How do I fill out the UC application if I am undocumented?

This page is general information, not legal advice. It also answers "Should I disclose my status on the UC application?"

How is the UC application different for me?

Most of it is the same for every student: your classes and grades, activities, awards and four short essays called Personal Insight Questions. Only a few questions touch on status. Here is how to handle each one.

Citizenship. UC says "No Selection" is an available and valid answer. If you choose it, the application will not ask you about green cards or visas.

Social Security number. Use one of these:

• your SSN, including an SSN for work (most people with DACA have one), or
• your ITIN.

If you have none of these, leave it blank. If you do enter a number, make sure it is the same one you put on your California Dream Act Application. If they do not match, your aid can get stuck.

California residency. The application asks about residency. This answer is for admissions. It does not decide your tuition. Your tuition is decided later, through AB 540 (see below).

Application fee. UC can waive the fee for up to four campuses if you are AB 540 eligible and meet the income rules. The application tells you right away if you qualify. If you pick more than four campuses, each extra one costs $80.

Should I tell UC my status?

You choose. You do not have to say you are undocumented. "No Selection" on the citizenship question is a valid answer, and you can leave the SSN blank.

Here is what UC says about your information: your immigration status will not be used outside the application process except for "legitimate educational interests," such as health care, counseling, job placement and financial aid.

Some things to think about:

• In your essays, you can write about your life, including your status, if it helps tell your story. You can also leave it out. Both are fine. Write about what you want UC to know about you.
• Telling UC can connect you to help. Many UC campuses have an Undocumented Student Program. Ask each one what support it offers.
• Never mark yourself as a U.S. citizen or permanent resident if you are not. A false claim to U.S. citizenship can cause serious immigration problems later. "No Selection" is there so you never have to.

Parent questions are optional. The application may ask about your parents' citizenship. UC says these questions are optional, that skipping them will not affect your admission decision, and that the answers are used only to decide residency for tuition (UC).

UC says sharing your own status is optional too, and can give more context. UC does not say in plain words whether your own citizenship answer affects the decision. If that worries you, ask the campus Undocumented Student Program before you apply.

What does this look like in real life?

Example (fictional, to show the steps): Kevin is a senior in Daly City. He has no SSN, but his family files taxes, so he has an ITIN. On the UC application he picks "No Selection" for citizenship and types his ITIN in the SSN box. He writes the ITIN on a sticky note so he uses the same number on his California Dream Act Application later. The application tells him he qualifies for a fee waiver, so he picks four campuses at no cost. He decides to write one Personal Insight answer about helping raise his two younger sisters, and leaves his status out of it. He submits on November 18, well before November 30, and starts his Dream Act application the same week.

What about tuition and aid?

The UC application does not set your tuition or your aid. Do these too:

1. Fill out the California Dream Act Application by March 2, 2027 at dream.csac.ca.gov. Sign its AB 540 section. UC does not need a separate AB 540 affidavit if you completed it there.
2. After you accept an offer, UC asks you to submit a Statement of Legal Residence. Do it by the deadline. If you miss it, UC will not pay you back nonresident tuition later.
3. Use the same SSN or ITIN, or none, on both the UC application and the CA Dream Act Application.

When is the deadline?

For fall 2027, first year applicants submit between October 1 and November 30, 2026 (UC dates and deadlines). The application opened August 1. Do not wait for the last day. The site gets busy. Transfer students should check the transfer dates page.

What happens after I submit?

1. March 2, 2027: file the California Dream Act Application and make sure your Cal Grant GPA was sent.
2. Spring 2027: campuses send decisions. Read every email and check each campus portal.
3. May 1, 2027: accept one offer by turning in your Statement of Intent to Register.
4. July 1, 2027: your final official transcripts are due.
5. After you accept: turn in the Statement of Legal Residence by the campus deadline so AB 540 applies from your first term.

All of these dates come from UC's first year deadlines page, checked October 19, 2026.

What should I do next?

1. Make your account and save your login.
2. Gather your transcripts, a list of activities and your essay ideas.
3. Choose "No Selection" for citizenship if it fits you, and enter your SSN or ITIN or leave it blank.
4. Check if you get the fee waiver.
5. Submit early, then start the California Dream Act Application.

Where can I get free help?

These are free. Contact them to confirm hours, languages and openings. Being listed here is not a referral or a promise of service.

• Your high school or community college counselor or transfer center.
• UC's undocumented student office: undoc@ucop.edu.
• Undocumented Student Programs at each UC campus.
• Cash for College workshops for the California Dream Act Application: cash4college.csac.ca.gov
• California Student Aid Commission: (888) 224-7268.
• UC Immigrant Legal Services Center: free immigration legal help for students and their immediate family at nine UC campuses, including UC San Francisco and UC Santa Cruz, once you enroll. Filing fees may still apply. ucimm.law.ucdavis.edu

Your story belongs at UC. Tell it your way.

Related questions

• How do I apply to Cal State as an undocumented student?
• What is the difference between AB 540, the CA Dream Act and DACA?
• How do I apply for the California Dream Act?