The majority of CA Community College transfers want to transfer to one of the nine University of California schools. This includes UC Los Angeles, UC Berkeley, UC Santa Barbara, UC San Diego, UC Irvine, UC Davis, UC Santa Cruz, UC Riverside, and UC Merced. This is an awesome goal that can be challenging. These schools are competitive and require a high GPA as well as extracurriculars to make yourself stand out. Here are a few things to remember:
Plan it Out Ahead of Time:
To transfer to a UC (for the majority of majors- STEM majors sometimes excluded) you need to complete what is called IGETC- The Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum. Upon completing this you will guarantee once you transfer you will no longer need to take any General Education courses saving yourself time and $.
Go to Assist.com and type in your local CC along with the UC you are planning to transfer to. Look at the required courses for your planned major. *Each UC will most likely have different requirements so check ALL of the UC's you are interested in applying to*
Make a 2-4 year plan (depending on how many hours you work/ to how many units you take) and plan out when you will take each class AND when. Cross check major courses and general education (IGETC) courses.
To the more selective UC's it is important that you take your major courses (the ones listed on assist) before you apply.
TAG. There is a program called TAG which stands for Transfer Admission Guarantee. This is a program that 6 of the UC's participate in: UC Santa Barbara, UC Irvine, UC Davis, UC Santa Cruz, UC Riverside, and UC Merced that guarantee's admission. It changes every year but generally TAG is only for Fall admission. Each UC requires a different GPA depending on the school this ranges from a 2.7-3.4. TAG needs to be filled out as an application the September before your application is due in November. You MUST fill out a TAG application and a regular application for your TAG to count. *Certain schools do not offer TAG for certain majors*
TAP. TAP is a program for UCLA which is supposed to increase your chances of acceptance. To be apart of TAP you have to be apart of your CC's honors program and fill out the appropriate form with your community college counselor the January before you transfer. For example, if you are transferring Fall 2020 you needed to discuss TAP certification in January of 2020.
Apply the November before you plan on attending. For example, if you plan on attending a UC for Fall 2020 you should have applied by November 30, 2019. You will need to write 4 essays so plan accordingly.
USEFUL TOOL: https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/infocenter/transfers-major
This site lets you know each specific UC's average GPA per major. This is useful so you can apply smartly.
