Required Documents
This page will give you information on the various items that may appear on your checklist as required items. When the Office of Admissions receives a checklist item, your checklist on UC Merced Connect, called "My Checklist," will be updated to reflect receipt of the item. The item will show as "Received not yet Reviewed" and will stay that way until we receive all required items and complete our review (usually during the month of July).
Processing Time
Please allow time for our office to receive and process your transcripts and test scores. It usually takes about two weeks from the time you order your document until our office receives it. We will then update your checklist within 2 business days of receipt. If your items are not showing as received, please check with the sender to confirm your order has been fulfilled and obtain an estimated shipping date. If it has been longer than three weeks, please see common issues in each area below to ensure smooth processing.
Transfer Credit Entry
Processing time: The Office of the Undergraduate Admissions evaluates all transfer work for new undergraduate students. This process may take 8 to 10 weeks. Transfer work will appear on your unofficial transcript approximately 10 weeks from the date of receipt.
On this page:
- Approved Transcript Providers
- Required Final College Transcript(s)
- Required High School Transcript(s)
- Official Advanced Placement Exam Scores
- Official International Baccalaureate Exam Scores
- Official ACT plus Writing Assessment, SAT Reasoning and SAT Subject Test Scores
- Entry Level Writing Requirement
- Official TOEFL and IELTS Exam Scores
Approved Electronic Transcript Providers
Our current approved electronic senders include the following:
*Senders that process through the SPEEDE server.
Electronic senders that involve delivery via email are not typically approved vendors. Please confirm with your sender to determine if they are delivering via email or a different method.
Required Final College Transcript(s)
Required final college transcripts must be electronically delivered via an approved vendor, delivered via a postal service directly to the Office of Admissions by colleges and universities you attended or be delivered by a postal service from you in the original sealed, unopened envelopes from those institutions. Complete transcripts must be received by the deadline listed. Arrange for all documents to be sent to UC Merced Office of Admissions, 5200 N. Lake Road, Merced, CA 95343-5603.
If you have questions about this process, contact the Office of Admissions at (209) 228-7178 or admissions@ucmerced.edu.
To view a complete listing of documents our office has received, select "My Checklist" in your student portal. If you did not complete coursework at a school that is listed in your checklist, or you will not be able to send the required transcript, contact the Office of Admissions at admissions@ucmerced.edu or (209) 228-7178.
Common Issues
Transcripts received are displaying personal information that doesn't match your application record. Send us an email to admissions@ucmerced.edu with the information on the document and we will attempt to match the record.
Transcripts sent via e-mail are deemed "unofficial" and cannot be accepted.
Required High School Transcript(s)
Required high school transcripts must be electronically delivered via an approved vendor, delivered via a postal service directly to the Office of Admissions by colleges and universities you attended or be delivered by a postal service from you in the original sealed, unopened envelopes from those institutions. Complete transcripts must be received by the deadline listed. Arrange for all documents to be sent to UC Merced Office of Admissions, 5200 N. Lake Road, Merced, CA 95343-5603.
If you have questions about this process, contact the Office of Admissions at (209) 228-7178 or admissions@ucmerced.edu.
To view a complete list of documents our office has received, click on "My Checklist" in your student portal. If you did not complete coursework at a school listed in your checklist, or you will not be able to send the required transcript, contact the admissions office at admissions@ucmerced.edu or (209) 228-7178.
NOTE: Final official high school transcripts must include a date of graduation including month, day and year. If our office receives transcripts without a graduation date, or with coursework indicated as "in progress," they will be considered incomplete, and you will be required to request a complete final official transcript. We will update your checklist to display an incomplete transcript item with a brief description of the issue. Please work with your school to fix the issue and resend the document.
Common issues
Transcripts received are displaying personal information that doesn't match your application record. Send us an email to admissions@ucmerced.edu with the information on the document and we will attempt to match the record.
Official Advanced Placement (AP) Exam Scores
Required Advanced Placement (AP) exam scores must be sent directly to the Office of Admissions from the College Board. Do not send your personal copy of your AP exam scores to our office, as we cannot award credit from a student grade report.
Final official AP exam scores must be received in the Admissions Office by the posted deadline. To have your scores sent, visit the College Board website and request that they send your scores to the University of California, Merced (school code 4129).
NOTE: After four years, the College Board archives AP exam scores. Archived scores can take several months from the date of your request to reach UC Merced, so make sure to request archived scores well in advance of posted deadlines.
TIP: When requesting your scores, be sure to indicate ALL test dates and exams taken. Check your copies of the student score reports you receive to make certain you indicated the correct code for UC Merced. AP exams taken in your senior year are sometimes not received until late July. All first year students will see an AP score item display on their checklist. If you did not take an AP or International Baccalaureate exam, you are not required to submit test scores.
Common Issues
- Exam reports received are displaying personal information that doesn't match your application record. Send us an email to admissions@ucmerced.edu with the information on the document and we will attempt to match the record.
