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College Admissions , College Info

If you're applying to one or more of the UC schools, you want to make sure you get the application right. This step-by-step guide will walk you through everything you need to know about the UC application, from the time you decide to apply to a UC school to when you submit the final piece of the application.

Keep reading to learn when the most important UC application deadline is, which documents you need to submit to complete your application, if you need a separate application for each UC school, and how you can make sure every part of your application sets you apart from the crowd.

University of California Drops SAT/ACT Requirement

In May 2020, the University of California Board of Regents voted unanimously to stop requiring the ACT and SAT as part of admissions applications. The decision was made in part due to the coronavirus pandemic, but the changes will remain permanent, even after the pandemic is over. The decision has been in the works for years, and it's being done to make the admissions process fairer to all students.

For at least through 2025, all University of California schools will be test blind. This means that, even if you submit SAT or ACT scores, they won't be considered as part of your application. ;However, test scores may still be requested for non-admissions reasons, such as determining which classes a student should enroll in. There is a UC-specific standardized test that's currently in development that may replace ACT and SAT scores after 2025, but that hasn't been confirmed. You can learn more about the decision to ignore SAT/ACT scores for admission here .

Important Info About the University of California Application

It's key to know important information about the UC application early on so that you have enough time to gather and submit all the materials you need before the deadlines.

Where to Find the UC Application: You can find the UC application here. This is the application for all University of California schools, so regardless if you're looking for a UC Berkeley application, UC Davis application, etc., they all use this same application.

How to Submit the Application: When you've completed the application, you can submit it by hitting the "Submit" button at the end of the application.

When to Submit Your Application: It's extremely important to know when the UC application deadlines are because missing one could mean your application won't be looked at. Below are the key University of California application dates.

Looking at the above chart, it's clear that the most important date is November 30th . This is the last day you can submit your UC application. UC states right on the website that they almost never accept late applications, so don't miss this deadline!

You'll learn if you've been accepted as early as March 1st, and you'll have until May 1st to decide which school to attend.

How to Apply to the UC Schools

There are four main steps to applying to UC schools. The earlier you begin your application (as early as August 1st) the more time you'll have to complete all the steps and the less pressure you'll be under to meet the deadline. The steps are the same regardless of which UC school(s) you're applying to since all UC schools use the same application (and you only need to submit one application, even if you apply to multiple UC schools).

Step 1: Create an Account

Your step to applying to UC schools is to create an applicant account. This step will only take about a few minutes since you just need to fill out basic information like your email, name, which semester you want to start school, and if you're applying as a freshman or as a transfer student.

Step 2: Complete the UC Application

After creating your account, you'll be immediately sent to the beginning of the application. The University of California application contains eight sections:

You'll answer background and demographic questions, such as your birth date and contact information, which language(s) you grew up speaking, what your family's income is, if you qualify as a resident of California.

Campuses & Majors

You choose which school(s) you want to apply to. There are nine UC schools, listed below, and you can choose to apply to as many as you want, including all nine. Be aware though that each UC school you apply to requires its own $70 application fee ($80 for international students).  If you have a fee waiver, you can apply to up to four UC schools for free.

Here are the UC schools:

• UC Berkeley
• UC Los Angeles
• UC Riverside
• UC Santa Barbara
• UC Santa Cruz
• UC San Diego

You'll next select your major. If you're applying to multiple UC schools, you'll need to do this separately for each school since they all have slightly different majors. Some schools also offer the option of selecting an "alternate major" which is your second choice of major if you can't be placed in that campus in your top major.

Academic History

This is a lengthy section where you'll need to enter in information about the high school(s) you attended, all the classes you took in high school, if they were honors or AP, and the grade you got. It's basically like entering all the information on your transcript . (You don't need to submit your official transcript until the summer, after you've been accepted and have decided to attend a UC school.)

Test Scores

Here is where you'll enter information about the standardized test(s) you've taken. Again, SAT and ACT scores won't be looked at during the admissions process, even if you submit them. However, there are other test scores you can submit.

You'll be asked about AP exams, IB exams, TOEFL exams, and IELTS exams on separate pages in the test score section of your application. According to the UC system's application website , "You’ll need to report your scores if you’ve already taken an exam or indicate if you’re planning on taking an exam in the future." None of these exams are required (unless you're an international student needing to show English proficiency), but high AP or IB scores can help strengthen your application.

Activities & Awards

In this section, you'll discuss all the activities you participated in outside of the classroom. There are six categories:

• Award or honor
• Educational preparation programs
• Extracurricular activities
• Other coursework (classes outside UC's "a-g" core subject areas )
• Volunteering/community service
• Work experience

The application explains which activities fall into which category, and there's no need to feel like you need to have activities to put in all the categories, or even most of them. For each category, you can add up to five separate classes/activities/jobs/awards/etc.

Scholarships & Programs

In this section you'll select your eligibility for different scholarship categories, such as ethnicity, career plans, and work experience. There are ten categories, each with multiple characteristics you can select. You'll only select these characteristics once, regardless of how many UC schools you're applying to. This is also the section where you can apply for the Educational Opportunity Program, which is explained in the application.

Personal Insight

This is the section where you'll answer the personal statement questions. There are eight personal statement questions, and you'll need to answer four of them. Each response should be 250-350 words. We recommend that you write your essays in a word document first to make it easier to review them, then paste each essay into the application once you're done editing it.

Below are the eight essay prompts.

1. Describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have positively influenced others, helped resolve disputes or contributed to group efforts over time. Things to consider:   A leadership role can mean more than just a title. It can mean being a mentor to others, acting as the person in charge of a specific task, or taking the lead role in organizing an event or project. Think about what you accomplished and what you learned from the experience. What were your responsibilities?

Did you lead a team? How did your experience change your perspective on leading others? Did you help to resolve an important dispute at your school, church, in your community or an organization? And your leadership role doesn't necessarily have to be limited to school activities. For example, do you help out or take care of your family? 2. Every person has a creative side, and it can be expressed in many ways: problem solving, original and innovative thinking, and artistically, to name a few. Describe how you express your creative side. Things to consider:   What does creativity mean to you? Do you have a creative skill that is important to you? What have you been able to do with that skill? If you used creativity to solve a problem, what was your solution? What are the steps you took to solve the problem?

How does your creativity influence your decisions inside or outside the classroom? Does your creativity relate to your major or a future career? 3. What would you say is your greatest talent or skill? How have you developed and demonstrated that talent over time? Things to consider:   If there is a talent or skill that you're proud of, this is the time to share it.You don't necessarily have to be recognized or have received awards for your talent (although if you did and you want to talk about it, feel free to do so). Why is this talent or skill meaningful to you?

Does the talent come naturally or have you worked hard to develop this skill or talent? Does your talent or skill allow you opportunities in or outside the classroom? If so, what are they and how do they fit into your schedule? 4. Describe how you have taken advantage of a significant educational opportunity or worked to overcome an educational barrier you have faced. Things to consider:   An educational opportunity can be anything that has added value to your educational experience and better prepared you for college. For example, participation in an honors or academic enrichment program, or enrollment in an academy that's geared toward an occupation or a major, or taking advanced courses that interest you; just to name a few.

If you choose to write about educational barriers you've faced, how did you overcome or strive to overcome them? What personal characteristics or skills did you call on to overcome this challenge? How did overcoming this barrier help shape who you are today? 5. Describe the most significant challenge you have faced and the steps you have taken to overcome this challenge. How has this challenge affected your academic achievement? Things to consider:   A challenge could be personal, or something you have faced in your community or school. Why was the challenge significant to you? This is a good opportunity to talk about any obstacles you've faced and what you've learned from the experience. Did you have support from someone else or did you handle it alone?

If you're currently working your way through a challenge, what are you doing now, and does that affect different aspects of your life? For example, ask yourself, How has my life changed at home, at my school, with my friends or with my family? 6. Think about an academic subject that inspires you. Describe how you have furthered this interest inside and/or outside of the classroom. Things to consider:  Many students have a passion for one specific academic subject area, something that they just can't get enough of. If that applies to you, what have you done to further that interest? Discuss how your interest in the subject developed and describe any experience you have had inside and outside the classroom such as volunteer work, internships, employment, summer programs, participation in student organizations and/or clubs and what you have gained from your involvement.

Has your interest in the subject influenced you in choosing a major and/or future career? Have you been able to pursue coursework at a higher level in this subject (honors, AP, IB, college or university work)? Are you inspired to pursue this subject further at UC, and how might you do that?

7. What have you done to make your school or your community a better place? Things to consider:   Think of community as a term that can encompass a group, team or a place like your high school, hometown or home. You can define community as you see fit, just make sure you talk about your role in that community. Was there a problem that you wanted to fix in your community?

Why were you inspired to act? What did you learn from your effort? How did your actions benefit others, the wider community or both? Did you work alone or with others to initiate change in your community? 8. Beyond what has already been shared in your application, what do you believe makes you a strong candidate for admissions to the University of California? Things to consider:  If there's anything you want us to know about you but didn't find a question or place in the application to tell us, now's your chance. What have you not shared with us that will highlight a skill, talent, challenge or opportunity that you think will help us know you better?

From your point of view, what do you feel makes you an excellent choice for UC? Don't be afraid to brag a little.

If you want tips on writing your personal statements, we have a guide on how to write a perfect UC essay for every prompt.

Step 3: Pay Admission Fees and Submit Your Application

Once you've finished each section your application, you can submit it, as long as it's between October 1 and November 30. When you submit your application, first you'll enter in some final demographic information as well as your state of legal residence. Then you'll review all the information you entered to make sure it's correct.

Once everything is set, you'll pay the necessary fees. The application fee is $70 ($80 if you're an international student) for each UC school you apply to. Then you'll click submit, and your application will officially be sent to the UC schools you're applying to!

Step 4: (Optional) Complete Additional Materials

Most students applying to UC schools won't need to submit additional materials, but some will. This will depend on both which schools you're applying to and what you plan on majoring in.

