American History and Institutions*

All University of California undergraduate degree programs require the completion of the American History and Institutions, (AH&I) requirement. Successful completion of AH&I ensures that every student graduates with a fundamental understanding of American history and the principles of American institutions under the federal and state constitutions.

Students may satisfy this requirement by completing qualifying courses or achieving a qualifying score on a standardized exam. Many students will have already fulfilled the AH&I requirement through a high school American history or government course.

This requirement may be satisfied in any one of the following ways:

Qualifying High School Coursework

Completing a one-year high school course in U.S. history or a half-year course in U.S. history and a half-year course in American government.

Note: Transfer students may need to take additional action to send their high school transcript to UC Santa Cruz, as they are not always required for transfer admission.

Qualifying Test Scores

score of 3 or higher on the College Board Advanced Placement (AP) Examination in United States History.
score of 5 or higher on the International Baccalaureate Higher Level (IBH) Examination History of the Americas.

Qualifying Transfer Coursework

Transfer students who satisfy a community college’s history and institutions requirement also fulfill the AH&I requirement at UC Santa Cruz. To receive credit, certification of completion must appear on an official transcript from an accredited California institution of higher education.

The AH&I requirement may be satisfied by completing a course in United States history or United States government at another college or university. The course must be 3 semester/4 quarter credits or more, and must be completed with a grade of C/P or better.

California community college courses that satisfy the UCSC AH&I requirement are listed on ASSIST.org:

On the ASSIST.org homepage, select the California Community College institution where you plan to enroll, and select “University of California, Santa Cruz” from the “Agreements with Other Institutions” pulldown menu. Select the “View Agreements” button.
Select the “General Education / Breadth” agreement type, and then select the “University Requirements” agreement. The agreement will display the American History & Institutions (AH&I) courses available at that California Community College.

Satisfying AH&I at UC Santa Cruz

Students can search for courses that satisfy the American History and Institutions requirement in the “Class Search,” under the General Education pulldown menu.

As of spring 2025, the following courses satisfy the American History and Institutions requirement:

Education 164
History 10A, 10B, 12, 15, 82, 90A, 110A , 110B, 110D, 110E, 110H, 116, 128
John R. Lewis College 135
Legal Studies 120A, 120B, 120C
Literature 81F
Politics 20, 120A, 120B, 120C
Sociology 170

Tracking AH&I Completion

Students can confirm completion of the AH&I requirement in their Degree Progress Report (DPR). Students who have completed a qualifying course or received a qualifying test score, but do not see this requirement satisfied in their DPR, can contact the Degree Progress Unit at transfercredit@ucsc.edu to request a review of their student record.