Filling out the application

Get ready to start your journey to the best public university system in the world—with just one application.

Quick tips

Apply to more than one UC campus.

This will significantly increase your chances of being admitted to the UC system. While you may not receive an offer of admission from your first-choice campus, all of our campuses—without exception—provide outstanding opportunities for you to learn and grow.

Submit only one application per term.

Submitting multiple applications will cause a processing delay. Duplicate applications will be canceled. 

Apply on time.

You can fill out the application in as many sessions as you want. Just remember to submit it by Dec. 2 (for the fall 2025 term).

The UC application

Here is a quick overview of the application.

Starting the application

Create an account

An email address and password are required in order to create an account. You should use the email account you use for all applications, just to make it easier to remember. We also recommend you use a non-school issued email account (e.g. Gmail, Yahoo). Campuses send important, time-sensitive correspondence to applicants, so you should check your email regularly (including your spam folders).

Selecting term & level

After you create an account, you’ll need to select the term you’re applying for (when you hope to start at UC) and your applicant level (e.g. first year, transfer, etc.).

You're a transfer applicant if you've graduated high school and are enrolled in a regular session (fall, winter or spring) at a college or university.

Saving information

You should click “Save & continue” at the bottom of each page to save any entered information (there is a 20-minute inactivity period after which the application will automatically sign you out). If you’ve successfully completed a page (answered all required questions), the page will be marked with a checkmark in the navigation bar on the right-hand side.

Sections

About you

This first section has several pages asking for information about you and your family. You may need to ask your parents or legal guardians for help on these questions. Eligibility for the UC application fee waiver will be determined by the information you provide in this section. 

Campuses & majors

This is where you’ll select which campuses you’re applying to and the majors you’re interested in. You must select a major for each campus you’re applying to.

Academic history

Here you'll need to enter all the colleges you have attended or will attend before enrolling at UC, as well as your coursework and grades. In addition, we would like to know the last high school you attended.

Make sure you refer to your transcripts (or academic records) as you fill out any information—don't enter information from your memory. It's important to report all of your schools, courses and grades exactly as they would appear on official transcripts or academic records.

If you’ve entered your academic information into the UC Transfer Admission Planner (UC TAP), you can import your coursework into the application.

Test scores

AP, IB , English proficiency and International exams: You will be asked about each of these exams on separate pages in this section. You’ll need to report scores if you’ve already taken an exam or indicate if you’re planning on taking an exam in the future.

Activities & awards

This is your opportunity to tell us about what you're most proud of outside the classroom. We're looking for quality, not quantity—so make sure to focus on the activities and awards that are most important to you. Keep in mind, we're interested in your experiences, activities, and awards after high school and during your time at your college. Your activities don't necessarily need to be through organized, school-sponsored programs.

You’ll need to classify each activity/award as one of five categories: Award or honor, Educational preparation programs (any programs that have enriched your academic experiences or helped you prepare for college), Extracurricular activity, Volunteering/Community service and Work Experience.

Scholarships & programs

You should select any and all scholarship categories that apply to you (there’s no limit on the number of scholarships you can select). You can also indicate if you’re interested in the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) or UC's Foster Youth Programs, which provides support services when you’re at UC.

Personal insight

This is the section where you’ll need to answer the personal insight questions. You’ll need to answer four questions: One question is required, and three are your choice. 

Learn more about the personal insight questions »

Review & submit

This is the last page you’ll visit before you start submitting the application. If you have remaining items to complete, you will see a “To Do” next to that section. Don't forget to make sure your application is complete before you submit it; very few changes can be made after submission.

Submitting the application 

You’ll go through a few pages asking you to confirm your academic information and whether you’d like to share your application information with certain people or groups (e.g. scholarship agencies, parents/guardians, counselors, etc.). You'll also need to pay your application fees (either by check/mail or credit card) and can apply for a fee waiver if you didn’t automatically qualify for one earlier in the application. The fee waiver will cover your application fees for up to four campuses.

Confirmation

Once you’ve submitted your application, you’ll see a confirmation page with important reminders and your UC Application ID Number which is used to access the various campus student portals and, in many cases, to access your admission decisions. You can choose to print a receipt of your application fees or view and print the entire application.