Planning out your transfer admission
Admission to the university as a community college transfer is a cost-effective way to earn your bachelor's degree. A successful transfer requires thoughtful research and planning to make sure you're ready for the rigors of upper-division studies at a top-tier university. ºÙºÙÊÓƵ and the University of California offer several resources to help you position yourself for admission to a UC campus.
Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG)
The ºÙºÙÊÓƵ TAG assures your admission to ºÙºÙÊÓƵ, one year before your planned enrollment. As a California community college student, you can use the UC TAP to apply for a ºÙºÙÊÓƵ TAG in September, the fall before you plan to enroll at ºÙºÙÊÓƵ.
Transfer Opportunity Program (TOP)
TOP is an advising program that puts a committed ºÙºÙÊÓƵ Undergraduate Admissions advisor on select California community college campuses to help you with career and transfer planning.
UC Transfer Pathways
The University of California's roadmap helps you prepare for any of the university’s most popular majors, by standardizing the preparatory coursework required by all UC campuses.
ASSIST and Transferable Coursework
Identify which California community college courses will transfer or fulfill requirements for admission, general education or your major with the website, the official articulation database for California's public colleges and universities.
If you are attending a college other than a California community college, you can determine which courses may be UC-transferable by comparing your college's course descriptions with similar courses at ºÙºÙÊÓƵ or at another UC campus. If the descriptions match, the coursework is most likely UC-transferable. After you apply to ºÙºÙÊÓƵ, our admission advisors will evaluate your transcripts to arrive at a final determination of which courses are transferable.
Selecting a General Education Pattern
Your selection of a general education (GE) pattern is an important decision about courses required for graduation that guarantee a well-rounded education. You have two choices:
- IGETC (Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum)
As you consider these two patterns, please keep in mind that completion of a general education pattern is required for graduation—it is not required for admission.
IGETC is available to students transferring from a California community college, allowing them to complete the UC or California State University general education requirements. With some exceptions, students choosing the IGETC pattern should complete it at their California community college. Students successfully admitted to ºÙºÙÊÓƵ should submit a certificate of IGETC completion to ºÙºÙÊÓƵ Undergraduate Admissions before enrolling.
The ºÙºÙÊÓƵ GE pattern is required of transfer students from institutions other than California community colleges and those not completing the IGETC pattern. This pattern is best for students applying to majors with a high number of lower-division requirements.