UC Liaison Information
This brief overview is designed to help you guide students through the major phases of the UC Reciprocal Exchange experience, also known as the ”non-degree/no-fee exchange.” The majority of these instructions apply to the Undergraduate application process. For instructions specific to Graduate level students, see the Graduate instructions document.
Key Reciprocal Exchanges Contacts
Applicant Selection and Preparation
Closed Programs and Departments
Online Application and Study Plan Tutorials
Notification of Placement and Acceptance
UC Transcripts and Academic Performance
Share Your UC Exchange Experiences
Key Reciprocal Exchanges Contacts
We encourage you to contact us at UOEAP at:
Reciprocal Exchanges
Universitywide Office, Education Abroad Program
6950 Hollister Avenue, Suite 200
Goleta, CA 93117 - 5823
EAP web page: eap.ucop.edu – select Reciprocal Exchanges
Telephone: (805) 893 - 4534
Fax: (805) 893 - 2583 (Attention: Reciprocity)
Discourage undergraduate students from directly contacting various UC campus offices, such as admissions, housing, and the registrar, until UOEAP instructs them to do so. Students may receive misinformation if they speak with staff who are not familiar with UCEAP exchange programs.
Paulette Greisner, Director pgreisner@eap.ucop.edu
(805) 893 - 2375
Ralitsa Kirova, Section Supervisor rkirova@eap.ucop.edu
Janis Carey, International Specialist jcarey@eap.ucop.edu
Francesca Agostini, International Specialist fagostini@eap.ucop.edu
Administrative Support
Di Anna Joiner
Assistant / Summer Sessions djoiner@eap.ucop.edu
Adrienne Lee alee@eap.ucop.edu
Sandra Coupal scoupal@eap.ucop.edu
Assistants / General Administrative Support / Transcripts
Application Deadlines
If you have any questions about deadlines, please let us know as soon as possible. We are much more likely to assist you if requests for extensions of deadlines are brought to our attention early in the application cycle.
The following deadlines are very important. Ensure that your students’ applications reach us in a timely fashion for review and placement. Students applying late in selected majors risk being refused acceptance to the Program. UC Academic Calendar 2010-11.
Fall Calendar
| June through December | Registration for English as a Second Language (ESL) tests. See the Reciprocal Exchanges application instructions. |
| November | Application period for Fall begins. |
| January 10 | Deadline for receipt of UCLA design / architecture undergraduate Fall applications only. |
| February 1 | Deadline for receipt of UCB architecture undergraduate Fall applications only. |
| February 10 | Deadline for receipt of applications in all other UC undergraduate majors. |
| February through May | Notification of applicants’ acceptance or denial. |
| July | Finalizing arrangements (e.g., visa, housing, flight reservations) for Fall arrival (August / September). |
| Late August | Fall semester courses begin at UC Berkeley. |
| Late September | Fall quarter courses begin at all UC campuses except UC Berkeley. |
| Mid-May | Academic year ends at UC Berkeley. |
| Mid-June | Academic year ends at all UC campuses except UC Berkeley. |
Mid-Year (January) Calendar
| January through August | Registration for English as a Second Language (ESL) tests. See the Reciprocal Exchanges application instructions. |
| August 1 | Final deadline for receipt of all January undergraduate applications. |
November |
Finalizing arrangements (e.g., visa, housing, flight reservations) for January arrival. |
| Early January | Winter quarter courses begin at all UC campuses except UC Berkeley. |
| Mid-January | Spring semester courses begin at UC Berkeley. |
| Late March | Spring quarter courses begin at all UC campuses except UC Berkeley. |
| Mid-May | Spring semester ends at UC Berkeley. |
| Mid-June | Spring quarter ends at all UC campuses except UC Berkeley. |
| June through August / September | Summer holidays. |
| Late August | Fall semester courses begin at UC Berkeley. |
| Late September | Fall quarter courses begin at all UC campuses except UC Berkeley. |
UC Informational Materials
The Reciprocal Exchanges web pages provide the most up-to-date information about study at each UC campus. Students can browse this information on their own or it can be used with a projector and Internet connection in a group presentation.
Select UC Media Center on the left-side bar of the Reciprocal Exchanges web page.
UC publication Introducing the University of California is available in pdf format.
EAP UC Flyer is available in pdf format. Contact UOEAP to request copies for distribution at partner university information sessions.
UC Slide show
To run the slide show (recommended)
click on UC slide show link
click open (not save)
double click the icon on the exe file
select "run" (not extract)
after a file download - security warning, click "run" again.
The slide show will launch.
To download the slide show
click on the zipped file to save it to a directory in your computer or to a CD.
You may use the slide by slide option on the control button < or > for a self-paced show (recommended), or use >> for a continuous hands-free show. Hit escape to end the show.
Applicant Selection and Preparation
The UC Liaison should:
• Review the UC / partner university agreement terms and conditions that relate to Reciprocal Exchanges. If you have questions, check with UOEAP in the early stages of the application cycle.
