Admission by exam

Our admission guidelines are designed to ensure you are well-prepared to succeed at UC.

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

1.  Complete 15 A-G courses (11 of them by end of junior year)

You need to complete a minimum of 15 college-preparatory courses (A-G courses) with a letter grade of C or better. For courses completed during the 2020 winter, spring or summer terms, UC will also accept a grade of pass/credit. You must complete at least 11 of these courses prior to the beginning of your last year of high school.

The 15 courses are:

2. 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.

Learn how to calculate the UC freshman GPA »

Option to submit SAT/ACT test scores

Freshman applicants for fall 2021-2022 have the option to submit SAT/ACT scores with their application. Applicants will not be penalized in the admission review process if they don't submit SAT/ACT scores. We 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 9 percent of California high school students, according to our admissions index, or
• You rank in the top 9 percent of your graduating class at a participating high school. We refer to this as "Eligible in the Local Context" (ELC).