What are the college requirements?

Coursework Requirements

• Must complete at least 15 courses from the A-G approved course list 

• For UC, 11 a-g courses must be completed before your senior year.

• Math and Language other than English courses taken in 7th and 8th grades count towards a-g completion.

• For Language other than English, you must take a minimum of two years in the same language.

• A-G courses must be completed with a grade of “C” or better.  “D” and “F” grades must be repeated.

• All California schools have their own A-G list where you can see which courses at your high school qualify for each A-G category. You can find your school’s course list here, be sure to navigate to the year you took each course. If the course has a yellow star next to it, it means that you will receive a 1-point GPA boost.

Grade Point Average Requirements

• UC minimum: 3.0 GPA (average GPA is much higher)

• CSU minimum: 2.5 GPA 

• Some CSU campuses and majors are impacted, meaning they have more students applying than can be admitted, making these majors and/or campuses more competitive.

• California high school graduates or residents of California earning a GPA between 2.00 and 2.49 may be evaluated for admission based on supplemental factors

• When you apply to a CSU and/or UC, you will report all A-G courses and grades earned during grades 9-12.

• When calculating your CSU/UC GPA, you will only use grades earned starting with the summer after 9th grade through the summer before 12th grade.

Test Score Requirements

• CSU and UC no longer consider SAT or ACT test scores when making admissions decisions or awarding scholarships. 

• Test scores including Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) may be used as an alternative method of fulfilling minimum requirements for eligibility or for course placement after you enroll.

Supplemental Factors / Added Value Add 

• California State University: California high school graduates or residents of California applying to CSU with a GPA between 2.00 and 2.49 may be evaluated for admission based on supplemental factors. Students provide demographic and information on activities in the CSU application.

• University of California: UC looks beyond grades and considers various factors when determining admission. Factors included activities in the following areas: leadership, academic/enrichment programs, extracurricular, service/volunteer opportunities, work experiences, and responsibilities at home. Students provide information on these factors on the UC application (list of activities section) and through the Personal Insight Questions (students need to respond to 4 of the 8 PIQ questions). 

Next Step For Students

• Meet with your school counselor to make an academic plan to complete the A-G requirements (the plan should include courses beyond the minimum 15 required).

• Consider taking advanced coursework including honors, Advanced Placement (AP), and Community College (CC) courses through dual enrollment and/or summer concurrent enrollment. AP and transferable CC courses will give you a bump on your GPA (A=5pts, B=4pts, C=3pts).

• Taking concurrent enrollment or dual enrollment courses at community college is one of the best ways to increase competitiveness, as successful completion indicates that you are ready for college-level work!

• Start exploring areas of study (college majors) you are interested in. 

• During your senior year, your coursework should be aligned with your major(s) interests. If you are going into Science, Technology, Engineering, or Math - STEM majors, take advanced science and math (pre/calculus) courses. If you are interested in social science majors, consider taking statistics and electives aligned with your major interests.

• As you advance in high school, make a plan for deeper and more meaningful extracurricular activities. Competitive college applicants don’t just have a list of random activities and experiences, they focus and show long-term commitment to a few activities, sports, and/or services/volunteer experiences.

• Plan your summers! Enroll in academic/enrichment programs, complete an internship, take on a summer job, take a community college course, and/or volunteer - all of these types of activities will help you learn more about yourself and help you make decisions about your future! They also will make you a stronger college applicant!

Next Steps for Families/Guardians

• Speak with your child about their college and career dreams/plans.

• Make an appointment with your child’s school counselor to make sure they are taking A-G courses and ask about opportunities for your child to enroll in advanced courses (honors and advanced placement) and community college courses.

• Encourage your child to enroll in advanced courses (honors, advanced placement) and community college courses.

• If your child earns a “D” or “F” grade, speak with the school counselor about options for repeating the course.

• Prioritize attending workshops and events at your child’s school that keep you informed about their academic progress and information about applying to and financing college.

• Find local colleges and universities near your home, plan a picnic, or just take a stroll around campus.

• Encourage your child to take advantage of their summers! They can enroll in academic/enrichment programs, complete an internship, take a community college course, and/or volunteer.

Próximos pasos para familias/tutores

• Hable con su estudiante sobre sus sueños/planes universitarios y profesionales.

• Haga una cita con el/la consejero/a escolar de su estudiante para asegurarse de que esté tomando cursos A-G y pregunte sobre las oportunidades para que su estudiante se inscriba en cursos avanzados (honores y programa avanzada AP) y cursos de colegios comunitarios.

• Anime a su estudiante a inscribirse en cursos avanzados (con honores, programa avanzada AP) y cursos de colegios comunitarios.

• Si su estudiante obtiene una calificación de "D" o "F", hable con el/la consejero/a de la escuela sobre las opciones para repetir el curso.

• Priorice asistir a talleres y eventos en la escuela de su estudiante que lo/la mantengan informado sobre su progreso académico e información sobre cómo solicitar y financiar la universidad.

• Encuentre colegios y universidades locales cerca de su hogar, planifique un picnic o simplemente dé un paseo por el campus.

• ¡Anima a su estudiante a aprovechar sus veranos! Pueden inscribirse en programas académicos/de enriquecimiento, completar una pasantía, tomar un curso de colegio comunitario y/o ser voluntario.