uc application coursework other than a g

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I'm working on my UC application, and I've taken some courses that don't fit neatly into the categories they provide. How should I include this coursework in my application? Is there a section for 'other' or additional courses?

Adding non-specified coursework in your UC application can be a bit confusing since the categories provided may not perfectly incorporate the type of course you took. However, there is a way to include these unique courses in your application.

First, under the 'Academic History' section, you'll find a subsection labelled 'A-G Courses.' Although UC applications are designed around the a-g course requirements, there is a category designated "G: College-Preparatory Electives" where you can include any non-specified coursework that might still be considered college-preparatory in nature.

If your course doesn't fit into any of the A-G categories, you can use the 'Additional Comments' box within the same 'Academic History' section to provide context for these courses. Make sure to include the course name, where you took it, its length, and what you learned from the course. Emphasize how the course contributed to your academic development and any special circumstances surrounding it.

Additionally, you may describe any unique or non-specified coursework in the 'Activities and Awards' section, particularly if the course was part of an extracurricular program or a special interest pursued outside of school.

Remember that any course you list should have academic value and relevance to your college education. Make sure to explain its significance and demonstrate its impact on your overall educational experience in your UC application. This will help college admissions officers understand the value and relevance of the coursework you've completed outside the traditional categories.

About CollegeVine’s Expert FAQ

CollegeVine’s Q&A seeks to offer informed perspectives on commonly asked admissions questions. Every answer is refined and validated by our team of admissions experts to ensure it resonates with trusted knowledge in the field.

First-year requirements

UC's minimum admission requirements are comprised of a subject and a GPA requirement, and they represent the minimum academic standards students must attain to be considered for admission as a first year.

Applicants should be reminded that admission to the University of California is competitive, and most applicants present more than the minimum requirements when applying for admission.

Please be aware that only the math and language other than English requirements may be met with coursework completed in 7th and/or 8th grade. All other subject requirements must be completed during 9th-12th grade.

Subject requirement

First-year applicants are required to complete a minimum of 15 yearlong A-G courses with a letter grade of C or better in grades 9-12. Seven of these courses must be taken in the last two years of high school. Students must complete:

Eleven A-G courses must be completed prior to the 12th grade/last year of high school/secondary school. No particular course pattern is required for this review.

A specific 11-course pattern is required for consideration in UC's Eligibility in the Local Context (ELC) program and must be completed prior to the beginning of 12th grade. Courses completed during summer after 11th grade will be considered. Although a minimum of 11 courses are required for admissions consideration, completion of at least the full 15 yearlong college-preparatory required courses will be expected of all students by the end of their senior year.

Learn more about UC's Subject Requirements

GPA requirement

In order to be considered for admission, applicants must have earned a minimum GPA of 3.0 (3.4 for nonresidents) in all A-G courses completed in grades 10 and 11, with no grade lower than a C. We award extra grade points for grades received in approved honors-level courses to a maximum of eight semesters, including no more than four semesters taken in the 10th grade.

Standardized tests (not required)

UC eliminated its standardized test requirement in 2020.

UC no longer considers SAT or ACT test scores when making admissions decisions or awarding scholarships. Test scores submitted as part of the application may be used as an alternate method of fulfilling minimum requirements for eligibility or for course placement after matriculation at UC.

Students who plan to use test scores to meet a minimum subject requirement or for course placement should take their tests no later than December of the senior year/last year prior to high school/secondary school graduation.

Students can self-report ACT and/or SAT scores in the admission application, but they must first submit the application without scores. Once the application has been submitted, the student can log back into the application to report ACT or SAT scores. If a student self-reports a test score, they should provide the official score report when they receive an offer of admission from UC.

International students

Applicants who have completed all of their secondary/high school education in a country where English is not the language of instruction must take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) examination (academic modules), or the Duolingo English Test (DET). Review the English proficiency requirement for international students »

Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, Advanced level and SAT Subject Tests

We recommend that students who complete Advanced Placement courses complete the related AP examination to demonstrate subject mastery. Similarly, International Baccalaureate scores and A level exam scores can be used to showcase academic mastery. In order to receive unit credit toward the baccalaureate degree, students must submit an official copy of their AP or IB scores or A level Statement of Results directly from the testing agency or exam board. This must be done in the summer prior to enrolling at a specific UC campus.