For example, some students planning to major in a fine arts discipline are requested to submit a portfolio. These additional materials are typically only recommended, not required, but doing these extra steps can help give your application a boost.

If you do need to complete additional materials, you will either get a notification in the application or receive an email outlining what you need to do, but it's also a good idea to research your intended major at each UC school you're applying to in order to make sure you're not missing any important recommendations.

University of California Application Checklist

To recap, below is everything you need to submit when you apply to a UC school. Your application won't be considered until the schools receive all the pieces below.

• UC Application
• Application Fee of $70 for each school you apply to
• (Optional) Supplemental Materials

5 Things UC Schools Look at in Applications and How to Impress Them

The UC schools are pretty open about what they look for in applicants and what an applicant needs to have to be accepted. They've listed the qualities they look for in every application , and we've organized those qualities into five categories. Below, we explain what you need to do to excel in each category to create a standout UC application.

#1: Classes You Took

When UC admissions officers look at the classes you took, they're looking at two things: the actual courses you took and how difficult they were.

For the first category, UC schools want to make sure you've taken the classes you need to succeed as a college student at one of their schools. Their minimum requirements are:

• History: 2 years
• English: 4 years
• Mathematics: 3 years
• Laboratory science: 2 years
• Language other than English: 2 years
• Visual and performing arts: 1 year
• College-preparatory elective: 1 year

(These courses are sometimes referred to as the "A-G subjects").

Note that this is the minimum UC schools require; most applicants will have gone well beyond these requirements. Some majors, especially those in math or science fields, require additional classes, so make sure to research the major you plan to take to make sure you're on track.

In general, it's best to take more classes in the fields you plan on majoring in. For example, if you want to major in biology, you should take four years of science and four years of math. If you want to be a history major, you should take four years of history. Doing this shows UC schools that you're committed to the subject and can handle higher-level classes on it.

UC also looks at the difficulty of the classes you took. They're specifically looking for honors, AP, or IB courses since these are more difficult than regular-level classes. If your school offers these classes, you should take as many as you can without overloading yourself and still maintaining a high GPA. Taking difficult classes shows UC schools that you're focused on your studies and can handle the challenge and workload of college classes.

Also, UC specifically mentions the "quality of your senior-year program" as one of the qualifications it looks at, so don't be tempted to slack off senior year with a bunch of easy classes!

It's not enough just to take the classes UC schools want; you also need to do well in them. Your grades and overall GPA are another critical component of your UC application. For all UC schools, you need to have at least a 3.0 GPA in your A-G classes if you're a California resident, or a 3.4 GPA if you're a non-resident. Additionally, you can't have gotten below a "C" in any of those classes.

There is no requirement for classes outside the A-G subjects, but you should still aim to do well in all your classes. UC states that "the strength of your high school record is the most important component in our review" so you want your transcript to be as strong as it can be with a high GPA and record of challenging classes.

Below is a table showing the middle 50% of weighted GPAs of accepted students for each of the UC schools during the 2023 admissions cycle:

To give yourself the best chance of getting in, you'll want to aim for the higher end of the GPA range for whichever school(s) you're applying to. For example, if you're applying to UC Davis, your goal should be to have a weighted GPA of 4.30. You can definitely still get in with a lower GPA (since that's the 75% marker, ¾ of students are getting in with a GPA lower than that), but if you reach that goal you'll have a great shot at being accepted.

#3: Standardized Test Scores

With UC schools becoming test blind, test scores are now less important than they were before. Again, even if you submit your SAT or ACT scores, they won't be reviewed, so they can't help or hurt your application. However, other test scores, such as AP or IB exams, can still give your application a boost, especially if your GPA isn't as high as you'd like it to be. Strong test scores show a mastery of course material and give UC schools further proof that you'd be a strong student.

#4: Extracurriculars

Your extracurriculars are another important part of your UC application. The key to strong extracurriculars is to emphasize your passion and leadership skills. You can do this by pursuing extracurriculars in a field related to your future major, sticking with them, and achieving leadership roles in them.

Some things UC states that are looking for in extracurriculars include:

• Special talents, awards, or achievements
• Leadership experience
• Significant experiences or achievements that demonstrate the student's promise for contributing to the intellectual vitality of a campus.

They list the following examples of "strong" extracurriculars:

• Special talent in visual and performing arts, communication or sports
• Intensive study and exploration of other cultures
• Significant community service
• Significant participation in student government

Don't feel like you need to have all or even any of these experiences; they're just given so you can get an idea of what UC schools are looking for. Basically, any extracurricular that you're passionate about, skilled in, and have shown some leadership potential for is a great extracurricular to include on your UC application.

#5: Personal Statements

Your UC essays should show three main things:

• Who you are
• Why you want to attend a UC school
• What's important to you

Maybe you're a lifelong nature lover who wants to attend UC San Diego to take advantage of all the different ecosystems nearby that biology students can study. Perhaps you've always been obsessed with space and want to attend UC Berkeley and major in aeronautical engineering.

Whatever your story is, this is the place for UC to hear it, and it's the best place in your application to show them who you really are as a person. For a more in-depth look, read our guide on how to write outstanding UC essays.

Automatic Admission for California Residents

If you're a California resident, who meets at least one of the following two requirements, you will have a guaranteed spot at a UC school.

• You rank in the top 9% of California high school students, according to the UC admissions index .
• You rank in the top 9% of your graduating class at a participating high school. This is known as "Eligible in the Local Context" ( ELC ).

Be aware that this doesn't mean you'll get into every UC school; it just means you'll get into at least one, as long as space is available (which there typically is). If you're a California resident who has met the above requirements and aren't admitted to any of the UC schools you applied to, you'll be offered a spot at another campus as long as space is available.

Summary: UC Schools Application

If you're applying to a UC school, you want to make sure you know every application step you need to complete. The most important UC application deadline to be aware of is November 30th (or December 1st if you started your application by November 30th) . This is the last day you can submit your application.

In addition to completing the application, you also need to submit your transcript and any additional materials your specific school and major require. UC schools are test blind currently, so they won't review SAT or ACT scores, even if you do submit them. You only need to submit one application regardless of how many UC schools you're applying to, but you'll need to pay a $70 application fee for every school.

Regardless of whether you're working on a UC Davis application, UC San Diego application, UC Berkeley application, etc. all UC schools look for similar qualities in students. You'll need to complete the A-G courses, take difficult classes, have good grades, participate in extracurriculars, and have strong personal statements.

Work to make your application as strong as you can across each of these areas to give yourself the best shot of getting into your dream UC school.

What's Next?

Want to learn more about the University of California schools? We have an in-depth guide to the UC schools to make it easy for you to compare the schools and see which is best for you.

Working on your UC essays? Check out our guide on how to answer every UC essay prompt to get great writing ideas.

Want to know how to make your extracurriculars stand out even more? Check out this guide to four amazing extracurricular activities and learn why they're so impressive to colleges.

Christine graduated from Michigan State University with degrees in Environmental Biology and Geography and received her Master's from Duke University. In high school she scored in the 99th percentile on the SAT and was named a National Merit Finalist. She has taught English and biology in several countries.

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How to Write the University of California Essays 2023-2024

The University of California (UC) school system is the most prestigious state university system in the United States and includes nine undergraduate universities: UC Berkeley, UC San Diego, UCLA, UC Santa Barbara, UC Santa Cruz, UC Davis, UC Riverside, UC Merced, and UC Irvine.

The University of California system has its own application portal, as well as its own deadline of November 30th—a full month before the Common Application is due. All nine universities use one application, so it is easy to apply to multiple UCs at the same time. 

The application requires you to answer four of eight personal insight questions, with a 350-word limit on each prompt. This may seem daunting at first, but we provide this guide to make the prompts more approachable and to help you effectively tackle them! 

University of California Application Essay Prompts

Note: There is only one application for all the UC schools, so your responses will be sent to every University of California school that you apply to. You should avoid making essays school-specific (unless you are applying to only one school).

You might want to start by deciding which four of the eight prompts you plan on answering. The eight prompts are:

1. Describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have positively influenced others, helped resolve disputes, or contributed to group efforts over time.

2. every person has a creative side, and it can be expressed in many ways: problem-solving, original and innovative thinking, and artistically, to name a few. describe how you express your creative side., 3. what would you say is your greatest talent or skill how have you developed and demonstrated that talent over time, 4. describe how you have taken advantage of a significant educational opportunity or worked to overcome an educational barrier you have faced., 5. describe the most significant challenge you have faced and the steps you have taken to overcome this challenge. how has this challenge affected your academic achievement, 6. think about an academic subject that inspires you. describe how you have furthered this interest inside and/or outside of the classroom., 7. what have you done to make your school or your community a better place, 8. beyond what has already been shared in your application, what do you believe makes you stand out as a strong candidate for admissions to the university of california.

As you begin selecting prompts, keep the purpose of college essays at the forefront of your mind. College essays are the place to humanize yourself and transform your test scores, GPA, and extracurriculars into a living, breathing human with values, ambitions, and a backstory. If a specific prompt will allow you to show a part of who you are that is not showcased in the rest of your application, start there. 

If nothing immediately jumps out at you, try dividing the prompts into three categories: “definites,” “possibilities,” and “avoids at all costs.” “Definites” will be prompts that quickly spark up a specific idea in you. “Possibilities” might elicit a few loose concepts, anecdotes, or structures. And “avoids” are prompts where you honestly cannot see yourself writing a convincing essay. Next, take your “definites” and “possibilities” and jot down your initial thoughts about them. Finally, look at all of your ideas together and decide which combination would produce the most well-rounded essay profile that shows who you are as an individual.

Of course, this is just one way to approach choosing prompts if you are stuck. Some students might prefer writing out a list of their values, identifying the most important ones in their life, then figuring out how to showcase those through the prompts. Other students select prompts based on what they are excited by or through freewriting on every prompt first. Do not feel constrained by any one method. Just remember:

• Do not rush into prompts at first glance (though trial writing can be very valuable!).
• Make sure that you consider potential ideas for many prompts before making final decisions, and ultimately write about the one with the most substance.
• The prompts you select should allow you to highlight what is most important to you.

