Community College Options in the Bay Area?

Can anyone recommend good community colleges in the Bay Area? I'm considering starting there and then transferring. It’d be great to know which ones have strong programs or transferable credits to UC schools.

You have a few great options for community colleges in the Bay Area which have strong programs and an established transfer pathway to UC schools.

1. De Anza College in Cupertino is often praised for its transfer success rates to UCs as well as CSUs. It's a part of the Transfer Admission Guarantee program with all UCs except Berkeley and UCLA, allowing well-performing students to be guaranteed admission to the other six campuses.

2. Foothill College, in Los Altos Hills, is also well-regarded. Like De Anza College, Foothill College is part of the UC TAG program, and many students successfully transfer on an annual basis.

3. Moving into the East Bay, Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill also has a strong reputation, particularly in the STEM fields. They also participate in the UC TAG program and boast a high transfer rate particularly to UC Berkeley.

4. And finally, City College of San Francisco is a solid option with a wide array of associate degrees. While not a part of the UC TAG program, they do have a high transfer rate with a number of support services to help students through the transfer process.

Keep in mind that many community colleges in California have agreements with UC schools, where if you complete specific course requirements and maintain a certain GPA, you can be automatically admitted to certain UC campuses. Make sure to check out Assist.org to see which community college classes are transferrable to UC and CSU schools! Whichever school you choose, it's essential to communicate with your academic counselor to ensure your coursework aligns with your ultimate transfer goal.