Eligibility in the Local Context (ELC) Program

Eligibility in the Local Context (ELC) is a program by which the University of California identifies top-performing California resident high school students. Unlike the broader statewide pathway, which seeks to recognize top students from throughout the state, ELC draws qualified students from among the top 9 percent of each participating high school.

The ELC program was implemented to:

• increase the pool of eligible students
• meet the guideline of the California Master Plan for Higher Education, which states that the top 12.5 percent of public high school graduates will be considered UC-eligible
• give UC a presence in each California high school and stimulate a college-going culture at those schools that typically do not send many graduates to the university

The ELC program also fulfills an important UC admissions goal: to recognize and reward the academic accomplishment of students who have made the most of the opportunities available to them.

California resident students who meet the statewide path or local path criteria and are not admitted to any campus to which they apply will be offered a spot at another campus if space is available.

Visit the UC Admissions website for more information about freshman admission for California residents: http://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/admission-requirements/freshman-requirements/california-residents/