ELC, CA UC Schools

<p>The ELC (Eligibility in Local Context, i think) guarantees you admission into one UC school if you’re in the top 4%
i received the letter a while back and returned it immediately
however, i really dont understand how ELC works
would someone care to explain it to me??
further specific questions i have if you could please answer these as well:</p>

<ul>
<li>How do they determine which school (s) you get ELC at??</li>
<li>When are you notified if you officially received ELC??</li>
<li>How are you notified??</li>
<li>Do they tell you which schools specifically, or do you have to apply to every UC school and then they tell you after??</li>
</ul>

<p>i’m pretty confused especially on that last question
if you need me to clear it up please ask</p>

<p>thanks a bunch!</p>

<p>ps. i’ve looked on the internet (maybe im bad at google lol) and i didnt really receive adequate information</p>

<p>You're guaranteed admission at a UC, though not necessarily the one of your choice. You should know through your school administration whether you qualify for ELC, since it's simply being in the top 4% of your class. UCs will know whether you qualify for ELC; you don't need to worry about it.</p>

<p>Hello! Here is the UC ELC website: Students</a> and Parents Main Page</p>

<p>Quick answers to your questions</p>

<p>There are usually 4 - 5 campuses that vary each year designated as ELC-guaranteed. If you are determined to be ELC (in the top 4% in your high school), you will get a letter in Sept or March informing you. You will begin receiving letters in October and November from the guaranteed campuses. (YOU get to choose from the guaranteed campuses.) For 2008, the ELC guaranteed campuses were UC Davis, UC Santa Barbara, UC Irvine, UC Riverside and UC Merced. ELC admission rates at the other UCs are significantly better (but not guaranteed) as well - check the 2008 Freshman Profiles for each campus here: University</a> of California - Admissions</p>

<p>Hope this helps!</p>

<p>Note: It isn't quite as simple as being in the top 4% of your class - some students in the top 4% by your school's calculations might not be granted ELC by the UC system.</p>

<p>When determining ELC, the UC re-calculates GPA using only your Sophomore and Junior years, and only your UC-approved courses (Check for your high school's approved courses here: <a href="https://doorways.ucop.edu/list/servlet.jsf;jsessionid=1B84E002D2426380C620F062E4B2A825?_flowExecutionKey=_c0AEC4537-BCF0-FE07-56C0-5498023460F3_kDDFA9C34-1A9C-D6C9-6E43-34B884ECAE07%5B/url%5D"&gt;https://doorways.ucop.edu/list/servlet.jsf;jsessionid=1B84E002D2426380C620F062E4B2A825?_flowExecutionKey=_c0AEC4537-BCF0-FE07-56C0-5498023460F3_kDDFA9C34-1A9C-D6C9-6E43-34B884ECAE07&lt;/a> ) There is a limit on the extra weight points for AP classes (max of 8 extra semester points), and most classes designated "honors" will not be given extra weight. (Check the approved course list to see if a class gets extra GPA weight.)</p>

<p>If you haven't completed at least 11 of the A-G courses by the end of your Junior year you will not be granted ELC, but you may still be on track for statewide eligibility.</p>

<p>Confusing, I know. Check out the UC ELC website referenced above for more complete information.</p>

<p>Ahhh. Great.</p>

<p>Quick, nervous questions: I have completed ALL of the requirements for admittance into a UC but the damned art requirement! Meh. Pardon me for taking so many science and language courses... Does this mean I am not eligible for ELC, despite being in the top 4%? When should this letter arrive in the mail? </p>

<p>Thanks! And, OP, thanks soo much for posting this!</p>

<p>That VPA requirement trips up a lot of students! I don't know your exact situation, but I think from a couple other of your posts, you are starting your senior year?</p>

<p>To be designated ELC,</p>

<p>You have to be in the top 4% in your school (using the re-calculated UC GPA).</p>

