Especially for Admitted Freshmen »

Not an admitted freshmen? We'll help get you started:

Congratulations on your admission in to UC Irvine and the Bren School of ICS!

Picking the university and program that is right for you is not an easy decision, and we are thrilled that you are considering us for the next step in your education.

Please make sure to check out the message from our chancellor and the welcome from the Dean of ICS.

Below you will find information that you may find helpful. We hope that you will join the ranks of Bren School students who have gone on to change the world.

› You're Admitted, Now What?
› Orientation
› Business Information Management (BIM) and Changing Majors
› Placement Tests
› Advanced Placement (AP) Tests
› International Baccalaureate (IB) Exams
› Summer School at UC Irvine

You're Admitted, Now What?

Your admission to UC Irvine is only the beginning. There are many things that need to be done and important deadlines that need to be met before you begin your first school year.

Please visit the Office of Admissions' new admits site for all the information you will need.

The Dean of Students Office, in collaboration with many other offices across campus, has set-up and an easy 4 step process to follow when getting ready to attend UC Irvine. Please use this page as your map for achieving a smooth transition from high school to college.

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Orientation

The Student Parent Orientation Program (SPOP) is a mandatory program for all incoming freshmen and is aimed at acclimating students and parents to UC Irvine. Each program is 1 night and 2 days, and you will receive information covering a wide range of important topics.

It is during Orientation that you will also complete your mandatory academic advising session. This is when you will learn more about the Bren School, meet the staff who work here, and sign up for your Fall courses.

We will not be answering questions about your schedule at any time before you attend orientation. Some courses have a tendency to fill up as the orientations continue during the Summer, so it is best to sign up for an orientation as soon as possible.

For more information on SPOP, please visit the Student Parent Orientation Program website.

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Business Information Management (BIM) and Changing Majors

Due to the high level of interest generated by this major, we were not able to admit everyone who applied for it. If you were not accepted, chances are you were either a) given your second choice of major, or b) put in to the Informatics major.

If you were not admitted as a BIM major but still wish to have both a technical and management based education, we suggest any of our Bren School majors mixed with a Management or Accounting minor. While it won't cover quite as much Management as BIM would, it will go much further in depth on the technical side.

If you want to change to a different major before May 1st, you can do so by contacting your Admissions counselor via the message center on your MyAdmissions page.

If you want to change majors after May 1st, you should contact the School that houses the major you wish to change in to. You can find the contact information for each school here.

If you decide you want to change majors after you have begun taking UCI courses, you will need to complete the change of major requirements for your desired major.

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Placement Tests


Most student, before beginning courses at UC Irvine, will have to take at least one placement test. Our majors tend to require more due to the nature of the subject material covered.

It is important to try and take these tests BEFORE attending your Orientation so that we can accurately place you in your Fall courses. Here are the placement tests that you need to take, dependent upon your major:

Major
Applicable Tests
Business Information Managment - Analytical Writing
- Pre-calculus
Computer Science - Analytical Writing
- Pre-calculus
Computer Science & Engineering - Analytical Writing
- Pre-calculus
- Physics
Information & Computer Science - Analytical Writing
- Pre-calculus
Informatics - Analytical Writing

You MIGHT be exempt from taking one or more of these tests.

To find out, visit the Placement Test Program website and click on the tests require for your major.

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Advanced Placement (AP) Tests


Though completing AP tests prior to enrolling at UC Irvine is not required, doing so may give you credit for certain courses you'll need to take while you're here.

All AP tests passed with a score of 3 or higher will give you unit credit, which will count towards the 180 units
required to graduate from UC Irvine.

Only certain AP tests (with certain scores) will give course credit. For more information, please view the AP Chart (PDF).

Depending on what major you're admitted as, there are several different AP tests that can provide valuable credit. Please remember that while these are recommended, they are not required.

Major
Applicable Tests
Business Information Managment - Computer Science A or Computer Science AB
- Mathematics AB or Mathematics BC
- Economics: Macro and Economics: Mirco
Computer Science - Computer Science A or Computer Science AB
- Mathematics AB or Mathematics BC
- Physics Exam C, Part 1 or Part 2, or Chemistry
Computer Science & Engineering - Computer Science A or Computer Science AB
- Mathematics AB or Mathematics BC
- Physics Exam C, Part 1 or Part 2
Information & Computer Science - Computer Science A or Computer Science AB
- Mathematics AB or Mathematics BC
Informatics - Computer Science A or Computer Science AB
- Statistics

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International Baccalaureate (IB) Exams


Like AP tests, IB Exams can give you unit credit as well as course credit. While valuable for taking care of General Education credit, IB Exams will not provide course credit for most Bren School majors.

The one exception is listed below.

Major
Applicable Tests
Business Information Managment - Economics

For more information on credit you can receive from IB tests, please view the IB Exam chart.

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Summer School at UC Irvine


For some students local to the Irvine area, it may be advantages to get an early start on certain courses by taking summer school at UC Irvine.

Several of our beginning ICS and Math courses are offered each summer, and it's a great opportunity to get a head start on your degree.

However, this approach is not best for all students, so before you consider signing up, please contact a counselor at the Bren School of ICS Student Affairs Office to talk with you about your situation.

You can reach the office by phone at (949) 824-5156 or by email at ucounsel@uci.edu. You can read more about summer session at UC Irvine by checking out their website.

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