission priority is extended to California community college applicants who will have completed 60 transferable semester (90 quarter) units by the quarter they intend to enter UCI (fall or winter). A PAIF community college applicant is defined as a student: (1) who was enrolled at one or more California community colleges for a least two terms, excluding summer sessions; (2) for whom the last college attended before admission to a UC campus was a California community college, excluding summer sessions; and (3) who has completed at least 30 semester (45 quarter) UC-transferable units at one or more California community colleges.

A student may be eligible for admission to UCI through PAIF if they meet all three of the following requirements: (1) completion of 60 transferable semester (90 quarter) units by the end of the quarter prior to enrolling at UCI and attainment of at least the minimum GPA specified by the major. Selection Guidelines are available online at http://www.admissions.uci.edu/paif.html; (2) completion of the minimum UC transfer eligibility requirements in English (two courses) and transferable mathematics (one course). The first English and mathematics courses must be completed at the time of the preliminary admission notification. The second English course must be completed by spring 2008 for fall 2009, and by summer 2008 for winter 2009; and (3) completion of all course prerequisites for the student's prospective major (s) at UCI, prior to enrolling at UCI.

NOTE: The majors in Arts and Humanities, Dance, Humanities and Arts, Humanities Interdisciplinary, and Music do not participate in the PAIF program for fall 2008 and winter 2009.

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 the undergraduate application for admission and scholarships, available online at http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/apply. Students who want a copy of the application mailed to them can e-mail their request to ucinfo@ucapplication.net, and include their name and address, the term for which they are applying, and whether they are a freshman or transfer applicant. 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.

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-g" pattern of subject requirements listed under requirements for California residents; (3) earn a grade point average of at least 3.4 or higher in the required high school subjects (3.0 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 areas: English, history/social science, mathematics (Level 2 only), science, or language other than English; and (5) meet the Eligibility Index for nonresidents.

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 UCI 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) 824-5991.

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) whose verbal scores on the Writing section of the SAT Reasoning Test fall below a set level, (c) who has not satisfied the UC Entry Level Writing requirement, and (d) who has received a letter from the AE/ESL Program requiring them to take the AE/ESL Placement Test, or any such student without a verbal SAT Reasoning Test score, must take an Academic English/English as a Second Language Placement Test (AE/ESLPT) prior to the first quarter of enrollment, 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. 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 at the college level in the country of the vernacular, or at 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