Transferring credits from community college to Cal State

I'm looking to transfer credits from a community college to a California State University. Does anyone have experience with this process? What should I expect and what challenges might I face?

California has a very efficient transfer system in place, making your transition from community college to a Cal State school smoother. The Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT) program, in particular, guarantees community college students with an associate's degree admission to a CSU campus. The transferable courses might not necessarily fulfill the requirement of your major at the CSU campus, but they will earn you some credit towards your total graduation requirements.

An important step is to routinely meet with your community college academic advisor. They can help you understand which of the courses you've taken are transferrable. A thorough review of the IGETC (Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum) will also provide a comprehensive list of transferable courses.

An online tool like ASSIST can be a helpful resource. It's essentially a student-transfer information system that provides information about how specific courses or course sequences from community colleges can be transferred to Cal State schools.

Challenges in transferring credits from a community college to a CSU campus mostly involve ensuring that the courses you take fulfill your intended CSU major’s requirements. It's a common issue that some units might not apply to your specific Bachelor Degree, even though they are transferable under IGETC.

Another potential hurdle is the timing of your application. CSU campuses prioritize enrollments for new transfer students in the Fall term. If you apply for the Spring term, you might find spots in high-demand programs have been filled.

Given these challenges, it’s important to work closely with academic advisors both at your community college and the CSU campus you plan to transfer to so that you can ensure your courses align with your academic and career goals.