Writing Course Requirements & Placement

For more information about placement, writing requirements, and the goals of the Writing Program’s courses, see our FAQs page and the placement website.

NOTE TO STUDENTS: Your College 1/”core” class is not offered by the Writing Program and does not meet any writing requirements. You may take “core” and Writing 1/1E at the same time.

Image is "Writing 1" and "Writing 1E" against a light blue background. The font is old typewriter style.

Entry Level Writing Requirement

About half of incoming undergraduates have met the Entry Level Writing Requirement (ELWR) prior to their first day of classes at UCSC, and the other half take a class (Writing 1 or Writing 1E) in their first year that allows them to meet this requirement.

Writing 1 and Writing 1E are the same, except that Writing 1E offers pedagogical support for multilingual learners. See the current schedule to find information about instructors and modalities for Writing 1/1E.

Image is "Writing 2" and "Writing 2H" against a blue background. The font is old typewriter style.

Composition Requirement

All undergraduates are required to meet the Composition (“C”) requirement. Students who enter UCSC as frosh typically meet this requirement by taking Writing 2 prior to their seventh quarter of enrollment. Transfer students may have already met the “C” requirement before coming to UCSC.

See the list of current schedule to find information about modalities for Writing 2. See the list of current Writing 2 courses.

Image is "Writing 25" and "Writing 26" against a green-blue background. The font is old typewriter style.

Multilingual Curriculum (MLC)

The Writing Program offers two courses for undergraduates who are learning English and learning writing at the same time: Writing 25 and Writing 26. These courses provide rigorous writing experiences along with the opportunity to connect with the UCSC community. Students place into these courses through DSP.

See the current schedule to find information about instructors and modalities for Writing 25 and Writing 26.

Placement

Students place into required writing courses by completing the Writing Program’s Directed Self-Placement (DSP) process. DSP is a four-step process that results in students making an informed decision about which writing course is the best starting point for their education at UCSC. Learn about our DSP protocol on our placement website.