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Higher Education

There are 4 main California systems of education you can attend after high school. Depending on your goals, you will choose one system over the other. The 4 main systems are:
  • The University of California (UC)
  • The California Sate University (CSU)
  • Private Universities
  • Community College
 

The CSU and UC Systems

Each system has it's own set of requirements for admission. There are two major admission requirements that are common among the UC and the CSU systems.
Each university in the CSU and UC system will have different standards in who they will accept. They will base their acceptance of applicants on a Eligibility Index. The index is a combination of the SAT or ACT score and GPA. You can find more information about the Eligibility Index by clicking on one of the links below:
 

CSU (Cal. State University)

CSU Logo

The California State University system is a leader in high-quality, accessible, student-focused higher education.With 23 campuses, almost 447,000 students, and 45,000 faculty and staff, the CSU system is one of the largest, most diverse, and affordable university systems in the country.

UC (University of California)

University of California
 
The University of California is a part of California’s three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University system and the California Community College System.  The UC system has 10 campuses. Today, the UC system includes more than 233,000 students and more than 190,000 faculty and staff, with more than 1.7 million alumni living and working around the world.  You can explore the University of California system’s website at:
 

Community College

Community Picture

The California Community Colleges is the largest system of higher education in the nation, with 2.1 million students attending 112 colleges.  Community colleges offer a wide range of educational offerings and many students attend community college as a transfer pathway to a CSU or UC, for workforce and career training, and to complete a certificate or degree program.
  • For a list of all California Community Colleges click here.

College Application Chart

Keeping track of the minimum requirements for each system can be confusing. Below you will find a comparison chart that can help:

 
 

CSU's

UC's

Private Colleges

Community College

Application  Cal State Apply UC Application   Common App CCC Apply 
Admission Type
Regular Decision Regular Decision
Varies
 Rolling admission
 
 
 
 
 
Minimum Application Requirements
 
 
 
  • 2.0 GPA
  • A-G Courses
  • SAT or ACT (Waived for Fall 2021)
 
  • 3.0 GPA
  • A-G Courses
  • SAT or ACT with Writing (Waived for Fall 2021 admission)
  • 4 Personal insight questions
  • SAT or ACT with Writing 
  • Personal Statement
  • 2 Teacher letter of rec.
  • School Counselor Letter of rec.
 
 
 
  • High School Diploma
  • Complete the CAP assessment
 Application Opens October 1st August 1st August 1st February
Submission Period Oct 1st - Nov 30th Nov 1st - Nov 30th Varies Rolling
 
  • Send official SAT and/or ACT scores to the University you are applying to. The counseling office does not have a record of your SAT/ACT scores. You will have to go through college board.
  • An official transcript will be required at some point during the Spring semester of your senior year
 

Are you a student, parent, or community member? Keep in touch with us: