U.S. & UK · CALIFORNIA
UC and CSU both begin with your A–G courses, the college-prep classes on your school’s approved list, and neither uses the SAT or ACT. Private colleges set their own rules and dates. Plan all three together, along with the aid forms that shape what you’ll pay.
For fall 2027 entry
START WITH YOUR HIGH-SCHOOL RECORD
A–G courses are the college-prep classes on your school’s approved list. UC and CSU each ask for 15, then work out your GPA in their own way. Private colleges set their own requirements.
A–G COURSES
You need 15 yearlong courses with a C or better, across history, English, math, science, a language other than English, the arts, and an elective.
AP, IB AND HONORS
UC and CSU add an extra point for an A, B, or C in approved honors, AP, and IB courses. Your school’s A–G list shows which courses count.
COLLEGE CLASSES IN HIGH SCHOOL
If you take college classes in high school, you still apply to UC and CSU as a first-year student, not a transfer.
TESTING
UC and CSU don’t use the SAT or ACT to decide admission. Private colleges set their own testing rules.
Letrado’s adviceLook up your school’s A–G course list before you choose next year’s classes, and count your honors semesters as you go. A missing course is easier to fix in 10th grade than in 12th.
Which grades count: UC uses your A–G grades from the summer after 9th grade through the summer after 11th. An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, and a C 2, with no pluses or minuses.
Honors courses: AP, IB Higher Level, some IB Standard Level courses, UC-transferable college classes, and school honors courses that UC has certified.
Eligibility in the Local Context (ELC): If your school takes part and you’re in the top 9% of your class, based on UC-approved courses in 10th and 11th grade, UC flags this automatically. If no campus you chose admits you, UC offers a place at a campus with space, as long as you meet its minimum requirements.
The statewide route: UC does the same for the top 9% of California students on its Statewide Index.
Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT): Earn one at a California community college, meet CSU’s minimum requirements, and you get priority admission to a CSU campus, though not always your first-choice campus or major. Transfer into a similar program and you can finish both degrees in 120 units.
TAG at six UC campuses: Davis, Irvine, Merced, Riverside, Santa Barbara, and Santa Cruz offer TAG, an agreement to admit you if you complete the courses and grades it sets. You pick one campus and submit it from September 1 to 30, before the fall you’d transfer.
COMPARE THE SYSTEMS
You can apply to all three in the same year, and we help with UC, CSU, and private applications. Each has its own application, deadlines, and idea of a strong applicant, so give each one its own plan.
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
You apply once and choose as many campuses as you like, at $80 each. If you qualify for a fee waiver, up to four are free. You enter your own grades from your transcript and answer 4 of 8 Personal Insight Questions, in up to 350 words each.
Letrado’s adviceAll eight questions count equally, so choose the four that show something different about you.
CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY
Cal State Apply costs $70 per campus. CSU looks at your A–G courses, A–G GPA, and graduation. Campuses and majors with more qualified applicants than places are impacted and can ask for more, especially from students outside their local admission area.
Letrado’s adviceCheck each campus and major in CSU’s impaction search, and include a campus where you’d count as local.
PRIVATE AND OUT-OF-STATE COLLEGES
You apply to each college separately, often through the Common App, with essays, activities, letters, and test scores where they ask. Early decision commits you to attend if you’re admitted with enough aid. Early action doesn’t.
Letrado’s adviceRead each college’s early rules before November. Harvard’s and Yale’s restrictive early plans still allow non-binding applications to public universities, such as UC and CSU.
The California Student Aid Commission runs free Cash for College workshops, online and in person, where aid experts help you and your family complete the FAFSA or the CADAA, California’s own aid application.
Fully impacted for 2027–28: Every undergraduate program at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Cal State Fullerton, Cal State Long Beach, San Diego State, and San José State.
Local admission areas: Impacted campuses usually set higher requirements for students from outside their local area. Campuses without impaction are open to all CSU-eligible applicants.
PLAN YOUR YEAR
UC and CSU, private colleges, and California’s aid programs run on different dates. Seeing them together shows which forms are due before you know your offers.
Aid and results Sep 23
Its earliest launch yet.