• Ensure that applicants understand the nature and limitations of EAP non-degree status. The exchange provides for coursework only. Reciprocal Exchange students do not earn a degree while on exchange at UC. They continue to be enrolled at their home university during their UC exchange period.
• Verify that prospective applicants have the UC equivalent of a 3.0 grade point average (GPA) or higher. This is particularly important for applicants in impacted majors. If you do not know the UC-recognized equivalent GPA in your location, contact a Reciprocal Exchanges specialist at UOEAP. For any student lacking a 3.0 GPA, provide supporting documentation (e.g., letters of recommendation, description of illness or hardship, etc.) explaining the mitigating circumstances as early in the application process as possible.
• Ensure that applicants have taken a UC-recognized ESL test as appropriate, and have the required minimum or higher score for their preferred UC campuses.
• Read the EAP Reciprocal Exchanges application instructions and Student Guide. Ask questions about any information that is unclear.
UC information for recruitment purposes, guide materials, forms, UC catalogs, schedule of classes, and general pre-arrival information may be viewed on the Reciprocal Exchanges web page.• Verify that applicants have reviewed the Undergraduate Majors and the Undergraduate Impacted Majors tables in the application instructions to ensure that their major is offered at their preferred UC campuses. Students should consult UC online catalogs for the most current information accessible.
• Provide opportunities for applicants to participate in pre-departure orientation activities to ensure that they will be well prepared to enter a different academic culture. UC students and returning Reciprocal Exchange students are useful resources for these activities.
• Pay particular attention to the Visa Resources information. Plan to address this important issue in pre-departure orientations (see also the Student Guide).
Closed Programs and Departments
A few UC majors / departments and most UC professional schools do not accept Reciprocal Exchange students. See Undergraduate Majors and the Undergraduate Impacted Majors tables.
If there are any unusual student requirements, such as requests for mid-year admission or access to particular coursework or laboratory space, advise students to check with the UC department or UOEAP before applying.
The Application Process
Establish a Liaison Account
To access UCEAP Reciprocal Exchanges online application, each partner international office must select someone to act as the primary user for a liaison account. For security reasons, do not use a generic login. The account user should be the person in your office who works directly with nominated UC Reciprocal Exchange students. If the primary user from the previous application cycle no longer works at your office, another staff member should be designated as the primary account user.
If you are establishing a new account, proceed with the following steps:
1. Select the primary account user.
2. Send the following information to uc-reciprocity@eap.ucop.edu
Name of Institution
Account User’s Last Name
Account User’s First Name
Account User’s Title
Account User’s E-Mail Address (Note: The e-mail address must be an e-mail address at the institution cited above, in the name of the primary user. Generic e-mail addresses, such as exchange@anyuni.edu, cannot be used to establish an account.)
After you have requested your account, UOEAP will e-mail you the web address and an individual user name and password for you and your partner institutions. When you first access that site, you will be asked to select a new password (the user name must remain the same).
Add MyEAPHelp@eap.ucop.edu to your email list of "approved senders" to ensure that your username and password are not sent to your spam or junk mail folder.
If you have previously established an account but you have problems
using your account, contact uc-reciprocity@eap.ucop.edu.
Initiate the Application Process
• Direct nominated applicants to the undergraduate application instructions on the Reciprocal Exchanges web pages and the online application web page.
Students do not need to contact UOEAP to establish a login ID and password; the web page will automatically generate this access for the student.
• Instruct applicants to read the application instructions first, paying particular attention to the Preliminary Steps, before beginning their online application.
• Assist applicants in reviewing the online UC catalog course descriptions, paying special attention to any course prerequisites. Advise applicants to consult the Undergraduate Majors table, the Undergraduate Impacted Majors table, and the Prerequisites for Selected Majors table in the application instructions.
• Assist applicants in formulating study plans. See the application instructions on how to prepare a study plan for each selected UC. Applicants are not automatically enrolled in courses selected on their study plans. The actual enrollment process is separate, and may or may not yield a similar schedule.
• Determine if there are course requirements students must fulfill at the home university while on UC exchange, and assist them and their academic advisors to plan for alternatives. UC cannot guarantee access to particular courses for EAP Reciprocal Exchange students. It is inappropriate to send applicants with rigid home university coursework requirements on UC exchange.
Review and Release Online Applications
• Access any student application from your institution(s), including those In Progress and those that have been completed and submitted, through your primary user account - select Reciprocal Exchange Students, then Students - Release and Unlock on the left side of menu bar.
• Review or edit applicant information by clicking on a student's last name.
• Release an individual application or all applications, depending on your needs. To release a complete (Submitted) individual application to UOEAP, check the box in the column marked with the Release icon. To release all Submitted applications, click on the Release icon at the top of the entire column.
Only Submitted applications and study plans should be released to UOEAP. In-progress applications and study plans must first be submitted by the student or UC Liaison to be released to UOEAP.
• Once you have released an application, the applicant can no longer make changes in the online application and study plans, as the application is “locked” for review by UOEAP. UOEAP UC Liaison may “unlock” released study plans if necessary, such as when applicants must revise his or her selected coursework.
The Address Information of the online application is accessible to students for address updates at any time, even when the application is "locked".
