I'm considering transferring to a California college. How can I figure out which of my current credits will transfer? Are there specific resources for checking course equivalency in California?
In California, a great resource for you would be the "ASSIST" website. ASSIST is California's official statewide database listing a student-friendly interface that shows how course credits earned at one public California college or university can be applied when transferred to another.
To use ASSIST, you navigate to their home page and select the institution you currently attend (or the California college where you've earned credits) in the dropdown menu that asks for your current or previous college. Then, you select the institution you plan to transfer to. The website will then display a detailed list of course equivalencies.
It's important to mention—ASSIST only applies to public colleges in California, specifically the University of California (UC) and California State Universities (CSU). For California community colleges, you also have the IGETC (Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum) pathway which defines the general education courses you can take that will fulfill your lower-division general education requirements at any California community college, UC, and CSU.
Private colleges in California, unfortunately, don't have a unified system like ASSIST. If you're transferring to a private college, you'll need to either visit the college's website or reach out to their Registrar's Office to ask for a course equivalency guide or any information they provided on transfer credits.
Keep in mind that ASSIST and IGETC provide general equivalencies, but the specific department at the university you're transferring to will ultimately decide whether or not a course will satisfy the requirements for your intended major. So you'll want to contact the academic advising office for your major specifically to ensure you have the most accurate information.
CollegeVine’s Q&A seeks to offer informed perspectives on commonly asked admissions questions. Every answer is refined and validated by our team of admissions experts to ensure it resonates with trusted knowledge in the field.