I know the UC system will not be considering SAT scores going forward? Unfortunately this is a disadvantage for my child, as he got a 1580 on the SAT and 1480 in the PSAT. Will being commended, a semifinalist, or receiving the scholarship be considered in the evaluation process for admission? If so how much could this help assuming a student is qualified in other areas including GPA, essay questions, and extracurricular activities.
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You could put NMSF in the activities/awards section if you have space.
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UC’s no longer participate in the National Merit program however being a top applicant for the UC’s will possibly garner merit aid in the form of Regents or Chancellor scholarships (no guarantees).
UC will not consider SAT or ACT test scores when making admissions decisions or awarding scholarships. If you choose to submit test scores as part of your application, they may be used as an alternative method of fulfilling minimum requirements for eligibility or for course placement after you enroll.
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UCs are holistic so apply to all of those that interest your son.
Just understand that their mission is to serve the top X% of HS grads - most easily defined by UCGPA so, being below the mid point GPA will make them really unlikely admits.
https://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/campuses-majors/freshman-admit-data.html
That said, there are lots of very good colleges in and near CA that are accessible to the rest of us.
What’s your son’s UCGPA?
https://rogerhub.com/gpa-calculator-uc/
I believe his capped weighted GPA IS 4.33. Uncapped is 4.51. He’s made all As through out high school and has taken 7 ap classes (14 semesters) and 3 honors classes (6 semesters). He’s always taken honors or ap classes when available. Scored 5 in five ap classes and 4 in the other two. School does not have rankings, but pretty sure he would between 1-3 in a public school with around 500 students in his class. Thx for you response.
with a 4.33, he is a strong candidate for all of the UCs. That said, UCs have been very finicky so, UCB and UCLA are probably a coin-toss. The rest will probably admit him.
Apply broadly, perhaps include SDSU and CPSLO
good luck. .
If you are looking for decent merit from the UC’s, you will be disappointed with amounts except from the less popular campuses. If however, the student also has need, then UC Regents can give some good need-based aid along with merit.
UC Regents Scholarships and the amounts/year:
Amount: Awards vary by campus and are not transferable if you transfer to another UC campus.
- UC Berkley $2,500
- UC Davis $7,500
- UC Irvine $5,000
- UCLA $2,000
- UC Merced $7,000
- UC Riverside $10,000
- UC San Diego $2,000
- UC Santa Barbara $5,000
- UC Santa Cruz $5,000
In addition, certain perks are provided to Regents recipients: priority registration (not at UCSB), extended library privileges, honors dormitories, faculty mentorship, and others, dependent upon campus.
Historically, both UCB and UCLA have provided higher amounts for Regent scholars that have financial need however, it is not clearly stated if OOS and International students are included in the extra need based FA and how Covid as affected the scholarships given.
UCLA specifically states: The Regents Scholarship need-based award is determined annually and is designed to supplement the Cal Grant A and B programs, Pell Grant and other outside scholarship awards
UCB also states: Scholars with financial need are awarded a scholarship up to their full need as assessed by the Financial Aid and Scholarships Office.
Number of Scholarships Awarded: Varies annually—students in the top 1-2% of the applicant pool are considered for the scholarship.
Eligible Students: Entering freshman or transfer student who demonstrate academic excellence (based upon GPA, standardized test scores, and other academic criteria) along with personal accomplishments. Must be a US Citizen, Permanent Resident or CA Dream Act Student. Students must be enrolled full time and maintain a 3.25 GPA in order to continue receiving the scholarship.