Check out our video to learn more about how to write the UC essays!

The 8 UC Personal Insight Questions

“Leadership Experience” is often a subheading on student resumes, but that is not what admissions officers are asking about here. They are asking for you to tell them a specific story of a time when your leadership truly mattered. This could include discussing the policies you enacted as president of a school club or the social ties you helped establish as captain of a sports team, but this prompt also gives you the freedom to go past that.

Leaders are individuals with strong values, who mentor, inspire, correct, and assist those around them. If you don’t feel like you’ve ever been a leader, consider the following questions:

• Have you ever mentored anyone? Is there anyone younger than you who would not be the person they are today without you?
• Have you ever taken the initiative? When and why did it matter?
• Have you ever been fundamental to positive change in the world—whether it be on the small scale of positively impacting a family member’s life or on the large scale of trying to change the status of specific communities/identities in this world?
• Have you ever stood up for what’s right or what you believe in?

Leadership is a concept that can be stretched, bent, and played with, but at the end of the day, the central theme of your essay must be leadership. Keeping this in mind, after your first draft, it can be helpful to identify the definition of leadership that you are working with, to keep your essay cohesive. This definition doesn’t need to appear within the essay (though, if you take on a more reflective structure, it might). Some examples of this include “being a positive role model as leadership,” “encouraging others to take risks as leadership,” and “embracing my identities as leadership.”

Here are some examples of how a leadership essay might look:

• You’ve always loved learning and challenging yourself, but when you got to high school it was clear that only a certain type of student was recommended to take AP classes and you didn’t fit into that type. You presented a strong case to the school counselors that you were just as prepared for AP classes as anyone else, enrolled in your desired classes, and excelled. Since then, AP classes have become more diversified at your school and there has even been a new inclusion training introduced for your district’s school counselors. 
• When you were working as a camp counselor, the art teacher brought you two of your campers who were refusing to get along. To mediate the conflict, you spent long hours before bed talking to them individually, learning about their personal lives and family situation. By understanding where each camper came from, you were better equipped to help them reach a compromise and became a role model for both campers.
• As a member of your school’s Chinese organization, you were driven by your ethnic heritage to devote your lunch breaks to ensuring the smooth presentation of the Chinese culture show. You coordinated the performers, prepared refreshments, and collected tickets. You got through a great performance, even though a performer didn’t show and some of the food was delivered late. You weren’t on the leadership board or anything, but exhibited serious leadership, as both nights of the culture show sold out and hundreds of both Chinese and non-Chinese people were able to come together and celebrate your culture.

Like the last prompt, this prompt asks about a specific topic—creativity—but gives you wiggle room to expand your definition of that topic. By defining creativity as problem-solving, novel thinking, and artistic expression, this prompt basically says “get creative in how you define creativity!” 

Additionally, this broad conception of creativity lets you choose if you want to write about your personal life or your academic life. A robotics student could write about their love of baking on the weekends or their quick thinking during a technical interview. A dance student could write about their love of adapting choreography from famous ballets or their innovative solution to their dance team’s lack of funds for their showcase. You have space to do what you want!

That said, because this prompt is so open, it is important to establish a focus early on. Try thinking about what is missing from your application. If you are worried that your application makes you seem hyper-academic, use this prompt to show how you have fun. If you are worried that you might be appearing like one of those students who just gets good grades because they have a good memory, use this prompt to show off your problem-solving skills.

Also, keep in mind that you don’t have to describe any skill in creative pursuits as you answer this prompt. The prompt asks you how you express your “creative side,” alluding to creative instinct, not creative talent. You could write about how you use painting to let out your emotions—but your paintings aren’t very good. You could write about dancing in the shower to get excited for your day—but one time you slipped and fell and hurt your elbow. Experiences like these could make for a great reflective essay, where you explore the human drive towards creative expression and your acceptance that you personally don’t have to be creatively inclined to let out creative energy.

Some examples:

• A math student writing about a time they devised a non-textbook method to proving theorems 
• A creative writer describing how they close-read the ups-and-downs of classical music as an attempt to combat writers’ block and think of emotional trajectories for new stories
• An engineering student writing about cooking as a creative release where numbers don’t matter and intuition supersedes reason
• A psychology student writing about the limitations of quantitative data and describing a future approach to psychology that merges humanism and empiricism.

This is the kind of prompt where an answer either pops into your head or it doesn’t. The good news is that you can write a convincing essay either way. We all have great talents and skills—you just might have to dig a bit to identify the name of the talent/skill and figure out how to best describe it.

Some students have more obvious talents and skills than others. For example, if you are intending to be a college athlete, it makes sense to see your skill at your sport as your greatest talent or skill. Similarly, if you are being accepted into a highly-selective fine arts program, painting might feel like your greatest talent. These are completely reasonable to write about because, while obvious, they are also authentic! 

The key to writing a convincing essay about an obvious skill is to use that skill to explore your personality, values, motivations, and ambitions. Start by considering what first drew you to your specialization. Was there a specific person? Something your life was missing that painting, hockey, or film satisfied? Were you brought up playing your sport or doing your craft because your parents wanted you to and you had to learn to love it? Or choose to love it? What was that process like? What do these experiences say about you? Next, consider how your relationship with your talent has evolved. Have you doubted your devotion at times? Have you wondered if you are good enough? Why do you keep going? On the other hand, is your talent your solace? The stable element in your life? Why do you need that?

The key is to elucidate why this activity is worth putting all your time into, and how your personality strengths are exhibited through your relationship to the activity. 

Do not be put off by this prompt if you have not won any big awards or shown immense talent in something specific. All the prompt asks for is what you think is your greatest talent or skill. Some avenues of consideration for other students include:

• Think about aspects of your personality that might be considered a talent or skill. This might include being a peacemaker, being able to make people laugh during hard times, or having organization skills.
• Think about unique skills that you have developed through unique situations. These would be things like being really good at reading out loud because you spend summers with your grandfather who can no longer read, knowing traffic patterns because you volunteer as a crossing guard at the elementary school across the street that starts 45 minutes before the high school, or making really good pierogi because your babysitter as a child was Polish.
• Think about lessons you have learned through life experiences. A military baby might have a great skill for making new friends at new schools, a child of divorce might reflect on their ability to establish boundaries in what they are willing to communicate about with different people, and a student who has had to have multiple jobs in high school might be talented at multitasking and scheduling. 

Make sure to also address how you have developed and demonstrated your selected talent. Do you put in small amounts of practice every day, or strenuous hours for a couple of short periods each year? Did a specific period of your life lead to the development of your talent or are you still developing it daily? 

The purpose of college essays is to show your values and personality to admissions officers, which often includes exploring your past and how it informs your present and future. With a bit of creativity in how you define a “talent or skill,” this prompt can provide a great avenue for that exploration. 

This prompt offers you two potential paths—discussing an educational opportunity or barrier. It is important that you limit yourself to one of these paths of exploration to keep your essay focused and cohesive. 

Starting with the first option, you should think of an educational opportunity as anything that has added value to your educational experience and better prepared you for life and your career. Some examples could include:

• participation in an honors program
• enrollment in an academy geared toward your future profession
• a particularly enlightening conversation with a professional or teacher
• joining a cultural- or interest-based student coalition
• plenty of other opportunities

The phrasing “taken advantage of” implies the admissions committee’s desire for students who take the initiative. Admissions officers are more interested in students who sought out opportunities and who fought to engage with opportunities than students who were handed things. For example, a student who joined a career-advancement afterschool program in middle school could write about why they were initially interested in the program—perhaps they were struggling in a specific subject and didn’t want to fall behind because they had their sights set on getting into National Junior Honor Society, or their friend mentioned that the program facilitated internship opportunities and they thought they wanted to explore therapy as a potential career path.

On the other hand, if an opportunity was handed to you through family connections or a fortuitous introduction, explore what you did with that opportunity. For example, if a family member introduced you to an important producer because they knew you were interested in film, you could write about the notes you took during that meeting and how you have revisited the producer’s advice and used it since the meeting to find cheap equipment rentals and practice your craft.

If you choose to write about educational barriers you have faced, consider the personal characteristics and skills you called upon to overcome the challenge. How did the process of overcoming your educational barrier shape you as a person? What did you learn about yourself or the world? An added plus would be talking about passing it forward and helping those in your purview obtain the knowledge you did from your experiences.

Some examples of educational barriers could include:

• limited access to resources, materials, technology, or classes
• lacking educational role models
• struggles with deciding on a passion or career path
• financial struggles

One example of an interesting essay about educational barriers:

As a student at a school that did not offer any honors classes, you enrolled in online lectures to learn the subject you were passionate about — Human Geography. Afterward, you spoke to your school administrators about high-achieving students needing higher-level courses, and they agreed to talk to the local community college to start a pipeline for students like you.

Either way that you take this prompt, it can be used to position yourself as motivated and driven—exactly the type of student admissions officers are looking for!

This prompt is three-pronged. You must 1) identify a challenge 2) describe the steps you have taken to overcome the challenge and 3) connect the challenge to your academic achievement.

When approaching this prompt, it is best to consider these first and third aspects together so that you identify a challenge that connects to your academic life. If you simply pick any challenge you have experienced, when you get to the third part of the prompt, you may have to stretch your essay in ways that are unconvincing or feel inauthentic.

That said, remember that “academic achievement” reaches far beyond grades and exams. It can include things like:

• Deciding your career goals
• Balancing homework, jobs, and social/familial relationships
• Having enough time to devote to self-care
• Figuring out how you study/learn best
• Feeling comfortable asking for help when you need it

You should begin brainstorming challenges and hardships that you have experienced and overcome. These could include financial hardships, familial circumstances, personal illness, or learning disabilities. Challenges could also be less structural—things like feeling like you are living in a sibling’s shadow, struggles with body image, or insecurity. While it is important that your challenge was significant, it matters much more that you discuss your challenge with thoughtful reflection and maturity.

