Program Policies

Students placed in AWP 3 will have up to three consecutive quarters to complete the ELWR. Each quarter in which students are enrolled in classes, whether they enroll in AWP or not, counts as a quarter of ELWR eligibility. Students who do not successfully complete AWP 3 within the first three quarters will be prohibited from future enrollment (disqualified) at UC San Diego.

Students placed in AWP 4A-4B will have up to five consecutive quarters to complete the ELWR, whether they enroll in AWP or not. Students who take AWP 4A and AWP 4B in the first two quarters and do not pass can enroll in AWP 3 for up to three subsequent quarters. 

Students who pass AWP 4A but do not enroll in AWP 4B in the subsequent quarter must enroll in AWP 3 (or in some cases in AWP 4B) in the following quarter or in the first quarter in which they return to campus. Students in this situation must contact the AWP office for appropriate pre-authorization.

Students who do not successfully complete 4A within the first three quarters will be prohibited from future enrollment (disqualified) at UC San Diego. Exceptions for one additional quarter may be made for students who were deferred, have taken 4A at least once, and have extenuating circumstances.

In May 2020, UC San Diego’s Academic Senate approved a change that allows UC San Diego to offer full baccalaureate credit for courses that fulfill the Entry Level Writing Requirement. Unlike AWP 1, 2A, and 2B, students will receive full credit for AWP 3, 4A, and 4B that will count towards their GPA and their graduation units. This change brings UC San Diego in line with the other UC campuses, supports student progress towards degree completion, and recognizes the meaningful writing instruction that students encounter in these courses.

Students placed in AWP 3 will earn a total of four credits when they pass AWP 3, regardless of how many times they attempted the course.

Students placed in AWP 4A-4B will earn a total of eight credits when they pass AWP 4B or AWP 3, regardless of how many times they attempted AWP 4A or AWP 3.

Students must receive a C or higher in AWP 3 or 4B to fulfill ELWR. Students are not allowed to repeat AWP 4B once they have completed it. If they do not pass AWP 4B with a C or higher, they must enroll in AWP 3. If they do not pass AWP 3 with a C or higher, they must repeat AWP 3. Generally, students are not allowed to repeat a course if they receive a C-. However, because the University of California requires students to earn a C or higher to fulfill ELWR, they must repeat AWP 3 if they receive a C- or lower. They can take AWP 3 a maximum of 3 times.

Once they receive a C or higher in either AWP 3 or AWP 4B, that course will fulfill ELWR and that grade will override previous attempts at AWP 3 and AWP 4B in GPA calculation. In other words, while the course will affect their GPA until they retake it, the final course that they pass with a C or higher will be the only one that is calculated into the final GPA. That being said, the passing grade will not replace the previous non-passing grade on transcript. All grades received will appear on transcript. 

The only exception to this is if a student is found responsible for academic dishonesty; in this case, both the grade from the initial course in which they are found responsible for academic dishonesty and the repeated course grade will be calculated into the GPA.

Courses completed by students to satisfy ELWR are exempt from the general rule for repeating coursework. Repeating AWP 3 and 4A will not count against the 16 units of allowable repeats.

WPP and portfolio results cannot be appealed except in the rare case that a student has been discriminated against. Any appeal regarding the portfolio assessment must follow the regulations as articulated by the university. For more information, see how to appeal a grade.

Prohibition from future enrollment (disqualification) for not satisfying the ELWR in the allotted time can be appealed if students have extenuating circumstances. Students will receive instructions on the appeal process in the VAC from their College. Students who do not submit an appeal or whose appeal has been denied will have an ELW hold on their account. In rare cases where students' appeals are approved, they will be granted an extra ELWR quarter of eligibility. Students who are ELWR disqualified may return to UC San Diego after being away for one academic year and after their Re-enrollment Challenge Portfolio passes. (See the next section "Re-enrollment Challenge Portfolio" for details.)

Portfolio Submission Timeline:

Students who have been prohibited from future enrollment (disqualified) for not satisfying the ELWR in the allotted time may return to UC San Diego after being away for one academic year. To be eligible to apply for returning to UC San Diego, they must first pass the Re-enrollment Challenge Portfolio. If their portfolio does not pass, they may try again after another academic year. 

The re-enrollment process should be planned in advance and must be completed during the regular academic year. No portfolios will be reviewed during summer.

For example, if you are disqualified at the end of Spring 2025, the earliest you can return is Fall 2026. To aim for returning in Fall 2026, you must initiate the re-enrollment process before the end of April 2026 by contacting awp@ucsd.edu and complete a COPE-approved composition course with a C or better by early June 2026. You should also keep the University's readmission schedule in mind. 

Portfolio Content:

Students who have completed at least one AWP class must-

1. Pass a COPE-approved composition course, with a C or better, and
2. Submit a portfolio that consists of:
   1. The graded written work completed in the aforementioned course;
   2. An essay from the student’s most recent AWP course, as well as a reflection on how that essay does or does not meet the nine objectives of the Analytical Writing Program; and
   3. A short essay written on site and monitored by an instructor from the Analytical Writing Program (when it is not possible for the student to be on-campus, the process can be proctored via Zoom.*)

Students who have either not taken a writing placement exam or who have taken the writing placement exam but failed to complete at least one AWP class must-

1. Pass a COPE-approved composition course, with a C or better, and
2. Submit a portfolio that consists of:
   1. The graded written work completed in the aforementioned course;
   2. An essay assigned by the Analytical Writing Program, based on a selection of readings provided, along with a reflection on how that essay does or does not meet the nine objectives of the Analytical Writing Program; and
   3. An essay written on site and monitored by an instructor from the Analytical Writing Program (when it is not possible for the student to be on-campus, the process can be proctored via Zoom.*)

*In order to ensure the integrity of this process, students will be asked to complete the “in-person” writing via Zoom with their camera on and follow the instructions provided by the proctor.

Portfolio Assessment Process:

Completed portfolio will be reviewed by a committee comprised of two readers: a representative of the Analytical Writing Program (either the Director or the Associate Director) and a representative of the College Writing Program that the student plans to enroll in (either the Director or Assistant Director). The two readers must agree. If the result is a pass, the ELWR is satisfied and the student is able to enroll in College Writing the next time it is offered. If a student’s portfolio does not pass, the student can complete an additional COPE-approved composition course with a C or better and to submit a new portfolio, as outlined above, after another academic year.