Undergrad STAR Academic Advancement Track

A rigorous academic plan that gives recent high school graduates the essential skills and acculturation opportunities to advance and succeed in top U.S. universities and colleges.

STAR does not offer conditional or guaranteed admission to UCI or any other university. Any STAR program information should be referred to our official website.

Program Cost

  • Tuition: $55,500 USD
  • Approximate total cost (excluding airfare): $82,100 USD

Please refer to Tuition & Fees for more information.

Course List

  • Academic English for ESL Learners courses
  • Standardized English Proficiency Test Preparation​​ course
  • University Application Assistance​​ course
  • STAR Research and University Prep course
  • UCI Major/General Education courses

Important Notes:​

  1. Completion of one year of Academic English for ESL Learners courses is required.
  2. Students must meet the program advancement criteria to take UCI General Education & Major courses.
  3. Program approval is required to enroll in more than 12 units in any subsequent quarter. The maximum number of units that are covered by the program tuition is 16.
  4. Courses are scheduled based on availability. Course equivalent substitutions will be recommended when courses become unavailable.

Eligibility and Requirements

To be accepted into Undergraduate STAR, you, as an applicant, must provide the following documents:

  1. The completed Undergraduate STAR application with a non-refundable $200 application fee. The application fee must be paid within 7 days upon our office’s receipt of your application to be processed; otherwise, the application may automatically be canceled.
  2. Copies of your official academic transcripts from grade 9 to meet the minimum GPA of 3.4 and the A-G subject completion that is equivalent to 17 yearlong high school courses with a letter grade of C or better.
  3. Copy of your high school graduation certificate.
    • If you are currently in high school, please provide a copy of the confirmation statement issued by your current high school with your expected graduation date and year.
  4. Copy of your current passport page that shows your photo.
  5. Copies of English proficiency proof that meet any of the following minimum test scores:
    • TOEFL 71 / 530
    • IELTS 6.0
    • DCE 10-Week ESL Level 5
    • SAT Reading & Writing 530
    • AP English Language and Composition 3
    • IB High or Standard Level Examination 5
    • ACT Combined English/Writing or ELA 21
    • Duolingo Test 95
    • Gaokao/Hui Kao (from China) 85% in both English and Chinese subjects

Note:

  1. TOEFL iBT MyBest Scores and Special Home Edition and IELTS Indicator will be accepted as long as all exams were taken within the past two years.
  2. To send an official TOEFL or IELTS test score, please select the institution code B166.

English Requirement Exemption:

  1. You have attended a high school for at least 3 years where English is the main language of instruction; or
  2. You have attended a higher education degree program for at least 3 years where English is the main language of instruction and of the country.

Students whose native language is not English may be required to take UCI DCE’s online English-as-a-Second-Language Placement Exam before the start of the program. The exam results will determine the appropriate English language courses needed in the program.

Our program entry requirements and English exemption are not the same as any other programs at UCI.

UCI DCE reserves the right to deny acceptance to STAR. Applicants who are not accepted into STAR by UCI DCE will be notified in writing.

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Program
Approximate Cost $55,500*
Format UCI Campus
Duration 12 months

*Program Tuition

See Program Cost section for more information on tuition and total costs.

Apply Now

Have Questions?

Talk to a program advisor

Call: +1 (949) 824-5414
Monday-Friday, 9am-4pm (Pacific)

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Frequently Asked Questions