Some ways to take this prompt include:

• Writing about how overcoming a challenge taught you a skill that led to academic success — for example, a high-achieving student who struggles with anxiety was forced to take time off from school after an anxiety attack and learned the importance of giving oneself a break
• Writing about a challenge that temporarily hindered your academic success and reflecting on it — for example, a student who experienced a death in the family could have had a semester where they almost failed English because reading led to negative thought spirals instead of plot retention
• Writing about how a challenge humbled you and gave you a new perspective on your academics — for example, a student with a part-time job who helps support her family missed a shift because she was studying for a test and realized that she needed to ask her teachers for help and explain her home situation

As you describe the steps you have taken to overcome your selected challenge, you will want to include both tangible and intangible steps. This means that you will need to discuss your emotions, growth, and development, as well as what you learned through overcoming the challenge. Was your challenge easy to overcome or did it take a few tries? Do you feel you have fully overcome your challenge or is it a work in progress? If you have fully overcome the challenge, what do you do differently now? Or do you just see things differently now? If you were to experience the same challenge again, what would you have learned from before?

Here are some detailed examples:

• Your parents underwent a bitter, drawn-out divorce that deeply scarred you and your siblings, especially your little brother who was attending elementary school at the time. He was constantly distraught and melancholy and seemed to be falling further and further behind in his schoolwork. You took care of him, but at the cost of your grades plummeting. However, through this trial, you committed yourself to protecting your family at all costs. You focused on computer science in high school, hoping to major in it and save up enough money for his college tuition by the time he applies. Through this mission, your resolve strengthened and reflected in your more efficient and excellent performance in class later on.
• Your race was the most significant challenge you faced growing up. In school, teachers did not value your opinion nor did they believe in you, as evidenced by their preferential treatment of students of other races. To fight back against this discrimination, you talked to other students of the same race and established an association, pooling together resources and providing a supportive network of people to others in need of counseling regarding this issue.

The first step for approaching this prompt is fun and easy—think about an academic subject that inspires you. This part of the essay is about emotional resonance, so go with your gut and don’t overthink it. What is your favorite subject? What subject do you engage with in the media in your free time? What subject seeps into your conversations with friends and family on the weekends?

Keep in mind that high school subjects are often rather limited. The span of “academic subjects” at the university level is much less limited. Some examples of academic subjects include eighteenth-century literature, political diplomacy, astronomy, Italian film and television, botany, Jewish culture and history, mobile robotics, musical theater, race and class in urban environments, gender and sexuality, and much more.

Once you’ve decided what subject you are most interested in and inspired by, think about a tangible example of how you have furthered your interest in the subject. Some common ways students further their interests include:

• Reading about your interest
• Engaging with media (television, film, social media) about your interest
• Volunteering with organizations related to your interest
• Founding organizations related to your interest
• Reaching out to professionals with your academic interest
• Using your interest in interdisciplinary ways
• Research in your field of interest
• Internships in your field of interest

While you should include these kinds of tangible examples, do not forget to explain how your love for the subject drives the work you do, because, with an essay like this, the why can easily get lost in describing the what . Admissions officers need both.

A few examples:

• You found your US government class fascinatingly complex, so you decided to campaign for a Congressional candidate who was challenging the incumbent in your district. You canvassed in your local community, worked at the campaign headquarters, and gathered voter data whilst performing various administrative duties. Though the work was difficult, you enjoyed a sense of fulfillment that came from being part of history.
• Last year you fell in love with the play Suddenly Last Summer and decided to see what career paths were available for dramatic writing. You reached out to the contact on your local theater’s website, were invited to start attending their guest lecturer series, and introduced yourself to a lecturer one week who ended up helping you score a spot in a Young Dramatic Writers group downtown.
• The regenerative power of cells amazed you, so you decided to take AP Biology to learn more. Eventually, you mustered up the courage to email a cohort of biology professors at your local university. One professor responded, and agreed to let you assist his research for the next few months on the microorganism C. Elegans.
• You continued to develop apps and games even after AP Computer Science concluded for the year. Eventually, you became good enough to land an internship at a local startup due to your self-taught knowledge of various programming languages.

With regards to structure, you might try thinking about this essay in a past/present/future manner where you consider your past engagement with your interest and how it will affect your future at a UC school or as an adult in society. This essay could also become an anecdotal/narrative essay that centers around the story of you discovering your academic interest, or a reflective essay that dives deep into the details of why you are drawn to your particular academic subject.

Whatever way you take it, try to make your essay unique—either through your subject matter, your structure, or your writing style!

College essay prompts often engage with the word “community.” As an essay writer, it is important to recognize that your community can be as large, small, formal, or informal as you want it to be. Your school is obviously a community you belong to, but your local grocery store, the nearby pet adoption center you volunteer at, your apartment building, or an internet group can also be communities. Even larger social groups that you are a part of, like your country or your ethnicity, can be a community. 

The important part of your response here is not the community you identify with but rather the way you describe your role in that community. What do you bring to your community that is special? What would be missing without you?

Some responses could include describing how you serve as a role model in your community, how you advocate for change in your community, how you are a support system for other community members, or how you correct the community when it is veering away from its values and principles.

Here are some fleshed-out examples of how this essay could take shape, using the earlier referenced communities:

• A student writes about the local grocery store in his neighborhood. Each Sunday, he picks up his family’s groceries and then goes to the pharmacy in the back to get his grandmother’s medication. The pharmacist was a close friend of his grandmother’s when she was young, so the student routinely gives the pharmacist a detailed update about his grandmother’s life. The student recognizes the value in his serving as a link to connect these two individuals who, due to aging, cannot be together physically.
• An animal-loving student volunteers one Saturday each month at the pet adoption center in their city’s downtown district. They have always been an extremely compassionate person and view the young kittens as a community that deserves to be cared for. This caring instinct also contributes to their interactions with their peers and their desire to make large-scale positive social change in the world.

Your response to this prompt will be convincing if you discuss your underlying motives for the service you have done, and in turn, demonstrate the positive influence you have made. That said, do not be afraid to talk about your actions even if they did not produce a sweeping change; as long as the effort was genuine, change is change, no matter the scale. This essay is more about values and reflection than it is about the effects of your efforts.

Lastly, if you are discussing a specific service you did for your community, you might want to touch on what you learned through your service action or initiative, and how you will continue to learn in the future. Here are a few examples:

• Passionate about classical music, you created a club that taught classical and instrumental music at local elementary schools. You knew that the kids did not have access to such resources, so you wanted to broaden their exposure as a high school senior had done for you when you were in middle school. You encouraged these elementary schoolers to fiddle with the instruments and lobbied for a music program to be implemented at the school. Whether the proposal gets approved or not, the kids have now known something they might never have known otherwise.
• Working at your local library was mundane at times, but in the long run, you realized that you were facilitating the exchange of knowledge and protecting the intellectual property of eminent scholars. Over time, you found ways to liven up the spirit of the library by leading arts and crafts time and booking puppet shows for little kids whose parents were still at work. The deep relationships you forged with the kids eventually blossomed into a bond of mentorship and mutual respect.

Be authentic and humble in your response to this essay! Make sure it feels like you made your community a better place because community is a value of yours, not just so that you could write about it in a college essay.

This is the most open-ended any question can get. You have the freedom to write about anything you want! That said, make sure that, no matter what you do with this prompt, your focus can be summarized into two sentences that describe the uniqueness of your candidacy.

The process we recommend for responding to open-ended prompts with clarity involves the following steps:

1. On a blank piece of paper, jot down any and every idea — feelings, phrases, and keywords — that pop into your head after reading this prompt. Why are you unique?

2. Narrow your ideas down to one topic. The two examples we will use are a student writing about how her habit of pausing at least five seconds before she responds to someone else’s opinion is emblematic of her thoughtfulness and a student whose interest in researching the history of colonialism in the Caribbean is emblematic of their commitment to justice.

3. Outline the structure of your essay, and plan out content for an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion.

4. Before you start writing your essay, write one or two sentences that summarize how you would like the admissions officers to perceive you based on this essay. These sentences will not be in your final product, but will help you to maintain a focus. For our examples, this would be something like “Natalie’s habit of gathering her thoughts before responding to other people’s opinions allows her to avoid undesired complications and miscommunications in her social interactions. This has not only helped her maintain strong relationships with all the staff members of the clubs she leads, but will also help her navigate the social environments that she will face in the professional world.” A summary for the student writing about their interest in the history of colonialism could be “Jonathan has always been highly compassionate and sympathetic by nature. When they found out about the historical injustices of colonialism in the Caribbean through the book The Black Jacobins , they realized that compassion is what is missing from politics. Now, they are inspired to pursue a political science degree to ultimately have a political career guided by compassion.”

5. Finally, write an essay dedicated to constructing the image you devised in step 4. This can be achieved through a number of different structures! For example, Natalie could use an anecdote of a time when she spoke too soon and caused someone else pain, then could reflect on how she learned the lesson to take at least five seconds before responding and how that decision has affected her life. Jonathan could create an image of the future where they are enacting local policies based on compassion. It is important to keep in mind that you do not want to be repetitive, but you must stay on topic so that admissions officers do not get distracted and forget the image that you are attempting to convey.

As exemplified by the examples we provided, a good way to approach this prompt is to think of a quality, value, or personality trait of yours that is fundamental to who you are and appealing to admissions officers, then connect it to a specific activity, habit, pet peeve, anecdote, or another tangible example that you can use to ground your essay in reality. Use the tangible to describe the abstract, and convince admissions officers that you would be a valuable asset to their UC school!

Where to Get Your UC Essays Edited

With hundreds of thousands of applicants each year, many receiving top scores and grades, getting into top UC schools is no small feat. This is why excelling in the personal-insight questions is key to presenting yourself as a worthwhile candidate. Answering these prompts can be difficult, but ultimately very rewarding, and CollegeVine is committed to helping you along that journey. Check out these UC essay examples for more writing inspiration.

