UC admission requirements

[George Sheridan <learn@jps.net>]

Political Pulse's Education Beat (a newsletter covering the nexus of 
California Education and Politics) reports on new higher grade point 
requirement for admission to UC.

Education Beat July 8, 006



New UC admission grade point requirement takes effect in fall 2007
Students applying to the University of California
this November ?to be admitted as freshman for
fall 2007 ? will have to obtain a higher minimum
grade point average to be considered for admission.

In a change initially approved by UC regents in
2004,but just now coming into effect,students will
need a 3.0 grade point average to be eligible,compared
to the current 2.8 for previous freshman classes.

The change comes as students also face campus-
based admission requirements that are frequently
tougher than the general requirements outlined by
the system.

At most UC campuses,admission is based on a
combination of grade point average,scores on stan-
dardized tests,followed by other campus criteria.The
overall grade point requirement is waived for students
with particularly high scores on the SAT or ACT or
if they are in the top 4 percent of their high school
graduating class.

For the first time this year,students will also be
asked to make a change in the way their test scores are
calculated for admissions consideration.

Students who have taken the ACT or SAT will
be required to convert their score from those tests
into a new metric designed by the UC which has a
0-100 scale.

The aim,according to UC undergraduate admis-
sions director Susan Wilbur,is to make the scale
more neutral between the two tests so there is less
chance of bias.


George Sheridan