I have taken an English composition course that may qualify. How do I know if the course I completed will satisfy the ELWR? When will I know? Should I consider taking the Assessment?

A California Community College course that is published on ASSIST under the General Education/Breadth agreement as articulated to ENGLISH R1A or ENGLISH R1B will satisfy Entry Level Writing. You must earn a grade of “C” or better for the course to meet ELWR. Follow the steps below to determine if your California Community College course articulates to ENGLISH R1A or ENGLISH R1B:

  • Visit ASSIST.org

  • In the box labeled “Search below for transferable courses” select:

    • Academic year: the year you completed the course. Academic year encompasses Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer. For example academic year 2023-2024 encompasses Fall 2023, Winter 2024, Spring 2024, and Summer 2024

    • Community College: select the institution where you completed the course

    • Select "UC Transfer Admission Eligilibity Courses"
    • Click on View Transferability Lists

  • On the next page View Transferable Courses by selecting “UC Transfer Eligibility Area”

  • Click on UC-E -English Composition from the populated list

  • Scroll down until you see the list of courses under UC-E -English Composition

    • If your course is listed, it satisfies the UC ELWR .

    • If the course you completed is not listed, it does not satisfy the ELWR.

If you have taken an English composition course at another college or university, outside of the California Community College System, it may have been pre-approved to satisfy Reading and Composition. Consult Transfer Courses for Reading & Composition to see if the course is listed. If the course is noted as satisfying ENGLISH R1A, ENGLISH R1B, or “one half," it will meet the Entry Level Writing Requirement.  


If the course is not listed on the Transfer Courses for Reading & Composition website, it can still be reviewed for Entry Level Writing. To request an evaluation, open a Cal Student Central case (select ‘Registrar’ and ‘Transfer Credit’) and be sure to attach the syllabus for the course. Course syllabi can be submitted at any time and will be reviewed within 10-14 days, so be mindful of upcoming Berkeley Writing Assessment dates and class enrollment deadlines. For the Berkeley Writing Assessment on May 10, plan to submit your course syllabus for evaluation by Friday, April 18 to ensure that your course is reviewed in time for you to complete the "Entry Level Writing Evaluation" Task assignment in Cal Central by May 1, 2025 should you need to register for the Assessment.