- We received exam scores but, your academic advisor only sees some but, not all scores. College Board might have more than one account for you and only sent scores for one account. Contact College Board and have them merge your accounts and resend the scores.
Official International Baccalaureate Exam Scores
Required International Baccalaureate (IB) exam scores must be sent directly to the Office of Admissions from the International Baccalaureate Organization. Final official IB exam scores should be received in the Office of Admissions by the posted deadline. To have your scores sent, visit the International Baccalaureate website.
Official ACT with Writing Assessment, SAT Reasoning and SAT Subject Test Scores
Note: SAT and/or ACT scores are not required for most applicants; scores are still accepted to meet the Entry Level Writing Requirement (ELWR).
Official exam scores for the ACT plus Writing Assessment or SAT Reasoning Test must be sent directly to the Office of Admissions from the testing agencies. Additionally, if you took SAT Subject Tests to show your mastery of academic subject areas, your scores must be sent to our office by the College Board. Final official scores must be received by the posted deadline.
To request your ACT scores, visit the ACT website and provide them with UC Merced's school code, 0450.
To have your SAT Reasoning and/or SAT Subject Test scores sent, visit the College Board website and provide them with UC Merced's school code, 4129.
TIP: Applicants are advised not to use Score Choice when sending their scores to the University of California. Exercising the Score Choice option may prevent UC Merced from receiving all of your official scores.
Common Issues
- Exam reports received are displaying personal information that doesn't match your application record. Contact the UC Application Help Desk to see if they can locate your scores and link them to your application
- We received exam scores but, your academic advisor only sees some but, not all scores. College board might have more than one account for you and only sent scores for one account. Contact college board and have them merge your accounts and resend the scores.
Entry Level Writing Requirement
The Entry Level Writing Requirement (ELWR) is a graduation requirement for the University of California.
Students can satisfy the ELWR by achieving a qualifying score on one of several other examinations:
- 30 or better on the ACT, English Language Arts; or
- 63 or better on the ACT, English Plus Reading; or
- 30 or better on the ACT, Combined English/Writing (last administered June 2015); or
- 680 or better on the SAT, Evidenced-Based Reading and Writing*; or
- 680 or better on the SAT Reasoning Test, Writing (last administered January 2016); or
- 3 or above on either Advanced Placement Examination in English; or
- 5 or above on an International Baccalaureate Higher Level English A: Literature exam (formerly known as Higher Level English A1 exam); or
- 6 or above on an International Baccalaureate Standard Level English A: Literature exam (formerly known as Standard Level English A1 exam); or
- 5 or above on an International Baccalaureate Higher Level English A: Language and Literature exam; or
- 6 or above on an International Baccalaureate Standard Level English A: Language and Literature exam
- completion of the equivalent of UC Merced’s WRI 001 at another institution prior to matriculation
- through their course selection after completing the Writing Readiness Review (WRR).
- completion of WRI 001 at UC Merced
*UC will accept a score of 680 or better on the SAT, Evidenced-Based Reading and Writing to satisfy the ELWR on a pilot basis, beginning with new students entering UC in fall 2018. The pilot will remain in effect until a new policy is adopted by the Academic Senate.
The ELWR must be satisfied within the first year of enrollment at UC, preferably by the end of the first semester. UC Merced encourages students to satisfy this requirement by taking an approved college course during summer prior to enrollment. You can enroll in Writing 001 at UC Merced or earn a minimum grade of C or better in a UC-transferable English composition course completed at a regionally accredited U.S. college or university and accepted by UC Merced’s Office of Admissions.
If you have not completed the AWPE and need to satisfy the ELWR, the exam will be administered the morning of the second Saturday in May, at testing centers throughout the state. In early April, you will receive a letter directing you to the test center at which you must take the test.
TIP: Prior to your admission term, you can satisfy the ELWR by taking a California Community College course identified as one that satisfies IGETC Area 1A in the articulation database at www.assist.org. You must earn a minimum grade of C or better and complete the course prior to your admission term to satisfy ELWR.
Any student who has not satisfied the ELWR should work with an academic advisor during New Student Orientation to register for an appropriate writing course.
Official TOEFL and IELTS Exam Scores
Required TOEFL or IELTS examination scores must be sent directly to the Office of Admissions from the exam agency. Final official scores must be received by the posted deadline.
To request your TOEFL exam scores, visit the TOEFL website. To request your IELTS scores, visit the IELTS website. Have them send your scores to:
Office of Admissions
University of California, Merced
5200 N. Lake Road
Merced, CA 95343-5603
Common Issues
- TOEFL Exam reports received are displaying personal information that doesn't match your application record. Contact the UC Application Help Desk to see if they can locate your scores and link them to your application.
- IELTS Exam reports received are displaying personal information that doesn't match your application record. Send us an email to admissions@ucmerced.edu with the information on the document and we will attempt to match the record.
