College Admissions
California College Systems
California has a three-tiered system of colleges and universities.
1. University of California- UC
Grade Point Average Requirement
Students must earn a minimum grade point average in the A-G courses taken during the 10th and 11th grade in order to be eligible to apply to the UC's.
- Minimum GPA = 3.0 (but average incoming Freshman GPA is MUCH higher)
Examination Requirement
SAT is no longer required and is not considered for UC admissions.
2. California State University- CSU
Grade Point Average Requirement
Students must earn a minimum grade point average in the A-G courses taken during the 10th and 11th grade in order to be eligible to apply to the CSUs.
- Minimum GPA = 2.5 (some exceptions apply)
Examination Requirement
- SAT has been suspended as a requirement for admission to UC beginning with the graduating class of 2020.
Cal State Apply (online application for all CSU schools)
- Bakersfield
- California Maritime Academy
- Channel Islands
- Chico
- Dominguez Hills
- Fresno
- Fullerton
- Hayward
- Humboldt
- Long Beach
- Los Angeles
- Monterey Bay
- Northridge
- Sacramento
- San Bernardino
- San Diego
- San Francisco
- San Jose
- San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly)
- San Marcos
- Sonoma
- Stanislaus
There are 109 community colleges in the state of California, and they are open to all students. No college admissions exams are needed to attend community college.
Community Colleges are flexible and offer the following:
- Workforce Training
- Basic Skills Education
- Personal Enrichment
- Lifelong Learning
- High School Academic Enrichment
- Transfer to four-year colleges
- Certificates in specialized trades or careers
- Associate of Arts or Associate of Science degrees
Classes at California community colleges are fairly inexpensive.
In addition to the California College System, Private Colleges and Out of State Schools are an option. If considering out of state schools, you will incur an out of state fee at most public institutions.
Private Colleges
(ex: USC, LMU, Stanford, Pepperdine, Harvard, Yale, etc.)
Private schools typically have the same subject requirements as the UCs and the CSUs. However, some schools and programs/majors within that school may require more classes or more test scores.
Most private colleges use the Common App. https://www.commonapp.org/
Private colleges do require specific supplementary documents as part of the application:
- Official Transcript - List of official high school grades and courses; Request these from the Counseling Office.
- Teacher/Counselor 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. This year I will be completing these forms online if you are using the "Common Application".
*****When asking for Teacher Recommendations and Secondary School Reports, give your teachers and counselors at least 2 weeks notice before the deadline**