So basically having ELC doesn’t really help but not having ELC will definitely hurt you.
@nomood: ELC can help in the context that you are a top performing student at your high school and if you are willing to take the UCM offer if it comes to that, but you also do not have to be ELC eligible to get into a UC.
Not having ELC means that you are not guaranteed a seat at Merced. That’s how you would be hurt. It also is a signal that you are in the top X%.