All students must satisfy the following writing requirements to remain in good standing and meet graduation requirements:
The Entry Level Writing Requirement (ELWR)
Completion required by the start of the 4th quarter
Satisfied by Writing 1 or Writing 1E
The General Education Composition Requirement (GE C)
Completion required by the start of the 7th quarter
Satisfied by Writing 2
The Writing Program offers the only UCSC courses that satisfy these requirements. Explore below for more information about placement, writing requirements, and the goals of the Writing Program’s courses.
NOTE: College 1/”Core” is not offered by the Writing Program and does not meet any writing requirements. “Core” and Writing 1/1E may be taken at the same time.
Writing 1/1E
Writing 1/1E meets the Entry Level Writing Requirement (ELWR). Writing 1 and Writing 1E are the same, except that Writing 1E offers pedagogical support for multilingual learners. Learn more about Writing 1/1E!
See the current schedule to find information about instructors and modalities for Writing 1/1E.
Writing 2
All undergraduates are required to meet the Composition (“C”) requirement. Students who enter UCSC as frosh 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. Learn more about Writing 2!
See the list of current schedule to find information about modalities for Writing 2.
Writing 25 and 26
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. Learn more about Writing 25 and 26!
See the current schedule to find information about instructors and modalities for Writing 25 and Writing 26.
Directed Self-Placement
Students place into required writing courses by completing the Writing Program’s Directed Self-Placement (DSP) process. DSP is a 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!