Young people interested in earning bachelor's degrees were required to proceed to the Berkeley campus or other universities to attend upper-division third- and fourth-year courses.

The Southern Californians finally prevailed on December 11, 1923, when the UC Board of Regents approved a fourth year of instruction.

[4] The College's original departments in 1923 were chemistry, economics, English, French, history, mathematics, philosophy, physics, political science, psychology, Spanish, and zoology.

The main disadvantage of the gigantic size of the College (as with its counterpart at Berkeley) is a coldly impersonal undergraduate experience, especially in large lower-division survey courses (before students declare specific majors, begin to work more closely with department advisers and faculty members in their chosen major, and switch to smaller upper-division courses).

[9] The main graduation commencement ceremony for the College of Letters and Science is held annually on a Friday night in June in Pauley Pavilion.

Rock band Linkin Park's Brad Delson accepted the last minute invitation to speak at the 2009 commencement ceremony.