• The online application software indicates any parts of the application that are incomplete, by listing them on the screen, grouped under each section of the application. You should not release an incomplete application until missing fields have been completed.
Forward Paper Application Materials to UOEAP
• Collect and mail paper documents for released applications (e.g., official academic records, Confirmation of Financial Resources form, documentation of required funds) to UOEAP. Completed applications and supplementary paper documents must be received by UOEAP by the announced deadlines.
• Attach a copy of the home university grading scale.
• Verify the accuracy of any translated documentation.
• Ensure that all required items on the application checklist, including photocopies, have been submitted for each applicant.
We suggest that the applicant be made responsible for providing your offices with required photocopies of paper application materials.
• UOEAP must receive the completed online applications, supporting paper documents, and accompanying forms directly from the UC Liaison. UOEAP cannot accept applications directly from students. In addition, applications cannot be sent directly to campus admissions or to the UC Application Processing Service. They must be sent to UOEAP only.
Online Application and Study Plan Tutorials
Notification of Placement and Acceptance
Application Status Lists
UOEAP e-mails the UC Liaison a copy of the status confirmation for each application as it is processed. Forward the status confirmation notices to students, noting any problems or missing items. The application status confirmation is the notification of:
• When and to which UC campus an application has been directed
• Omissions or problems that require the applicant's immediate actionEvaluation and Placement
Access any student application from your institution to learn about an applicant's CPID number, UC campus placement status, the status of the required ESL scores and financial documents through your primary user account - select Reciprocal Exchange Students, then Students – Eval. and Placement on the left side of menu bar.
Withdrawals and Participation
Access a list of the applicants from your institution to learn about their first UC term(s). of participation, UC campus placement and major, duration, and participation status through your primary user account - select Reciprocal Exchange Students, then Students – Withdrawals and participation on the left side of menu bar.
Acceptance
UOEAP sends students, through the UC Liaison, an EAP acceptance letter. The EAP acceptance letter is the student’s official notification of acceptance. This letter outlines the fees waived or paid on behalf of EAP Reciprocal Exchange students, and asks for confirmation of the student’s intention to attend the host UC campus. Students must sign and return the lower portion of the acceptance letter to confirm that they accept their UC campus placement and terms as an EAP Reciprocal Exchange student.
Address Updates
It is critical that students keep UOEAP and the UC Liaison informed of addresses where they can always securely receive mail and e-mail. Failure to keep this information current may create considerable delays in delivery of a student’s visa document. Encourage students to provide the most secure and reliable address possible, rather than a school or temporary address.
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Additional Information
Short-Term Students
Advise students who plan to attend UC for less than a full academic year of the challenges and compromises that may be required from short-term participants. Encourage students to participate in the Program for a minimum of one semester (15 weeks) or two quarters (two ten-week terms).
Course scheduling and registration at UC are geared to full-year students. Many courses, particularly in the sciences, are taught in sequential order (e.g., “part A” is offered in the Fall, “part B” offered in the Winter, etc.). Not all courses are offered each term or each academic year.
Students attending one term only may also be at a disadvantage in course enrollment, as they register much later than regular UC students. Registration for courses opens during the preceding term. One-term students do not have two or three opportunities to register during the year, and risk not being able to schedule coursework if they participate for only a single term. Also, advanced undergraduates who would like to enroll in a graduate course may find it easier to receive the instructor’s consent in their second or third term of attendance.
Short-term students may also experience challenges in finding housing.
Students with Disabilities, Special Needs, and Mental Health Concerns
Encourage students to inform UOEAP of their disability, mental health concerns and possible accommodation requirements as early as possible. UOEAP will put students in contact with the campus disabled students office prior to arrival. All services are confidential. See Health Services and Health Insurance in the Student Guide for more information.
Employment Options for Reciprocal Exchange Students
Students are not encouraged to work while on exchange at UC and must plan to take sufficient funds to cover their living expenses for their period of study.
On-campus employment may be difficult to obtain, and students should not depend on working to meet their UC campus financial requirements while on EAP exchange.
UC Transcripts and Academic Performance
Academic Progress Reports
Reciprocal Exchange students’ academic performance at UC is monitored by UOEAP. The transcript for any student performing below the level of a 2.7 GPA or enrolled in less than 12 units per term is sent to your office for review.
Transcripts indicating problems should be reviewed by the UC Liaison and forwarded to the appropriate home university advisor for their information and appropriate follow-up.
Final UC Transcripts
Students’ final UC transcripts will be forwarded to the UC Liaison at the end of the academic program. Advise students who wish to obtain personal copies of their transcript to make arrangements, before their departure from UC, for the copies to be sent directly to their permanent address. There is a small charge for each official transcript ordered while the student is still at UC. It may cost the student significantly more if the transcript is ordered from abroad.
Share Your UC Exchange Experiences
UOEAP welcomes materials that reflect student experiences in California for use in our publications and web page information. Please encourage returned students to share their comments, tips, and testimonials with future EAP Reciprocal Exchange students. Comments and photos should be directed to UC-Comments@eap.ucop.edu.