With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today.
UC Extends Application Deadline For Fall 2021

University of California hopefuls got an early gift on Sunday: a few extra days to turn in their applications for the fall 2021 semester.
UC announced Sunday evening that it was extending the deadline for incoming freshman and transfer students to Friday, Dec. 4 because applicants were facing technical difficulties with the online submission portal.
Due to the technical difficulties that many were experiencing on Nov. 29, the deadline for the UC application has been extended to 11:59 pm PST, Friday, Dec. 4.
— UC Application (@UC_Apply) November 30, 2020
Shortly after 4 p.m. on Sunday, applicants — and, in some cases, their parents — started sending desperate Tweets to UC's undergraduate admissions account.
Your portal is down & students across the country are highly stressed. Please alert your IT Dept & remedy ASAP! Thank you, Signed the mother of a HS Senior who's already lost school, sports, prom and in-person activities...let's not add college to the list. #fixit #UCapply
— Shannon Hunt (@Shansanity) November 30, 2020
you guys cannot do this to me now i was so close to submitting pls fix the website i’m begging you
— jackie (@sunookoo) November 30, 2020
I wrote my essays in the portal instead of in a separate document, and when I tried to save the essay (that I just so happened to work the hardest on) to my application, it glitched me out and deleted the whole essay. I was about to submit my app, and now I'm crying 🥲
— Devin Laye (@DevinLaye) November 30, 2020
At 5:48 p.m., UC officials tweeted that the application system was experiencing an outage and asked for patience. Then, an hour later, they announced that they were extending the deadline. The news was met, mostly, with relief.
gonna cry
— benisawesome (@minigun396) November 30, 2020
What about the students who were responsible to turn it in before the deadline but took time away from family and the holiday to work and review their app knowing the due date is NOV30, where are those 5 days? Allow submitters to open back their application.
— Kay Nguyen (@kkay_nguyen) November 30, 2020
In a statement, a UC spokesperson said that the online application system had experienced intermittent outages for three hours on Sunday due to a problem with one of the servers. "In the meantime, we have taken additional measures to ensure the system performs well while continuing to closely monitor it," the statement reads.
They said all students who had not yet completed their applications would be notified of the extension.
UC officials did have one request for last-minute applicants: Don't wait until the next last minute, which — just a reminder — starts at 11:58 p.m. PST on Dec. 4.
NEED INFO ABOUT APPLYING TO COLLEGE? READ THIS:
- Like Everything Else, Applying To College Is Very Weird Now. Here's How To Do It
- With UC Application Deadlines Looming, Students Face A Holiday Weekend Writing College Admission Essays
WATCH OUR TIKTOK VIDEO FOR ESSAY TIPS:
@laistvidsYou before using these tips in your college app essays: 😔🤚 You after: 🤚#ucapplication #collegeessays #collegeadmissions
♬ Elevator Music - Bohoman
UPDATE: 1:15 p.m.: This story has been updated to include additional information from a UC spokesperson.
Our news is free on LAist. To make sure you get our coverage: Sign up for our daily coronavirus newsletter. To support our non-profit public service journalism: Donate Now.
At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.

-
The Palisades Fire erupted on Jan. 7 and went on to kill 12 people and destroy more than 6,800 homes and buildings.
-
People moving to Los Angeles are regularly baffled by the region’s refrigerator-less apartments. They’ll soon be a thing of the past.
-
Experts say students shouldn't readily forgo federal aid. But a California-only program may be a good alternative in some cases.
-
Distrito Catorce’s Guillermo Piñon says the team no longer reflects his community. A new mural will honor local leaders instead.
-
The program is for customers in communities that may not be able to afford turf removal or water-saving upgrades.
-
More than half of sales through September have been to corporate developers. Grassroots community efforts continue to work to combat the trend.