UC and CSU Oct 1
Both opened for drafting on August 1.
Aid and results Oct 1
For undocumented students and others who qualify.
UK Oct 15
18:00 UK time.
Private and out-of-state Often Nov 1
Harvard’s and Yale’s are both November 1.
UC and CSU Nov 30
Many CSU campuses and majors still accept applications afterwards.
Private and out-of-state Mid-December
Private and out-of-state Often Jan 1 or 2
Harvard’s is January 1, and Yale’s is January 2.
UK Jan 13
18:00 UK time.
UC and CSU Mar 1–31
Some campuses send them earlier.
Aid and results Mar 2
Before many UC and private decisions arrive.
Private and out-of-state Late March
Harvard’s come by the end of March, and Yale’s in late March.
UC and CSU May 1
CSU campuses set their own reply dates.
Private and out-of-state May 1
The usual U.S. reply date.
Aid and results July
If you enroll at UC, send your final transcript by July 1 and official AP and IB results by July 15.
Private college dates vary, so check each college’s own page. The UCAS dates matter only if you’re also applying to the UK.
TRY THIS WITH EACH COLLEGE ON YOUR LIST
Open each college’s own pages and note an answer for every row. Bring the gaps and questions to our conversation, or work through them with your counselor.
| What to check | What to note for each university |
|---|---|
| Your courses | Do your A–G courses and grades meet its requirements, including any classes your major expects? |
| Your major | Does it offer your major, and is that major impacted or harder to enter there? |
| Dates | When is the deadline, when will you hear back, and when must you reply? |
| Residency and cost | Will you pay in-state tuition, and what does its net price calculator show for your family? |
| Would you go? | If this were your only offer, would you be glad to go? |
PLAN THE COST
As a California resident, you pay in-state tuition at UC and CSU, and state grants can lower it. Private colleges often cost more on paper, but many award their own aid, so compare real offers.
YOUR YEARLY BUDGET
Letrado’s adviceRun each net price calculator with your family early, then compare the actual aid offers side by side before you reply.
Why it matters: UC estimates 2027–28 tuition at $57,300 for nonresidents, against $16,278 for California residents.
The basic rule: UC and CSU look for a year of physical presence in California before the residence determination date for your term (366 days at UC), plus the intent to stay. Living here a year isn’t enough on its own.
If you depend on your parents: At CSU, if you’re under 19, your status comes from your parent’s or guardian’s residence. UC also looks at your parents’ residence if they support you.
AB 540: If you’re a nonresident, including if you’re undocumented, you may still pay in-state tuition at UC. You usually need three full-time years at California high schools, adult schools, or community colleges, and a California high-school diploma or its equivalent.
Which form: You need only one. U.S. citizens, permanent residents, and eligible noncitizens file the FAFSA. Undocumented students, U visa or Temporary Protected Status holders, and students who meet California’s nonresident exemption file the CADAA.
Your GPA: Most high schools send it to CSAC for you, but it’s your job to confirm. A week after you file, check it in a WebGrants 4 Students account.
Deadlines: March 2, 2027, for 2027–28, or September 2, 2027, if you’ll start at a community college.
A STUDENT FROM CALIFORNIA · E.B.
E.B. went to a large public high school in California and was the first in his family to apply to college. He wanted to study mechanical engineering. His parents were proud but cautious about private-university prices, and at first he assumed he should choose the most familiar West Coast option.
His first activity list buried a weekend job at an auto-parts store under robotics jargon. There, he explained problems to customers who used different names for the same part.
His main essay followed a bicycle repair that failed until he looked past the visible problem to the load underneath, without pretending the repair changed an industry.
Aid forms and deadlines were tracked separately from his applications. He also helped translate aid instructions for his parents.
Real aid offers let his family weigh ambitious options on actual cost, not assumed cost.
HIS OFFERS
HIS CHOICE: MIT
E.B. chose MIT after comparing the final aid offers and talking through its hands-on engineering culture. His family didn’t decide from the published price alone.
WHEN YOU’D LIKE A HAND
Bring your questions to a free 45-minute introduction with your proposed mentor. Afterward, we’ll email a personalized plan with recommended next steps.
