The table above outlines the subject areas. In more detail:

A) History

• one year of world history, cultures, or historical geography (may be a single yearlong course or two one-semester courses), and

• one year of U.S. of U.S. history or one-half year of U.S. history and one half year of civics or American government

B) English

• four years of college-preparatory English that include frequent writing, from brainstorming to final paper, as well as reading of classic and modern literature

C) Mathematics

• three years of college-preparatory mathematics that include the topics covered in elementary and advanced algebra and two- and three-dimensional geometry

• a fourth year advanced mathematics course (e.g. Statistics, Calculus) is recommended (and required for Arizona State Universities)

D) Science

• two years of college-preparatory science including at least two of these three subjects: biology, chemistry, and physics

  • one year of approved interdisciplinary or earth and space science coursework can meet one year of the requirement 

• three or more years of laboratory science are recommended

  • Computer Science can be used in area "D" as an additional science (i.e. third year and beyond)

E) Language Other Than English (LOTE)

• two years or the equivalent to the 2nd year of high school instruction, of the same language other than English are required (including foreign languages, American Sign Language, classical languages, and Native American languages)

• three years or the equivalent to the 3rd year of high school instruction are recommended

F) Visual and Performing Arts

• one yearlong course of visual and performing arts chosen from the following disciplines: dance, music, theater, visual arts, or interdisciplinary arts - or two one-semester courses from the same discipline

G) College-preparatory elective

• one year (two semesters) chosen from courses specific to the elective (G) subject area or courses beyond those used to satisfy the requirements of the A-F subjects

Each of these subject areas can be met through certain exams or college coursework. The UC Admissions website has a reference document to explain this in more detail.

Grades of "C" or better in the second semester of a yearlong course may validate a grade of "D" in the first semester of the following courses:

• courses in the Mathematics subject area

• courses in the Language Other than English subject area

• Chemistry (for CSUs only)

Mathematics courses at PVHS will validate each other as follows:

• Math II will validate Math I

• Math III will validate Math II

• AP Calculus AB will validate Math III 

Language Other than English courses are PVHS will validate each other as follows:

• Spanish II or higher will validate the entire LOTE requirement

• Spanish III or higher will validate the entire recommended third year

Courses in other subject areas (English, History, Fine Arts, etc.) must be repeated until a "C" or better is earned, unless the subject area is met through examination. Science courses other than first semester of Chemistry must also be repeated to count.

GPA calculation for applying to CSUs and UCs is calculated separately from the total GPA used for the high school. The calculation:

• considers only a-g classes from the summer before 10th Grade until the summer after the 11th Grade

• caps the number of weighted honor points (from honors or AP courses, dual-enrollment, etc.) at 8 points, with a limit of 4 points in the 10th Grade

California residents must earn a GPA of 2.0 or higher to qualify for the CSUs and a GPA of 3.0 or higher to qualify for the UCs. The actual GPA required to enter most schools is often much higher, so students should generally aim for "A"s and "B"s in all classes.

The GPA calculation above ignores the PE courses (as not being a-g courses) and the additional honors bumps from taking Honors Biology (the student would, however, be a more competitive university applicant).

Students with an aptitude for math might suppose (based on this) that the easiest way to boost your GPA would be to take as many non-academic courses as possible to "lower the divisor" and boost GPA. CSUs and UCs balance this by indexing GPA against the number of a-g courses taken (including in freshman and senior year).

Students who are California residents and are determined by GPA and number of a-g courses to be within the top 9% of their graduating class are guaranteed admission to one of the UC schools.

University-bound students at PVHS will generally complete at least 46 semesters of a-g coursework throughout their time in high school. Students should aim to attain an a-g GPA of 4.00 or higher to meet this threshold.