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Graduation Requirements

Graduation Requirements

  1. Religion: 8 Semesters | 40 Credits
  2. English: 8 Semesters | 40 Credits
  3. Social Studies: 6 Semesters | 30 Credits
  4. Mathematics: 6 Semesters | 30 Credits
  5. Science: 6 Semesters | 30 Credits
  6. World Language: 4 Semesters | 20 Credits
  7. Visual/Performing Arts: 2 Semesters | 10 Credits
  8. P.E.: 3 Semesters | 15 Credits
  9. Health: 1 Semester | 5 Credits
  10. Electives: 8 Semesters | 40 Credits
  • 260 Total Credits
  • History of Good Character & Citizenship
  • Participation in a "Day of Recollection" during EACH year of attendance

UC/CSU "A-G" Requirements

What are "A-G" Requirements?

These are the minimum 15 college preparatory high school courses required to be eligible to apply to the University of California or the California State University systems (Click the UC/CSU Comparison Chart PDF at the bottom of this page for more information). UC campuses require that you complete 11 of these requirements by the end of your 11th grade year.

The 15 "A-G" courses are:

  1. History/social science (2 years)
  2. English (4 years)
  3. Mathematics (3 years, 4 Recommended)
  4. Laboratory science (2 years, 3 Recommended)
  5. Language other than English (2 years, 3 Recommended)
  6. Visual and performing arts (1 year)
  7. College-preparatory elective (1 year) (advanced course from subjects above or a "g" elective approved by the university)

Please review the Admissions Requirements below and note that competitive colleges, like the UC's and CSU's, want to see students challenge themselves in high school. Strive to go beyond the minimum requirements. Students who are accepted to highly competitive schools (e.g., UCLA, UC Berkeley, Cal Poly Pomona, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo) often take the most challenging courses, such as Advanced Placement (AP) classes, at their high school.

Grades Matter
From 9th grade on, you should strive to earn A's and B's but nothing lower than C's in all of your college prep courses. Remember that the higher your GPA and college test scores, the better your chances are for being admitted to the university of your choice. Please read the Guidelines for Repeating a Course for more details and create a plan to make up your D or F grades with your counselor.

University of California Admissions (Apply November 1 thru November 30)

If you're interested in entering the University of California as a freshman, you'll have to satisfy these requirements:

  • Complete a minimum of 15 college-preparatory courses (A-G courses), with at least 11 finished prior to the beginning of your senior year.
  • Earn a grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or better (3.4 if you're a nonresident) in these courses with no grade lower than a C. Students who are accepted typically have GPA's well above a 3.0.
  • Meet the examination requirement by taking the ACT Plus Writing or the SAT Reasoning Test by December of your senior year. UC's don't require SAT Subject Tests, but certain programs on some campuses recommend them, and you can use subject tests to satisfy the "a-g" requirements listed above.

California Students:

  • If you're a state resident who has met the minimum requirements and aren't admitted to any UC campus to which you apply, you'll be offered a spot at another campus if space is available, provided:
  • You rank in the top nine percent of California high school students, according to our admissions index, or You rank in the top nine percent of your graduating class at a participating high school. We refer to this as "Eligible in the Local Context" (ELC). Please see your counselor for details.

California State University Admissions (Apply October 1 thru November 30)

It is easy to understand the California State University admission requirements for California residents. Admission offices at the 23 campuses use three factors to determine eligibility.

Most applicants who are admitted meet the standards in each of the following areas:

  1. Specific high school courses (See "A-G" Requirements above)
  2. Grades in "A-G" courses (minimum 2.0 GPA is required but CSU campuses typically admit students with GPA's well above 2.0) and SAT or ACT test scores
  3. Graduation from high school

Many CSU campuses have higher standards for particular majors or for students who live outside the local admission area. Because of the number of students who apply, several campuses have higher standards (supplementary admission criteria) for all applicants.

CSU Local Admission Guarantee

Many CSU campuses use local admission guarantee policies for students who graduate or transfer from high schools and community colleges that are historically served by a CSU campus in that region. To review the CSU Local Admission Areas for each campus click here and locate the Local Admission and Service Area document. Local Admission Guarantee is based on the Eligibility Index for California Residents, a calculation that includes your GPA (based on the A-G Requirements) and SAT or ACT test scores. Please see your counselor for specific details.