The California Education Code (EC) establishes minimum requirements for graduation from California high schools. These requirements should be seen as minimums and support regulations established by local school boards.
The California State University (CSU) and the University of California (UC) have established a uniform minimum set of courses required for freshman admission. The UC has created a Doorways (Outside Source) site that provides complete information about the high school courses approved for university admission. In addition to the required courses, California public universities have other freshman admission requirements (Outside Source).
| High School Subject Area |
State Mandated Requirements * |
UC Requirements for Freshman Admissions |
CSU Requirements for Freshman Admissions |
|---|---|---|---|
| English |
Three Years |
Four years of approved courses |
Four years of approved courses |
| Mathematics |
Two years, including Algebra I beginning in 2003-04. (EC 51224.5) |
Three years, including algebra, geometry, and intermediate algebra.
Four years recommended. |
Three years, including algebra, intermediate algebra, and geometry. |
| Social Science |
Three years of history/social science, including one year of U.S. history & geography; one year of world history, culture, and geography; and one semester each of American government and economics. | Two years of history/social science, including one year of U.S. history or one-half year of U.S. history and one-half year of civics or American government; and one year of world history, cultures, and geography. | Two years, including one year of U.S. history or U.S. history and government and one year of other approved social science. |
| Science |
Two years, including biological and physical sciences. | Two years with lab required, chosen from biology, chemistry, and physics.
Three years recommended. |
Two years, including one year of biological and one year of physical science with lab. |
| Foreign Language |
One year of either visual and performing arts or foreign language. | Two years in same language required. Three years recommended. |
Two years in same language required. |
| Visual and Performing Arts | One year of visual and performing arts chosen from the following: dance, drama/theater, music, or visual art. | One year of visual and performing arts chosen from the following: dance, drama/theater, music, or visual art. | |
| Physical Education |
Two years | ||
| Electives |
One year** | One year** | |
| Total |
13 |
15 (7 in the last two years) |
15 |
* Beginning in 2005–06, all students must pass the California High School Exit Examination prior to graduation, in addition to meeting course requirements.
* Beginning in 2009–10, EC Section 60852.3 provides an exemption from meeting the CAHSEE requirement as a condition of receiving a diploma of graduation for eligible students with disabilities who have an individualized education program (IEP) or a Section 504 plan.
* Beginning January 1, 2010, students in foster care who transfer to a new school while in grade 11 or 12 may be able to graduate from high school without meeting those local graduation requirements that exceed the state minimum course requirements. In these cases, the district would need to conclude that the student would not reasonably be able to complete the additional local graduation requirements during the student’s remaining time in high school. These students would still be required to pass the CAHSEE. See CDE Foster Youth Resources for additional information.
** Must be chosen from approved academic courses in history, English, advanced mathematics, lab science, foreign language, social science, or fine arts. See UC Doorways (Outside Source) for approved courses at your high school.