<p>You have to have completed at least 11 of the A-G requirements by the end of your Jr. year (and it sounds like you have).</p>

<p>Assuming there isn't anything unusual about your particular situation, if you meet the above requirements you will most likely be designated ELC.</p>

<p>Then in your Senior year you will finish up any of your remaining requirements (like the VPA), graduate (you HAVE to graduate to remain eligible) and complete your testing. (Yes, even ELC students have to take the ACT or SAT plus 2 subject tests - although the results will not affect your admission at your guaranteed campuses).</p>

<p>Starting my senior year, I had not yet completed my VPA (though I had 13 of my A-G requirements already complete) and I was designated ELC.</p>

<p>If you are saying you do not have room in your senior schedule to fit that requirement, then you have to start scrambling! Your best bet would be to drop one of your courses that you do not "need" for UC admission (I know, I know... drop a rigorous academic course for art????) and replace it with a VPA. If that is impossible, you will have to find a community college art class that completes that requirement - CHECK with your HS counselor AND the community college counselor to be sure it applies. It would be an even better idea to take the VPA requirement at your high school so you KNOW it is done and take your rigourous academic "extra" class at the community college.</p>

<p>Hope this isn't too confusing!!! Good luck.</p>

<p>OP: the letter you completed was likely permission for your HS to release your transcript to the Univ of Calif (confidentiality issues). ELC notification letters start going out in late August.</p>

<p>Small nit to post 4: the ELC gpa calculation is based on weighted grades (UC-approved), uncapped. (Bonus points are capped for admission eligibility in the statewide context.)</p>

<p>Perhaps they broadened the number of campuses offering the ELC guarantee, but the "guarantee" number used to be three. Other campuses use ELC status as part of thier holistic review process. For example, in 2007, Irvine accepted 99% of all ELC applicants under its holistic review process, but technically it was not a "guarantee" campus.</p>

<p>kas: if you want a 'rigorous' VAPA course, take AP Art History.</p>

<p>From the UC Admissions page:</p>

<p>Quote:
Honors Courses: The University assigns extra points for up to eight semesters of University-certified honors-level and Advanced Placement courses taken in the last three years of high school: A=5 points, B=4 points, C=3 points. No more than two yearlong UC-approved honors level courses taken in the 10th grade may be given extra points. A grade of D in an honors or advanced placement course does not earn extra points.</p>

<p>Source: <a href="http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/admissions/undergrad_adm/paths_to_adm/freshman/scholarship_reqs.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/admissions/undergrad_adm/paths_to_adm/freshman/scholarship_reqs.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Whatever it "used" to be, for 2008 the guaranteed campuses were UCD, UCSB, UCI, UCR and UCM.</p>

<p>Quote:
Which UC campuses guarantee admission to ELC students?
For fall 2008, UC Davis, UC Irvine (except Dance and Music majors
and applicants to the schools of Engineering and Information and
Computer Science), UC Merced, UC Riverside and UC Santa Barbara will
guarantee admission to ELC students provided applicants satisfactorily
complete their remaining high school requirements. For a description of
ELC evaluation criteria and guarantees for each UC campus, see UC Campus
Policies and Procedures for Evaluating Freshman Applicants.</p>

<p>Source: University</a> of California - Counselors</p>

<p>tc:</p>

<p>the first link you provided was for admission Eligibility in the Statewide Context, not ELC.</p>

<p>Following the link you posted in #3...</p>

<p>
[quote]
The ELC program awards a bonus point for UC-certified honors courses. UC-approved honors courses are marked with a yellow star on the high school's Doorways course list. All honors courses are used in calculating the GPA (in other words, the ELC program uses a weighted, uncapped GPA).

