Graduation Requirements
To qualify for a bachelor’s degree, you must meet the following conditions:
- Earn a minimum of 180 credits (see below) (courses confer credits with a grade of pass or D minus or better)
- Satisfy the university requirements in American history and institutions and in Entry Level Writing (English composition)
- Satisfy each of the campus general education (GE) requirements with a course grade of Pass, C (2.0 grade point average), or better
- Satisfy requirement of your UC Santa Cruz college
- Complete an approved major program, including its Disciplinary Communication and comprehensive requirements, with grades of Pass, C (2.0 GPA), or better in all courses satisfying major requirements. Some majors require letter grades higher than C to qualify to declare the major.
- Have an overall GPA of at least 2.0 in all letter-graded courses taken at UCSC and other University of California campuses
- Have no more than 25 percent of your UCSC credits graded on a Pass/No Pass basis. This includes any credits completed in the Education Abroad Program or at another UC campus in an intercampus exchange program. Departments may require that some or all courses used to satisfy the major must be taken for a letter grade.
- Meet the UCSC senior residence requirement
UC Santa Cruz students are responsible for selecting courses necessary to fulfill graduation requirements and prepare for advanced study or a career. It is essential that you consult regularly with academic advisors about course selection.
UC Santa Cruz courses confer course credit toward the 180 minimum requirement with a grade of pass or D minus or better. Courses confer GE requirements with grades of C or better.
Satisfaction of a minimum of 180 credits
Students are expected to satisfy all requirements for a degree by completing at least 180 quarter credits within 15 total quarters (9 UCSC quarters for junior transfer students). Some students may require more quarters of enrollment in order to satisfy all requirements for their program of study. Students who have been enrolled for 13 or more regular quarters, excluding summer sessions at UCSC or elsewhere, or who will exceed 225 credits, will need to obtain permission from their college to continue enrollment at UCSC.
Students may also be able to use some of the courses they complete at other schools to help meet the 180-credit requirement. (Semester-system credits can be multiplied by 1.5 to derive equivalent quarter-system credit.) A total of 70 semester credits (105 quarter credits) of lower-division credit toward a university degree may be earned at other colleges/universities. Only subject credit will be granted for lower-division courses taken in excess of that cap. The Office of Admissions determines which courses are transferable.
Academic Senate regulations 10.1.1 and 6.2.4 contain the general policies on completion of 180 credits.
Revised: 9/15/25