UC Application Verification, Colleges Attended and Plagiarism

Now that you’ve submitted your application, here are a few things that might crop up:

UC application verification

As in previous years, UC selects a random sampling of applicants who are required to verify information in their application. The selection and notification take place in mid-December. Applicants are notified by postal mail, email and text message that they have been selected for verification along with instructions on how to meet the requirements. Applicants are asked to provide original documentation to verify one item from the following sections on the UC application: academic history, honors and awards, extracurricular activities, volunteer work and community service, special program participation, employment or information contained in the personal insight responses.

The instructions sent to the selected applicants detail how to complete the process as well as a list of appropriate documentation. Appropriate documentation could include official transcripts, a letter from a teacher, advisor or coach on letterhead or a copy of a certificate or award. Letters can be emailed to the UC Application Center directly from the advisor, teacher or coach. The deadline to respond is January 31, 2024. Failure to respond to the request by the deadline will result in cancellation of the application.

Accurate Record of Colleges Attended

For those who are applying as transfers (and even in some cases, freshmen),  it is imperative that you list all colleges attended. This includes high schoolers taking a course at a community college, and all courses must be listed, including  those that have a W, D, F or any non-grade listed on the transcript.  The UCs have access to the National Student Clearinghouse, where admissions can check to see all colleges attended. The only time you do not have to list a college is if you registered but never enrolled in a course; in other words, there is nothing on a transcript. Failure to list all colleges attended could result in an outright rejection.

Personal Insight Question (PIQ) plagiarism check

After the November 30 deadline, UC reviews all PIQ responses for plagiarism by using a plagiarism detection software program. Applicants who are found with a potential plagiarism violation will be emailed in early January.

Applicants will be provided instructions on how to provide information regarding the authenticity of their PIQ responses. The information applicants provide will be reviewed by several campus admissions officials, and applicants will be notified of a decision on the authenticity of their PIQ responses.

The deadline to respond is January 19, 2024. Failure to respond to the request by the deadline will result in cancellation of the application.