High School Course Requirements

High schools in the United States set graduation requirements according to state regulations, with further input from the local board of school directors.

The lack of a one-size-fits-all policy at the high school level can lead to difficulty when it comes time to apply to college. For example, Rhode Island requires four years of mathematics but Ohio mandates only three. California and Wisconsin high school standards do not meet the entry requirements of their own state university systems. In the absence of a cohesive set of rules, students need to be aware of the minimum requirements in the areas of English, foreign language, science, math, history, and social studies. College Transitions is happy to provide you with an exhaustive list of post-secondary institutions’ discipline-specific requirements (and recommendations) that will help you better plan your high school courses and avoid any unpleasant surprises when you go to submit your applications.

*Data collected from institution websites and Common Data Set (CDS) forms.

Table updated October 2021

To view course recommendations (not requirements), click the + icon to the left of the institution’s name.

InstitutionEnglish units (Required)Foreign Language units (Required)History units (Required)Math units (Required)Science units (Required)Social studies units (Required)English units (Recommended)Foreign Language units (Recommended)History units (Recommended)Math units (Recommended)Science units (Recommended)Social studies units (Recommended)
Adelphi University423333
Agnes Scott College4232242322
Albion College42532
Alfred University422241434
Allegheny College42333
American University4233243444AU
Amherst College432432
Appalachian State University41431App State
Arizona State University421431ASU
Assumption College42232
Auburn University432341334
Augustana College311331421442
Austin College42233232442
Babson College44344
Ball State University433342443
Bard College444444444444
Barnard College43333
Bates College423333444444
Baylor University421442
Belmont University4233342443
Beloit College42333
Bennington College43443
Bentley University4333343434
Berea College42322
Berry College42433
Binghamton University433224444
Birmingham Southern College
Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania42332422442
Boise State University82665
Boston College4444444BC
Boston University42334444BU
Bowdoin College44444
Bowling Green State University42433
Bradley University4322522433
Brandeis University44444
Brigham Young University-Provo42243BYU
Brown University4323344244
Bryant University4224242343
Bryn Mawr College42442442442
Bucknell University422322442442
Butler University42233244
Cal Poly, Pomona4213214
Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo421321541541
California Institute of Technology314214343Caltech
California State University, Fresno421321
California State University, Fullerton421321421321
California State University, Long Beach421321423442
Canisius College4233444444
Carleton College43333
Carnegie Mellon University42434243CMU
Case Western Reserve University423333434
Catholic University of America4343443434
Central Michigan University422442422442CMU
Centre College42232442442
Chapman University422322442442
Christopher Newport University4344443444
Citadel Military College of South Carolina421432
Claremont McKenna College431321431431CMC
Clark University422332
Clarkson University43144
Clemson University421431431441
Coastal Carolina University421432
Colby College43322
Colgate University4333344444
College of Charleston431432424CofC
College of Saint Benedict432242322
College of the Holy Cross442442
College of William and Mary44444
Colorado College44CC
Colorado School of Mines4143342433
Colorado State University411433421433CSU
Columbia University4333344444
Connecticut College
Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art41111442432
Cornell College4233342333
Cornell University
Creighton University4232243434
CUNY Bernard M Baruch College423242
CUNY Brooklyn College43333
CUNY City College4332343323
CUNY Hunter College22142324
CUNY Lehman College4232442324
Dartmouth College44444
Davidson College4232444
Denison University44444
DePaul University4334233
DePauw University423223
Dickinson College423323
Drake University42324
Drew University422322422322
Drexel University311
Duke University444444444
Duquesne University42222
Earlham College422332422442
East Carolina University421431421432ECU
Eastern Connecticut State University4242242422
Eastern Kentucky University42333
Eckerd College421332
Elizabethtown College422322422442
Elon University421332431432