If you want to get your essays edited, we also have free peer essay review , where you can get feedback from another student. You can also improve your own writing skills by editing other students’ essays.

You can also receive expert essay review by advisors who have helped students get into their dream schools. You can book a review with an expert to receive notes on your topic, grammar, and essay structure to make your essay stand out to admissions officers. Haven’t started writing your essay yet? Advisors on CollegeVine also offer  expert college counseling packages . You can purchase a package to get one-on-one guidance on any aspect of the college application process, including brainstorming and writing essays.

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I'm starting to work on my essays for the UC schools, and I want to know when the essays are due? Are they due at the same time as the applications or is there a separate deadline for the essays?

The essays for UC schools are due at the same time as the applications. The UC application, which includes your personal insight essay responses, is typically due on November 30th for freshman applicants. Be sure to double-check the deadline for the specific application cycle you are applying in, as dates can sometimes change. There is no separate deadline for the essays; they are considered a part of the complete application package. Good luck with your essays and applications!

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CollegeVine’s Q&A seeks to offer informed perspectives on commonly asked admissions questions. Every answer is refined and validated by our team of admissions experts to ensure it resonates with trusted knowledge in the field.

Ready to Apply? Here’s How.

Discover all the information you need below to get your UCLA application going. Learn more about the qualities and characteristics we’re looking for in our review process. Also, find out about important deadlines you won’t want to miss.

You’ll be graduating from high school or you’ve already graduated but have yet to enroll in any college or university.

You graduated from high school and have completed some college-level coursework beyond the summer following graduation.

International

You’re in your final year of secondary school or you’ve already completed it but are not currently enrolled in any college or university. Your secondary credential will qualify/qualifies you to enter a university in your home country.

Application

The University of California (UC) application opens August 1 and the period of time to submit an application for admission is October 1–November 30 .

Important Dates

UC application opens

UC starts accepting applications

Last day to file UC applications

Decisions for most freshman applicants released

Decisions for most transfer applicants released

What We Look For

We value applicants who challenge themselves with a rigorous curriculum in high school or secondary school and whose personal stories, rich experiences and leadership skills enhance their perspective and potential contributions to our campus community.

Student Profiles

When reviewing applications, we consider a wide variety of factors. See how the primary academic factors, which are more easily quantifiable, help shape the profile of our students.

Personal Insight Questions

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Important Dates to Know

Milestones to be mindful of on your application and admission journey

Dates & Deadlines

Important dates you’ll need to know.

Dates for students applying for fall 2024: August 1, 2023 - UC Application for Admission available online

September 1, 2023 - UCSC TAG Application filing period opens

September 30, 2023 - UCSC TAG Application filing deadline

October 1, 2023 - UC Application filing period opens for fall 2024

November 30, 2023 - UC Application filing deadline for fall 2024

December , 2023 - FAFSA and Dream App filing period opens

January 15, 2024 - UC Application extended fall 2024 filing deadline for transfer students

January 31, 2024 - Transfer Academic Update (TAU) deadline for fall 2024. Transfer students must submit a TAU, even if they have no changes to report. See this helpful video!  

Late February-mid March, 2024 - Fall 2024 admissions decisions appear on my.ucsc.edu for all on-time freshman applicants

March, 2024 - Early registration open for early start Summer Edge program 

March 2-May 15, 2024 - UC Santa Cruz Financial Aid Office requests supporting documentation from applicants and sends preliminary aid estimates to most new freshmen (sent to most new transfer students March 1-June 1)

April 1-30, 2024 - Fall 2024 admissions decisions appear on my.ucsc.edu for all on-time transfer applicants

April 1, 2024 - Room and board rates for next academic year are available from Housing

May 15, 2024 - Extended deadline:  Frosh admission acceptance due online at my.ucsc.edu and pay required fees and deposits

May 2, 2024 - California state extended deadline for submitting the FAFSA or Dream App

May 2, 2024 - Enrollment for summer classes opens for Summer Edge .

Late May 2024 - Frosh Housing contract deadline. Complete the online housing application/contract by 11:59:59 (Pacific Time) on the deadline date.

June-August, 2024 - Slug Orientation online

June 1, 2024  - Transfer admission acceptance due online at my.ucsc.edu and pay required fees and deposits.

Mid-June 2024  - Advising and enrollment information provided – frosh and transfers

Late June 2024 - Transfer Housing contract deadline. Complete the online housing application/contract by 11:59:59 (Pacific Time) on the deadline date.

July 1, 2024 - All transcripts are due to the UC Santa Cruz Office of Admissions from new incoming students (postmark deadline)

July 15, 2024 - Official test scores are due to the UC Santa Cruz Office of Admissions from new incoming students (receipt deadline)

July 15, 2024 - Early start Summer Edge program registration deadline. Complete the registration by 11:59:59 (Pacific Time) on the deadline date to start taking classes this summer.

September, 2024 - International Student Orientation

September 19-22, 2024  (approx.) - Fall Move-in

September 20-25, 2024  (approx.) - Fall Welcome Week

September 26, 2024 - Classes Begin

Dates for students applying  for winter 2025: June, 2024 - Please check our website for information on the winter 2025 application filing period for sophomore and junior level transfer students, including which majors will be open for consideration. 

July 1, 2024 - UC Application filing period opens for winter 2025 July 31, 2024 - UC Application filing deadline for winter 2025

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When are UC Applications Due in 2023-24?

September 15, 2023

Last year, the University of California system received over 206,000 freshmen applications to its nine campuses. Additionally, they received another 40,000 transfer applications. In total, there are now a quarter of a million applying to the UCs every year. So, those are the pertinent facts. Now, we’ll dive in and answer the question of the hour: when are UC applications due? We’ll also look at when admissions results are released and cover a number of other UC application deadlines such as the TAG deadline (for transfers) and financial aid deadlines. Additionally, we’ll provide the answer to: when do UC decisions come out?

UC application deadline 2023

The deadline for all applications for those wishing to enroll in Fall 2024 is November 30, 2023. This is the deadline at the following UC campuses:

• Santa Barbara

You can apply to as many campuses as you like all at once using the University of California application .

When are UC applications due? – UC transfer application deadline

The deadline for transferring to the University of California is the same as the deadline for first-year students. All transfers must also submit by November 30, 2023.

UC application deadline – What time is the UC application due?

All UC applications are due before midnight/12 AM on November 30th. For those applying from outside the state of California, remember that this is 12 AM Pacific Standard Time (PST). If you are applying from another state or country that is located in a different time zone be sure to make that adjustment.

UC application checklist

When settling in to submit your University of California application, you’ll want to have the following items/pieces of information handy:

• Transcripts: You don’t need to submit these yet, but you’ll need them to refer to as you fill out the application. Later, if you are admitted to a UC, you will need to submit official high school transcripts.
• Annual Income: You’ll want to enter your parents’ income. You can just ask them for their annual income from last year, as listed on their taxes.
• Social Security Number: You’ll need this for application verification purposes as well as for applying for financial aid.
• Citizenship Status: If you are not a US citizen, you’ll need to provide your visa info and immigration status.
• California Statewide Student ID: This is optional, but if you are a student in a public school in California, include it.
• Credit Card: Just to pay for application when you are ready to submit it.

When is the UC TAG deadline?

The Transfer Admissions Guarantee (TAG) must be filed between September 1 and September 30. The official definition of a TAG “is a formal, written agreement that provides guaranteed admission to California community college students who meet and fulfill specific requirements.” TAG is only available at six of the UC campuses and only in certain academic programs. For more, visit this page on the UC website.

When is the UC financial aid deadline?

The deadline for submitting your FAFSA and Cal Grant GPA Verification form is March 2, 2024. However, the earliest date that you can begin submitting these forms is October 1, 2023. It is always recommended to be on the earlier side of this financial aid window. For more on how to fill out your FAFSA (and why you should!), visit our blog entitled How to Apply for Financial Aid .

When do UC decisions come out in 2024?

The University of California begins releasing admissions decisions on March 1. Decisions for freshman applicants will be sent between March 1 and March 31. You will be notified directly by each campus to which you applied and this may not be on the same date/time.

Transfer applicants may receive their acceptance or rejection on March 1. However, the window for the release of decisions goes all the way until May 1. In general, transfer admissions decisions from the UCs are released in April.

When are UC applications due? – Additional Resources

For more information on admissions at UC campuses, including acceptance rates, visit the following “How to Get Into” blogs from College Transitions:

• UC Berkeley
• UC San Diego

You may also wish to check out our tips on the immensely important Personal Insight essays required by each UC school or How to Write the UC Activities List .

• Application Strategies
• Navigating the Admissions Process

Dave Bergman

Dave has over a decade of professional experience that includes work as a teacher, high school administrator, college professor, and independent educational consultant. He is a co-author of the books The Enlightened College Applicant (Rowman & Littlefield, 2016) and Colleges Worth Your Money (Rowman & Littlefield, 2020).

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Undergraduate Program

Important dates.

Learn more about the timeline for applying to the Global Management Program below. Dates are shown for the Fall 2023 application period.

You may also review the Global Edge Dates and Deadlines page for additional details regarding the Program Calendar.

Admissions Timeline 2023-2024

Next: Tuition & Scholarships

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Dates & Deadlines

Applications for admission are available beginning in October of the year prior to the year in which you would enter UC Berkeley. The application filing period is October 1 – November 30. All applications must be submitted by November 30.

UC Berkeley does not offer application for early admission or early decision.

Important dates

**Exact decision dates are given to current applicants in confirmation emails and on the student application portal.

Academic Calendar

Application FAQs

Admissions » Apply » Deadlines

Students can apply for admission to the University of Cincinnati prior to the academic semester of their choice. All materials or required documentation must be submitted and received in the Office of Admissions on or before the dates listed below in order for a student to meet the deadline.