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Submission</a> Information</p>

<p>Thanks for the update on guarantee campuses -- it never made sense to me that Irvine was not a 'guarantee' campus but yet would accept all ELC applicants, essentially a de facto guarantee.</p>

<p>Oh gee whiz! You got me!!! I looked EVERYWHERE for that! Good investigation.</p>

<p>I was also surprised to see UCD on the list - it is getting pretty competetive. I had pretty much expected to see just UCSC, UCR and UCM - and then UCSC wasn't included!</p>

<p>But, as you say, the ELC admit rates at the less competetive UCs are a de-facto guarantee anyway.</p>

<p>hey thanks so much for all this info
this is great this is pretty much all i asked for and more
yet i still have some questions just to finally clear things up...
- So in the letter that you get in the fall telling you that you are a part of the ELC guarantee, EVERY school is available to you to choose?
- Do you only choose ONE school to take ELC at or is it that you choose how many you wish from the list?
- How do you choose? Do you send a letter back?</p>

<p>thanks a bunch</p>

<p>In the Fall (Sept or Oct) you get a letter telling you your eligibility status. The guaranteed campuses are not specified in that letter (and it only applies IF you are designated ELC, of course). I searched around on the UC admissions page to find out which campuses were included for my year. The guaranteed campuses themselves will send you letters in Oct and Nov inviting you to apply.</p>

<p>It will not include EVERY UC - I have never heard of UCB, UCLA or UCSD being included in the ELC guarantee.</p>

<p>For an ELC student to "choose" a campus, all they have to do is apply to that campus using the ELC number that will be on your letter.</p>

<p>If you are ELC and you apply to one or more guaranteed campuses, each guaranteed campus will accept you (assuming you complete your testing and all required classes senior year with acceptable grades and graduate).</p>

<p>So... if you know which guaranteed campus you would attend over any of the others, save some money and only apply to that one (along with any non-guaranteed campus you are interested in).</p>

<p>If you haven't made up your mind yet, apply to as many of the guaranteed campuses that you are interested in. They are guaranteed to ELC students and (with the same caveats as above) you will be accepted to all of the guaranteed campuses to which you apply.</p>

<p>If your letter says that you are not ELC, but are on track for "Statewide Eligibility," you still have a guarantee, but it is a bit different. Students with Statewide Eligibility will be offered a place at one of the UCs, but not necessarily of their choice, and there are no specific campuses named. If you have Statewide Eligibility it is usually a good idea to include one or more of UCSC, UCR or UCM to be sure of acceptance. If you only apply to the more selective schools and are not admitted, you will probably be offered a spot at one of those instead, so it is a good idea to choose the one you like best at application time.</p>

<p>(I have typed "guaranteed" a lot in this post! Sorry to be so repetitive.)</p>

<p>thank you so much for all the help!
you cleared up all uncertainties i had</p>

<p>:) :) :) :) :)</p>

<p>Oh, thank you so much, tocollege!!</p>

<p>Also, to bluebayou: My school offers very few AP courses, and art definitely isn't one of them. I think I'll just go ahead and plan to take Art History at my local community college (which, I believe, counts as AP credit).</p>

<p>So do we have to apply to the UCs before we get the letters guaranteeing admission? </p>

<p>If we are guaranteed, are we still required to send in a full application? </p>

<p>Sorry if these are really dumb questions. I'm really confused about this. I didn't know what ELC was until I got the letter this morning.</p>

<p>"If we are guaranteed, are we still required to send in a full application?" </p>

<p>Yes. And you also have to be sure to satisfy any remaining requirements.</p>

<p>Does Statewide eligibility count for anything? The one that you are not ELC but are on your way to be in the statewide eligibility program.</p>

<p>I know it isn't as good as ELC, but does it still give you an advantage?</p>

<p>would it help you at all in the harder UC schools?</p>

<p>You should use the special application number; I seem to remember it got you an extra ( unofficial?) nod at some place like Davis.</p>

<p>Did you all receive notification of ELC status? D is not ELC but is there someway to note that she was considered? Is that what you are referring to BTW shrinkrap? Would love to get an extra nod at UCD. </p>

<p>Hi BTW how is your D adjusting?</p>