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FAQ

General

  • How do I fulfill the Entry Level Writing Requirement before entering UC Davis?
  • The ELWR may be fulfilled by meeting set scores on standardized/AP/IB exams and/or completing a transferable college course. For details, please visit our Fulfilling Before Davis page.
  • As a transfer student, how can I fulfill the Entry Level Writing Requirement?
  • Transfer students who have fulfilled the Intersegmental Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) automatically fulfill the ELWR. The ELWR is fulfilled through the IGETC’s English Communication subject area. If you're a transfer student who has not fulfilled ELWR, you can do so by placing into the English Composition pathway (PATH4) through the UC Davis Writing Placement Survey or by passing one of the specified ELWR fulfilling courses listed on the Fulfilling At UC Davis page with a letter grade of C or higher. 
  • Can I satisfy the Entry Level Writing Requirement by taking a community college course during the summer?
  • To fulfill the ELWR you can transfer credits from before you entered UC Davis as long as you earned a grade of C or higher in an acceptable 3 semester-unit or 4 quarter-unit English composition course. If you are transferring credit from a California community college, the course must be listed in Area UC-E under "UC Transfer Admission Eligibility Courses" on http://www.assist.org/ and must be completed before you matriculate into UCD. English composition courses completed at both in-state and out-of-state institutions are evaluated by Admissions for ELWR fulfillment.
  • How do I fulfill the Entry Level Writing Requirement after entering UC Davis?
  • Students can fulfill the ELWR after entering UC Davis by placing into the English Composition pathway (PATH4) through the UC Davis Writing Placement Survey or by passing one of the specified ELWR fulfilling courses listed on the Fulfilling At UC Davis page with a letter grade of C or higher. 
  • I'm a current UC Davis student. Can I fulfill the Entry Level Writing Requirement over the summer at a community college? 
  • If you are currently a UC Davis student, you cannot take a course at a different college or university to fulfill the Entry Level Writing Requirement (ELWR). Per UC Academic Senate Regulation 636, ELWR can only be fulfilled at another college or university prior to enrollment. Once a student has started at UC Davis, they must fulfill the requirement at UC Davis. 
  • Can I satisfy the Entry Level Writing Requirement using the P/NP system instead of a letter grade?
  • No. Students can only satisfy the Entry Level Writing Requirement by taking an ELWR-designated course for a letter grade. UC Academic Senate regulations specify that students must pass with a C or higher for ELWR satisfaction.

    Students who have taken an ELWR-fulfilling course for P/NP cannot repeat the same class series. In other words, students who have taken UWP 7 for P/NP cannot repeat UWP 7 for a letter grade and must fulfill ELWR by earning a C or higher in another class series like ENL 3 + ENL 3A.
  • At what point must I satisfy the Entry Level Writing Requirement?
  • Writing skills are crucial to success at UC Davis. Therefore, students must fulfill the Entry Level Writing Requirement as soon as possible. Per UCD Academic Senate policy, students who have not fulfilled the Entry Level Writing Requirement after three-quarters of enrollment will not be eligible to enroll for a fourth quarter. Students placed into UWP 21 and/or UWP 22 will have three quarters plus one quarter for each required ESL course to meet the requirement. Students cannot receive credit for the English Composition Requirement (either lower division or upper division) or Writing Experience (WE) credit until they complete the ELWR.
  • I took the English Language Placement Exam (ELPE) before summer 2019, how long do I have to fulfill the Entry Level Writing Requirement?

  • Students who took the ELPE prior to the summer of 2019 can reference the below chart for their ELWR timeline information.
     

    ELPE placement Score

    Starting Placement

    Course Pathway

    		ELWR Timeline

    69 or lower

    UWP 21 (2018 or earlier)

    21-22-23-ELW

    ELWR must be satisfied by the end of Spring Quarter, 2nd year

    70-79

    UWP 22 (2018 or earlier)

    22-23-ELW

    ELWR must be satisfied by the end of Winter Quarter, 2nd year

    80-89

    UWP 23 (2018 or earlier)

    23-ELW

    ELWR must be satisfied by the end of Fall Quarter, 2nd year

    90-99

    ELW (2018 or earlier)

    ELW course

    ELWR must be satisfied by the end of Spring Quarter, 1st year

  • How do you pronounce ELWR?
  • We pronounce ELWR like a two-syllable word rhyming with "far": EL-wahr. But we will always understand you if you spell the letters out!
  • If I have other questions, who should I contact?
  • To contact the Entry Level Writing department, please email elw@ucdavis.edu.

