Yes. Ethnic studies is required in California at two levels. Every public high school student must complete a one-semester ethnic studies course to graduate, starting with the class of 2029-2030, under Assembly Bill 101. Separately, every California State University undergraduate must complete a three-unit ethnic studies course to earn a bachelor’s degree, under Assembly Bill 1460.
Who Has to Take It in High School
California Education Code section 51225.3 makes a one-semester ethnic studies course a condition of receiving a high school diploma for students graduating in the 2029-2030 school year and after.1California Legislative Information. California Education Code EDC 51225.3 Ninth graders in the 2025-2026 school year are the first class covered. The requirement reaches all public schools, including charter schools. Districts may require a full year instead, but one semester is the state floor.
The course has to use ethnic studies content as its primary subject matter, so a history or English class that only touches on the topic will not qualify.1California Legislative Information. California Education Code EDC 51225.3 A qualifying course also earns credit in whatever subject area it’s offered under, meaning it doesn’t necessarily add to a student’s total course load.
Public high schools have been required to offer at least one ethnic studies course since the 2025-2026 school year.1California Legislative Information. California Education Code EDC 51225.3 The four-year gap between the offering deadline and the first affected graduating class lets students take the course at any point during high school.
How Students Can Fulfill the Requirement
Depending on what a school offers, students can meet the graduation requirement through any of the following:
- A course based on the state’s Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum, developed by the Instructional Quality Commission.
- An ethnic studies course the school already offered before the mandate.
- An ethnic studies course that also meets the A-G admissions criteria for the University of California and California State University.
- A locally developed course approved by the district’s governing board or the charter school’s governing body.
Using the state model curriculum isn’t mandatory. It functions as a framework, with sample lessons districts can adapt.2California Department of Education. Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum Locally developed courses carry an extra procedural step: the proposal must be presented at one public board meeting and cannot be approved until a second public meeting where community members have had a chance to comment.1California Legislative Information. California Education Code EDC 51225.3
What the Course Cannot Contain
The statute writes a nondiscrimination rule directly into the requirement. Regardless of which course option a school uses, materials and instruction cannot reflect or promote bias, bigotry, or discrimination against any person or group based on the characteristics protected by Education Code section 220.3California Legislative Information. California Education Code EDC 51225.3 Section 220’s protected categories include race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, religion, and disability, among others.
Schools receiving federal funds also remain subject to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which bars discrimination based on race, color, or national origin in federally assisted programs.4Department of Justice. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
The CSU Ethnic Studies Requirement
A separate mandate applies at the university level. Assembly Bill 1460, signed in 2020, requires every California State University undergraduate to complete a three-unit ethnic studies course to earn a bachelor’s degree.5California Legislative Information. California Assembly Bill 1460 – California State University Graduation Requirement Ethnic Studies The law prohibits CSU from raising the total number of units needed to graduate, so the course fits inside existing degree requirements.
CSU implemented AB 1460 by creating a new General Education category, Area F. Qualifying courses must carry an ethnic studies prefix and meet at least three of five core competencies focused on the histories and intellectual traditions of one or more of the four foundational groups: Native Americans, African Americans, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, and Latina/o Americans.6California State University. General Education Area F Ethnic Studies Requirement Area F cannot be waived or substituted.
The requirement applies to students with catalog rights starting in 2021-2022 and is mandatory for all undergraduates graduating in 2024-2025 and beyond.5California Legislative Information. California Assembly Bill 1460 – California State University Graduation Requirement Ethnic Studies A narrow exemption exists for students pursuing a second bachelor’s degree if they already hold one from a regionally accredited institution or previously completed an ethnic studies course at one.
Community College and UC Students
California’s community colleges do not have their own standalone ethnic studies graduation requirement. Students planning to transfer to a CSU campus still need to complete Area F, either before or after transfer. The California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office expects colleges to offer courses that meet CSU’s Area F standards, using the same core competencies and the same four foundational groups.7California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office. Ethnic Studies Course Certification for CSU GE Breadth Area F
The University of California system does not impose a systemwide ethnic studies graduation requirement. Individual UC campuses may set their own diversity or ethnic studies expectations, but there is no UC equivalent to CSU’s Area F.