Skip to main content
Educational Services » A-G Requirements

A-G Requirements

What are “A-G” requirements?

One of the things that makes the public higher education systems in California the best in the world is the high standards that UCs and CSUs require for admission.  The University of California (UC) and California State University (CSU) require entering freshmen to complete certain courses in high school,  commonly known as the "A-G requirements" because of the letter each subject area is assigned:

 

  1. A. History/Social Science - 2+ years including 1 of World,  1 of U.S. and/or Government
  2. B. English - 4 years of college preparatory English
  3. C. Mathematics - 3+ years of including  topics covered in basic and advanced algebra and two-and three-dimensional geometry
  4. D. Laboratory Science - 2+ years of laboratory science in at least 2 of the 3 disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics
  5. E. Language Other than English - 2+ years of the same language (other than English)
  6. F. Visual/Performing Arts - 1+ years of dance, music, or visual arts.
  7. G. College Preparatory Elective - 1+ years (additional year of any requirement above or other elective)

 

To receive “A-G” credit, a high school course must be certified through the UC course approval process. To be considered for admission to a UC or CSU, high school students must take a minimum of 15 UC approved college preparatory classes. Students must earn a minimum of a “C” grade in the A-G courses in order for the course to count towards meeting the requirement. To be eligible for admission to a University of California campus, students must also earn a grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or better in these courses. A barrier is the grade of ‘D’ for which a student gets credit toward high school graduation but not toward the A-G requirements.