UC Admissions

University of California (UC)

Freshman Admission

You are considered a freshman applicant if you are still in high school or have graduated from high school but have not enrolled in a regular session at any college or university.

There are three paths to eligibility for freshmen:
Eligibility in the Statewide Context Students must complete specific coursework and college admissions tests and earn the required GPA and test scores.  This is the path most California students take to enter the University. To be eligible through this path, you must earn a high school diploma or equivalency and satisfy the three requirements no later than your high school graduation for minimum eligibility:

  1. The Subject Requirement specifies the 15 yearlong academic courses you must complete in high school.

  2. The Examination Requirement specifies the college admissions tests you must take.

  3. The Scholarship Requirement is the combination of GPA and standardized test scores you must attain.

Eligibility in the Local Context (ELC) Students must rank in the top 4 percent of their graduating class at a participating California high school. The Eligibility in the Local Context (ELC) program recognizes students' individual accomplishments in light of the opportunities offered by their particular high schools. If you rank in the top 4 percent of students in your California high school's graduating class as determined by UC, and your high school participates in the program, you can become UC-eligible through ELC.  Visit http://www.ucop.edu/sas/elc/ for more information.

Eligibility by Examination Alone Students must achieve specified high scores on their college admissions tests.  You may qualify for admission to the University by earning high scores on the ACT Assessment plus Writing or SAT Reasoning Test, and two SAT Subject Tests.

Because many campuses receive applications from more eligible students than they have space for, meeting the minimum requirements for any of these paths may not be enough to gain you admission to the campus of your choice. When you are considering where to apply, you can learn more about how each campus selects students from the pool of eligible applicants and who is admitted.

For more information about UC for both students and parents, explore the following links:

The UC Family: Students and Parents
Are You Eligible for UC?
Introducing the University

A-G Subject Requirement
To satisfy this requirement, you must complete the 15 yearlong high school courses listed below. These courses are also known as the "a-g" subjects. At least seven of the 15 yearlong courses must be taken in your last two years of high school.  The courses you take to fulfill the Subject Requirement must be certified by the University as meeting the requirement and must be included on the LBHS UC-approved certified course list which is available at http://www.ucop.edu/doorways/list

Years Required

a. HISTORY/SOCIAL SCIENCE    Two (2) years of history/social science, including one year of world history, cultures and geography; and one year of U.S. history or one-half year of U.S. history and one-half year of civics or American government.
b. ENGLISH    Four (4) years of college-preparatory English that include frequent and regular writing, and reading of classic and modern literature. No more than one year of ESL-type courses can be used to meet this requirement.
c. MATHEMATICS    Three years (3) of college-preparatory mathematics that include the topics covered in elementary and advanced algebra and two- and three-dimensional geometry. Approved integrated math courses may be used to fulfill part or all of this requirement, as may math courses taken in the seventh and eighth grades that your high school accepts as equivalent to its own math courses.
d. LABORATORY SCIENCE    Two (2) years of laboratory science providing fundamental knowledge in at least two of these three foundational subjects: biology, chemistry and physics. Advanced laboratory science classes that have biology, chemistry or physics as prerequisites and offer substantial additional material may be used to fulfill this requirement, as may the final two years of an approved three-year integrated science program that provides rigorous coverage of at least two of the three foundational subjects.
e. LANGUAGE OTHER THAN ENGLISH    Two (2) years of the same language other than English. Courses should emphasize speaking and understanding, and include instruction in grammar, vocabulary, reading, composition and culture. Courses in languages other than English taken in the seventh and eighth grades may be used to fulfill part of this requirement if your high school accepts them as equivalent to its own courses.
f. VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS    A single (1) yearlong approved arts course from a single VPA discipline: dance, drama/theater, music or visual art.
g. COLLEGE PREPARATORY ELECTIVES    One year (two semesters), in addition to those required in "a-f" above, chosen from the following areas: visual and performing arts (non-introductory level courses), 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
To determine your eligibility, the University calculates your GPA in the "a-g" subjects by assigning point values to the grades you earn, totaling the points and dividing the total by the number of "a-g" courses. Points are assigned as follows: A=4 points, B=3 points, C=2 points, D=1 point, and F=0 points. (Pluses and minuses are not calculated in the grade point average.)

Only the grades you earn in "a-g" subjects in the 10th and 11th grades - including summer sessions - are used to calculate your preliminary GPA. Courses you took in ninth grade can be used to meet the Subject Requirement if you earned a grade of C or better, but they will not be used to calculate your GPA.

Honors Courses
The University assigns extra points for up to eight semesters of University-certified honors-level and Advanced Placement courses taken in the last three years of high school: A=5 points, B=4 points, C=3 points. No more than two yearlong UC-approved honors level courses taken in the 10th grade may be given extra points. A grade of D in an honors or advanced placement course does not earn extra points.

The courses must be in the following "a-g" subjects: history/social science, English, advanced mathematics, laboratory science, language other than English, and visual and performing arts. Also, they must be certified as honors courses by the University. In these subjects, as well as in computer science, acceptable honors-level courses include Advanced Placement courses, Higher Level and designated Standard Level International Baccalaureate courses, and college courses that are transferable to the University.

D and F Grades
For freshman applicants, a grade of C or better is required to fulfill a subject requirement. D and F grades are not acceptable and must be cleared by repeating a class, completing advanced work in the same subject area of sequential knowledge (math or language other than English) or attaining certain minimum scores on SAT, AP or IB examinations.

There is no limit to the number of repeated courses applicants may present, but each course can be repeated only once. The University of California does not accept Pass/Fail grades for freshman admission.
If a student repeats a course used to satisfy the "a-g" requirements in which he or she originally earned a grade of C or higher, the repeated grade will not be used in calculating the GPA.