Applying to the University of California (UC) as a first-year student can be an involved process, but admissions officials say that help is available and encourage students to use the resources provided by UC.
Robert Penman, who leads undergraduate admissions at UC Davis and has worked in admissions at UC Berkeley and UC Riverside, explained that each campus follows a “comprehensive review” policy. This approach uses 13 factors to evaluate applicants, including GPA, coursework rigor, life experiences, and achievements both inside and outside school. “Each campus does this a little bit differently. Think of us as nine chefs: We’re all working with the same ingredients, but we’re developing different recipes that suit the needs of our particular campus and what our faculty are looking for at our individual locations,” Penman said.
He added that campuses like UC Merced and UC Riverside have more formulaic approaches while others use holistic reviews. The context of a student’s school is also considered; if certain advanced courses are not offered or restricted at a school, admissions officers take that into account when reviewing applications.
Jayne Reimel from UC’s central undergraduate admissions office addressed common misconceptions about how applications are reviewed. “One myth about admissions is that there’s this group of people sitting around a table saying, ‘Okay, we have one spot left and we have to decide, is it Jayne or Robert?’ It doesn’t work that way at UC. We never compare students to one another like that. Every application is reviewed independently, and every student is considered within their own individual context,” she said.
Reimel clarified that although there is one application for all campuses, each campus makes its decisions independently without coordination with other campuses. She emphasized the importance of applying broadly across multiple campuses since there is no disadvantage in doing so.
Addressing concerns about fairness in the process, Reimel stated: “I would actually say UC admissions is the opposite of a lottery. It is a very methodical process, and applications are reviewed multiple times… Admission readers go through an immense amount of training and preparation.”
Penman noted that California residents receive priority in admissions decisions: “We certainly do prioritize California residents. We are the University of California, point blank. We are here for the students in the state of California and the people of California.” In fall 2024, approximately 85% of newly enrolled undergraduates across all UC campuses were California residents.
Melissa Chávez from UC’s central undergraduate admissions office highlighted that all parts of the application matter equally—academic records as well as extracurricular activities and responses to Personal Insight Questions (PIQs). “The entire application is important… That doesn’t mean a student with a high GPA can or should disregard the narrative sections,” Chávez said.
Regarding minimum requirements for admission, Chávez stated: “There is a minimum — 3.0 for California residents and 3.4 for students coming from outside of California.” However, most admitted students exceed these minimums due to competitive applicant pools.
On standardized testing policies, Penman explained: “We do not consider SAT or ACT scores in the admission process. But other test scores like AP, IB and A Levels…are all part of the review.” He noted these scores may provide additional information about academic strengths relevant to certain majors but are not required or decisive on their own.
Financial aid requests do not influence admission decisions because “UC admissions is need blind,” according to Penman: “We do not consider a student’s ability to pay when we are making admission decisions.” He also pointed out significant financial support available through programs such as those at UC Davis, where three-quarters of a billion dollars in aid are distributed annually.
For assistance with applications or questions about financial aid options—including eligibility for tuition waivers—students can contact dedicated territory managers or attend free workshops hosted by each campus’ admissions office. These resources include online content via social media channels as well as webinars produced by university staff rather than private companies charging fees for similar services.
Penman advised applicants: “Stop trying to get inside my head…just focus on you and what you can control.” Reimel encouraged students not to rush their applications: “If you try to complete your application in one sitting on November 30th…it’s probably not going to be a good representation.” Chávez reminded applicants they cannot make substantial changes after submission; careful review before submitting ensures accuracy.
