Frequently Asked Questions


TAP Membership

What are the minimum acceptable requirements to qualify for membership?
Each community college’s Honors/Scholars Program must require, at a minimum, completion of 15 semester units of Honors/Scholars coursework (same as the Honors Transfer Council of California and the National Collegiate Honors Council). GPA requirements are at the discretion of each community college.

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The Certification Process

What does it mean to TAP-certify a student?
When you certify a student, you are verifying only that the student will have completed the requirements of your College’s Honors/Scholars Program—nothing more. Exceptions may be granted at the discretion of the Program Director/Coordinator with an explanation in the comments section of the form.

Will the certification form be accepted without signatures?
No; all three signatures are required.

When are certification forms submitted?
Certification forms are accepted during the TAP Certification Cycle, mid-January through mid-March; refer to the TAP Admission Cycle and Certification Form web page for exact dates. Any other submissions are handled on a case-by-case basis. The forms should be sent from the Community College Honors/Scholars Program office rather than from the student.

How does a student indicate coursework yet to be completed?
All applicants must submit an online UC Application Update form (UCLA’s priority deadline is January 31). Students are required to notify UCLA of any and all changes/updates to their work-in-progress as they occur. Our admission decision is based upon a review of current work-in-progress. The UC Application Update web address is www.admissions.ucla.edu/Applicant/WIP.htm. This site will remain up through April. After that, updates must be sent to the campus via e-mail, fax, or USPS (aka “snail mail”).

What are the ramifications if the student does not complete this coursework?
There are no ramifications unless incomplete coursework impacts major preparation, required units for University eligibility, or completion of the Honors/Scholars Program. If you have any questions, please contact Kate Jakway Kelly.

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Admission Decisions

NEW POLICY - effective for Fall 2010 Transfer Applicants

Due to the continuous increase in transfer applications to UCLA and because the majority of applicants apply to a select number of majors, the following change in TAP admissions has been approved by the College of Letters and Science:

TAP certified students will be reviewed for alternate majors only if they meet both of the following provisions.

A. The alternate major may NOT be one of the following 10 selective majors:

  • Pre-Business Economics
  • Communication Studies
  • Pre-Economics
  • Pre-Economics/International Area Studies
  • English
  • Pre-Global Studies
  • Pre-History
  • Pre-Political Science
  • Pre-Psychology
  • Pre-Sociology
B. The alternate major must have been listed on the original UC Application. Requests to add or change the alternate major after submission of the application will not be considered. This applies to all alternate majors at UCLA.

Note: The TAP policy on review of alternate majors is still restricted to those in the UCLA College (Letters and Science). Majors in the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science (HSSEAS), the School of Arts and Architecture (SOAA), the School of Nursing, and the School of Theater, Film and Television (TFT) are not acceptable for alternate major review.

After reviewing the questions and answers below, if your question is not addressed or pertains to a specific situation, please contact Kate Jakway Kelly.

What does Undergraduate Admissions (UARS) look at when reviewing applications for admission? What minimum requirements must be completed by the end of spring term? By the end of summer term, completion of IGETC coursework and any additional recommended requirements for major preparation will ensure students are ready to begin full coursework at UCLA.

As indicated on the Undergraduate Admissions Transfer Admission web page:
"Some majors are highly selective. For these majors we look for stronger preparation: most preparatory courses completed before transferring and a significant number of courses completed at the time of application."

As of September 2009, these College of Letters and Science majors include: By clicking on the major from the web page listed, the user is linked to each major’s requirements page.

Is there a minimum GPA which guarantees admission?
No.

Is IGETC required for admission?
No, but it is strongly recommended.

What is more important to complete - major prep or IGETC?
Although students are encouraged to complete both, major prep is the most important. What the high unit majors must realize is that, if they enter without IGETC, they will have substantial GE to complete after they enter - much more than if they did IGETC and major prep at the community college. This will increase their time to degree.

Are international students (F-1 and H-4 visa status) eligible for TAP?
International students are reviewed separately. They can participate in TAP and be certified. Their TAP status is considered when UCLA makes admission decisions, but international students are not considered in the same way as domestic students. Significantly fewer international students are admitted overall than domestic students.

Can non-UCLA College (College of Letters and Science) majors be TAP certified?
Non-UCLA College majors such as Engineering, Nursing, Arts and Architecture, or Theater, Film and Television can be certified; however, TAP certification is not considered in the review by the other UCLA Schools for selection.
Example: If a TAP certified applicant does not get into Engineering, s/he may be considered for an alternate major in UCLA College if an alternate College major is indicated on the application and TAP certification form and if s/he has completed prep work for the alternate College major indicated. However, if admitted to an alternate major in the College, s/he will not be allowed to change major to Engineering after transfer. Most Engineering majors are not interested in an alternate major. If such is the case, the TAP certification is of no value.

Does a student need to indicate on their UC application that they are TAP?
No, this is handled during the TAP Certification process.

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Admission Statistics

For statistical information regarding UCLA transfer applicants, click here.

Counselors only – For statistical admission information for your college, contact Rosa Pimentel.

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College Honors at UCLA

Is a TAP student automatically admitted to the College Honors Program at UCLA?
If a TAP student is admitted to UCLA, s/he can then apply for admission to College Honors and will be admitted. As a first step, students must fill out an application for the College Honors Program.
Students, with a transfer weighted, capped GPA of 3.5 or above at time of application to UCLA, should apply via the on-line application (which can be accessed via their MyUCLA webpage). Those who apply on time will be admitted. Students, with a weighted, capped transfer GPA of less than 3.5, will also be admitted to College Honors (if they apply on time) because they are TAP students. However, rather than applying via the on-line application, which screens by the 3.5 weighted, capped GPA, the student needs to write a short letter of application to:
    Dr. G. Jennifer Wilson, Assistant Vice Provost
    UCLA College
    Honors Programs
    Box 951414
    A311 Murphy Hall
    Los Angeles, CA 90095-1414
The application letter should include a signed statement from a counselor or administrator verifying TAP status. The student's admission into College Honors will appear by a verification notice on the student's MyUCLA page.

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