Undergraduate STAR

This course is designed to strengthen the writing skills and critical reading skills of students in preparation for university study. Students will learn conventions which are essential to academic writing and practice avoiding and correcting common writing mistakes. They will practice composing and properly citing quotations, paraphrases, and summaries and will produce two academic essays. Throughout the course, students will also read and analyze articles. They will evaluate claims and evidence, synthesize information from multiple readings, and reference passages in their own writing. Additionally, peer discussions and group work will be a regular part of this course, preparing students to engage confidently in the collaborative learning context of their future college courses. 

Prerequisites: Completion of level 4 ESL or equivalent 

This course introduces students to speaking and presentation skills necessary for academic settings. Speaking skills are developed through leading and participating in group discussions, debates, and an individual speaking presentation. Students will practice forming questions, reporting findings, and supporting their own arguments. Examples of learning activities in this course include class discussions, group work, and note-taking practice.

Prerequisites: Completion of level 4 ESL or equivalent

This course is designed to help undergraduate applicants understand the importance and ethics of personal written responses on multiple sections of a university application and apply ethical principles to their application process. Learners will be introduced to the holistic review process and how it impacts their individual applications. Additionally, learners will develop an ethical strategy for composing authentic written responses for application sections and prompts. They will discover how tone impacts their application narrative and apply one that is appropriate for the audience reviewing their applications. The objectives of this course will be achieved through lectures, discussions, and interactive written, listening, speaking, and reading comprehension exercises. 

Prerequisites: Completion of Level 4 ESL or equivalent English proficiency 

This course is designed to help international students develop the critical thinking and writing skills necessary to excel in academic, research-related writing tasks in a university-level course. In addition, the course will put great emphasis on academic honesty and plagiarism. Through course discussions, practices, and assignments, students will learn to integrate and comment on multiple academic sources to support an argument and engage with texts to understand, interpret, and evaluate what specific language and rhetorical features communicate. Students will also develop a range of sophisticated sentence structures and a strong command of academic expressions used in academic writing.

Prerequisites: Successful completion of Academic Reading and Writing preferred or equivalent English proficiency level

This course is designed to help undergraduate applicants with the university and college selection and application process.  Students will be introduced to the holistic review process and how their academic credentials impact the schools they choose.  They will be guided through the application process for UC schools as well as the process for the Common Application.  They will explore the ethics of submitting authentic applications and be given structured information on how to write compelling narratives of their experiences under ethical guidelines that promote original, unique work. The objectives of this course will be achieved through lecture and group work, as well as through interactive written, listening, speaking and reading comprehension exercises. 

Prerequisites: A minimum of level 4 ESL placement; level 5 or above preferred. 

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• Complete the online STAR application form and pay the non-refundable $200 application fee.
  • Upon receiving the $200 application fee. You will be asked to upload
    • a copy of your passport.
    • a bank statement dated within the past 6 months with a minimum required amount. This will certify you have sufficient funds for tuition and living expenses. The bank statement must be in English and provide the balance amount in US Dollars.
      • the Statement of Financial Support Form if you are not the bank account holder
    • Evidence of an English language proficiency score
    • High school transcripts
  • If they are a transfer student
    • submit a completed Transfer Evaluation Form.
    • I-20 from their current school
• Once we receive the completed app and you are admitted into the program, you will receive an email from ip@ce.uci.edu with instructions on how to pay the $10,000 Program Deposit within 15 days. The email will also include a link for you to acknowledge and sign the STAR registration policies.
  Note: Students who are government-sponsored must provide an official letter of financial support in lieu of the Program Deposit and any additional tuition and mandatory fees to avoid any delay in the application process or enrollment cancellation.
• After you have signed the acknowledgment form and DCE has received your required program deposit, you will receive an official Letter of Acceptance (LOA) and Form I-20. With the Letter of Acceptance and Form I-20, you will be able to submit a request for an F-1 student visa from the U.S. Embassy or consulate in your area.
• The balance of the program tuition and fees are due 37 days prior to the start of the program. Confirmation of enrollment must include full payment of tuition and fees.

Please see Registration Policies & Deadlines for cancellation and postponement requests.

UC Irvine DCE is committed to serving students from diverse backgrounds. While the acceptance preference will be given to students who have met our minimum acceptance requirements, we recognize individual circumstances and offer a comprehensive review of every applicant. Students who do not meet our minimum acceptance requirements are still encouraged to apply. It is important that students provide additional information (e.g., resume, community service, awards and achievements, and extra-curricular classes and activities) to demonstrate their unique circumstances.

These are the progression criteria that are taken into consideration:

1. Pass every CE or P/NP graded class
2. Maintain at least a B average or cumulative GPA of 3.0
3. Comply with the program policies (e.g., be in good academic standing) at all times
4. Achieve at least TOEFL 80, IELTS 6.5, or Duolingo 115 before enrolling in any UCI undergraduate credit courses

Students who meet the above progression criteria are expected to follow the program curriculum or their designed study plan. When students fail to meet the above progression criteria, students will be required to follow an alternative study plan or add one or more quarters.

Undergraduate STAR is an academically rigorous program. Students are expected to demonstrate high levels of engagement and learning. Our classes are typically offered between 9:00 am and 5:00 pm (California Time), Monday – Friday, with breaks between courses. Occasional evening classes may be scheduled, and students are responsible for checking their course schedule at the beginning of each quarter.

Additionally, we place a high value on in-person learning and student experience on the UC Irvine campus. We will follow the UC Irvine policies when it is required for us to change our instruction mode. Students who have special circumstances and can only study remotely in our program should contact us.

There are many student activities, events, and trips organized on- and off-campus every quarter, which you can view on our Activities page.

Students are strongly encouraged to take advantage of extracurricular activities to enrich their student life experience and to build their extracurricular activities for their university/college applications.

View the list of schools that have offered admission to our STAR students since 2011.

Yes. The minimum full-time requirement is 12 units each quarter. An F-1 student visa is required for students who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents to study in this program on the UC Irvine campus.

Please visit Program Dates for available intakes.

Please visit Student Resources for more information.

Funding is currently not available for students who are enrolled in our program. However, students may find any financial assistance opportunities by contacting the consulates in their home countries. There are also scholarship websites available: IEFA, International Scholarships, International Student.