Please refer to our Deadline Descriptions for more information about what each term means.

First-year Student Deadlines

*Applicants to any major within CCM will be encouraged to submit pre-screening materials by November 15. For more CCM application information visit ccm.uc.edu/admissions .

*The Bachelor of Science in Nursing program has a priority application deadline of November 1.

Transfer Students

**Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning (DAAP) programs have a March 1 application deadline and June 1 confirmation deadline for fall semester. Late applications will be reviewed on a space available basis. Applicants to Architecture, Communication Design, Fashion Design, Industrial Design, and Interior Design are pooled and reviewed, and decisions are typically made in April and May. Applications to all other DAAP programs are reviewed on a rolling admission basis.

Deadline Descriptions

Application deadline.

The "Application Deadline" is the date by which we need to receive all your application materials.

The University of Cincinnati follows two types of admission plans, Early Action and Rolling .

Early Action Deadline

The Early Action Deadline is a non-binding plan that gives applicants priority consideration to our more competitive programs. Additionally, students need to apply by the Early Action deadline to be considered for The University Honors Program and merit-based scholarships. There is not a separate application for either of these.

Electronic materials must be uploaded and any associated fees submitted by 11:59pm on December 1. Mailed materials must be postmarked on or before December 1. As long as all materials, whether electronic or mailed meet these time constraints and complete the student’s application packet, the application will be considered on time. 

Any applications that are incomplete or are submitted December 2 or later will be evaluated for admission to eligble programs but will not be considered for competitive academic programs that have closed, scholarships, or the university honors program.

The following programs often receive more applicants than they have room to consider. Historically, these programs close on or shortly after the December 1 deadline. It is recommended that students applying to the following colleges apply via Early Action (applications received after December 1 for these programs will be considered on a space-available basis):

• College-Conservatory of Music
• College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning 
• College of Engineering & Applied Sciences
• College of Medicine
• College of Nursing
• Lindner College of Business

*Applicants to any major within CCM will be encouraged to submit pre-screening materials by November 15. For more CCM application information visit  ccm.uc.edu/admissions .

Rolling Deadline

The Rolling Deadline means that we accept applications on a space-available basis.

Confirmation Deadline

The "Confirmation Deadline" is the date by which we need to receive a response from you regarding your admission decision. You will not be able to enroll in classes until you confirm your admission. This is a two-step process consisting of submission of an online form and a non-refundable confirmation fee. This can be completed within your applicant status portal .  

APPLY TO CCS 

For all students accepted to, or currently attending UCSB, please click on "Apply to CCS" above and use your UCSB Single Sign On to create an application. If you are an accepted student and have already started an application with a different email address, you may continue with that application.

Additional Links

For ucsb fall 2025 applicants:, step 1: apply to ucsb.

If you are not currently enrolled at UCSB and have not already applied, then you will first need to submit the UC Undergraduate Application for UCSB, the standard form used to apply to any University of California campus. You will be asked to include your UC application ID in your CCS application.

Please note: When selecting two majors for admission on your UC Application, you should i nclude your preferred CCS major as one of your selections.

Step 2: Apply to CCS

If you are applying for UCSB for Fall 2025, the CCS application will open August . If you are a current UCSB student, or have been accepted to UCSB for Fall 2024, follow the steps in the first paragraph above. If you don't know which applies to you, please email [email protected].

• Standardized test policy:  The University of California does not use SAT and ACT scores in making Admissions decisions. In accordance with this ruling, CCS will not accept SAT, SAT Subject Exams, or ACT scores in our supplementary application. AP/IB scores may still be requested as noted, by major, below.

Application Requirements for Each Major

Supplemental application materials (portfolio).

Submitting your portfolio online: Please upload  two files : an image list with the image number, title, date, medium and dimensions, (Word or pdf file), and a second file with images of 15-20 works  COMPILED INTO ONE FILE . Save images as good quality jpegs, 150-300 dpi or higher, then compile all and convert to one pdf.  Images in the final pdf should be between 1/2 page and 1 full page in size each.  Please number each image to correspond to the image list. Please review your compiled portfolio to ensure images are all of a similar size before uploading. If appropriate, you may submit a supplemental video tour of your work in addition to the compiled portfolio. Work submitted should emphasize your ability in painting, sculpture, or book arts. You may wish to ask assistance from a teacher, counselor, or another individual with an objective and well-trained eye, to help you to select your best work. 

Letter of Intent

Write a letter to the attention of the CCS Art faculty, stating your academic interests, your reasons for wanting to study at CCS, and your background in Art. In addition, please describe any aspects of your personal background, accomplishments, or experiences with diversity that you feel are important in evaluating your application. This letter is separate from the essay required in the UC application. Please save and upload this letter as a PDF in order to avoid formatting distortions.

Letters of Recommendation

Letters of recommendation are optional for CCS Art. If you wish, please list persons well-acquainted with your academic background and your ability in Art on the CCS Application. The CCS Online Application form will ask for your recommenders’ email addresses and will send them a prompt with a link.  This link will direct recommenders to instructions for uploading letters. We suggest notifying recommenders ahead of time that they should be expecting an email with instructions to upload their letter.  Please request that letters are saved and uploaded as a PDF in order to avoid formatting distortions.

Transcripts

In addition to the copies you send to the UCSB Office of Admissions, there is a section on the CCS Online Application where you must upload copies of your transcripts from every high school and college you have attended. Transcripts do not need to be official, so a scan or a picture of your transcripts may be uploaded (jpeg or PDF). If you are currently enrolled at UCSB, please submit a copy of your course history, which you can obtain using a screenshot from GOLD.   I t is your responsibility to ensure that attachments uploaded to your application are clear and legible.

Write a letter to the attention of the CCS Biology faculty, stating your academic interests, your reasons for wanting to study at CCS, and your background in Biology. This letter is separate from the essay required in the UC application. Please save and upload this letter as a PDF in order to avoid formatting distortions.

Letters of recommendation are required for applications to CCS Biology. Please list at least two persons well-acquainted with your academic background and your ability in Biology. The CCS Online Application form will ask for your recommenders’ email addresses and will send them a prompt with a link. This link will direct recommenders to instructions for uploading letters. We suggest notifying recommenders ahead of time that they should be expecting an email with instructions to upload their letter. Please request that letters are saved and uploaded as a PDF in order to avoid formatting distortions.

In addition to the copies you send to the UCSB Office of Admissions, there is a section on the CCS Online Application where you must upload copies of your transcripts from every high school and college you have attended. Transcripts do not need to be official, so a scan or picture of your transcripts may be uplodaed (jpeg or PDF). If you are currently enrolled at UCSB, please upload a copy of your course history, which you can obtain using a screenshot from GOLD. It is your responsibility to ensure that attachments uploaded to your application are clear and legible.

Supplemental Application Materials

Although submitting Supplemental Application Materials is not required for CCS Biology, it helps to give us a more complete idea of your skills and interests. If possible, upload examples of independent research, scientific reports or projects, or any other work that shows your ability and interests.

Chemistry & Biochemistry

Write a letter to the attention of the CCS Chemistry and Biochemistry faculty, stating your academic interests, your reasons for wanting to study at CCS, and your background in Chemistry. This letter is separate from the essay required in the UC application. Please save and upload this letter as a PDF in order to avoid formatting distortions.

Letters of recommendation are required for applications to CCS Chemistry and Biochemistry. Please list at least two persons well-acquainted with your academic background and your ability in Chemistry/Biochemistry. The CCS Online Application form will ask for your recommenders’ email addresses and will send them a prompt with a link. This link will direct recommenders to instructions for uploading letters.  We suggest notifying recommenders ahead of time that they should be expecting an email with instructions to upload their letter.  Please request that letters are saved and uploaded as a PDF in order to avoid formatting distortions. 

In addition to the copies you send to the UCSB Office of Admissions, there is a section on the CCS Online Application where you must upload copies of your transcripts from every high school and college you have attended. Transcripts do not need to be official, so a scan or picture of your transcripts may be uploaded (jpeg or PDF). If you are currently enrolled at UCSB, please upload a copy of your course history, which you can obtain using a screenshot from GOLD.  It is your responsibility to ensure that attachments uploaded to your application are clear and legible.

Although submitting Supplemental Application Materials is not required for CCS Chemistry and Biochemistry, it helps to give us a more complete idea of your skills and interests. If possible, submit examples of independent research, scientific reports or projects, or any other work that shows your ability and interests.

Write a letter to the attention of the CCS Computing faculty, stating your academic interests, your reasons for wanting to study at CCS, and your background in Computing. This letter is separate from the essay required in the UC application. Please save and upload this letter as a PDF in order to avoid formatting distortions.

Letters of recommendation are required for applications to CCS Computing. Please list at least two persons well-acquainted with your academic background and your ability in Computing. The CCS Online Application form will ask for your recommenders’ email addresses and will send them a prompt with a link. This link will direct recommenders to instructions for uploading letters.  We suggest notifying recommenders ahead of time that they should be expecting an email with instructions to upload their letter.  Please request that letters are saved and uploaded as a PDF in order to avoid formatting distortions. 

Although submitting Supplemental Application Materials is not required for CCS Computing, it helps to give us a more complete idea of your skills and interests. If possible, submit examples of independent research, scientific reports or projects, or any other work that shows your ability and interests.

Marine Science

This application is your chance to tell us about who you are and why the CCS Marine Science program is a great fit for you. In order to put your best foot forward in your application, we encourage you to spend time reading through the CCS Marine Science webpage to understand what makes this program different from studying on the broader campus and why these differences are meaningful to you.

Transfer students from on campus are encouraged to apply! Please check out the Major Sheet to learn more about potential coarse-loads and transfer requirements.

Please reach out to [email protected] if you have any questions about CCS, the Marine Science program, or the application process.

