Requirements

Entry-Level Writing

The UC Entry-Level Writing requirement is a Universitywide writing requirement. All students entering the University of California as freshmen must demonstrate their command of the English language by fulfilling this requirement. Fulfillment of this requirement is a prerequisite to enrolling in all Reading & Composition courses except for COLWRIT R1A.

There are two ways to satisfy the requirement, by coursework or by exam, and it depends on whether or not you have started classes at Berkeley. 

If you have not started classes at Berkeley

To meet this requirement by exam before you have started classes at Berkeley, you must score

• 30 or above on the ACT English Language Arts test; or
• 30 or above on the ACT Combined English/Writing test (taken June 2015 or earlier); or
• 63 or above on the ACT English + Reading (for Fall 2021 and later admits); or
• 680 or above on the College Board SAT Reasoning Test--Writing Section (taken January 2016 or earlier); or
• 680 or above on the College Board SAT Evidenced-Based Reading and Writing Test (for Fall 2018 and later admits);
• 3 or above on the Advanced Placement Examination in English Language and Composition; or 
• 3 or above on the Advanced Placement Examination in English Literature and Composition; or
• 5 or above on the  International Baccalaureate Higher Level Examination in English (Language A only); or
• 6 or above on the International Baccalaureate Standard Level Examination in English (Language A only); or
• 8 or above on the Analytical Writing Placement Examination (taken in 2022 or before)
  8 or above on the Berkeley Writing Assessment (available beginning in May 2023)

To meet this requirement by coursework, you must earn a grade of C or higher in a UC-transferable college composition course completed prior to starting classes at Berkeley and approved certified by UC Berkeley as satisfying the Entry-Level Writing Requirement.

For more information on the transfer course review process for ELWR, see ‘I have taken an English composition course that may qualify…?’ Q&A on the Berkeley Writing Assessment website

If you have started classes at Berkeley

To meet this requirement by exam after you have started classes at Berkeley, if you have not already taken the Analytical Writing Placement Exam or the Berkeley Writing Assessment (BWA), you may take a make-up BWA in the fall or spring semester. A score of 8 or above on the BWA  satisfies Entry Level Writing. .

To meet this requirement by coursework, you must earn a grade of C or higher in COLWRIT R1A.

Once you have started classes at Berkeley, you may not use a transfer course to satisfy Entry Level Writing.  Additionally, completion of Entry Level Writing is required before opting to satisfy Reading & Composition with a transfer course.

For more information about the BWA, as well the other options for satisfying Entry Level Writing, visit the Berkeley Writing Assessment website

Reading & Composition 

The Reading & Composition requirement is a two-part sequence required of Berkeley undergraduates at the lower-division level to provide them with a solid foundation in reading, writing, and critical thinking for work in the major and beyond.

All undergraduates must complete the R&C requirement in sequential order by the end of their fourth semester, or their enrollment will be blocked for the following semester.

The R&C requirement can be satisfied by any of the courses listed with an "R" before its course number in the online Schedule of Classes. More than a dozen departments offer R&C courses, so be sure to check the Online Schedule of Classes.

Students who arrive at Berkeley not having satisfied the Entry-Level Writing requirement (see above) can satisfy both the Entry-Level Writing requirement and the 1st part of the 2-part R&C requirement by taking  COLWRIT R1A.

Students who arrive at Berkeley having satisfied the Entry-Level Writing requirement (see above) need only satisfy the R&C requirement. There are 2 parts to the R&C requirement, A and B, and they must be fulfilled in sequence. More than a dozen campus departments offer the R&C sequence. R&C courses are designated with an “R” before the course number in the Schedule of Classes. 

Other Requirements
 

The American Cultures Requirement

The following College Writing courses fulfill the American Cultures Requirement.

COLWRIT 25AC - Reading in and about US Education Institutions
COLWRIT 50AC/150AC- Researching Water in the West 
COLWRIT 75AC - Sacred Places and the American West 
COLWRIT 192AC - Advanced Composition: Community-Based Ethics

The Seven-Course Breadth Requirement in Arts and Literature

The following CW courses count toward the Seven-Course Breadth Requirement in Arts and Literature.

COLWRIT 105 - Intermediate Composition: Finding Your Voice
COLWRIT 106 - Intermediate Composition: Argument in the Disciplines
COLWRIT 108 - Advanced Composition: New Media
COLWRIT 110 - Advanced Composition: Challenging Writing
COLWRIT 161 - Writing in the Biological Sciences 
COLWRIT 180 - Travel Writing

The Creative Writing Minor

The following class counts toward the Undergraduate Division's Creative Writing Minor.

COLWRIT 130 - Introduction to the Craft of Creative Writing

The Education Minor

The following class counts toward the Undergraduate Division's Education Minor.

COLWRIT 25AC - Reading in and about US Education Institutions