University of California, USA
Important items to note before applying
- All UC campuses are Limited Placement Universities.
- You must apply to three campuses and be willing to study at the location UC assigns you to attend.
- UC will not accept your application if your GPA is lower than a B (5.0).
- Most UC campuses operate on a quarter system. You will only earn 45 Massey credits if you study for one quarter, even though you are paying for 60 Massey credits.
Overview
The University of California system offers Massey students the opportunity to study at one of the ten campuses of Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Merced, Riverside, San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, and Santa Cruz. You must select three campuses and rank them on your application. UC will determine where you will be placed, so you need to be happy to study at any of three of your choices.
Explore UC Courses will provide you with details about which campuses offer particular subjects. Ensure you also check the list of impacted majors for information about subject areas with limited places or restrictions for exchange students. Ensure the courses you are interested in taking are available at all three campuses you rank on your application.
Ensure you read the prerequisites for select UC majors before you apply. Business students must have completed Calculus, Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, and Statistics in order to enrol in any upper-division (100-199) Business Administration classes. Restrictions also apply to Biology, Economics, and Psychology majors.
Science majors may also be required to take calculus in order to enrol in UC upper-division (100-199) science courses.
Contact a Massey Student Mobility Coordinator if you have any questions on studyabroad@massey.ac.nz. Please do not contact UC until you have been accepted for admission and given a contact person for your campus. UC is a very large system and you may be given incorrect information if you contact a staff member who is not familiar with the UC exchange programme.
Campus terms: semesters
Berkeley and Merced are the only UC campuses that run on a semester system, similar to Massey. You should take 15 semester credits if you attend Berkeley or Merced. This should equate to 60 Massey credits. A full semester of exchange is available at Berkeley and Merced during Massey's semester one or two.
Campus terms: quarters
All other UC campuses operate on a quarter system. A UC quarter is shorter than a semester at Massey. Therefore, it is worth less in terms of transfer credit. You should complete 12 UC credits if you attend for one quarter. This is a normal full-time course load. Please note that this only transfers back to Massey as 45 credits, even though you are paying for 60 Massey credits.
We encourage you to attend two quarters at UC to be able to receive 60 Massey credits. You should complete 12 UC credits per quarter if you attend for two quarters. 24 credits over two quarters usually equate to 60 credits at Massey. This lighter workload per quarter will give you more free time to get involved in the host university’s extra-curricular activities.
It is more feasible to go on exchange during Massey's semester one and complete two UC quarters (Winter and Spring) because there is only one quarter (Fall) during Massey's semester two.
You can start in either the Fall or Winter if you want to go on a full-year exchange and study for three quarters. You should study 12 UC credits in each of your three quarters to receive 120 Massey credits for your full-year exchange.
Living costs
Costs of living, including housing, food, transportation and personal expenses, vary among UC campuses. They are generally much higher than other universities in the USA. Review UC Costs of Living so you are aware of the minimum amounts you will need to have by the time you apply to UC. Most students attend UC for one or two terms.
Convert the living expenses from USD to NZD to ensure you have sufficient funds. Part of the application process involves proving to UC that you have sufficient funds to study there. You will be required to have sufficient funds for the most expensive UC campus of the three you select on your application. This proof must be supplied approximately six months prior to the start of your exchange.
Course codes
Lower-division courses are numbered 1 – 99 and usually equate to 100-level courses at Massey.
Upper-division courses are numbered 100 – 199 and may equate to 200 or 300-level courses at Massey.
Graduate (postgraduate) courses are numbered 200 and above.
Health insurance
Adequate health insurance is required by law for all exchange students going to the USA. Travel insurance alone will not provide the appropriate coverage. Health insurance plans in the USA are typically more expensive than plans in New Zealand.
Be sure you check the university’s insurance requirements and enrol in the appropriate plan.
Visas
You will need to have a J-1 exchange visitor visa to enter the U.S. You cannot study full-time at the university on either a B-2 tourist visa or the visa waiver program.