Before you can head off to college, there is the small matter of fulfilling your high school graduation requirements. These generally include earning passing grades in all core subjects and accumulating a certain number of credits. You may also need to pass a state assessment exam.
The requirements may not end there. Selective colleges also have their own set of admissions requirements. If the college you want to attend has more requirements for admission than your high school has for graduation, you will need to use your electives to fulfill those requirements.
Research prospective colleges’ requirements as early as possible to be certain you will meet them by the end of high school. You don’t want to discover halfway through senior year that you should have enrolled in that physics class after all.
Below is a sample of college admissions requirements. Remember, the earlier you know the requirements for your chosen colleges, the better!
| Number of years or credits |
| English | 4 |
| Math | 4 |
| Science | 3 or 4 |
| Lab Science | 3 |
| Foreign Language | 3 or 4 |
| Social studies | 2 |
| History | 2 |
| Academic Electives | 2 |
| Total academic credits | 21 |