Checking your ELWR status

  • How can I check whether I have fulfilled the Entry Level Writing Requirement?
  • Continuing students can check their ELWR status by going to OASIS > Academic Record > Exams & Events and scrolling to the bottom of the page. Your ELWR status will be listed as an "Event." If you think the ELWR status in your student record is incorrect, or you have questions about your ELWR status, please contact elw@ucdavis.edu.

Pathways and the Writing Placement Survey (WPS)

  • I am an incoming first-year but I don't see the Writing Placement Survey listed in my pre-enrollment tasks. Do I need to take it/what do I do?
  • This most likely means you have submitted test scores/transcripts that have led to you satisfying the Entry Level Writing Requirement (ELWR). Please click here to read about the different ways you can satisfy ELWR prior to enrolling in classes at UC Davis. To view if you have satisfied ELWR, please check OASIS > Academic Record > Exams and Events and scroll to the bottom of the page.

    If your OASIS is not showing that your ELWR has been satisfied, the Registrar may still be updating your record. Please contact us at writingplacement@ucdavis.edu.
  • I am an incoming first-year and I think I have already satisfied ELWR. Do I need to take the Writing Placement Survey?
  • If you have a test score or have completed a college-level composition course sufficient to satisfy ELWR, you do not need to take the Writing Placement Survey. However, we do highly recommend you complete it, as the survey will provide you with information about the different composition and writing courses offered at UC Davis.

    Be sure to send official documentation of applicable test scores or transcripts as soon as possible, as self-reported scores are not sufficient to fulfill ELWR. Once Admissions processes your scores or transcript, you will no longer see the Writing Placement Survey under your Pre-Enrollment tasks in MyAdmissions. Note: If you do not submit official documentation of applicable test scores or transcripts, and do not complete the Writing Placement Survey, you will automatically receive a result of PATH3, meaning you will need to take a course to fulfill ELWR.
  • How can I check my placement result?
  • Continuing students can check their placement by going to OASIS > Academic Record > Exams & Events and looking under Exams for "Writing Placement 2020 (WP20)." You should see a result of either PATH1, PATH2, PATH3, or PATH4*. For questions about what these results mean, please refer to our website or email writingplacement@ucdavis.edu.

    (*Students who took the 2020 Writing Placement Survey may have received a result of PATH5. PATH5 is no longer in use for current placement mechanisms.)
  • I don't see a placement result in my OASIS. What does this mean?
  • If you do not see a placement result in OASIS, this most likely means you did not complete the Writing Placement Survey (WPS). WPS closes at the end of every fall quarter. If you did not complete WPS by the deadline, you are automatically considered a PATH3 student. This means that you must take a course to fulfill the Entry Level Writing Requirement (ELWR). PATH3 students must fulfill ELWR within their first three quarters enrolled.

    If you do not see a placement result in OASIS and you did complete WPS, please contact us at writingplacement@ucdavis.edu.
  • I didn't take the Writing Placement Survey. Can I take it now?
  • The Writing Placement Survey closes for first-year students at the end of every fall quarter. Students may not take the survey after it closes.

    If you did not complete WPS by the deadline, you are automatically considered a PATH3 student. This means that you must take a course to fulfill the Entry Level Writing Requirement (ELWR). PATH3 students must fulfill ELWR within their first three quarters enrolled.
  • I received a result of PATH3 but I also submitted official documentation of a test score that satisfies ELWR. Do I still need to take an ELWR course?
  • As long as your official documentation has been confirmed by the registrar and your ELWR status has been updated to ELWR Satisfied, you do not need to take any ELWR course. Official documentation of applicable test scores overrides Writing Placement results.