SAT Subject Tests were discontinued in 2021. Students who may have scores from before 2021 can submit them to meet subject requirements, but they must first submit the application without scores. Once the application has been submitted, the student can log back into the application to report SAT Subject Test scores. No UC campus or program requires SAT Subject Tests for admission selection.

High school proficiency exam

All students admitted as first years are required to earn a valid high school diploma or secondary school leaving certificate. If students do not have a high school diploma, we will accept the Certificate of Proficiency awarded by the State Board of Education upon successful completion of the California High School Proficiency Examination (CHSPE). We'll also accept proficiency examinations from other states, and the General Education Development (GED) Certificate, in place of a diploma. UC will not accept a GED from another country.

Students presenting a CHSPE or GED certificate must still meet UC's subject and GPA requirements.

UC Application: Course Work other than A-G

<p>Note:This is also posted in the colleges section</p>

<p>In the activities and Awards section; there is a bullet for Course Work other than A-G. Could one use the courses taken beyond the minimum required A-G classes to fill out this section? As an example, my son has taken five electives, and for UC’s he only needs one elective. However, all these fives electives are already listed in the High School Courses & Grades section.</p>

<p>Here are the options that my son has for the aforementioned section.</p>

<p>Option1: Additional Course work other than A-G i. Computer class at a community college ii-v Other educational programs (boy scout, city and through his clubs)</p>

<p>Option 2:Additional Course work other than A-G I. Computer class taken at a community college ii-v. Additional a-g classes he has taken at his high school beyond the minimum required; these are additional computer related classes that he had taken (his intended major in college is computer science).</p>

<p>My D thinks, Option 2 can not be used because ii-v are already included in the high school course & grades section. Is she correct? I think option 2 is Ok 2 use.</p>

<p>Please help. Thanks</p>

<p>Really, if they’re already listed, WHY would you want to list them again???</p>

<p>You have the choice of listing things that aren’t mentioned anywhere . . . and listing things you’ve already included elsewhere. To me, the choice seems obvious. Am I missing something?</p>

<p>Yes, but why would you? Why waste the time of the app reader and let them know at the same time that you can’t read and follow instructions?</p>

<p>The original list of a-g courses does not just ask for the "minimum’ does it? </p>

<p>The directions for the "Other’ section, clearly state ‘other than a-g’ do they not?</p>

<p>If a computer courses are UC transferable, they definitely goes under a-g, not “Other”. </p>

<p>btw: Boy Scouts are an EC, but not an ‘educational program’ for the purposes of this section, which is focused mostly on organized coursework. For example, several UCs host non-credit science camps for high schoolers. These go in the Other section.</p>

<p>Thank you. He has not taken any of those UC’s non-credit classes</p>

<p>Oh Dear. …He would have two empty blocks… NO work experience and NO Additional Educational Programs</p>

<p>^^not a big deal. Most kids do not have anything to add in the latter box.</p>

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The UC Application

If you’re considering applying to schools in the University of California system, you should know that they have their own, unique application. Although they don’t accept the Common Application or Coalition Application , you only have to fill out one application for all the UCs you’re interested in. This guide will walk you through the sections of the UC application that are most different from what you’ll encounter on the Common App. A detailed walkthrough of the application can be found here .

Choosing Campuses and Majors on the UC Application

When you’re filling out your UC Application, there can be a temptation to just check every box and apply to all the UC campuses . But there are some good reasons not to do that. First of all, it’s costly. There is a fee of $70 for each UC campus you apply to. And even if cost isn’t an issue, these campuses are very different—geographically, socially, academically—and it’s unlikely that you would truly be just as happy at any of them. As with all of your college applications, fit matters, and the UC admissions officers will be looking for fit with their specific campuses. For more on the differences between UC campuses, check out our guide here .

Note that if you’re applying to UC San Diego, you will also need to indicate which undergraduate colleges you’re interested in. UC San Diego is unusual in that the undergraduate colleges are not linked to majors; all undergraduates can choose any of the majors offered by the university. What’s important about your choice of college is everything else! Each college has its own campus culture, residential facilities, and even distinct general education requirements . More information on each of UC San Diego’s undergraduate colleges can be found here .

