UC Irvine/San Diego Transfer

Transfer Students
1

Hello,

I have a couple questions that I need feedback from given that my school’s counselors aren’t being helpful whatsoever. I submitted my TAG last week (still waiting for results) and I am planning on transferring to UCI and UCSD for Comp Sci and Engineering. Currently, as of Fall 2019, I have a 3.4 GPA and have completed all of my IGETC/gen ed. So here are my main questions that I would love to have answered:

  1. Which semester GPA do UCs look at? - I have a 3.4 as of Fall 2019 and am doing very well in my classes so I’m sure after this semester my GPA will raise to at least a 3.5-3.6. My planned classes for Spring 2020 look promising and I am very certain I will earn As on all three of those classes. I heard sometime in January you update your TAP/Application Coursework to show your results for Fall 2019 but this is still unclear to me and I would love for someone to clear this up for me. Also, will my good grades (say I get good grades) in Spring 2020 be counted to my application or will it be ignored? Note: If Spring 2020 grades come in I’m sure my expected 3.5-3.6 will raise even higher.

  2. Would I be ‘disqualified’ from the major prerequisites? - To be more clear, by Spring 2020 I will have completed all of my major prep. However, I recently learned that with UCI you need a minimum requirement of B in the major prep courses. I have a C in only one of my major prep (Phy 201) and As and Bs in everything else and now I’m scared it’s going to label me ineligible for transfer. Will they overlook this if I receive good grades in the other courses? Will they deny me transfer?

I apologize if this post is too wordy, these are the 2 questions that have been lingering in my head in which my counselors only give me fragmented answers to.

Thank you.

EDIT: I will come back with more information on UCSD once I meet with one of their Representatives later this month.

2

From the UCI website:

[quote]
Computer Science and Engineering
(offered jointly with the Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences)

(this major does not participate in the TAG program)

https://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/counselors/files/tag-matrix.pdf

https://admissions.uci.edu/apply/transfer/requirements.php

3

The UCs will look at your grades up to and including the current semester (Fall 2019). On the page at https://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/how-to-apply/applying-as-a-transfer/after-you-apply/ they say “About five weeks after the filing period has ended (early January), you are required to update your grades and course records” and on the linked page they say

Your Spring 2010 grades will not be used for admission decisions; they will have already been made by then. However you will still be required to submit final transcripts and they check to make sure you still qualify for admission; if you fail a class or don’t complete a class you said you were taking in the update then your admission may be revoked.

As for the “disqualified” question, I doubt anyone here on the forum knows the answer. Various UC depts at the UCs have courses they list as required and recommended, yet people get admitted who have not taken all the “required” courses. The answer depends on the policies at UCI. They may rigidly enforce the rule about a minimum of a B, they may waive it in light of overall gpa. you should call UCI admissions and also check with the dept at https://www.ics.uci.edu/ugrad/index.php to see if you can get a definitive answer.

4

So I spoke with the admissions office at UCI and it turns out that I simply need to explain in the comment box in the UC App why I received a C/circumstances that led to a C. It wouldn’t matter if I try to repeat it because they consider C a passing grade and they’ll look at that grade even if I retake it and receive a better grade.

Thank you for answering the first question also.