    Note: It is each student's responsibility to submit official documentation of applicable test scores or courses to satisfy ELWR. Self-reported scores or courses are not sufficient to satisfy ELWR.

Courses

  • I'm on the waitlist for a course that fulfills ELWR. Can I get a PTA for the course?
  • The University Writing Program does not issue PTAs for any ELWR courses due to strict enrollment caps. If you are on the waitlist, your best chance at getting in to the course is to remain on the waitlist in case students registered or waitlisted ahead of you drop the course.

    However, if you are registered for UWP 1A and waitlisted for UWP 1 or 1Y, please contact elw@ucdavis.edu to inquire about a PTA for UWP 1/1Y.
  • I am in PATH2 and want to register for UWP 22, but Schedule Builder says I don't meet the prerequisites. What do I do?

  • When you register for UWP 22 in Schedule Builder you will need to submit a prerequisite petition. When you fill out the petition, leave a comment stating that you received a result of PATH2. You do not need to upload any files or describe previous courses you have taken. All PATH2 students will be approved to take the course.

    UWP 22 prereq petition STEP 1 color friendly
    STEP 1: UWP 22 prerequisite petition
    UWP 22 prereq petition STEP 2 color friendly
    STEP 2: UWP 22 prerequisite petition

  • What is the difference between UWP 7, 7V, 7Y, and 7M?
  • UWP 7 is the "standard" first-year ELWR course offered at UC Davis. UWP 7V is an entirely virtual version of UWP7. UWP 7Y covers the same material, but classes are on a hybrid schedule, with some sessions held virtually. UWP 7M is a course recommended for multilingual students: students who may speak languages other than English as their home language, or who immigrated to the US as children, or who are children of immigrant families who speak languages other than English.

    Any student needing to fulfill ELWR can take any of these courses. Multilingual students are not required to take UWP 7M specifically, and students who are not multilingual may take UWP 7M.
  • Should I try to enroll in an ELWR fulfilling course in the Fall quarter or wait until later in the year?
  • Because writing skills are so crucial to your success at UCD and because the ELWR must be satisfied before you can enroll in and receive English Composition and Writing Experience credit, you should plan to enroll in an ELWR-fulfilling course as soon as possible. When you enroll in the class or receive a place on the waiting list, be sure to attend the first day of class or you may lose your space!
  • What is a co-course?
  • Co-courses are an accelerated way students can fulfill the ELWR at UC Davis. Co-courses require dual enrollment in an ELWR-fulfilling 2-unit course and a 4-unit English Composition fulfilling course. UC Davis offers three co-courses: UWP 1A (while also enrolled in UWP 1), ENL 3A (while also enrolled in ENL 3), and NAS 5A (while enrolled in NAS 5). Students must enroll in a course and its co-course during the same quarter.
  • How do I take WR 40?
  • WR 40 is offered by UC Irvine through UC Online. Students must obtain approval from an Academic Advisor within their college to take courses through UC Online. Students must also meet eligibility requirements for cross-campus enrollment to be able to take WR 40. Completing WR 40 with a grade of C or higher will fulfill the Entry Level Writing Requirement (P/NP is not permitted when taking a course to fulfill ELWR).

    If you are interested in taking WR 40 during the summer, you must enroll directly through UC Irvine: https://summer.uci.edu/.

    Note: After completing a UC Online course, your grade will be processed by the UC Davis registrar, who will then update your ELWR status after your grade is confirmed to be sufficient to fulfill ELWR. This process may take several weeks into the next quarter.
  • I took WR 40 last quarter but still received an email informing me I need to fulfill ELWR. What is going on?
  • Grades for WR 40 are processed by the registrar, who then updates your ELWR status after your grade is confirmed to be sufficient to fulfill ELWR (a grade of C or higher). ELW sends out emails regularly to remind students of their need to fulfill ELWR. If the registrar has not yet updated your ELWR status to "ELWR Satisfied," you appear in our data reports as "ELWR Required," and we include you in that reminder email. If you have any concerns that you are receiving emails in error, please contact elw@ucdavis.edu.

Writing Support

  • Where can I find writing support at UC Davis?
  • Please visit the Writing Center page for more information.