UC vs OOS chances

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

Our GCs at school claim that it’s easier to get accepted or OOS public colleges than in-state UCs (of similar rank). The same info comes up on Naviance stats.

The idea is that a large chunk of spots in CA goes to disadvantaged kids (who are often the top in their school but still far behind the kids from “better” places), then a considerable amount of spots goes to OOS and International students to balance the cost, so the chances for not-the-top-but-still-very-good students in more competitive schools are shrinking. In OOS colleges these kids then are considered in a different (and more expensive for us! :frowning: ) category and a well-known school can become an advantage even with not perfect grades.

Is it true?
I don’t care to discuss whether this policy is right or wrong, I just would like to know if we should consider this “balance of chances” when making a college list.

Thank you!

2

Your post is incomprehensible.

3

Sorry, I wasn’t clear.

When we look at acceptance rates for the given GPA+SAT for various UCs (UCSD, UCD, UCI etc.) and then compare them to acceptance rates for the same GPA+SAT for OOS colleges of similar ranks, the difference is 1.5-3 times. My whole strange explanation was about why is it supposedly so (according to our school’s GCs)
My question is if the situation is really as described and if we should focus our college list more on OOS colleges.

4

If you take at look at the UC admission rates, in-state students still make up the majority of the admits, but OOS and International students have increased. The acceptance rate for OOS and International students is higher because fewer apply than in-state. So yes, if you have 80,000 in-state applicants apply to UCLA for instance out of 100,000 vs. 20,000 OOS and International applicants apply, then many in-state applicants will not get a spot. This is why Janet Napolitano has been at odds with governor and the UC budget. She wants to admit more in-state students and cap the number of OOS/International students. As a California taxpayer I feel our in-state students should have priority unfortunately, due to budget issues the state has relied on OOS/International students to help subsidize the UC’s with their higher tuition fees. Is this right? Definitely not, but the powers to be will try to raise the tuition for all students…

If you have competitive Stats, there is no reason not to apply to a UC but you need to be realistic in your chances. Check the common dataset’s and make sure you are at or above the average Stats. There is never a guarantee and many times, it is more cost effective to look OOS. Much will depend upon on your financial situation, how qualified you are as an applicant and if you have a balanced college list.

Since we were full pay regardless if in-state or OOS, my son’s found the in-state schools, UC’s and Cal States, were a better academically and financially. Yes, they may have not gotten in to every school they applied, but they had many good choices.

Here is the admission stats for the UC’s for the last few years:
http://www.ucop.edu/news/factsheets/2014/fall-2014-admissions-table2.pdf

5

Whether this is so or not, remember that the Naviance is not always your most accurate source for data.
I think what you’re referring to is the Eligibility in Local Context (ELC) that takes the top 12 or so percentage at each high school will be guaranteed a spot in a UC, potentially impacted those students just beneath the 12 percent, but at more highly competitive high schools. This does NOT mean that they will be automatically accepted to the two top ranked UC’s (UCLA & UCB), only that they are assured that they will get into one UC. While it is true that more financial reliance has been coming from OOS applicants, they are also tied into percentage caps at each UC.

None of this should mean much to you, your strategy or your chances, which are directly predicated on your stats and circumstances. Your school list should not be based only on where you can get in, you need to focus on where you should get in. Go into this with eyes open, but do not let fear-mongering impact you.

If you are in-state, qualified and looking to apply to a UC, then the chances are that you - like other California students - will get accepted into at least one. It may not be your first choice, but your education will still be excellent. The UC’s encourage students to apply broadly because of the sheer number of student who apply.
Yes, admission is more difficult and yes the schools are working with smaller budgets, but you should still do the research, then apply if appropriate.

Your chances could well be better at other public schools in other states, but that isn’t as important
as where you’re hoping to attend, what your potential major is, and most importantly, your budget.

The list should include a range of reach, match and safe schools (based on your GPA and standardized tests), as well as potential financial safe schools. If you’re instate, your counselor should be encouraging you to come up with a list of appropriate schools that should probably include UC’s, CSU’s, private schools, and even some OOS publics.

Also, the UC’s are not for everyone. Some have learning styles that are not met by larger public school,
regardless of which state they’re in. Are you looking for large schools or smaller LAC’s that might provide merit aid?

Consider which are the best for you academically, socially and financially, then apply.

6

Oh, yes, budged is budget and they have to get that money somewhere, so no big complaints there.

We are just trying to deal with the result :slight_smile:

Of course, one applies in-state first. Right now we try to look at academic advantages of, say, UWA vs UCSC. The chances are about the same but one is considerably higher in rankings (and probably in academic opportunities as well).

7

For ELC eligibity is for the top 9% at your HS or in-state. This only guarantees that if you apply to the UC’s and are not accepted at a UC of your choice, you will be offered a spot at UC Merced

8

AFAIK, ELC is for the top 9% in your HS. Doesn’t apply here - at my S’s HS if one is in the top 9%, he will be choosing between CalTech and Harvard, not UCSC and State somethings! Actually, his school doesn’t even calculate those percentiles. Still, they say that even beyond the ELC UCs look more favourably to the kids from less “advantaged” schools to better balance their admitted population.

9

You can use “Statewidepath” through a combination of course rigor and grades (unweighted).
http://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/freshman/california-residents/admissions-index/index.html
A student with a 4.05 UCGPA and ACT composite 30 qualifies.

10

UC Berkeley and UCLA have been ordered to increase their in-state admissions. They did have a higher acceptance rate for out-of-state applicants in recent years, but all the data sets I saw showed higher GPAs and test scores for out-of-state and international admissions. They are expensive schools for out-of-state students, have a higher minimum GPA requirement, and do not offer special consideration (e.g. “local context”) for disadvantaged students from out-of-state.

11

It is not hard to get into a state university in California (UC or CSU). But, due to the high population of California, it is much harder to get into a flagship-level school in California (e.g. UCB or UCLA) than it is to get into a flagship-level school in Arizona (e.g. UA or ASU), for example.

12

GC is right, but for the wrong reason. The sentence above is incorrect. The UCs have been very careful to add OOS and international students by increasing the number of students enrolled, sometimes dramatically such as at UCLA. That way they can “honestly” claim that CA residents are not being turned away in favor of the others.

However we are in the midst of the echo-boom. More kids are applying for the same number of spaces, which means chances must arithmatically go down.

13

Yes, ucbalumnus, that’s exactly what I was talking about. California population is not only large, it varies greatly in HS preparation level and possibilities. That’s why they use all those programs (ELC and whatnot) and admit so many OOS kids to balance the budget. I am sure similar things are happening in other states too, just on a smaller scale.