UC/CSU Course Approval Management Portal

WEBSITE (PROGRAM OVERVIEW) | http://www.ucop.edu/agguide/
WEBSITE (PORTAL SIGN-ON) | https://hs-articulation.ucop.edu/agcmp/login
HELP DESK CONTACT INFO | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | 510-987-9570
AUTHORIZING AGENCY | Regents, University of California

California’s system of higher education is a 3-tiered system comprised of the University of California, the California State Universities, and the Community College systems.  The University of California serves an important “gatekeeper” role in the review and approval of high school courses.  Courses that are “UC/CSU” approved meet rigorous review criteria and satisfy course requirements for admissions to a California public university or college.   The UC system maintains an online portal for high schools to submit course descriptions, course syllabi, and ancillary materials for review and approval.  Courses that meet this approval are listed on the site’s website as “UC/CSU approved”.

The actual A-G requirements are listed here for reference:

A course that is not approved as meeting an “A-G” requirement could prevent a student from meeting the criteria for admission to a Cal State or University of California postsecondary institution.  When admission officers review student transcripts, they compare how many A-G courses a student took and successfully passed against the number of A-G courses an institution offered during those years. The more courses a student took and successfully passed, the more they seem to have challenged themselves. 

UC/CSU admissions officers compare the course name on the transcript against the high school’s A-G course ledger.  If the course name on the transcript is not identical to the name on the high school A-G course ledger, the admissions officer can view the course as NOT sufficient in meeting an A-G subject area requirement.  For example, if a student takes World History, and it is listed as “MOD WLD HIST” on the transcript, but is listed differently on the A-G Course Ledger, such as “WLD HIST”, the course may be seen as a different course that has not been A-G approved. 

Students should be aware of this when taking courses outside of their accredited high school program. For example, if they are taking a course through an online program, they should reference the A-G course ledger and see if that program and course are approved by the Regents of the University of California.

Once the criteria and requirements for courses seeking “a-g” approval is met, schools and districts can create their list of approved “a-g” courses. They are then responsible for updating their “a-g” course list annually. The course lists should reflect the courses being offered by the school for the current year. 

The University of California's annual "A-G" course submission period is February 1 - September 15. Schools have three phases, or opportunities, for course submissions to be approved. 

Phase 1 (February 1 - May 31)

New courses are submitted during this window.   If they are rejected by the review team then move to Phase 2.

Phase 2 (June 1 - July 31)

New courses may be submitted during Phase 2 as well as a revision of those courses not approved during a Phase 1 submission. You get one more opportunity if not submitted or approved at this time.

Phase 3 (August 1 - September 15)

This is the final opportunity for submission.  New courses initially submitted during Phase 3 will have no opportunity for resubmission. Any courses not initially approved during Phase 3 will need to be submitted to UC in the following year's "a-g" course submission period.

New schools are given two course submission periods to submit their courses for "a-g" approval. The annual course submission period, open from February 1 to September 15, is when institutions may submit their new courses and course list updates for the upcoming school year. During this two-year window, approved courses may be rolled back to appear on previous years’ course lists for each year the institution was opened, for up to five previous academic years.

The courses that are created and approved are added to the “a-g” course list and will be listed by school on the website.  University admissions officers use this list during the application process when reviewing a student’s eligibility for admission. When admissions officers review student transcripts, they compare how many A-G courses a student took and successfully passed against the number of A-G courses an institution offered during those years. The more courses a student took and successfully passed, the more she seems to have challenged herself.

It is possible in this scenario that the student would not be able to use credits earned in that course (no matter what the grade), as proof of satisfying that portion of the course requirements.  The student would need to repeat the course by taking the one that IS A-G approved.

If a course is rejected, there will be written feedback in the areas that need to be revised. If the written feedback is unclear or too general, call or email the UCOP office to speak with someone for further feedback and clarification. 

Every year, It is important that your A-G course articulation coordinator update your school’s A-G course ledger,  indicating which courses are continuing to be offered, which are not, and that all transcript abbreviations are accurate. If a course is no longer being offered, it is important to indicate that. UC admissions representatives take into consideration how many A-G courses an institution offers each year and how many of those courses a student took and passed. Therefore, if a course is listed but not actually being offered, it will seem that the course was available and the student elected to NOT take that A-G course.