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• For UC purposes, “mixed record” is specifically about international records, not all non-CA records.

• Mixed record applicants are not necessarily international students.• Many permanent residents have completed some of their education

overseas.• UC uses the same guidelines to review both domestic and international records,

but international records can take more time and be more complicated.• Same rules, limitations, etc., will still apply.

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• High school country: • The country may give you first clue about educational system and calendar

system.• Note that Department of Defense schools located outside of the U.S. are

not considered “international” institutions.• Schools with “American” in their name are still international.• May be useful for IGETC purposes later.

• Curriculum: • Education is truly global.• You’ll find Canadian schools in China, German schools in South America,

French schools in Turkey, American schools in Japan, etc.• AP and IB are offered overseas, too.

• Language of instruction (LOI)• UC does not allow lower-division credit for language that was the LOI in

high school (including AP, which is lower-division).• LOI can be used to meet Area 6 of IGETC without further coursework.• Literature courses (lower-division) can still earn credit.

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• External exams• UC awards up to 12 quarter units of credit for some academic A-level exams• UC awards 8 quarter units of credit for certain IB HL exams• UC awards 4-8 quarter units of credit for certain AP exams• Exam credit may duplicate other exam credit (e.g. AP English combined with IB HL

English, maximum credit 8 quarter units)• Exam credit may duplicate college course credit (after student matriculates at UC)• UC exam credit: http://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/counselors/exam-

credit/index.html

• High school graduation date• Compare graduation date with date of birth; if student was older than 19, ask! In

most countries, students finish secondary school between 16-19 years of age.• Compare graduation date with date of first enrollment at CCC. If there is a large

gap, ask about postsecondary enrollment at other institutions.• Some countries (e.g. Singapore, Korea, Israel, etc.) have mandatory service, which

is a legitimate reason for a gap.

• ESL programs• Programs through private, unaccredited language institutions (e.g. Berlitz, etc.)

will not yield credit.• Programs offered through an accredited university may have allowed students to

enroll in credit-bearing courses.• Typically, ESL courses offered through an ESL program are not at an advanced

level to yield credit.

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• Name of university• Sometimes a student translates a university name differently than the

“official” translation – might require some digging• With the name of the university, you can check MOE websites for

recognition• Google is also a good resource for finding university website with just the

university name

• Program of study• In most countries, there is no “non-major” option for coursework (e.g. An

engineering student would not have the option of taking Business Calculus)• Highly vocational and/or technical coursework may not yield credit

• Grades• UC allows the repeat of courses in which a letter grade of C- or lower was

originally received• Students who did poorly in their first attempt at university overseas can try

to repeat as many courses as possible• Most campuses will recognize improved academic performance in recent

(i.e., CCC) coursework

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• Degrees, diplomas, certificates• 4-year Bachelor degrees in other countries are often equivalent to U.S. Bachelor’s

degrees• Not every UC campus allows 2nd Bachelor’s degrees• UC 2nd Bachelor’s degrees:

http://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/counselors/transfer/helping-students/second-baccalaureate/index.html

• A student with a recognized Bachelor’s degree may be able to go directly into a graduate program (or with very few extra courses at the CCC)

• Credentials evaluated by an agency• Costly, and UC does not accept, but…• They may help you with placement, translations, grades, etc.• Note: when student applies, they must report coursework exactly as it appears on

the official academic record, NOT how it was evaluated by an agency

• What do you really want to do?• Some students may just want to go straight into the workforce and may not need

an additional CCC degree• For instance, a student with a Nursing degree from another country may

simply want to gain licensure to practice in the U.S., which would not require an entirely new degree

• Some students want to go directly into a graduate program and don’t realize that they might be able to do so with their international Bachelor’s degree

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• TOEFL/IELTS• Minimum TOEFL I(nternet) B(ased) T(est) score for UC: 80, but many campuses

expect something much higher• Minimum IELTS band score or UC: 6.5• TOEFL/IELTS provides additional confirmation of a student’s English proficiency –

not meant to “penalize” a student• TOEFL can be sent to one UC campus and will be shared with all campuses; IELTS

must be sent to each campus separately• TOEFL/IELTS scores are valid for 2 years only• UC English proficiency guidelines:

http://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/international/toefl-ielts-exams/index.html

• UC-E• Some campuses require B grades in English for selection• Some campuses may require additional English proficiency exams after admission

if English grades are below a certain level• All campuses recommend that both UC-E courses be completed by fall; at the very

least, one UC-E should be done by fall with a grade for campuses to review• Example: Students attending a quarter school should NOT wait until

Winter/Spring to start English• UC does not require a letter grade in the 7-course pattern courses, but it is

strongly recommended

• English outside the U.S.• Institution where L(anguage) O(f) I(nstruction) was English

• If entire institution uses English as medium of instruction, then English courses may be OK (use transferable course guidelines)

• If just one specific program at the institution uses English as LOI, then English courses will likely not be OK

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• International institutions must be recognized by either U.S. regional accreditation or the Ministry of Education (or the appropriate government agency) in that country.

• In general, students are expected to complete approximately 30 semester units in one year; more than 36 units per year (18 units per term) is excessive for semester systems. But, if the student has multiple years at an international institution, you can take an average of the years to determine whether the units should be semester or quarter units.

• It may take several weeks or even months to get official transcripts from overseas, so requesting them early is best; student can have records sent to themselves and keep them in sealed envelopes which can be submitted to the campus as official after the student receives an offer of admission.

• UC evaluates international coursework in the same manner as for domestic institutions and will determine transferability of courses completed and unit conversion (if necessary)

• Students cannot repeat B and C grades earned at an international institution; repeating B and C grades is considered duplication, and only the first grade will be used. But grades of C- or lower can be repeated at the CCC for higher grades.

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• Even if student is in a program for which UC does not typically award credit, student must still report the institution and coursework on the application.

• In many countries, students enter professional programs (like Medicine) immediately after secondary school – the degree program may take 6 or more years, but some of that coursework is undergraduate coursework.

• Omitting all or part of a student’s academic history is a serious academic integrity issue.• Important for students to report courses, units and grades as they appear on the

academic record; converting grades, units, or “renaming” courses is not acceptable and slows down review of the application.

• Students should have an unofficial copy of their academic records on hand to report courses and grades accurately, and to submit for review if asked to do so.

• Although many students would like to just forget about prior university attendance, the truth is that there is no such thing as “starting over.”

• Past poor performance does not automatically disqualify a student from UC, but campuses are less forgiving if the student tries to hide or omit the previous academic record.

• Students can provide clarification about their international record in the Additional Comments boxes of the application.

• Remember that how the U.S. teaches courses isn’t the “right” way, it’s just the U.S. way. Don’t automatically consider courses “out-of-sequence” just because they don’t follow the typical sequence that we see in U.S. schools.

• Example: another country may teach an Organic Chemistry course before a Physical Chemistry course; both courses can be transferable regardless of the order in which they were completed.

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