UC Expands Free Courses For California High School Students

CALIFORNIA -- The University of California announced Wednesday a major expansion of UC Scout, its online learning program to provide California high school students with free access to the courses they need to be eligible and competitive for admission into college.

The program now offers 65 online classes, including each of those required to fulfill the “a-g” requirements for admission to UC and California State University, as well as 26 Advanced Placement (AP) classes.

Currently, 47 California public high schools do not offer the full “a-g” curriculum required for admission to UC or CSU schools. Access to honors and AP courses also varies widely. Eight percent of California students attend high schools that do not offer any AP courses, while another three percent attend schools with four or fewer AP offerings, according to data from the National Center for Education Statistics and the College Board. Research consistently demonstrates that students who succeed in AP are better prepared for college.

“This program is a critical tool to bolster college eligibility among California students, particularly those who attend schools with limited resources,” said UC President Janet Napolitano. “We are grateful for the state’s support of UC Scout and hope even more students will take advantage of the opportunities afforded by this easily accessible program.”

With $4 million in state funding from the governor’s 2016-17 budget, the program added and improved dozens of free online courses, from world history and law to engineering and 3-D design, the school system said in a press release.

In 2016-17, 259 schools participated in the UC Scout program, with 1,992 students enrolling in 3,672 courses. Enrolled students came from a variety of educational settings, including public schools, charter schools, independent study programs, juvenile justice facilities, adult education centers and community colleges.

To learn more about how UC Scout is helping to make higher education accessible to students in every corner of the state, or to access the complete UC Scout online course catalog, visit ucscout.org.

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