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University43424462ERAU
Emerson College4333343333
Emory University442442
Endicott College42333
Fairfield University422332442442
Fitchburg State University421431
Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University42433
Florida Atlantic University42433FAU
Florida Gulf Coast University42433FGCU
Florida Institute of Technology42332422442FIT
Florida International University42433FIU
Florida Southern College43323423323
Florida State University422431442442FSU
Fordham University4233344444
Franklin and Marshall College42232143433F&M
Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering422442
Furman University4232343434
George Mason University4232343434GMU
George Washington University4222244444GWU; GW
Georgetown College4233242332
Georgetown University422212442444
Georgia College42443
Georgia Institute of Technology42443Georgia Tech
Georgia Southern University42443GSU
Georgia State University4244342443GSU
Gettysburg College433333444444
Gonzaga University422332433443
Goucher College4232344433
Grinnell College433433
Grove City College4233432333
Gustavus Adolphus College422322343
Hamilton College4333343333
Hampshire College4333344444
Hanover College422332443443
Harvard University442443
Harvey Mudd College4143422442HMC
Haverford College4333343333
Hendrix College4232342323
High Point University4233343433
Hillsdale College4434444
Hobart William Smith Colleges423323443HWS
Hofstra University423333444
Hope College444444
Howard University4232242322
Illinois Institute of Technology4432422432IIT
Illinois State University4232242422
Illinois Wesleyan University43332
Indiana University Bloomington422332IU; IUB
Indiana University-Purdue University-Indianapolis4333IUPUI
Iowa State University4233243444ISU
Ithaca College4233343444
James Madison University433432433432JMU
John Carroll University4232243434
Johns Hopkins University442442JHU
Juniata College423331423331
Kalamazoo College432332442442
Kansas State University4333KSU; K-STATE
Kent State University at Kent42433
Kenyon College4343344443
Kettering University34242432
Knox College431432
La Salle University42132
Lafayette College42324232
Lake Forest College422332442442
Lawrence University422332
Lehigh University422332422442
Lewis & Clark College42433
Linfield College-McMinnville Campus42433
Louisiana State University421443LSU
Loyola Marymount University43323LMU
Loyola University Chicago421332422432
Loyola University Maryland432332443443
Lycoming College4233343434
Macalester College43333
Manhattan College4232343444
Marist College421332344
Marquette University4222422443
Marshall University42433
Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts42442
Massachusetts Institute of Technology42442MIT
Massachusetts Maritime Academy421431421441MMA
McDaniel College4333344443
Mercer University422441
Mercyhurst University42232342335
Merrimack College42232
Messiah College42222422332
Miami University421432MU
Michigan State University4233342333MSU
Michigan Technological University33242433
Middlebury College44444
Millersville University of Pennsylvania42333422333
Millsaps College412332422442
Milwaukee School of Engineering444444
Mississippi State University43334444MSU
Missouri University of Science and Technology42433
Monmouth University4232422322
Montana State University4323
Montclair State University4232244442
Moravian College4233442434
Morehouse College432242322
Mount Holyoke College4333344344MHC
Muhlenberg College42232442432
Murray State University42133244
New College of Florida4243344444
New Jersey Institute of Technology442211NJIT
New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology41322421443NMIT
New Mexico State University-Main Campus
New York Institute of Technology43344334
New York University433333444444NYU
Niagara University4222242332
North Carolina State University421431421431NCSU; NC STATE
North Dakota State University-Main Campus4333
Northeastern University4223334444
Northern Arizona University421431NAU
Northern Michigan University42444
Northwestern University422322422322
Norwich University42333
Oakland University44332
Oberlin College4343344
Occidental College43433OXY
Ohio State University4233243433OSU
Ohio University42433OU
Ohio Wesleyan University4233343444OWU
Oklahoma State University41332OSU
Old Dominion University4333343433
Oregon Institute of Technology42333
Oregon State University42333OSU
Pennsylvania State University - University Park4233343333PSU; PENN STATE
Pepperdine University
Pitzer College4333343333
Pomona College4332244444
Portland State University421333
Presbyterian College42242234
Princeton University442442
Providence College432432442442
