The admission requirements depend on the institution. If only about 7% of Stanford applicants, 8% of CalTech applicants, 16% of University of Southern California applicants, and 17% of California State University applicants apply, it is immediately clear that the requirements for applicants are also very high.
Profile of the student who applied to Stanford University:
– Roughly 60% of first-time undergraduate applicants to this university had a GPA of 4.0+, while the rest had at least a 3.7 out of 4.
– Approximately 70% of applicants had an SAT score of 1800+ in the three sections (reading, math, writing) or an ACT score of 30-36.
– The TOEFL iBT minimum score requirement was 100+ and the IELTS minimum score was 7.0.
The profile of the 2018 University of California-Berkeley applicant looks like this:
– GPA 4.12-4.30;
– SAT 1940+ scores in three sections,
– ACT 30-34 scores;
– TOEFL iBT 80+ scores.
California State University also has very strict admission requirements – Russian students are likely to need an extra year of preparation for the Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, A-Level, or similar programs.
The University of Southern California admissions committee pays close attention not only to high marks and standardized tests, but also to the extracurricular activities of the applicants, which are described in detail in the university Application Form with a special section of essays and questions. In addition, before making a final decision on admission the university necessarily conducts an interview with the student – in person or online.
When applying to creative specialties it is necessary to prepare a high-quality portfolio. Read here about the secrets of creating a portfolio when applying to creative programs.
You can apply to California universities through the centralized CA, UCA, and Coalition Application systems, or through the universities’ websites. Schools have more detailed information about the content of the application and how to apply on their websites, in the Admissions section.
Also colleges with multiple campuses often have their own centralized application systems. Some campuses might have different academic calendars, which affects the application deadlines – something you should pay careful attention to.