Write a letter to the attention of the CCS Marine Science faculty that is no more than 2 pages, double spaced. A strong letter will include ALL of the following. *Feel free to use these as headers in your letter and to respond to each as individual questions.*

• Tell us a little about yourself and why you are interested in studying marine science.
• What topics in marine science interest you and how would the ability to create a personalized curriculum help you achieve your personal and professional goals?
• We understand that co-creating your own curriculum with CCS advisors is enticing. However, everyone would benefit from this and we unfortunately don't have space for everyone in this college. We wish we did! With this in mind, tell us what creative endeavors you would like to pursue as a student in the CCS Marine Science program . Be as specific as possible .
• How will studying marine science in CCS, as opposed to other programs, help you achieve your goals?

This letter is separate from the essay required in the UC application and is the most important part of your application to the Marine Science program. Please save and upload this letter as a PDF in order to avoid formatting distortions.

*By multidisciplinary we are referring to an education in marine science that will span multiple disciplines including biology, geology, chemistry, physics, and disciplines of your choosing.

In addition to the copies you send to the UCSB Office of Admissions, there is a section on the CCS Online Application where you must upload copies of your transcripts from every high school and college you have attended. Transcripts do not need to be official, so a scan or picture of your transcripts may be uploaded (jpeg or PDF). If you are currently enrolled at UCSB, please upload a copy of your course history, which you can obtain using a screenshot from GOLD. It is your responsibility to ensure that attachments uploaded to your application are clear and legible.

Submitting Supplemental Application Materials

Although submitting Supplemental Application Materials is not required, we highly encourage you to do so because it gives us a better sense of what you are interested in and how you’ve gone about pursuing your interests up to this point. If you talk about ways in which you've pursued your interest in marine science in your Letter of Intent, you can upload evidence of those efforts under this field.

So, what are  Supplemental Application Materials?  This is any work that shows a commitment to pursuing your interests in marine science. This might include a description of observations you made in your own backyard, on a field trip, online, or elsewhere to better understand some phenomenon that caught your interest, and the steps you took to learn more about it. This  does not necessarily mean field or laboratory research. We understand that not every student will have had the opportunity to participate in field or laboratory research or generate scientific reports and that is more than okay! Our goal through this part of the application is to better understand your interests in marine science and how you’ve gone about pursuing them .

To prepare for writing this section, spend some time thinking about what examples you would use to describe to a friend or family member to help them understand just how curious and motivated you are to learn about marine science.

Letters of recommendation are not accepted for applications to the CCS Marine Science major. You do not need to solicit letters of recommendation in preparing for your CCS Marine Science application nor should you upload them as supplemental documents.

Mathematics

Mathematics is only accepting applications for Fall 2024 for both new and current UCSB students . If you are a current UCSB student who wishes to change their major, please choose the Fall 2024 quarter on your application, or you will be contacted about whether or not you want to pursue your application.

Priority Deadline

The CCS Mathematics program has an extended priority deadline for incoming new students. Prospective CCS Mathematics students are encouraged to complete their applications by January 30, 2024 in order to be considered in the initial review for admission.

The letter of intent for CCS Mathematics applicants comes in the form of a series of short response questions.  These questions are intended to allow the CCS Mathematics faculty to gauge your academic interests, your reasons for wanting to study at CCS, and your background in Mathematics. These questions are separate from those required in the UC application, and responses are limited to 250 words per question.

1. Describe a mathematical problem that challenged you and what steps you took to find a solution. 2. What kinds of mathematics have you been exposed to beyond calculus, if any? 3. Describe any mathematical experiences or activities that you have been involved into other than taking high school math classes, if any (for example, math camps, math circle, community college classes, math clubs, math competitions, etc)? 4. What unique qualities and characteristics do you bring as an applicant that make you a good fit for CCS? How might your unique qualities help you achieve your goals during your time here? 5. Why have you chosen mathematics as opposed to another exact science or creative activity? 6. If there is anything else that you feel is relevant for your application, please share it here.

At least one letter of recommendation is required for applications to CCS Mathematics, but two letters are preferred. Please list persons well-acquainted with your academic background and your ability in mathematics, with at least one from a mathematics (or math-related subject) teacher or mentor. The CCS Online Application form will ask for your recommenders’ email addresses and will send them a prompt with a link. This link will direct recommenders to instructions for uploading letters. We suggest notifying recommenders ahead of time that they should be expecting an email with instructions to upload their letter. Please request that letters are saved and uploaded as a PDF in order to avoid formatting distortions.

Although submitting Supplemental Application Materials is not required for CCS Mathematics, it helps to give us a more complete idea of your skills and interests. If possible, submit examples of independent research, scientific reports or projects, or any other work that shows your ability and interests.

Music Composition

This is not to be taken lightly!  Please type a one to three-page letter, addressed to the CCS Music Composition faculty, that answers the following questions:

• What is your background in music?
• When did you begin writing music and why?
• Why are you interested in studying at the College of Creative Studies?
• What are your career goals at this point in your life?  Do you intend to enter the professional music world?  Graduate school?  What would you like to be doing five years from now? Ten years?
• Talk a little bit about your music.  Why are you interested in writing music?  Who are your major influences?  What instrument(s) do you play?  How do you go about your compositional process?  Where do you feel you are in your creative development?

Please save and upload this letter as a PDF in order to avoid formatting distortions .

This is the most important aspect of your application to the CCS Music Composition program.  Materials to be submitted fall into four broad categories: 

Scores (required) :  It is very important that you know how to notate music.  If you do not have a lot of experience in that, it is important that you make the attempt.  We cannot fully evaluate applications with only a single score.  Ideally, you should submit a  minimum  of two fully notated works.  Works may be handwritten or produced using a notation program such as Finale or Sibelius.  Handwritten compositions may be scanned or uploaded as images. 

Supporting materials:  It is helpful, though not required, to include a paragraph about each work submitted.  For electronic works, the accompanying information should include technical notes, i.e. what program(s) you used in composing the work; your sound sources, etc., .pdf format is recommended.

Recordings (optional, but recommended) :   You can upload a recording of your work(s) using the CCS Online Application, acceptable formats include mp3, mp4, m4a, webm, ogg and wav.  You may also submit recordings of electronic works or sequenced works that have not yet been notated.

How Much to Submit:   In general, err on the side of quantity.  A good rule of thumb is that if you’ve written fewer than 6 works, send them all.  If you’ve written more than 6 works, submit 3-6 works that you believe best show your talent and versatility as a composer. 

Special note to transfer students:   When we evaluate applications from students who would enter as juniors, we use the music submitted to determine if the student is admitted at the sophomore level or at the junior level, based on the requirements for the Sophomore and Junior Juries outlined in the Curriculum guidelines.  It is to your advantage to submit, as a minimum, works roughly equal in quantity to the requirements for the Sophomore Jury:  5 shorter works, for a variety of instruments and instrumental combinations, a single line work (if you have it), and at least two works with a minimum duration of 3-5 minutes each.  One of the longer works should be scored for three or more instruments. 

Letters of recommendation are required for applications to CCS Music Composition. Please list at least two persons well-acquainted with your academic background and your ability in Music Composition. The CCS Online Application form will ask for your recommenders’ email addresses and will send them a prompt with a link. This link will direct recommenders to instructions for uploading letters.  We suggest notifying recommenders ahead of time that they should be expecting an email with instructions to upload their letter.  Please request that letters are saved and uploaded as a PDF in order to avoid formatting distortions. 

The CCS Physics program has an extended priority deadline for incoming new students. Prospective CCS Physics students are encouraged to complete their applications by January 25, 2024 in order to be considered in the initial review for admission.

The letter of intent gives us additional information about your motivation and preparation to study physics in an advanced program. The letter should be written in essay format in your own words and should ideally not exceed two pages. Please address the letter to the CCS Physics Admissions Committee that consists of Physics faculty.

Your letter may include anything you feel is relevant to your application, however, please make sure to address the following prompts:

- What is your background in physics? (This is a great opportunity to discuss any extracurricular activities in Physics that you participated in).

- What is your background in mathematics, specifically calculus?

- Why are you interested in studying at the College of Creative Studies?

- What are your career goals at this point in your life?  What would you like to be doing ten years from now?

- Why are you interested in physics?  When did you first get interested in Physics? Who (if any) are your major influences?

Please save and upload this letter as a PDF in order to avoid formatting distortions.

Letters of recommendation are required for applications to CCS Physics. Please list at least two persons well-acquainted with your academic background and your ability in Physics. The CCS Online Application form will ask for your recommenders’ email addresses and will send them a prompt with a link. This link will direct recommenders to instructions for uploading letters.  We suggest notifying recommenders ahead of time that they should be expecting an email with instructions to upload their letter.  Please request that letters are saved and uploaded as a PDF in order to avoid formatting distortions. 

In addition to the copies you send to the UCSB Office of Admissions, there is a section on the CCS Online Application where you must upload copies of your transcripts from every high school and college you have attended. Transcripts do not need to be official, so a scan or picture of your transcripts may be uploaded (jpeg or PDF). If you are currently enrolled at UCSB, please upload a copy of your course history, which you can obtain using a screenshot from GOLD.  It is your responsibility to ensure that attachments uploaded to your application are clear and legible.

In addition to your transcripts, please upload a PDF listing all AP tests you have taken and all scores you have received for those tests.  Please also state the highest level of math you have completed (ex. AP Calculus AB or BC, IB Calculus, Calculus at City College, etc.).

Although submitting supplemental materials is not required for Physics, it helps to give us a more complete idea of your skills and interests. If possible, submit examples of i ndependent research, scientific reports or projects, or any other work that shows your ability and interests in Physics.

Writing & Literature

Submit a 2-3 page letter, professionally formatted and addressed to the W&L faculty. Your letter should:

• Briefly introduce yourself. Who you are, where you are from, your interests, and your goals.
• Describe your most recent reading experience (and here we acknowledge that one can read a variety of texts -- from more traditional books and stories to films, music, and multimedia compositions) that changed your understanding of literature, life, and/or language? Are there any works that you wish to emulate or that inspire you as a writer?
• Describe your work as a writer so far. What motivates you to write? In what ways have you pursued writing both in school and outside of school?
• What kind of work would you like to do as a writer or as a student of literature in the CCS Writing & Literature community?

