Admission as a Transfer

University of California - Introducing the University

The University considers you a transfer applicant if you graduated from high school and enrolled in a regular session at another college or university. You can't disregard your college record and apply as a freshman.

If you plan on attending a California community college before applying to the University, you should take courses that are transferable, that satisfy University and college requirements and that fulfill prerequisites in your major. Advisors in the Admissions Office at the campus you wish to attend and counselors at your community college can help you with your planning.

The University publishes a planning guide for prospective transfer students called Answers for Transfers. It is available from your community college counselor and the UC campuses.

California Residents

There are several ways to meet the University's minimum admission requirements for transfer students, as described below. The path you use depends on the degree to which you satisfied UC's minimum eligibility requirements for freshmen at the time you graduated from high school. In all cases, you must have at least a C (2.0) average in all transferable coursework.

If you were eligible for admission to the University when you graduated from high school -- meaning you satisfied the Subject, Scholarship and Examination Requirements, or were identified by the University during your senior year in high school as eligible under the Eligibility in the Local Context (ELC) program -- you are eligible to transfer if you have a C (2.0) average in your transferable coursework.
If you met the Scholarship Requirement but did not satisfy the Subject Requirement, you must take transferable college courses in the missing subjects, earning a C or better in each required course and have an overall C average in all transferable coursework to be eligible to transfer.
If you were not eligible for admission to the University when you graduated from high school because you did not meet the Scholarship Requirement, you must:
1. Complete 60 semester (90 quarter) units of transferable college credit with a GPA of at least 2.4 (no more than 14 semester/21 quarter units may be taken Pass/Not Pass), and;
2. Complete the following course pattern requirement, earning a grade of C or better in each course:
  - two transferable college courses (3 semester or 4-5 quarter units each) in English composition, and;
  - one transferable college course (3 semester or 4-5 quarter units) in mathematical concepts and quantitative reasoning, and;
  - four transferable college courses (3 semester or 4-5 quarter units each) chosen from at least two of the following subject areas: the arts and humanities, the social and behavioral sciences, and the physical and biological sciences.
  (Students who satisfy the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum [IGETC] prior to transferring to UC may satisfy Option 3B of the transfer admission requirements. For more information about the IGETC, refer to the University publication Answers for Transfers.)

DUAL ADMISSIONS PROGRAM

What is DAP? The Dual Admissions Program (DAP) offers students who are not eligible to attend UC directly from high school a guaranteed spot at a specific UC campus, provided they first complete an approved transfer program at a California community college. While recent cuts in state funding may prevent the University from admitting all DAP-eligible applicants, those who are admitted will be assured a place when they are ready to transfer.
Who is eligible? To be considered for DAP, you must complete at least 9 units of the Subject Requirement by the end of your junior year of high school and be in the top 4 percent to 12.5 percent of your graduating class.
With the assistance of participating high schools, the University will identify the top 4 percent to 12.5 percent of students in California high schools on the basis of GPA in UC-approved coursework in the 10th and 11th grades. Students who apply to the University under this program do not need to complete the Examination Requirement.
How do I apply? The University will notify DAP students of their status at the beginning of their senior year of high school. If you are designated as a DAP student and are interested in participating in this program, you must submit the University's undergraduate application during the November filing period. DAP students will be notified between March and April regarding the UC campus to which they have been admitted and will be asked to identify a community college they plan to enter in the fall. An academic contract will be developed by the student's UC campus, which will describe the courses and grades that must be completed to successfully transfer from the community college to UC.

DUAL ADMISSIONS PROGRAM

What is DAP? The Dual Admissions Program (DAP) offers students who are not eligible to attend UC directly from high school a guaranteed spot at a specific UC campus, provided they first complete an approved transfer program at a California community college. While recent cuts in state funding may prevent the University from admitting all DAP-eligible applicants, those who are admitted will be assured a place when they are ready to transfer. Who is eligible? To be considered for DAP, you must complete at least 9 units of the Subject Requirement by the end of your junior year of high school and be in the top 4 percent to 12.5 percent of your graduating class. With the assistance of participating high schools, the University will identify the top 4 percent to 12.5 percent of students in California high schools on the basis of GPA in UC-approved coursework in the 10th and 11th grades. Students who apply to the University under this program do not need to complete the Examination Requirement. How do I apply? The University will notify DAP students of their status at the beginning of their senior year of high school. If you are designated as a DAP student and are interested in participating in this program, you must submit the University's undergraduate application during the November filing period. DAP students will be notified between March and April regarding the UC campus to which they have been admitted and will be asked to identify a community college they plan to enter in the fall. An academic contract will be developed by the student's UC campus, which will describe the courses and grades that must be completed to successfully transfer from the community college to UC.

Nonresidents

The minimum admission requirements for nonresident transfer applicants are the same as those for residents except that nonresidents must have a grade point average of 2.8 or higher in all transferable college coursework.

Minimum Eligibility vs. Selection

If the number of applicants exceeds the spaces available for a particular campus or major -- as is often the case -- the campus uses criteria that exceed the minimum requirements to select students. (See the discussion of transfer selection criteria for more information.) Meeting the minimum requirements, therefore, is not enough to gain admission to many UC campuses and programs.

Last Updated September 10, 2003.