Transferring credits from Foothill College to UC Berkeley?

I'm thinking about transferring from Foothill College to UC Berkeley and I'm not sure how credit transfer works. Does anyone have experience with this transfer, and what should I watch out for?

Transferring credits from a community college like Foothill to a university such as UC Berkeley can be a beneficial way to complete some general education requirements and make your course load lighter once you transfer. UC Berkeley, like most UC schools, has a set method for evaluating and accepting community college transfer credits.

Your classes at Foothill College should be equivalent to those offered at UC Berkeley in order for your credits to be transferable. The California Community Colleges system and the University of California system have a tool known as ASSIST, which identifies which courses at a CCC can be used to fulfill lower division coursework at a UC or a CSU. ASSIST is designed to facilitate transfers between California community colleges and UCs or CSUs.

In addition, you need to be aware of the minimum unit requirement for transfer admission at UC Berkeley which is 60 semester units or 90 quarter units. Not all credits may be counted towards this requirement, depending on whether your courses are UC-transferable.

Remember that while credits can transfer, the grades you received at Foothill will not factor into your UC Berkeley GPA. This means you should still aim to get strong grades at Foothill, as that can factor into your transfer admission decision, but once at UC Berkeley your GPA will start from scratch.

Lastly, some majors have prerequisite courses that you must complete before transferring. Make sure you understand the prerequisite requirements for your intended major at UC Berkeley to ensure a smooth credit transfer process.

One thing I must stress: always cross-verify any advice or resource with UC Berkeley’s admission office or an academic counselor at Foothill College. Remember that nuances and changes may occur and it's best to get the most current and accurate information directly from the source.

Transferring can seem daunting, but remember that it's a common path for many students, and college counselors at both schools are there to help you navigate the process.