College of the Redwoods to CSU Transfer Info

Hi! I'm at College of the Redwoods and considering transferring to a CSU. Can someone break down the transfer requirements for me? Would really appreciate any detailed advice or personal experiences.

Sure, we'd be glad to help! As a California community college student, you have a strong advantage when transferring to a CSU. Most CSUs prioritize transfers from California Community Colleges over other institutions.

Now, here's a quick rundown of some general CSU transfer requirements:

1. Completion of 60 CSU-transferable semester units.

2. Maintain a minimum GPA of 2.0. However, applying with a GPA that just meets the minimum requirements won’t make you a competitive transfer applicant.

3. Completion of CSU general education or Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) requirements.

4. Completion of at least 30 semester units of CSU general education, with a grade of "C" or better, including at least one course in written communication, oral communication, critical thinking, and quantitative reasoning, collectively known as the "Golden Four".

Also, certain majors may have additional requirements, such as prerequisite courses, so you'll want to check with the specific school you're interested in transferring to. A good resource to use is ASSIST, the official transfer and articulation system for California’s public colleges and universities, which provides outline agreements between all California Community Colleges and CSUs.

However, do bear in mind that these are just guidelines and the exact requirements may vary from one CSU to another, as well as from year to year. Therefore, I would strongly recommend working closely with both your current college advisor and the transfer admissions office at the CSU(s) you're considering to make sure you're getting the most accurate and up-to-date information.

Remember that while these are the baseline criteria, being a competitive applicant also involves other factors such as extracurricular activities, potential major-specific requirements, personal essays (if needed), and more. This process demands quite a bit of research and planning, but the payoff can absolutely be worth it. Good luck with the process!