Purdue University4243342433
Quinnipiac University4233242443
Ramapo College of New Jersey4233342333
Randolph-Macon College421321431443
Reed College
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute44334443RPI
Rhode Island School of DesignRISD
Rhodes College42322
Rice University42322
Ripon College433342444
Roanoke College423222
Rochester Institute of Technology422443334RIT
Roger Williams University4233323443
Rollins College422322433443
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology443254
Rowan University42132243
Rutgers University-Camden4232
Rutgers University-New Brunswick42324232RU
Rutgers University-Newark4232
Sacred Heart University423333444444
Saint Anselm College4233244444
Saint Johns University432242322SJU
Saint Joseph's University42333SJU
Saint Louis University4343343433
Saint Mary's College4223244244
Saint Mary's College of California421322431422
Saint Michael's College4243344444
Salem State University421431
Salisbury University4243343443
Salve Regina University42321
Sam Houston State University422441
Samford University4223242343
San Diego State University43232143SDSU
San Francisco State University421321421421SFSU
San Jose State University421321SJSU
Santa Clara University4232343433SCU
Sarah Lawrence College22222444444
Scripps College43333
Seattle University421323421323
Seton Hall University42312
Siena College422332432442
Simmons University433433
Skidmore College44444
Smith College43233
Soka University of America422321
Sonoma State University4213242142
South Dakota State University4333
Southern Connecticut State University422322443433
Southern Methodist University4233343343SMU
Southwestern University421432431443
Spelman College42223242463
St Bonaventure University42334
St John's University-New York422332
St Lawrence University442442
St Olaf College44444
St. John's College (MD)2344432
St. John's College (NM)2344432
St. Mary's College of Maryland41332443
Stanford University433433
State University of New York at New Paltz421334441444
Stetson University42332
Stevens Institute of Technology42243444Stevens Tech
Stockton University4322
Stonehill College4333344444
Stony Brook University433443444
Suffolk University421321443442
SUNY at Albany181242334
SUNY at Fredonia4333443444
SUNY at Purchase College43434
SUNY College at Brockport41334
SUNY College at Geneseo44444
SUNY College at Oswego4233444444
SUNY College at Plattsburgh41333431443
SUNY College at Potsdam43334
SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry41333344
SUNY Cortland4333444444
SUNY Oneonta4344444444
Susquehanna University421442SU
Swarthmore College433333
Syracuse University434444SU
Temple University421322421432
Tennessee Technological University421432
Texas A & M University-College Station4233342443
Texas Christian University4233344444
Texas State University422442422442TCU
The College of New Jersey4244242442
The College of Wooster4233342444TCNJ
The University of Montana4323224
The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga42243UTC
The University of Tennessee-Knoxville421431UTK
The University of Texas at Arlington422341422451UT Arlington
The University of Texas at Austin42323444UT Austin
The University of Texas at Dallas4244343444UT Dallas
The University of the South421321442442Sewanee
Towson University42433
Transylvania University42332421442
Trinity College43232
Trinity University4233342333
Truman State University421332421432
Tufts University43433444
Tulane University43333
Union College42322432432
United States Air Force Academy41333422443USAA
United States Coast Guard Academy443444USCGA
United States Merchant Marine Academy33142444
United States Military Academy421421USMA
United States Naval Academy42242USNA
University at Buffalo43334
University of Akron Main Campus4433
University of Alabama4133442334
University of Alabama at Birmingham41333
University of Arizona4243242432UA
University of Arkansas42431422431
University of California, Berkeley4223243243UC Berkeley
University of California, Davis421321431431UC Davis
University of California, Irvine4223243243UC Irvine
University of California, Los Angeles4223243243UCLA
University of California, Merced42232343UC Merced
University of California, Riverside4223243243UCR; UC Riverside
University of California, San Diego4223243243UCSD; UC San Diego
University of California, Santa Barbara4223243243UCSSB; UC Santa Barbara
University of California, Santa Cruz421321431431UCSC; UC Santa Cruz
University of Central Florida42433UCF
University of Chicago432442Uchicago
University of Cincinnati4433UC
University of Colorado Boulder431431CU Boulder
University of Connecticut423223UCONN
