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Does 8th Grade Algebra Count at CSU's?

Written by Sally Rubenstone | March 7, 2011

Question: Are 8th grade courses counted for the CSU's? For example I had 1 year of Algebra I in Middle School. When I went to High School, I was in Geometry. Will my 8th grade math be counted for CSU credit. Thanks in advance. :)

You need to check with your guidance counselor to confirm the policies in your school district, but, typically, algebra taken in 8th grade DOES count as a high school math course at the CSU's as well as at all other colleges.

My son is actually taking 8th grade algebra right now and, like you, he will start geometry in high school next fall. He has already been harassed by his mother with reminders that his current middle-school math class will show up on his college applications. The same is usually true of foreign languages that were started in 7th or 8th grade and continued in high school.

Hope that helps, and you're very welcome in advance. :-)

(posted 3/7/2011)

Sally Rubenstone

Sally Rubenstone knows the competitive and often convoluted college admission process inside out: From the first time the topic of college comes up at the dinner table until the last duffel bag is unloaded on a dorm room floor. She is the co-author of Panicked Parents' Guide to College Admissions; The Transfer Student's Guide to Changing Colleges and The International Student's Guide to Going to College in America. Sally has appeared on NBC's Today program and has been quoted in countless publications, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Weekend, USA Today, U.S. News & World Report, Newsweek, People and Seventeen. Sally has viewed the admissions world from many angles: As a Smith College admission counselor for 15 years, an independent college counselor serving students from a wide range of backgrounds and the author of College Confidential's "Ask the Dean" column. She also taught language arts, social studies, study skills and test preparation in 10 schools, including American international schools in London, Paris, Geneva, Athens and Tel Aviv. As senior advisor to College Confidential since 2002, Sally has helped hundreds of students and parents navigate the college admissions maze. In 2008, she co-founded College Karma, a private college consulting firm, with her College Confidential colleague Dave Berry, and she continues to serve as a College Confidential advisor. Sally and her husband, Chris Petrides, became first-time parents in 1997 at the ripe-old age of 45. So Sally was nearly an official senior citizen when her son Jack began the college selection process, and when she was finally able to practice what she had preached for more than three decades.