Explaining the A-G Requirements for College Admissions

The University of California (UC) and California State University (CSU) require entering freshmen to complete certain courses in high school. These courses are called the "a-g" courses because of the letter each subject area is assigned: "a" is for History/Social Science, "b" is for English, and so on. To receive "a-g" credit, a high school course must be certified through the UC course approval process and a student must receive a C- or better in the course.

Here is the list of "a-g", with the number of years required in each subject. UC recommends additional years in some areas as indicated.

1. History/Social Science (2 years)*                                                                                
2. English - College Preparatory English Composition and Literature (4 years)
3. Mathematics  - (3 years at least through Int. Math III, CSU and UC recommend 4 years)
4. Laboratory Science - 1 year of Biological Science and 1 year of Physical Science (2 years, UC recommends 3 years)
5. Language Other than English (2 years of the same language, UC recommends 3 years)
6. Visual/Performing Arts - (1 year)
7. College Preparatory Elective (1 year) * Redlands High School graduation requires 3 years of History/Social Sciences and students applying to schools in Texas are advised to take 4 years.

Students must earn a grade of C- or better for each course to meet the subject area requirement. Note that any course earned with a D or F may be repeated. Other than repeating a course, some courses may be satisfied through validation. Validation is when a student satisfies a requirement for a particular course by successfully completing more advanced coursework. This only applies in the following situations:

Validation of a Math, Language, or Chemistry Course:

• Math: Earning a grade of C- or better in the first semester of Int. Math II can replace both semesters of Int. Math I. Earning a grade of C- or better in Trigonometry or Pre-calculus validates the entire high school college preparatory requirement.
• Language Other than English (LOTE): Earning a grade of C- or better in a second semester of a higher-level course replaces a lower-level course. A higher-level LOTE course can replace the appropriate number of years based on the level. A college course can replace a high school LOTE course. The level of validation, or replacement, depends on the college course prerequisite and description.
• Chemistry: Earning a grade of C- or better in the second semester of Chemistry will replace the first semester.

This is a list of all Redlands High School course a-g approved:  RHS a-g Approved Courses