Automatic admission to UPR for the top 20% of the class

It is an advanced, automatic admission process to the University of Puerto Rico that does not depend on applying and waiting: if you finish eleventh grade in the top 20% of your class, UPR admits you to an academic program without you having to compete for a slot, and notifies you before the first Monday of October of the year before you enroll.

Every public or private high school student who, upon finishing eleventh grade, is in the top twenty percent (20%) of their class. It also reaches anyone who met eleventh-grade requirements through other means: homeschooling, virtual schools, GED (General Education Development) Certification, Adult Education Programs, or Department of Education validation exams. Anyone outside that 20% may apply through the general admission process, evaluated under UPR's ordinary criteria.

• Be enrolled in eleventh grade at an accredited public or private high school, or have met those requirements through homeschooling, virtual school, GED, Adult Education, or Department of Education validation exams.Verified against the official source
• Be, upon finishing eleventh grade, in the top twenty percent (20%) of their class average.Verified against the official source

Information pending verification.

1. 1

   Step 1: The school reports the top-20% list

   Every high school must provide, within thirty (30) days of eleventh grade's academic year closing, the list of students in the top 20% of their class, with parent or guardian authorization to share that information (Sec. 6).

2. 2

   Step 2: One school day to apply online

   The school will dedicate one full day for eligible students to complete the online UPR admission application and determine which academic programs they are aspiring to (Sec. 6).

3. 3

   Step 3: Notice arrives before the first Monday of October

   UPR notifies the student of their admission no later than the first Monday of October of the year before enrollment, with the admitted programs and campuses, a minimum of thirty days to accept or reject, and financial-aid information (Sec. 7).

4. 4

   Step 4: Accept or reject within thirty days

   The admission notice must include a "minimum term of thirty (30) days for the student to accept or reject the admission notice" (Sec. 7).

5. 5

   Step 5: If you don't qualify by the top 20%, there is general admission

   Anyone not eligible for automatic admission may apply to UPR and will be evaluated under the institution's general admission policy (Sec. 5).

The process starts at the high school: it is the school that reports the list of eligible students to UPR and dedicates the day to complete the online application. It is not a procedure the student starts on their own from scratch; if you believe you qualify and your school has not contacted you, ask directly at your school's guidance or counseling office.

• Thinking automatic admission covers every student: it only reaches the top 20% of the eleventh-grade class.
• Waiting for UPR to reach out without checking with the school: the school reports the list, and it is worth confirming your name is on it.
• Missing the minimum thirty-day window to accept or reject the admission notice.
• Assuming there is no option outside the 20%: general admission remains available under UPR's ordinary criteria.
• Confusing this law with a scholarship or financial aid: it is an admission process, not a funding award, though the notice must include information on available aid.

These are the government pages this guide is based on.

• Departamento de Educación de Puerto Rico

  Educación

  bvirtualogp.pr.gov