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If you’re aspiring to go to a UC or a CSU, it’s important to keep a close eye to make sure you’re going to meet all of the A-G Requirements.

When I was in high school, the counselors drilled all of them into us, so that by the time we were in our sophomore year, we knew them by heart. However, I know that not all schools do this, and some may not even have heard of them at all. The A-G Requirements are basically an addition to your high school’s graduation requirements. They require you to take so many years of each subject and to pass.

Chances are you’re already doing a lot of work to prepare yourself for college and to look great for your applications, but it can be very easy to miss one or two essential requirements, disqualifying you from eligibility from both sets of schools.

What are the A-G Requirements?

The A-G requirements are as follows:

1. Two years of social science/history class.
2. Four years of English
3. Three years of math, although four are recommended.
4. Two years of lab science, three being recommended.
5. Two years of a foreign language. Three are recommended. You must use the same language, so you can’t take one year of Spanish, then one of German, and expect it to count.
6. One year of visual/performing arts.
7. One college prep elective. Basically, take another year of something on this list beyond what you’re required to take.

There are some slight stipulations about what classes you can take. If you follow the typical college prep path through high school, you should be fine, but to be safe, you should check out the UC’s webpage for the A-G Requirements.

Remember, you need to pass these classes. Although most high schools consider a pass to be a D or higher, UCs and CSUs will not consider you to have passed the class unless you earn a C or higher. This is a pretty big deal — you may earn a D one semester, and even though your high school gave you credit for your class, you still will be missing one semester when it comes time to apply.

What do I do if I’m missing a class?

Hopefully, you’re looking at that list and not seeing any red flags. Hopefully, you’ve taken (or are taking) all the classes you need and have passed with a C or higher. But if you haven’t, you need to take the classes you haven’t and/or retake the classes you haven’t.

If you’re a senior, you know that time is short. Whether you’re missing a semester or a whole year of a class, do your best to switch into it next semester, provided you don’t switch out of another class you need. Talk to your counsellor as soon as possible to arrange a switch. If you’re missing a full year, I believe you can make it up in summer school. On your UC/CSU applications, you will have to indicate this to show that you are planning to still fulfill the requirement. The best thing you can do is to meet with your counsellor immediately to try to work something out.

If you’re below a junior or younger, you’re in luck. Simply try to arrange to take the classes next year so that your schedule stays in line with the CSU/UC requirements. If you’re missing too much already, you may have to go to summer school in order to make up what you need.