SAN DIEGO & IMPERIAL COUNTIES
Cal-SOAP
College Admission Requirements for Freshmen Applicants
High School GPA
Calculate GPA using only "a-g" approved courses taken after the 9th grade: All "a-g" courses and grades must be reported. The UC or CSU GPA used when determining admission only includes grades for classes in Grades 10 and 11. Remember, GPA calculation is different from a-g requirements.
What about senior year grades? You will have your registrar submit a final transcript at the end of senior year. Colleges reserve the right to revoke your acceptance if you earn any Ds or Fs senior year or if you have a significant drop in GPA.
A-G Requirements
15 year long college-prep courses (credits/units) required with a grade of "C" or better from the approved "a-g" list. To compare UC and CSU, go here.
Honors Courses
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Advanced Placement
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International Baccalaureate (IB)
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UC Certified-Honors Courses
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College (A-G Transferable) Courses
The grades in these courses are assigned extra points: "A" = 5, "B" = 4, "C" = 3. You do not get an extra grade point for a "D" or "F" grade. To see which courses are approved for your school, go here.
A maximum of 8 extra points are allowed for approved honors courses. A maximum of 2 of these units (two semesters) can be completed in the 10th grade.
Entrance Test Scores
ACT or SAT Fee waivers are available for low-income students. Check with your high school counselor.
If you are testing, make sure your campus of choice receives an official copy of your test results directly from the ACT or the College Board after self-reporting on your college application.
CSU:
The California State University (CSU) will temporarily suspend the use of ACT/SAT examinations in determining admission eligibility for all CSU campuses. This temporary change of admission eligibility applies only for the high school graduating classes of 2021 and 2022. Will SAT/ACT be required for Class of 2023 and younger for CSU Admission? TBD
UC:
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Fall 2021 and Fall 2022 Applicants: UC will not consider SAT or ACT test scores when making admissions decisions or awarding Regents and Chancellor’s scholarships. If you choose to submit test scores as part of your application, they may be used to determine your eligibility for the California statewide admissions guarantee, as an alternative method of fulfilling minimum requirements for eligibility or for course placement after you enroll. Link
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Fall 2023 and Fall 2024 Applicants: UC San Diego policy is TBD, but will be most likely be SATACT-blind. The campus will not consider test scores in admission selection for California public and independent high school applicants.
Community Colleges:
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Do not require an SAT/ACT for admissions. If SAT or ACT scores are submitted, they can be used for course placement purposes.
Private/Indendent University:
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Varies by university. Check with your university of choice
Entrance Test Scores
Some CSU campuses receive more applications during the filing period than can be accommodated and are designated impacted campuses. Check with each campus of choice to determine if a more selective admissions criteria for admission at these campuses will be used. There may also be an additional application process for a campus that admits by major.
Validation of "D" or "F" Grades in Required Courses and Validation of Subject Omission by Other Courses
Mathematics
Can I skip a math course if I pass a higher-level math course?
A letter grade of C or better in the second semester of Geometry will validate the first semester. A letter grade of C or better in the first semester of Algebra II validates both semesters of Algebra I. A letter grade of C or better in Statistics will validate Algebra I and Algebra II, but will not validate Geometry. Integrated style Math 2 will be accepted in lieu of a geometry course.
CSU: A letter grade of C or better in the second semester of an area C course with a discipline of Advanced Mathematics on the A-G website validates the entire high school college preparatory requirement.
UC: The omission of a full year of geometry cannot be validated by any higher-level coursework. A letter grade of C or better in Integrated style Math 3 which includes geometry content validates the omission of Integrated style Math 2. Refer to UC’s Validation Matrix in Quick Reference Guide to UC Admissions.
What if I get a "D" or "F" in a math course?
Courses in which grades of D/F are earned may be validated in the area of Math by successful completion of higher-level coursework, including D/F grades in Geometry.
Language Other Than English
-A grade of "C" or better in the 2nd semester of a year long course will validate a "D" or "F" in the 1st semester.
-A grade of "C" of better in a higher level course will validate a lower level course.
-A higher level LOTE course can validate the appropriate number of years based on the level.
A letter grade of C or better in a semester of a higher-level course validates a lower-level course. A higher-level LOTE course can validate the appropriate number of years based on the level. A college course can validate high school LOTE courses. The level of validation depends on the college course prerequisite and description. For courses offered at a California Community College refer to ASSIST and look for the footnote indicating the course is equivalent to two years of high school instruction.
Courses in which grades of D/F are earned may be validated in the area Language Other Than English (LOTE) by successful completion of higher-level coursework. For UC, refer to the Validation Matrix in Quick Reference Guide to UC Admissions.
Chemistry
CSU: A grade of "C" or better in the 2nd semester will validate a "D" in the 1st semester.
UC: UC does not validate Chemistry or any other science.
"D" or "F" Grade Validation of Subject Requirements and Electives
A "D" grade in English, History/Social Science, Laboratory Science, or Visual and Performing Arts cannot be validated by subsequent coursework. Course must be repeated.
Validation of Subject Requirements by Test Scores
Subject omissions in required a-g courses may be satisfied with appropriate test scores on SAT, SAT Subject Tests, Advanced Placement exams, and designated International Baccalaureate exams. A list of acceptable tests and scores is available on the CSU website; for UC, refer to Quick Reference Guide to UC Admissions. For UC, the omission of a course in Geometry cannot be validated by any examination score.
Repeated Courses
The best grade will be used in the GPA calculation.
CSU: Required A-G courses must be completed with a grade of C or better. Any course may be repeated with the exact same course. There is no limitation on the number of times a course can be repeated.
UC: Required A-G courses must be completed with a letter grade of C or better. Courses with D/F grades may be repeated. There is no limitation on the number of times a course can be repeated. Repeated courses can have the same or similarly named course titles (e.g., English 9 or English 1). The first instance of a letter grade C or better will be used in the GPA calculation