Counselors and Advisers Bulletin on ELC News. 03-21-11
From: UC Communications
Sent: Friday, March 18, 2011 4:04 PM
Subject: Counselors and Advisers Bulletin on ELC News
Dear Colleagues:
This Counselors and Advisers Bulletin addresses changes to the Eligibility in the Local Context program.
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Now entering its twelfth year, the Eligibility in the Local Context (ELC) was created to fulfill an important UC admissions goal: to recognize and reward the academic accomplishment of high school seniors who have made the most of the opportunities available to them. Unlike the broader statewide eligibility pathway, which seeks to identify talented students from across the state, ELC was designed to identify qualified students among the top 4 percent of students in each participating high school.
Based on the success of this initiative as well as the success of ELC students at UC, the university will expand the program to include students whose academic performance places them in the top 9 percent of their senior class. This change is effective for the freshman class entering the university in fall 2012.
What the changes mean for schools
In preparation for the implementation of the expansion, we will make some modifications to the program that we believe will ease the process for schools while providing students with the information they need to prepare for UC admission.
• We will no longer require transcripts from every school every year. Instead, we will request the names, addresses, phone numbers and e-mail addresses (if available) of the top 15 percent of rising seniors.
• Based on transcript information collected over the last three years, UC will determine a benchmark ELC GPA — the GPA cutoff for the top 9 percent of the rising senior class — for each participating high school.
• The benchmark GPA will be recalculated for one-third of high schools each year. When it is time for your school’s benchmark GPA to be reset (every three years), we will request transcripts for the top 15 percent of the rising senior class.
• Schools will still need to secure parental authorization before sharing students’ personal information. We have amended the sample parental authorization letter and form, copies of which are posted online at http://www.ucop.edu/sas/elc.
What the changes mean for students
• In the fall, the top 15 percent of seniors from each high school will receive a letter from UC, congratulating them on their achievement and inviting them to apply to the university.
• To be considered for ELC, students must have, at a minimum, a weighted, capped GPA of 3.0 and have completed at least 11 UC-approved “a-g” courses prior to the start of senior year, as follows:
o History/social science: 1 year
o English: 2 years (3 years preferred)
o Mathematics: 2 years
o Laboratory science: 1 year
o Language other than English: 1 year
o 4 yearlong courses chosen from any “a-g” area (previously 3 years)
• ELC status will be determined by UC after students submit their applications. Using the self-reported academic record, the application system will check to see if an applicant has met or exceeded the benchmark ELC GPA for his or her school and whether the student has completed the minimum ELC course requirements.
• If an applicant is ELC, the designation will be shared with the campuses to which the student has applied.
• In addition, the ELC designation will be posted on the My UC Application website. Students can log in about six weeks after they have submitted their applications to view their ELC status.
• As in the past, students who are designated ELC will be required to maintain a minimum 3.0 GPA and complete UC’s remaining subject and examination requirements before high school graduation.
ELC is just one way applicants can gain admission to the university. For more information on UC’s new admissions requirements for the 2012 entering freshman class, see http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/admissions/freshman.
We will send schools a letter in late April with detailed instructions for submitting students’ contact information. Schools selected to submit transcripts this year will be notified at that time, with a submission deadline of September 30 to allow time to include summer coursework and grades. These transcripts will be used to calculate the school’s benchmark ELC GPA for next year.
Should you have any questions about the program changes, contact ELC Coordinator Julie Lind at elc@ucop.edu. For help with submission of student information or transcripts, call the ELC help desk at 1-800-839-8507.