List of A-G Courses

As a first-time freshman applicant, you must complete, with letter grades of C- or higher, the 15-unit comprehensive pattern of college preparatory courses.
A–G | Subject | Years | Specifications |
---|---|---|---|
A | Social Science | 2 years required | Must include one year of U.S. history and government. |
B | English | 4 years required | Acceptable courses must include substantial reading of classic/modern literature and writing of structured papers. Elective courses do not fulfill the English requirement. |
C | Mathematics | 3 years required; 4 recommended |
Acceptable courses include algebra I, algebra II, geometry, and other advanced courses that require algebra and geometry as prerequisites. Computer programming courses do not fulfill the math subject requirement. |
D | Laboratory Science | 2 years required; 3 recommended |
Must include one year of biological science and one year of physical science. Both must have a laboratory component. |
E | Foreign Language | 2 years required | Must be the same language. (Subject to waiver for applicants demonstrating equivalent competence.) |
F | Visual and Performing Arts | 1 year required | Must be a year-long visual and performing arts course selected from visual art, dance, drama/theatre, or music. May complete two semester-long courses from the same discipline. |
G | Electives | 1 year required | College preparatory courses selected from the areas listed above or other approved college preparatory A–G courses. |
CSU Minimum Freshman Eligibility
First-time freshmen must meet the following eligibility requirements:
- be a high school graduate or equivalent;
- complete the 15-unit comprehensive A-G pattern of college preparatory course; and
- earn a qualifying A-G grade point average (GPA) in one of the following ways:
- Meet at least a 2.5 GPA or greater for California residents and graduates of a California high school or with special consideration residents with a high school GPA between 2.00 and 2.49 from a California high school may be considered based on supplemental factors; OR
- Meet at least a 3.0 or greater for non-California residents and graduates of a non-California high school or with special consideration non-residents earning a GPA between 2.47 and 2.99 from a non-California high school may be considered based on supplemental factors; AND
- Have or will have completed 15 year-long college preparatory courses with a grade of “C-” or better upon graduation from high school.
Please note that the minimum GPA requirements for CSU eligibility are listed above. SDSU is an impacted campus with a competitive applicant pool, so the high school GPA for admitted students is between 3.65-4.03.