UC Transcript Requirements

My freshman year of high school, I didn’t do so well and got an F in a class, this class was an elective therefore I couldn’t drop it and retake it during the summer. I was wondering whether I am still eligible to apply for admissions to the UC system? Since then, my grades have been on an upwards curve and I achieved a 4.17 gpa last semester. I saw something about how UCs won’t allow you to apply with anything lower than a C on your transcript, is there something I can do to fix it or did I read that information incorrectly?

  1. What elective course did you fail? Was it an a-g course requirement? Have you met all a-g course requirements even with the failed class?

  2. There is no rule that you cannot apply to any UC with a D or F grade as long as you fulfill the a-g course requirements.

  3. UC’s only use 10-11th grades for their GPA calculation so your F will not impact the GPA. You still have to report the F on the UC application but if you meet all the UC requirements at time of application, then you should be fine.

“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.” - UC Admissions

This means that if your F was in an A-G course (Math, Science, History, English, Language, Visual Arts, and College Prep) you may not be eligible for admission to a UC. For more clarification, the best thing you can do is email one of the UC admissions offices with your situation and question and they will give you the most accurate answer.

If the F grade course was one needed to meet the required minimum courses for the a-g requirements, and it was not validated by a higher level course (for foreign language and some math courses).

There needs to be more detail about what course this was and what other courses in the same a-g category the OP has passed with C or higher grades.

Hi! Thanks for responding so quickly. This course was Intro to Health Careers and I have done 2 more courses under college prep(Intro to Engineering Design-Passed with a B, and Video Production-Passed with a B)

Awesome I will definitely do that! Thanks for responding!

It was Intro to Health Careers, I got a C the second semester for that class, however I believe I have met all the A-G course requirements without considering this class. Thank you so much for responding so quickly!

According to the UCOP a-g course list, Intro to Health Careers fits into G course requirement (College Prep). If you have another course that meets this G Category requirement, then you are fine.

You can find all the courses that meet the UC a-g course requirements for your specific HS by using the link below if you are a CA resident:

You do have to meet the A-G requirements but, most of the UC’s focus is on your grades earned in grades 10 and 11. So, a few bad marks freshman year isn’t going to rule you out of most of the UCs.

I don’t know your capped UCGPA so, I’ll add, if it’s under 4.0, most of the UCs are going to be a reach. Apply to all that interest you but, you should probably broaden your perspective and also apply to several CSUs .

If you’ll share your UCCPA, other qualifications, budged and interests, we can help you target a few schools that are likely to admit you.

good luck

Hi, so I met all the A-G requirements even without that class, and my UCGPA(Weighted/Capped) is a 4.14, unweighted is a 3.85 I believe, I am interning for a real estate agent(started in January 2021), I volunteered as an assistant coach for kids at a gym(60-70 hrs), I played Lacrosse every year of high school(except Junior year because of pandemic), I am doing a job during the summer(not sure if that really helps), and I am taking my SAT in March(not really sure if they’ll consider it this year, but I plan on taking it regardless), I will most likely score a 1450-1500(I’m scoring around 1500-1530 on practice exams). Also I do plan to apply to SJSU and SDSU, not sure what other CSU’s to apply to. I plan to apply for Business Administration/Finance. My dream right now is probably UCI/UCSB. Also I am a resident of California. Thanks so much for responding!

So, I think I should be fine then. Thanks so much for responding!

Despite a rough start, you have done quite well and should be proud of your record so far.

I’d say you are a match for both UCI and UCSB - but, they are both really selective so, far from a sure thing. SDSU and SJSU are both pretty likely to admit you. Since Biz is your focus, I’d add UCR, CSULB, CPSLO and Chico as having very solid Biz programs and worthy of aps.

CPSLO is probably a coin toss but, the others are likely admits. IMHO - at this stage, more options is better than fewer. You can rule out your least favorites later.

Good luck!

UCSB does not have a Business school nor a Business Admin/Financemajor. They offer Economics and Econ with Accounting. I agree that you should add UCR for their Business Admin major and consider Cal state Fullerton along with the other Cal states mentioned by @NCalRent.

For a Reach school, I would apply to UCB if you continue to do well Junior year.

The UC’s have not made a determination on if they are going test optional or test blind for the next admission cycle along with the Cal states so continue to prep for the SAT.