Students must complete the UC Entry-Level Writing or English as a Second Language (ESL) requirement prior to completing the College writing requirement.
Students admitted to the College are required to complete a two-term writing requirement—Writing I and Writing II. Two courses in English composition are required for graduation. Both courses must be taken for letter grades, and students must receive a C or better grade in each (a C− grade is not acceptable).
The Writing I requirement must be satisfied within the first three terms of enrollment by completing English Composition 3, 3D, 3DX, or 3E with a C or better grade (a C− or Passed grade is not acceptable).
The Writing I requirement may also be satisfied by scoring 4 or 5 on one of the College Board Advanced Placement Examinations in English; completing a course equivalent to English Composition 3 with a C or better grade (a C− or Passed grade is not acceptable) taken at another institution; or scoring 5, 6, or 7 on an International Baccalaureate Higher Level Examination.
Students whose native language is not English may need to take English Composition 1, 2, and 4 before enrolling in a Writing I course. All courses in the sequence must be passed with a C or better grade (a C− or Passed grade is not acceptable).
Qualifying examination scores and courses are determined by the College Faculty Executive Committee.
The Writing II requirement must be satisfied within seven terms of enrollment by completing one course from a list of Writing II courses approved by the College Faculty Executive Committee; see the Registrar’s Writing II requirement web page for details. Courses that satisfy the requirement are denoted by a W suffix and are impacted. The course must be completed with a C or better grade (a C− or Passed grade is not acceptable).
Applicable Writing II courses may also fulfill preparation for the major requirements and, if approved for general education (GE) or diversity credit, may also fulfill a GE or diversity requirement.
Transfer students with 90 or more units who have completed the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) will have satisfied the Writing I, Writing II, and reciprocity requirements. No transfer student is admitted to the College without completing, with a C or better grade (a C− grade is not acceptable), a college-level writing course that Undergraduate Admission accepts as equivalent to English Composition 3.
