Courses Required for California Public University
Courses required for California State University and University of California admission.The University of California (UC) and the California State University (CSU) systems have established a uniform minimum set of courses required for admission as a freshman. The UC
maintains public “a-g” course lists
that provide complete information about the high school courses approved for admission to the university. In addition to the required courses, California public universities have other requirements
for admission as a freshman.
| High School Subject Area | UC Requirements for Freshman Admissions | CSU Requirements for Freshman Admissions |
|---|---|---|
|
English |
Four years of approved courses |
Four years of approved courses |
|
Mathematics |
Three years, including algebra, geometry, and intermediate algebra.
Four years recommended. |
Three years, including algebra, intermediate algebra, and geometry. |
| Social Studies/Science | 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 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 | 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. |
| Electives | One year* | One year* |
|
Total |
15 |
15 |
* Must be chosen from approved academic courses in history/social science, English, advanced mathematics, lab science, foreign language, social science, or
visual and performing arts. See UC's public “a-g” course lists
for approved courses at your high school.
