How to Apply | Office of Undergraduate Admissions | UCI (2024)

Transcripts. Don't submit your transcripts to UC Irvine at this point, but refer to your unofficial transcripts as you fill out the application to ensure the information you enter is accurate.*

Test scores. UC Irvine does not consider SAT or ACT scores for admission or scholarship purposes. After enrollment, exams may be used for class placement or some graduation requirements.

Annual income for last year and the current year (your parents' if you're a dependent; your income if you're independent). This is optional unless you're applying for an application fee waiver or for the Educational Opportunity Program.

Social Security number, if you have one. We use this to match your application to things like test score reports, final transcript(s) and, if you're applying for financial aid, your Free Application for Federal Student Aid.

Citizenship status. You must enter your country of citizenship (or "No Selection"). If your country of citizenship is outside the United States, you'll need to provide your immigration status and your visa type.

California Statewide Student ID (optional). Each K-12 student in California public schools is assigned an ID number. If it's not printed on your transcript, ask your counselor or registrar.

Credit card. If you prefer to pay by check, you can mail your payment.

* Veterans or active-duty military personnel: If you completed courses offered by a branch of the U.S. military, you may indicate your intention to submit your military transcript by checking the box in the "About You" section of the application. If you are admitted and accept an offer of admission, you can then submit official military transcripts (e.g., ACE, SMAART) to the UC campus.

Start Your Application

The application fee is $80 for domestic applicants and $95 for international and non-immigrant applicants. You can make your payment either by credit card or by mail, just be sure follow the instructions in the application.

Once your application has been submitted, you are expected to pay for all your campus choices, even if you cancel your application at a later date. The application fees are non-refundable.

Fee waivers

UC will waive application fees for up to four campuses for qualified students who would otherwise be unable to apply for admission. The fee waiver program is for United States citizens, permanent residents, and applicants eligible for AB540 benefits.

Applying for a fee waiver

You can see if you automatically qualify for a fee waiver within the application. If you enter your family size and income in the “About you” section, you will see if you’ve qualified for an application fee waiver when you select your campuses in the "Campuses & majors" section (a message will appear on that page with real-time feedback about how many campuses you can apply to for free).

Do not send official transcripts when you apply. If you're admitted to UC Irvine, then you will need to submit final transcripts to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions by July 1.

UC Irvine does not accept letters of recommendation.

• Name used on application is not the applicant's legal name: It is important that you use your legal name on the application form. It is in your best interest to inform us of any other names you have used as well.
• Name used on the application does not match the name used for exams (Advanced Placements): Problems occur when UC Irvine cannot match an applicant's test score results with the application because the names do not match. It's best to use your legal name for both the application form and your exams.
• Incorrect College Board code used for school(s) attended: It is important that you list the correct College Board codes on your application for the schools you attended. Often an applicant will list their school's College Board code incorrectly on the school page of the application. Although the school's name is listed beside the code, the College Board code is entered in the application record; if this code is incorrect, the application will not indicate the school listed in the name field and the school in our record will be wrong.
• Scores have not been "released" to UC Irvine: Once you are offered admission to UC Irvine and you have submitted your Statement of Intent to Register (SIR), official test scores must be submitted. In many cases the testing agency has not been properly authorized to release an individual's test scores to UC Irvine, hence, the final steps in the admission process can be delayed. This can result in a "hold" being placed on your registration until the scores are received or possibly a withdrawal of the admission offer. It may also require that you order and pay for additional/duplicate score reports.
• Year of Birth: A common error is that applicants will indicate the current year as the year of birth (i.e., "2025" instead of "1997").
• Applicants fail to list ALL schools attended since 9th grade: Even schools outside the USA and even schools where course work may have not been transferable or completed must be included on the School section. This is important information for evaluation purposes and failure to list all schools could result in delay of the admission process and/or cancellation.

All undergraduate applications are filed online at apply.universityofcalifornia.edu.

Once you’ve submitted your application, you will see a confirmation page with important reminders and your UC Application ID Number. You can choose to print a receipt of your application fees or view and print the entire application.

The University of California provides a website where you may check your application status online. The URL is admission.universityofcalifornia.edu.

• UC Irvine provides an online Applicant Portal where you may view the status of your UC Irvine application. If you provided a valid email address on your UC application, UC Irvine will send you an email notifying you that your application has been received. This email will include instructions on how to access your UC Irvine application status. This notification process typically begins in mid-December. We strongly advise that you do not change your email address during the application/admissions cycle; however, if you must change your email address, do so by updating your UC Application.
• If you are concerned that your application may not have reached us, please telephone our office at (949) 824-6703 during normal business hours.

The Office of Undergraduate Admissions is primarily accepts transcripts in an electronic format. View options here.

Letters of recommendation are not accepted.

First-Year Applicants

UC Irvine does not routinely ask for fall semester grades or work planned for spring semester; however, if this information is needed in order to make an admissions decision, the counselor evaluating your records will request it. If you have earned grades of less than "C," or have changed your schedule for the spring semester, please report your changes through the applicant portal.

Transfer Applicants

After applying, transfer students are required to update their grades and course records through the Transfer Academic Update. Transfer applicants must provide updated grades for fall terms and planned coursework through the summer.

Dance auditions and music auditions are scheduled by the Claire Trevor School of the Arts staff and begin in January.