University of Dallas423333434434
University of Dayton424444
University of Delaware422332442442
University of Denver42333
University of Florida42433UFL
University of Georgia4244343443UGA
University of Houston433342144UH
University of Idaho4332
University of Illinois at Chicago4233342433UIC
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign4232244444UIUC
University of Iowa4233344
University of Kansas4133241432KU
University of Kentucky42333UKY
University of Louisiana at Lafayette422431
University of Louisville42333344
University of Maine4322421442
University of Mary Washington4333344443
University of Maryland, Baltimore County4243UMC
University of Maryland, College Park4243342433UMD
University of Massachusetts Amherst42432UMass Amherst
University of Massachusetts Boston421431UMass Boston
University of Massachusetts Lowell421431421441UMass Lowell
University of Memphis421321
University of Miami44444UM
University of Michigan423331443441UMich
University of Michigan-Dearborn4234342344
University of Minnesota-Duluth44332
University of Minnesota-Morris42433UMM
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities4243342443UMN
University of Mississippi4233342444Ole Miss
University of Missouri-Columbia42433Mizzou
University of Nebraska-Lincoln422431UNL
University of Nevada-Las Vegas4333UNLV
University of Nevada-Reno4333UNR
University of New Hampshire4233343443UNH
University of New Mexico421432UNM
University of North Carolina at Asheville42432UNC Asheville; UNCA
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill421431UNC Chapel Hill
University of North Carolina at Charlotte4214313UNCC: UNC Charlotte
University of North Carolina at Greensboro4243242432UNCG; UNC Greensboro
University of North Carolina Wilmington421431UNCW; UNC Wilmington
University of North Dakota4333UND
University of North Florida42433UNF
University of North Georgia4244342443UNG
University of North Texas422442UNT
University of Northern Colorado411432411432UNC
University of Northern Iowa433344443
University of Notre Dame4223244444UND
University of Oklahoma42331244OU
University of Oregon42333UO
University of Pennsylvania443432UPenn
University of Pittsburgh4233243443
University of Portland422333434444
University of Puget Sound433443
University of Redlands422222432332
University of Rhode Island1812432URI
University of Richmond4223244444
University of RochesterURI
University of San Diego4333244443USD
University of San Francisco42323USF
University of Scranton4223142342
University of South Carolina421432USC
University of South DakotaUSD
University of South Florida4243342443USF
University of Southern California4232243433USC
University of St Thomas34443
University of Tampa4233342333
University of the Pacific42132
University of Toledo44332
University of Tulsa42433
University of Utah42123
University of Vermont42323UVM
University of Virginia-Main Campus4242144443UVA
University of Washington42323431444UW
University of Washington-Bothell CampusUW Bothell
University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire43334444
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse433343444
University of Wisconsin-Madison4343344444UW; UW Madison
University of Wyoming44434443
Ursinus College4231143444
Valparaiso University42232422431
Vanderbilt University421332421443Vandy
Vassar College442442
Villanova University43444444
Virginia Commonwealth University42333433441VCU
Virginia Military Institute431332441442VMI
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University41321343Virginia Tech
Wabash College422422
Wagner College423321
Wake Forest University4231244444WFU
Warren Wilson College42323
Washington & Jefferson College32314342
Washington and Lee University431311442442WLU
Washington College422332442442
Washington State University4233342433WSU
Washington University in St. Louis422332444444WashU
Wayne State University42433
Wellesley College444434
Wentworth Institute of Technology432442
Wesleyan University444444
West Chester University of Pennsylvania42332422432
West Virginia University42433WVU
Western Carolina University421432421432WCU
Western Michigan University42333WMU
Western Washington University42323
Westmont College4213313
Wheaton College (IL)4233343444
Wheaton College (MA)444444
Whitman College422432
Whittier College3221143322
Whitworth University422332422332
Wichita State University43333433333
Widener University4233342444
Willamette University444444444
Williams College44444
Winthrop University421432421432
Wofford College43433431433
Worcester Polytechnic Institute4422142WPI
Xavier University42333
Yale University
Yeshiva University42334

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