How does the Associate for Transfer Degree work at Cypress College?

I'm considering starting at Cypress College to get an Associate for Transfer Degree. Can someone explain how this program works and how it might help me transfer to a university later on? Any personal experiences would be awesome!

The Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT) that Cypress College offers is a pretty strategic move for students who want to pursue a four-year university degree. It's part of a transfer agreement between the California Community College and the CSU system, but there are also similar agreements with some UC and private schools.

Here's how it works: you can select an ADT program, which is a specialized associate degree linked to a specific major or discipline like Communications or Biology. These degrees are structured to give you all the lower-division general ed and major-specific courses that you'd need to transfer as a junior into a similar major at a CSU, or a participating UC or private university.

So basically, if you receive this degree and meet the CSU's minimum eligibility requirements, you are guaranteed admission into a similar degree program at a CSU. For participating UC and private universities, they've promised to give priority consideration to transfer applications from students with ADTs, although admission isn't guaranteed because their admissions are more competitive and most base admission on holistic review.

Transfers with an ADT would need to complete a minimum of 60 more semester units to get a bachelor's degree.

An ADT can be a direct, structured pathway to a bachelor's degree without having to take unnecessary courses. Plus, the added bonus of guaranteed admission or priority consideration might make the transfer process less stressful. Keep in mind that you still want to meet with a transfer counselor regularly to make sure that you're on track with the specific ADT requirements.