I'm at San Diego City College and am considering transferring to a UC school. What programs or pathways are available for transfer students? Can anyone share their experience with this process?
The University of California system offers several programs and pathways for community college students looking to transfer.
One of these is the Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) program. TAG guarantees admission to one of six UC campuses (UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC Merced, UC Riverside, UC Santa Barbara, and UC Santa Cruz) if certain requirements are met. These typically include completing a set number of credits, fulfilling the general education and major preparation course requirements, and maintaining a certain minimum GPA.
Another option is the UC Transfer Pathways, which provide a roadmap of the major preparation courses you should take for 21 of the most popular UC majors. If you follow one of these Pathways and meet UC's general admission requirements, you greatly improve your chances of being admitted.
Additionally, the UC's Transfer Admission Planner (TAP) can help you plan and track your progress towards meeting admission requirements.
If you're specifically interested in transferring to UC Berkeley or UCLA, these campuses have very competitive admissions and don't participate in the TAG program. For these schools, you'll want to ensure that your GPA is high, you're taking the recommended courses for your intended major, and that you have robust extracurricular activities.
In terms of what the process looks like, you'll complete your UC application during the filing period (October 1 to November 30). Make sure to list all of your courses, as the UCs want to see both completed and planned coursework. After submission, some campuses may ask for additional information, and decisions are generally released in April.
The UCs value community college transfers and aim to enroll them, so you're already on a good path! Best of luck with your transfer journey!
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