Transferring Community College Credits to SJSU

I'm at a community college and thinking about transferring to San Jose State University. How does SJSU evaluate community college transfer credits? Any advice on making sure my credits are accepted?

San Jose State University, like many other institutions, has a specific process for evaluating transfer credits. They review transcripted credit from all colleges and universities you've attended, including community colleges. The transfer credit evaluation process begins once you're admitted and have accepted your offer of admission. In this process, both general education and major-specific courses are evaluated for equivalency.

California Community College students often utilize a tool called "ASSIST," which is an online student-transfer information system that shows how course credits earned at one public California college or university can be applied when transferred to another. ASSIST includes information about which community college classes can be used to fulfill requirements (both general education and major-specific) at SJSU.

For out-of-state or private schools, if the course equivalents aren't listed in Transferology or other established university guides, transfer credit will be granted on a course-by-course basis. The University will review the course description, syllabi, and sometimes textbook information, to determine if the course content, learning outcomes, and level of instruction are comparable to a course at SJSU.

Keep in mind that SJSU has both a minimum unit requirement and a residency requirement, so you'll want to pay attention to both as you plan your transfer coursework. For example, at least 30 of the last 39 semester units completed for the degree must be earned in residence at SJSU.

To increase the chances of your community college credits being accepted, here’s what you can do:

1. Meet regularly with your community college's transfer advisors: They can help guide your course selections to ensure that you're taking transferrable courses.

2. Use tools like ASSIST or Transferology: These can help you identify which of your community college courses have already been evaluated for credit at SJSU.

3. Keep all your course syllabi: If the courses have not been pre-evaluated, the syllabi could be a huge help in demonstrating course content.

Remember that ensuring credits transfer is a big part of transferring you will also want to ensure you are meeting all the other prerequisites and transfer requirements for SJSU and your specific major.