As for indicating a major , there’s a lot to consider! Most campuses will allow you to select a major and an alternate major. You can use this strategically—if your primary interest is in a major with limited enrollment that may be more difficult to get into, you can select an alternate major with more flexibility (assuming there’s one you’d genuinely be interested in).

When considering majors and alternate majors, it’s important to know that some, but not all, of the UCs admit by major; and whether they admit by major can also vary by program. UC San Diego and UC Merced seem to be the only campuses that truly do not admit by major—if your first-choice major is “capped” (meaning there is limited enrollment), you will be required to indicate an alternate that is not capped or choose “undecided.” You can be accepted to the campus without being guaranteed your major of choice.

UC Irvine and UC Riverside both admit by major across disciplines, but for the rest of the UC campuses, it depends. For the most part, at the other UCs, you’ll only be admitted by major if you choose a highly popular or competitive program. These include many STEM fields, especially engineering and computer science, as well as arts programs that would require an audition or portfolio as part of your application.

The UC Application Activities Section

If you’ve already created your Common App account, you might think the UC Activities & Awards section looks familiar. But there are important differences between the two, and it’s not enough to simply copy and paste your activities from the Common App here.

Note the different categories that the UCs list under Activities & Awards. This category includes educational programs and any coursework you took outside of high school (like a college course), as well as awards and honors—all of which would be under “Education” on the Common App.

Another big difference is how long your descriptions are allowed to be. While the Common App allows 150 characters to describe each activity, the UC Application allows up to 350 characters—more than double.

And lastly, on the UC Application, you can list up to 20 activities or awards (with no limit on how many of those fall into each category), compared to the 10 activities allowed on the Common App.

While some of these categories are fairly straightforward, others may give you pause. Here are some key tips for filling out the activities section of the UC application:

• List activities or awards in order of their importance to you, including considering where you’ve made the biggest impact.
• Educational Prep Programs tend to be community-based organizations, and the UC Application provides a dropdown list of common programs (e.g., Educational Talent Search, GEAR UP, MESA, and various study abroad programs). If you participated in a program that is not on the list, you will have the option to manually enter the information.
• Other Coursework refers to courses that don’t fall under the “A-G” categories you’ll be asked to fill in under the “Academic History” section. The UCs require that you complete (and pass) a minimum of 15 courses in seven categories, lettered A through G—History, English, Mathematics, Science, a language other than English, Visual and Performing Arts, and College Preparatory Electives.

Any coursework done outside of these categories falls under “Other Coursework.” This might include high school courses on leadership or religion or college courses you’ve taken.

UC Application Personal Insight Questions

When approaching the UC personal insight questions (PIQs), think about which prompts will give admissions officers the best sense of who you are and what you care about. Remember that you only need to answer four of them, so you should choose the prompts that are most relevant to your own experience. To make the most of your PIQs, keep this advice in mind:

• Focus on you. Whatever the question, ask yourself what you did, felt, thought, experienced, etc. If you’re describing a challenge you faced or a subject that inspires you, for example, it’s very easy to spend a lot of your essay writing about what the challenge was or what you like to study. But that doesn’t tell admissions officers much about you . What did you feel when you faced your challenge, and what concrete steps did you take to overcome it? What excites you about a particular academic subject, and how have you actively pursued it?
• Highlight impact. The prompts about leadership and community are specifically asking about your contributions, but there are other ways to make an impact as well. When writing your essays, think about where and how you made a positive difference.
• Provide depth. Some of these prompts could probably be answered by writing on topics you’ve listed in the Activities and Awards section. And that can even be a great place to look for a topic you want to say more about. But if you feel like the description you gave in that section tells most of the story, it’s probably not a good topic for a PIQ. You want topics that will let you add your perspective and showcase who you are, not just what you participated in.
• Avoid overlap. If possible, you should choose four questions that let you write about different activities, interests, or experiences. This will let you showcase more of who you are and what you do.
• Think outside the box. For example, leadership doesn’t have to mean a title, creativity doesn’t have to be artistic, and your community doesn’t have to be your school or a local organization. Leadership can be mentoring others or organizing a project or event. You can be creative in how you approach problems or make connections between ideas. And a community can be geographically diverse as long as there is mutual connection and influence within it.

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