Freshman: Additional information by country

You may have to meet additional admission requirements, follow certain guidelines for filling out the undergraduate application, or submit specific documents after admission, depending on your country or educational system.

Country or educational system:

13-Year system

Admission requirement

If pre-university education in your country takes 13 years, you must:

  • Complete all 13 years before entering UC
  • Graduate from secondary school and earn a certificate of completion that allows you to attend a university in your country.

Filling out the application

The application will ask you to fill out information about your high school/secondary school, including the years you attended and the grades you received.  The application only has 9th – 12th grades as options (in the United States, 12th grade is equivalent to the year of schooling before you attend university).

You should list your 13th year of coursework under 12th grade and work backward through 11th, 10th and 9th grades.  For example:  Enter courses/subjects in progress or marks/grades you earned in your 13th year for the 12th grade, your 12th year marks/grades for the 11th grade, your 11th year marks/grades for the 10th grade, and your 10th year marks/grades for the 9th grade. Many 13-year systems also include exams. If you sat or will sit for any external exams, record those on the International Exams page of the application, under the Test Scores tab (step 4 of 5). 

British system

Admission requirement

You must complete at least 5 IGCSE/GCSE/GCE O-Levels, and at least 3 academic GCE A-Level exams to be considered for admission. Report your subjects and grades (if available) on the International Exams page of the application, under the Test Scores tab (step 4 of 5). If you sat for the same subject more than once, you must report the grades earned from each sitting.

Canada

Admission requirement 

Quebec: You  must complete the Diplôme d’études secondaires (DES) as well as the 2-year Diplôme d’études collégiales (DEC) offered at Collèges d’enseignement général et professionnel (CEGEPs). UC may award up to one year of transfer credit on a course-by-course basis for coursework completed at a CEGEP.

All other provinces and territories: You must earn the appropriate high school/secondary school graduation diploma after completing 12 years of education.

China

If you are following the IGCSE/GCSE/GCE curriculum, you must do the following to be eligible for admission:

  • Complete at least 5 IGCSE/GCSE/GCE O-Levels, and at least 3 academic GCE A-Level exam. Report your subjects and grades (if available) on the International Exams page of the application, under the Test Scores tab (step 4 of 5).

If you are following the Chinese national curriculum, follow these instructions for the application:

  • List all courses and marks, from grade 9 (year 3 of lower middle school) through grade 12 (years 1 through 3 of upper middle school) exactly as they appear on your official academic records.
  • Be prepared to submit your Graduation Certificate from the upper middle school as well as official lower and upper middle school academic records (grades 9-12) if you are accepted to UC.

If you are following the IB curriculum, follow these instructions for the application.

 

Hong Kong

Submitting official documents (after you are admitted to UC)

If you attended a local secondary school that offers the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE) curriculum and you are accepted to UC, you must submit the HKDSE to the UC campus where you plan to enroll as soon as results are available. 

If you attended a school that does not offer the HKDSE curriculum, please refer to the list on this page and look for the education system your school offers.

India

Admission requirement

You must complete both year X and XII state board or CBSE examinations, with average marks above 70 to be considered for admission. Report your subjects and marks on the International Exams page of the application, under the Test Scores tab (step 4 of 5).

Indonesia 

Admisison requirement 

You must complete the SMP and SMA to be considered for admission. Report your SMP and SMA subjects and results on the International Exams page of the application, under the Test Scores tab (step 4 of 5). 

International Schools

Admission requirement

The international school must be accredited by your country’s Ministry of Education or the Ministry of Education of the country upon which your educational system is based, or have U.S. regional accreditation. You also must earn a certificate of completion that will allow you to enter a university in the country upon which your educational system is based. For example, if your international school follows a U.S. curriculum, your school must have U.S. regional accreditation and you must graduate with a U.S. high school diploma.

International Baccalaureate

Filling out the application

  • You must report grades exactly as they appear on your official academic records (that includes the secondary school transcript and exam report from the International Baccalaureate Organization.)
  • If your school releases predicted scores for the diploma exams, you should enter the predicted scores on the IB Exams page of the application.
  • If predicted IB scores are not available at the time you submit the application, you do not need to report them on the application, and you do not need to submit them at a later date (unless a campus requests that you do so). UC campuses do not use predicted scores as the only factor for admission.

Korea

Submitting official documents (after you are admitted to UC)

If you are accepted to UC, you must complete required high school classes with above-average grades and submit official middle and senior high school academic records/transcripts and a senior high school diploma to the UC campus where you plan to enroll. 

The records must include all course titles and grades received.

 

Malaysia

Admission requirement

You must complete either the SPM and STPM or the SPM and at least 3 academic GCE A-Level exams to be considered for admission. Report your SPM, STPM, and GCE A-level subjects and results on the International Exams page of the application, under the Test Scores tab (step 4 of 5).

New Zealand

Admission requirement and filling out the application

You must complete year 13 and earn at least 42 credits at NCEA Level 3. You should report your NCEA Levels 1-3 results in the International Exams page of the application under the Test Scores tab (step 4 of 5 under Test Scores).

Pakistan

Admission requirement

You must complete both year X and XII state or board examinations with average marks above 70 to be considered for admission. Report your subjects and marks on the International Exams page of the application, under the Test Scores tab (step 4 of 5).

Saudi Arabia

Filling out the application

When filling out your coursework and marks/grades, refer to the Intermediate School Certificate (Shahadat Al Kafa’at Al Mutawassita) and the General Secondary Education Certificate (GSEC) (Shahadat Al-Marhalat Al-Thanawiyyat) for accuracy.

Submitting official documents (after you are admitted to UC)

After you are accepted to UC, you must submit both of the following documents by July 1 to the UC campus where you plan to enroll:

  • An official Intermediate School Certificate (Shahadat Al Kafa’at Al Mutawassita) with courses listed and grades received for each course; and
  • An official General Secondary Education Certificate (GSEC) (Shahadat Al-Marhalat Al-Thanawiyyat) with courses listed and grades received for each course, indicating completion of required high school courses with above average grades.

Both certificates must:

  • Indicate completion of the following subjects in an academic, non-vocational secondary program: history/economics, Arabic, foreign language (English), laboratory science, mathematics (including geometry and second year algebra at a minimum);
  • Include course title and grades received; a minimum average of 75 percent is needed for consideration with no grade lower than 65 percent.

Singapore

Admission requirement

You must complete either the Integrated Programme or at least 5 Singapore-Cambridge GCE O-Levels, and at least 3 academic Singapore-Cambridge GCE A-Level exams at the H2 level to be considered for admission. UC will not consider H1 level exam results. Report your subjects and grades (if available) on the International Exams page of the application, under the Test Scores tab (step 4 of 5).

 

All other countries

Admission requirement

You must complete a rigorous college preparatory program that includes the minimum academic subject requirement courses. UC is aware that many school systems may not offer similar courses, but we do expect students to take challenging courses offered in their schools. Students must complete secondary school and be eligible to enter a competitive university in their country to be considered for UC admission. 

Academic records

You don't need to submit your academic record to UC when you submit your application. However, you should refer to it as you fill out the application to ensure the information you enter is accurate.