After the UC Application: Campus Update Rules

The filing period for first-year applications to the University of California (UC) for fall 2027 ends on November 30, 2026. A submitted application cannot be withdrawn and resubmitted, and the nine undergraduate campuses handle course and grade changes after submission differently: UC Berkeley, UC San Diego, and UC Santa Barbara state that they do not accept post-submission updates, while UC Irvine, UC Davis, UC Santa Cruz, and others direct students to report changes through an applicant portal. One application can be sent to several campuses, so Irvine seniors need to handle each campus separately after submitting.

After the UC Application Is Submitted: What Happened

The “After you apply” page on the UC admissions website divides the period after submission into four steps: keep a copy of the application, update the application, await the decision, and send transcripts and exam scores after accepting an offer. The second step has the most detailed rules and is the one most easily overlooked.

After submitting, a student can still log in and change only four kinds of information: telephone number, email, mailing address, and test scores. Additional campuses can be added if they are still open. Changes to the Activities & awards section and to the Personal Insight Questions (PIQ) are not accepted once the application is submitted; the website also states that minor changes to activities, awards, volunteer work, or employment are unlikely to affect the admission decision. Duplicate applications are canceled.

What the UC Post-Submission Rules Mean for Irvine Families

The UC post-submission rules affect Irvine families most directly in the first semester of 12th grade: final grades for the first semester arrive after the application is submitted, and schedules may also change around the start of the second semester. The website sets a separate rule for each situation.

• Changing schools, or adding or dropping a course: notify every campus applied to, except UC Berkeley, UCLA, UC San Diego, and UC Santa Barbara.
• Earning a grade below C in a course: notify every campus applied to, except UC Berkeley, UCLA, and UC San Diego.

The website cautions that a campus cannot guarantee it will go back to review an application after correspondence is received, so students should save a copy of every message. After receiving an offer of admission, a student should also confirm with that campus admission office that it is aware of any deficient grades or schedule changes.

How the Nine UC Campuses Accept Post-Submission Updates

Of the nine UC undergraduate campuses, three do not accept post-submission updates, and each of the others names its own channel. The table below follows the wording of the “After you apply” page.

The UC Irvine Office of Undergraduate Admissions explains that the Applicant Portal is where applicants see application status, accept an offer of admission, contact an admissions counselor, and follow the checklist of tasks before enrollment. A UCInetID must be activated before logging in.

UC Dates From Submission Through July

Six dates remain between submitting the UC application and enrolling, all taken from the UC admissions website.

Three rules belong with these dates. First, the SIR can be submitted to one campus only and cannot be transferred to another campus afterward; waitlist offers can be accepted from several campuses at once. Second, admission is provisional: it becomes final only after the campus receives the final transcript and verifies that all required coursework was completed, and an offer may be revoked if application information is incomplete or inaccurate or if senior-year performance drops significantly. Third, a sixth- or seventh-semester transcript should not be sent unless a campus requests it.

SAT and ACT scores can be reported only after the application is submitted. UC does not consider these scores in admission decisions or in awarding scholarships; reported scores may be used only as an alternative way to meet minimum eligibility requirements or for course placement after enrollment.

EDUBUS Recommendations for the Period After the UC Application

Save a copy of the application on the day it is submitted. The first step on the website is to print the application and keep a record of the application ID. That copy is the reference for later contact with campuses and for checking what was reported.

Build an update chart by campus. The table above shows that the same dropped course must be reported to UC Irvine and is not accepted by UC Berkeley. Students should check each campus on their list, act through the correct channel as soon as a course or grade changes, and keep a record of each report.

Check the rules before changing second-semester courses. Each campus provides conditions of admission with its offer, and the website states that a significant drop in senior-year performance may lead to revocation. An Irvine student who plans to adjust the schedule in January should first confirm whether the campuses on the list require a report, and then consult the school counselor. The relationship between senior-year grades and conditions of admission is explained in Senior-Year Grades After Applications Are Submitted.

From January, check each campus portal and email weekly. Admission decisions, waitlist offers, and requests for documents are posted in the campus portals, and waitlist opt-in closes on April 15 at most campuses.

The full schedule appears in the UC Application Timeline, and the requirements for each section of the application are covered in the UC First-Year Application Guide. Families who want an item-by-item review of the application and a plan for 12th-grade courses can learn about EDUBUS University Admissions Planning.

Sources

• UC Admissions: After you apply (accessed November 13, 2026)
• UC Admissions: Admissions decisions (accessed November 13, 2026)
• UC Admissions: Transcript submissions (accessed November 13, 2026)
• UC Admissions: Dates & deadlines (accessed November 13, 2026)
• UC Irvine Office of Undergraduate Admissions: Applicant Portal (accessed November 13, 2026)