The University of California (UC) System consists of 9 undergraduate campuses: UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC Irvine, UCLA, UC Merced, UC Riverside, UC San Diego, UC Santa Barbara, and UC Santa Cruz.
Students must meet the following requirements to enter the UC system as a freshman:
Complete 15 A-G courses (with a letter grade of C or better). (See UC A-G Course List for GFHS).
Earn a GPA of 3.0 or better in these courses with no grade lower than a C.
To apply, visit https://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/apply-now.html
The California State University (CSU) System consists of 23 undergraduate campuses: CSU Bakersfield, CSU Channel Islands, Chico State, CSU Dominguez Hills, CSU East Bay, Fresno State, CSU Fullerton, Cal Poly Humboldt, CSU Long Beach, Cal State LA, Cal Maritime, CSU Monterey Bay, CSUN, Cal Poly Pomona, Sacramento State, CSU San Bernardino, San Diego State, San Francisco State, San Jose State, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, CSU San Marcos, Sonoma State, Stanislaus State.
Students must meet the following requirements to enter the CSU system as a freshman:
Complete the 15-unit "a-g" pattern of college preparatory "a-g" courses with a grade of C or better.
Earn a qualifying "a-g" GPA as described below:
California residents and graduates of California high schools will be eligible for admission by earning a 2.50 or greater “a-g” GPA.
Any California high school graduate or resident of California earning a GPA between 2.00 and 2.49 may be evaluated for admission based upon supplemental factors.
To apply, visit https://www.calstate.edu/apply/Pages/default.aspx
The California Community College (CCC) system consists of 116 colleges, where students can earn certificates, Associate Degrees, and/or transfer to a four-year university.
Graduating seniors who have completed a financial aid application are eligible for free tuition to attend Santa Ana College - to learn more, visit https://sac.edu/StudentServices/AdmissionsRecords/Pages/sausd-free-tuition-faq.aspx
To apply, visit https://home.cccapply.org/en/
For more resources, visit https://icangotocollege.com/
Many private universities and colleges have their applications under the Common App. Each school may request specific application materials (personal statements, letters of recommendation, supplemental materials).
To learn more, visit https://www.commonapp.org/
All high school 12th grade students need to complete a financial aid application - this will provide access to various financial aid resources to reduce the cost of attendance.
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is for students who are US Citizens, permanent residents, T-Visa holders, or other eligible noncitizens.
To apply, please visit https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa
For instructions on how to fill out the FAFSA Form, please visit: https://studentaid.gov/apply-for-aid/fafsa/filling-out
All high school 12th grade students need to complete a financial aid application - this will provide access to various financial aid resources to reduce the cost of attendance.
The California Dream Act Application (CADAA) is for students who are undocumented (with or without DACA), have Temporary Protected Status, or are U-Visa holders.
To apply, visit https://dream.csac.ca.gov/
For resources for the CADAA, visit https://www.csac.ca.gov/post/resources-california-dream-act-application
Additional resources for undocumented students can be found here: https://immigrantsrising.org/
Additional scholarships for undocumented students can be found at:
The CSS Profile is an online application used by colleges and scholarship programs to award non-federal institutional aid. For federal and state aid, students also should complete the FAFSA or CADAA.
For a list of partnering institutions and programs that use the CSS Profile, visit https://profile.collegeboard.org/profile/ppi/participatingInstitutions.aspx
To apply, visit https://cssprofile.collegeboard.org/
The WebGrants 4 Students (WG4S) portal is to provide students with the resources, information and tools needed to assist with the college financial aid process. (WG4S) will allow you to manage your Cal Grant and/or Chafee account(s) online by letting you view updates, make school changes, make address changes, and post leave of absence requests. Note: your WG4S account does not replace your School or FAFSA accounts. Each account must be monitored and managed independently.
To set up your account, visit: https://mygrantinfo.csac.ca.gov/
For help with accessing and navigating WG4S, visit https://www.csac.ca.gov/post/accessing-and-navigating-webgrants-4-students
Fastweb is a free scholarship search platform that connects students to college scholarships, trade school scholarships, and financial aid tools.
Scholarships.com is a free scholarship search platform that helps make it simple and matches students to scholarships they may qualify for.
CollegeBoard has a useful platform, Big Future, to search and find scholarships to help students pay for college.
Through Xello, you can explore college and career options for you based on your personal interests, skills, and goals.
Using your CaliforniaColleges.edu account, you can learn about different college programs available across the US that align with your future career goals.