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List of A-G Courses

Students studying on the hill at Scripps Cottage.

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.