Admission to UCLA as a Transfer Student
University of California Los Angeles Transfer Admissions
© John Wu
Jun 7, 2009
Admissions officers at UCLA do not consider the high school academic record when deciding admissions at the transfer level. This allows high school students who did not perform well enough to get in as a freshman another shot at getting admitted as a junior transfer student.
Choice of Major for UCLA Transfer
The choice of major determines how difficult it will be to get into UCLA. The completion of major prerequisites along with their grades are very important factors in UCLA's admissions decisions. If a difficult and popular major is selected, such as nursing or any engineering major, the competition and extra difficulty in the prerequisite major courses can make it very difficult to secure an admissions to UCLA.
However, do not select an "easy" major for use in admissions with the intention of switching majors during the first quarter of attendance. For example, the UCLA engineering school will not allow transfer students to change into an engineering major unless they would have qualified if they applied to engineering in the first place.
Academic Factors in UCLA Transfer Admissions
Other academic factors in deciding UCLA admissions include:
- Achieve junior standing by having at least 60 semester units (90 quarter units) but no more than 90 semester units (135 quarter units). Do not include more than 70 semester units (105 quarter units) from California community colleges in this calculation.
- 3.2 college GPA or above (high school grades are not considered)
- Complete all lower division requirements for the major
- Complete a wide variety of college courses including two courses in English composition, any college mathematics course requiring intermediate algebra, and other college courses that help meet General Education requirements.
UCLA admissions uses fall semester or fall quarter grades during the application cycle in the GPA calculation. Applicants send an updated transcript in January that includes the latest grades.
Personal Statement in the UC Admissions Application
Elaborate on mitigating and contributing factors to the student's academic performance in the personal statement. If outside responsibilities such as family, extracurricular activities, and employment prevented the student from performing at the highest academic levels possible, the personal statement is the place to address those concerns in the University of California transfer application.
California Community Colleges
UCLA gives preferential treatment during the admissions process to applicants from California community colleges as well as other University of California campuses. High school students should keep this in mind when deciding where to go for their freshman year.
Because admissions to UCLA is so competitive, the choice of college and grades after high school graduation can mean the difference between an UCLA transfer admissions and a denial. If the student picks a school that has rigorous grading standards like another four year school, it may be very difficult to keep the GPA high. On the other hand, there is no guarantee that a student will get into better schools by attending community college, especially if college grades turn out to be low.
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