This letter is separate from the essay required in the UC application. Please save and upload this letter as a PDF in order to avoid formatting distortions.

For Transfer Students

Junior-level transfers to CCS W&L immediately begin work on their capstone projects, which include both creative work and research. Provide a brief abstract (maximum 250 words) that describes what you might want to write for your capstone. 

Writing Samples: Please submit up to 10 pages total; submissions must include both creative writing and expository writing: for Example: 5 pages of poetry, short fiction, screenplay, etc., and a 5- page essay or analysis

• Creative Sample: These pages do not need to be one continuous piece, but rather might comprise several pieces of short fiction, nonfiction, etc. The creative sample could include poetry of any form, fiction, creative nonfiction, drama, screenplay, or digital compositions, such as a blog, equivalent to the page requirement.
• Expository Sample: These pages demonstrate abilities in writing literary criticism or analysis, rhetorical analysis, or other research on writing and literature. These pages do not need to be one continuous piece, but rather might be comprised of several shorter essays. Works Cited will count towards total page amount and can be in any format (MLA, APA, Chicago, etc.)

In addition to the copies you send to the UCSB Office of Admissions, there is a section on the CCS Online Application where you must upload copies of your transcripts from every high school and college you have attended. Transcripts do not need to be official, so a scan or a picture of your transcripts may be uploaded (jpeg or PDF). If you are currently enrolled at UCSB, please submit a copy of your course history, which you can obtain using a screenshot from GOLD. It is your responsibility to ensure that attachments uploaded to your application are clear and legible.

Letters of recommendation are not accepted for applications to the CCS Writing & Literature major. You do not need to solicit letters of recommendation in preparing for your CCS Writing & Literature application nor should you upload them as supplemental documents.

Step 3: Decisions

For Fall UCSB applicants , the College of Creative Studies cannot inform applicants of decisions on their CCS applications until the University of California Santa Barbara has released decisions in March. You will be able to see your decision for CCS once UCSB decisions are released. A denial from CCS does not negatively affect your chances of admission to another college or major at UCSB.

For students already at UCSB, it's advised to apply within the first two weeks of the quarter in order to be reviewed before the next regular quarter start. However, this timeline is not guaranteed. Some committee reviews may take longer, or pause application reviews if there is no space in the major. Each student at CCS has an assigned Faculty Advisor, and because of this there is a limit to the number of majors a program may support.

Registered UCSB students, you may take Creative Studies classes even if you are not in a CCS major, on a space-available, instructor-approved basis. See the courses tab above for offerings.

Freshman requirements

• Subject requirement (A-G)
• GPA requirement
• Admission by exception
• English language proficiency
• UC graduation requirements

Additional information for

• California residents
• Out-of-state students
• Home-schooled students

Transfer requirements

• Understanding UC transfer
• Preparing to transfer
• UC transfer programs
• Transfer planning tools

International applicants

• Applying for admission
• English language proficiency (TOEFL/IELTS)
• Passports & visas
• Living accommodations
• Health care & insurance

AP & Exam credits

Applying as a freshman

• Filling out the application
• Dates & deadlines

Personal insight questions

• How applications are reviewed
• After you apply

Applying as a transfer

Types of aid

• Grants & scholarships
• Jobs & work-study
• California DREAM Loan Program
• Middle Class Scholarship Program
• Blue and Gold Opportunity Plan
• Native American Opportunity Plan  
• Who can get financial aid
• How aid works
• Estimate your aid

Apply for financial aid

• Cal Dream Act application tips
• Tuition & cost of attendance
• Glossary & resources
• Santa Barbara
• Campus program & support services
• Check majors
• Freshman admit data
• Transfer admit data
• Native American Opportunity Plan
• You will have 8 questions to choose from. You must respond to only 4 of the 8 questions.
• Each response is limited to a maximum of 350 words.
• Which questions you choose to answer is entirely up to you. However, you should select questions that are most relevant to your experience and that best reflect your individual circumstances.

Keep in mind

• All questions are equal. All are given equal consideration in the application review process, which means there is no advantage or disadvantage to choosing certain questions over others.
• There is no right or wrong way to answer these questions. It’s about getting to know your personality, background, interests and achievements in your own unique voice.  
• Use the additional comments field if there are issues you'd like to address that you didn't have the opportunity to discuss elsewhere on the application. This shouldn't be an essay, but rather a place to note unusual circumstances or anything that might be unclear in other parts of the application. You may use the additional comments field to note extraordinary circumstances related to COVID-19, if necessary. 

Questions & guidance

Remember, the personal insight questions are just that—personal. Which means you should use our guidance for each question just as a suggestion in case you need help. The important thing is expressing who you are, what matters to you and what you want to share with UC. 

1. Describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have positively influenced others, helped resolve disputes or contributed to group efforts over time. Things to consider: A leadership role can mean more than just a title. It can mean being a mentor to others, acting as the person in charge of a specific task, or taking the lead role in organizing an event or project. Think about what you accomplished and what you learned from the experience. What were your responsibilities?

Did you lead a team? How did your experience change your perspective on leading others? Did you help to resolve an important dispute at your school, church, in your community or an organization? And your leadership role doesn't necessarily have to be limited to school activities. For example, do you help out or take care of your family? 2. Every person has a creative side, and it can be expressed in many ways: problem solving, original and innovative thinking, and artistically, to name a few. Describe how you express your creative side. Things to consider: What does creativity mean to you? Do you have a creative skill that is important to you? What have you been able to do with that skill? If you used creativity to solve a problem, what was your solution? What are the steps you took to solve the problem?

How does your creativity influence your decisions inside or outside the classroom? Does your creativity relate to your major or a future career? 3. What would you say is your greatest talent or skill? How have you developed and demonstrated that talent over time? Things to consider: If there is a talent or skill that you're proud of, this is the time to share it.You don't necessarily have to be recognized or have received awards for your talent (although if you did and you want to talk about it, feel free to do so). Why is this talent or skill meaningful to you?

Does the talent come naturally or have you worked hard to develop this skill or talent? Does your talent or skill allow you opportunities in or outside the classroom? If so, what are they and how do they fit into your schedule? 4. Describe how you have taken advantage of a significant educational opportunity or worked to overcome an educational barrier you have faced. Things to consider: An educational opportunity can be anything that has added value to your educational experience and better prepared you for college. For example, participation in an honors or academic enrichment program, or enrollment in an academy that's geared toward an occupation or a major, or taking advanced courses that interest you; just to name a few.

If you choose to write about educational barriers you've faced, how did you overcome or strive to overcome them? What personal characteristics or skills did you call on to overcome this challenge? How did overcoming this barrier help shape who you are today? 5. Describe the most significant challenge you have faced and the steps you have taken to overcome this challenge. How has this challenge affected your academic achievement? Things to consider: A challenge could be personal, or something you have faced in your community or school. Why was the challenge significant to you? This is a good opportunity to talk about any obstacles you've faced and what you've learned from the experience. Did you have support from someone else or did you handle it alone?

If you're currently working your way through a challenge, what are you doing now, and does that affect different aspects of your life? For example, ask yourself, How has my life changed at home, at my school, with my friends or with my family? 6. Think about an academic subject that inspires you. Describe how you have furthered this interest inside and/or outside of the classroom. Things to consider:  Many students have a passion for one specific academic subject area, something that they just can't get enough of. If that applies to you, what have you done to further that interest? Discuss how your interest in the subject developed and describe any experience you have had inside and outside the classroom such as volunteer work, internships, employment, summer programs, participation in student organizations and/or clubs and what you have gained from your involvement.

Has your interest in the subject influenced you in choosing a major and/or future career? Have you been able to pursue coursework at a higher level in this subject (honors, AP, IB, college or university work)? Are you inspired to pursue this subject further at UC, and how might you do that?

7. What have you done to make your school or your community a better place? Things to consider: Think of community as a term that can encompass a group, team or a place like your high school, hometown or home. You can define community as you see fit, just make sure you talk about your role in that community. Was there a problem that you wanted to fix in your community?

Why were you inspired to act? What did you learn from your effort? How did your actions benefit others, the wider community or both? Did you work alone or with others to initiate change in your community? 8. Beyond what has already been shared in your application, what do you believe makes you a strong candidate for admissions to the University of California? Things to consider:  If there's anything you want us to know about you but didn't find a question or place in the application to tell us, now's your chance. What have you not shared with us that will highlight a skill, talent, challenge or opportunity that you think will help us know you better?

From your point of view, what do you feel makes you an excellent choice for UC? Don't be afraid to brag a little.

Writing tips

Start early..

Give yourself plenty of time for preparation, careful composition and revisions.

Write persuasively.

Making a list of accomplishments, activities, awards or work will lessen the impact of your words. Expand on a topic by using specific, concrete examples to support the points you want to make.

Use “I” statements.

Talk about yourself so that we can get to know your personality, talents, accomplishments and potential for success on a UC campus. Use “I” and “my” statements in your responses.

Proofread and edit.

Although you will not be evaluated on grammar, spelling or sentence structure, you should proofread your work and make sure your writing is clear. Grammatical and spelling errors can be distracting to the reader and get in the way of what you’re trying to communicate.

Solicit feedback.

Your answers should reflect your own ideas and be written by you alone, but others — family, teachers and friends can offer valuable suggestions. Ask advice of whomever you like, but do not plagiarize from sources in print or online and do not use anyone's words, published or unpublished, but your own.

Copy and paste.

Once you are satisfied with your answers, save them in plain text (ASCII) and paste them into the space provided in the application. Proofread once more to make sure no odd characters or line breaks have appeared.

This is one of many pieces of information we consider in reviewing your application. Your responses can only add value to the application. An admission decision will not be based on this section alone.

Need more help?

Download our worksheets:

• English [PDF]
• Spanish [PDF]