Do the UCs give more importance to gpa than test scores ,ECs etc?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of California - GENERAL
1

im a senior in high school who’ll be a future international undergraduate and from what I’ve heard they give more emphasis to gpa scores? even tho they say it’s holistic . so does a great sat score not give me an edge over other applicants?

2

UC’s tend to be more GPA/grades focused vs. test focused but to be a competitive applicant your overall application is considered.

In General this is how they proceed with the UC application review:
*

  •   **Very important:** Academic GPA, Application essay, Rigor of secondary school record, Standardized test scores

  •   **Considered: **Character/personal qualities, Extracurricular activities, First generation college student, State residency, Talent/ability, Volunteer work, Work experience. AP/IBLH exam scores.
  • Thorough review of academic performance; likely contribution to intellectual and cultural vitality of the campus; diversity in personal background and experience; demonstrated qualities in leadership, motivation, concern for others and community; non-academic achievement in the performing arts, athletics or employment; demonstrated interest in major.
3

in a word - YES - academic GPA is the most important thing UCs consider on your ap.

https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/infocenter/freshman-admissions-summary

that can help you see the gpa/admit rate at each UC.

4

And unless stated, the GPA listed on most UC websites is the capped UC GPA.

From the note section on the link above:

5

And may I add that International students typically don’t have the same ascended grades as domestic students (both CA and out-of-state) so the boards are weighted more. So you probably need a higher unweighted gpa along with strong tests.

6

Let me restate my post #4. As an Int’l student, your UC gpa and even your fully weighted gpa will more likely be closer to your unweighted gpa – but it’s undoubtedly dependent on the school. Because of this, the SAT and/or ACT becomes more important along with whatever you show forth in grades, to some campuses UC gpa, to some fully weighted and unweighted; all with lowered expectations overall. And I’m sure the UC campuses know what to expect from most individual International schools grade-wise or certainly the feeders.