Updated – UC Application Verification

I received several emails from worried students about not hearing any information regarding the application verification (I looked around online and literally couldn’t find ANYONE mentioning getting a request), so I sent an email over to UCOP asking for clarification. Below is the response (verbatim):

UC began sending emails about verification at the end of December. A postcard was then sent out to those students at the beginning of January, and a reminder email was sent on January 10, 2019. The deadline to respond to verification requests is today, January 31, 2019.

Note that only a small random group of students are selected for verification. If a student did not receive any of the notifications mentioned above (2 emails, 1 postcard), there is probably a very good chance that the student was not selected for verification.

Below is a copy of my original blog post from December 30, 2018:

Although I have not heard from anyone, the UC Application verification requests are supposed to go out at the end of December (last year the notification emails went out after the New Year). Check the email address associated with your UC Application and be sure to check your spam/junk folder as well. According to one source, verification requests go out to approximately 1% of the applicant pool (randomly selected freshman and transfer applicants); you can find some very old information (from 2010) regarding the verification process here.

If you received a request, respond before the stated deadline; not responding will cause your UC Application to be canceled with no refund. Review the instructions carefully for examples of acceptable verification documents. If you are unable to provide proof for the selected item, reply to the request with a clear explanation of the reason(s). If the explanation is deemed acceptable, the UCs will choose a different item to verify.

The verification process does NOT delay review of your UC Application. Your application is being reviewed separately by each UC campus. The verification results are checked before admission decisions are sent out (admission decisions for those who failed to provide proof will be tossed).

Remember that this is a data verification request; anything that can definitively prove your participation will do (within the parameters of the instructions). There’s no need to go out of your way to get glowing recommendation letters, since the people reviewing the verification forms do NOT make admission decisions.

If a letter from someone is necessary to prove your participation, it’s perfectly fine that the letter just regurgitates the information on your UC Application. For example:

[School Letterhead]

Date

RE: UC Application Verification

To Whom It May Concern:

Jane Doe participated in ABC Club from ninth grade to twelfth grade. She served as vice president of the club in eleventh grade and is currently serving as the president of the club. Please feel free to contact me at (213) 555-1234 if you require additional information.

Sincerely,

Jane Smith
Faculty Advisor, ABC Club

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