So the UC system claims to not care about class rank, but all the statistics I have found claim that every UC, even Santa Cruz, Riverside, etc. have 95%+ of incoming freshman in the top 10% of their graduating class. Anyone know why this blatantly untrue statistic is there? I find it hard to believe UC Santa Cruz admits more exclusively from the top 10% of their class than Duke, Georgetown, and Northwestern.
They are probably estimating from ELC data submitted by the high schools.
It is entirely possible that some of those private universities admit and matriculate a much greater percentage of their frosh from academically elite high schools where top-end students may not have the best class ranks due to the high schools being filled with top-end students. Schools like UCSC probably get most of their students from fairly typical high schools where someone who is UC-bound probably is within the top 10% of the class.
Your premise is incorrect as a number of the UCs state that they consider class rank to various degrees.
To the extent that UCs can know or consider class rank, it will be based on how the applicant’s recalculated GPA compares to the recalculated GPAs of recent past classes at the applicant’s high school (this is done to find whether the applicant is in the “top 9%” for ELC purposes), or, in some tie-breaking situations, comparing one applicant’s recalculated GPA to that of another applicant from the same high school. Rank in current class as determined by the high school is not used.
You should explore the University of Calfornia admissions site applicable to all UCs, http://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/ As explained there, class rank is not only considered but it is determinative for most applicants as to whether they can even qualify for admission to any UC. To qualify for admission you must either (a) be in the top 9% of your particular high school class based on a UC calculated GPA, or (b) be in the top 9% of high school seniors in the state based on the combination of a UC calculated GPA and test scores, or (c) have a combination of high test scores in the SAT or ACT, plus two subject tests. You need to meet one of those minimum requirements to even be considered for admission to any UC. Most qualify through one of the first two options.
Actually, the minimum qualification is completion of the a-g course work and earning a 3.0 GPA (3.4 GPA for non-residents), plus taking the SAT or ACT. See http://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/freshman/requirements/index.html .
(a) and (b) above are to qualify for admission to another UC with space available (typically Merced) if one gets shut out of all campuses to which one explicitly applies. Note that (a) does not compare your GPA to your current high school class, but to a recent past high school class (this is the ELC). (b) is not a ranking per se, but a set of GPA and test score thresholds set at about where the top 9% statewide roughly is.
(c) is “admission by exam”, for applicants who do not meet the usual high school course work requirements or GPA. However, it is probably not a common means of admission other than for some unusual circumstances.