Below is some important information regarding college admissions and what classes/grades you need to have in high school to meet the requirements.  For a chart of these requirements, please click here: 2012 and 2013 Graduation Requirements  

University of California Requirements

(Campuses:  Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Merced, Riverside, San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz)

In order to apply to any of the UC's, you must satisfy the subject, scholarship and examination requirements to be eligible to apply.

Subject Requirements (A-G Requirements)

The A-G Requirements are a series of subjects and courses that must be completed. 

ALL COURSES MUST BE COMPLETED WITH A GRADE OF "C" OR BETTER.

A. History/Social Science – 2 years required. Two years of history/social science, including one year of world history, one year of U.S. history, or Principles of American Democracy.

B. English – 4 years required.  Four years of college-preparatory English that includes frequent and regular writing, and reading of classic and modern literature. 

C. Mathematics – 3 years required, 4 years recommended. Three years of college-preparatory mathematics that includes topics covered in elementary and advanced algebra and two- and three-dimensional geometry. Approved integrated math courses may be used to fulfill part or this entire requirement.

D. Laboratory Science – 2 years required, 3 years recommended: Two years of laboratory science providing fundamental knowledge in at least two of these three foundational subjects: biology, chemistry and physics.

E. Language Other than English – 2 years required, 3 years recommended: Two years of the same language other than English.

F. Visual and Performing Arts – 1 year required: A single yearlong approved arts course from a single VPA discipline: dance, drama/theater, music or visual art.

G. College-Preparatory Electives – 1 year required: One year (two semesters), in addition to those required in "a-f" above, chosen from the following areas: visual and performing arts, history, social science, English, advanced mathematics, laboratory science and language other than English (a third year in the language used for the "e" requirement or two years of another language).

Scholarship Requirement

Students must earn a minimum grade point average of a 3.0 in the A-G courses taken during the 10th and 11th grade in order to be eligible to apply to the UC's. 

 Examination Requirement

Students applying for admission must submit either the SAT Reasoning or ACT w/Writing Component test scores

CSU (California State University) Requirements

CSU Campuses:  Maritime, Pomona, San Luis Obispo, Bakersfield, Channel Islands, Chico, Dominguez Hills, East Bay, Fullerton, Fresno, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Monterey Bay, Northridge, Sacramento, San Bernardino, San Marcos, Stanislaus, Humboldt, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, Sonoma

Subject Requirements – (A-G Requirements)

The A-G Requirements are a series of subjects and courses that must be completed.

ALL COURSES MUST BE COMPLETED WITH A GRADE OF "C" OR BETTER.

 A. History/Social Science – 2 years required. Two years of history/social science, including one year of world history, one year of U.S. history, or Principles of American Democracy.

B. English – 4 years required.  Four years of college-preparatory English that includes frequent and regular writing, and reading of classic and modern literature. 

C. Mathematics – 3 years required, 4 years recommended. Three years of college-preparatory mathematics that includes topics covered in elementary and advanced algebra and two- and three-dimensional geometry. Approved integrated math courses may be used to fulfill part or this entire requirement.

D. Laboratory Science – 2 years required, 3 years recommended: Two years of laboratory science providing fundamental knowledge in at least two of these three foundational subjects: biology, chemistry and physics.

E. Language Other than English – 2 years required, 3 years recommended: Two years of the same language other than English.

F. Visual and Performing Arts – 1 year required: A single yearlong approved arts course from a single VPA discipline: dance, drama/theater, music or visual art.

G. College-Preparatory Electives – 1 year required: One year (two semesters), in addition to those required in "a-f" above, chosen from the following areas: visual and performing arts, history, social science, English, advanced mathematics, laboratory science and language other than English (a third year in the language used for the "e" requirement or two years of another language).

Grade Point Average Requirement

Students must earn a minimum grade point average of a 2.0 in the A-G courses taken during the 10th and 11th grade in order to be eligible to apply to the CSU's.

Examination Requirement

Students applying for admission must submit either SAT Reasoning or ACT w/Writing Component scores

Private Colleges

Private schools typically have the same subject requirements as the UC's and the CSU's.  However some schools and programs/majors within that school may require additional classes or test scores.  Check with the individual school for specific admissions requirements. 

Private colleges do require specific supplementary documents as part of the application:

Official Transcript – List of official high school grades and courses

Teacher Recommendation – Typically you should ask teachers from an academic class you did well in to write you a letter of recommendation. Don't forget to supply the envelope, stamps, and necessary recommendation forms.

Secondary School Report/Counselor Recommendation – Typically this form is filled out by the College Counselor. 

NOTE:  When asking for Teacher Recommendations and Secondary School Reports, give your teachers and counselors at least 2 weeks notice before the deadline

College Applications

Most colleges and universities no longer use paper applications and instead use some form of online application. I have included below three of the most common online applications.

This link will take you directly to the online UC application:

http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/admissions/undergrad_adm/apply/apply_online.html

This link will take you directly to the online CSU application: http://www.csumentor.org/AdmissionApp/

This link will take you directly to the online Common Application: https://www.commonapp.org/CommonApp/default.aspx