So I have a 3.79 GPA with a 28 ACT score and when I went on the UC website to see whether I was in the top 9%, it said I was in the top 9%. I even asked my counsellor who said I was rank 52/635. Today, I submitted my UC apps and when I clicked “Application Status” it said “According to UC calculations, we have determined that you are not in the top 9 percent of students at your high school.” I’m not sure why it would say this? Can anyone please explain.
The UC ELC notion of top 9% is based on whether you UC recalculated GPA is greater than a top 9% threshold UC recalculated GPA set by a recent previous class at your high school. Your high school’s class ranking may not be calculated the same way, so you may be in the top 9% for your high school’s class ranking but not UC ELC, or vice-versa.
Try asking your counselor what the UC ELC threshold GPA for your high school is and compare your UC recalculated GPA with that.
You can be in the top 9% for your HS (local path) or using the calculator on the UC Website (statewide path) top 9% in the state. Either way, you are still ELC eligible which means if you are not accepted into your UC of choice, you will be given a spot at UC Merced.
So should I not be worrying that it says “Not in top 9%” on the application status? I have two Non-A-g courses listed in the application but the application didn’t let me insert the grades for them. Otherwise, I would definitely have a higher GPA because I earned both semesters for both classes. Is there anything specifically I need to do regarding this?
Non a-g courses would not be included in your UC GPA. Only a-g courses are used to calculate your UC GPA.
What are you asking with your last question? What to do about the non a-g courses or ELC eligibility?
Ah, I see. I was asking whether this information the status says is accurate or not. Does this mean I am not in the top 9% for the class?
The link you gave me for the statewide path, it does say that I am in the top 9%. I believe I am also in the top 9% for my school. So the main question is, why is the application status saying I’m not?
Yes, if the application states you are not in the top 9% of your HS class, then it should be accurate.
This is how local (ELC) is determined:
ELC status will be determined by the UC after students submit their applications. Using the self-reported academic record, the application system will check to see if an applicant’s weighted, uncapped GPA meets or exceeds the benchmark ELC GPA for his or her school and whether the student has completed the ELC course pattern: 1 year of history/social science, 2 years of English, 2 years of mathematics, 1 year of lab science, 1 year of language other than English and 4 college-prep electives.
I don’t understand this. What am I in the top 9% for then? My class rank is 52/635. Do they look at this?
UC’s do not consider class rank in admission decisions other than ELC eligibility. UC ELC is different than class rank. You look like you are in the top 9% for the state but not your HS. Either way you are ELC eligibile.
This is the explanation from the UC website. ELC only guarantees as stated before that if apply to the UC system and do not get an acceptance at your choice UC, you will be given a spot at another UC which has been UC Merced for the past few years.
Eligibility in the Local Context (ELC) Program:::::
Eligibility in the Local Context (ELC) is a program by which the University of California identifies top-performing California high school students. Unlike the broader statewide eligibility pathway, which seeks to recognize top students from throughout the state, ELC draws qualified students from among the top 9 percent of each participating high school.
The ELC program was implemented to:
increase the pool of eligible students
meet the guideline of the California Master Plan for Higher Education, which states that the top 12.5 percent of public high school graduates will be considered UC-eligible
give UC a presence in each California high school and stimulate a college-going culture at those schools that typically do not send many graduates to the university
The ELC program also fulfills an important UC admissions goal: to recognize and reward the academic accomplishment of students who have made the most of the opportunities available to them.
To be designated as ELC, a student must have attended an eligible, participating California high school, satisfactorily completed a specific pattern of 11 UC-approved courses prior to the start of senior year, and have a UC-calculated GPA that meets or exceeds the top 9 percent GPA benchmark established by UC for their school. To maintain the ELC status, the student must satisfy the general admissions requirements including the successful completion of the 15 required “a-g” courses, maintain a 3.0 GPA and submit an official copy of ACT with Writing or SAT Reasoning Test scores.
California high school students who are eligible in the statewide context or eligible in the local context and are not admitted to any campus to which they apply will be offered a spot at another campus if space is available.
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