The University will begin identifying students for the Dual Admissions Program (DAP) this summer.

Under DAP, students who fall between the top 4 percent and 12.5 percent of their high school graduating class and who are not eligible to attend UC directly from high school will be admitted to a specific UC campus, provided they first complete a transfer program at a California community college.

DAP will take effect for the class applying to college for fall 2004 entrance, meaning the first students transferring to UC through the program would do so in fall 2006. Although implementation was delayed a year due to the state’s fiscal problems, the program is moving forward with $2.5 million it received in 2002–03. These funds will be used to identify DAP-eligible students in California high schools, monitor student academic progress, expand UC campus articulation agreements and enhance UC transfer advising services.

“Dual Admissions is a critical element in UC’s partnership with California’s community colleges,” said University of California President Richard C. Atkinson. “The program will strengthen transfer and make UC more accessible to students throughout the state, especially those attending high schools that historically have sent few students to our campuses.”

More Transfers
Under DAP, students in their senior year of high school who qualify based on grades in UC-required courses, will receive a provisional admission offer from a University of California campus, conditioned upon their satisfactory completion of lower-division work at the community college. After fulfilling their freshman and sophomore requirements at the community college, these students will complete their upper-division studies at the UC campus and receive a University degree.

The program will not replace opportunities for transfer students who become eligible by the regular transfer path, nor will it supplant current UC campus transfer guarantee programs. It increases the transfer admit pool to the University of California. DAP is expected to appeal more to students who prefer to begin their higher education career at one of California’s community colleges, given their low cost, geographic convenience and open admissions policies.

As many as 11,000 graduating seniors are projected to be eligible for admission under DAP. UC forecasts an initial enrollment of approximately 1,500 additional transfer students through the program. This will help UC meet its commitment to dramatically increase transfer enrollment on its campuses, as pledged in a partnership agreement with Governor Davis and a 1997 memorandum of understanding with the California Community Colleges.

Eligibility and Identification
To be considered for DAP, high school students must complete at least 9 units of the UC “a-g” subject requirements by the end of their junior year. With the assistance of participating high schools, the University will identify DAP-eligible students on the basis of their GPA in UC-approved coursework in the 10th and 11th grades. Students who apply to the University under the program do not need to complete the freshmen examination requirement (SAT or ACT).

The University will notify DAP students of their status at the beginning of their senior year of high school. If students are designated as DAP-eligible and are interested in participating in the program, they must submit the University’s undergraduate application during the November filing period. DAP students will be notified by May 1 regarding the UC campus to which they have been admitted and will be asked to identify a community college they plan to enter in the fall. An academic contract will be developed by the student’s UC campus, which will describe the courses and grades that must be completed to successfully transfer from the community college to UC. Students may choose to attend any community college, and will have up to four years to fulfill their contract.

Four Paths
With the implementation of DAP, there will be four principal ways for a student to gain UC eligibility.
The first is Eligibility in the Statewide Context, which grants UC eligibility to students meeting certain high school grade and standardized test score requirements.

The second is Eligibility in the Local Context (ELC), which grants UC eligibility to the top 4 percent of the class in each California high school, based on grades in UC-required courses.

The third path is completion of UC’s requirements for transfer at a community college or other institution providing lower-division instruction.

The final path to UC, Dual Admissions, builds on ELC and applies to the next group of students, those in the top 4–12.5 percent of the class, provided they are not already UC eligible under the University's statewide eligibility criteria.

For more information, see Dual Admissions Q&A.