Use UC’s Additional comments fields when a course, grade, or part of your educational history needs context that the application does not otherwise provide. Choose the appropriate field, then explain what happened, what it affected, and any steps you have taken.
Find the Right Comments Field
UC provides academic comments under Academic history, within Additional information, and another Additional comments field in Personal insight. Use the academic field for context about your academic record and the later field for relevant circumstances not otherwise explained. The first-year application guide and transfer application guide describe comments as a place to clarify unusual circumstances, rather than write another essay. Use the current instructions for your applicant type rather than following another type’s application steps. Do not carry Common App’s Additional Information fields or limits over to UC.
Decide What Needs Context
Ask whether an admissions reader would be missing information needed to understand your academic record without this explanation. Add details when there is a specific gap in context.
- A break in schooling or attendance may need dates and an explanation.
- Course availability, enrollment restrictions, or curriculum changes may have affected your choices.
- A change in academic performance may need background not provided elsewhere.
- An unfamiliar grading system may need an explanation of how the school records results.
When describing a course limitation, distinguish between a course the school did not offer, an enrollment restriction, and a scheduling conflict. Explain the circumstances relevant to your application without searching for a justification for every ordinary change.
Write in Factual, Chronological Order
Begin with the timing and circumstances, explain their effect on learning, attendance, or course choices, and describe the adjustments you have made. A fact that fits in one sentence does not need a full story. If the same cause affected several terms, you can explain it together while retaining the necessary dates. Keep unrelated causes separate rather than combining them for convenience. Distinguish completed actions from work in progress and future plans. Describe school restrictions objectively without speculating about anyone’s motives.
Distinguish Character Limits from Word Limits
UC’s current first-year guide and transfer guide show a 550-character limit for academic comments and a 550-word limit for the comments field after the PIQs. Check the counter in the field you are using. These are maximums, not targets; stop when the necessary explanation is complete. General comments are for situations that need explanation, but follow any specific instruction that asks you to clarify a record, such as selecting Other for a grading system. Remove repetition from your draft, paste it into the correct field, and check for missing or cut-off text.
Review Comments Alongside the Rest of the Application
UC’s 2026 reference guide instructs applicants to report international grades as recorded, without converting them to a US scale. When explaining a grading system, describe the school’s actual rules. Check that terms, courses, and attendance dates match the application. Then compare the comments with your PIQs and activity list, removing stories, reflections, and activity descriptions already covered elsewhere. Keep the context a reader still needs. For help organizing your materials, refer to our essay guidance and undergraduate application process pages, then review your own materials together to check that each piece of information serves a clear purpose.
Official Sources
- Filling out the application: First-year applicants | UC Admissions
- Filling out the application: Transfer applicants | UC Admissions
- Presenting yourself on the first-year UC application, 2026-27
- Presenting yourself on the transfer UC application, Fall 2027
- Quick Reference Guide to UC Admissions, August 2026