UC Transfer Resource -

Interested in transferring to a UC? If so, you’ve come to the right place! There are nine UC (University of California) schools throughout the state:

Interested in learning more about one or more of these schools? Click on their name above to explore their website!

For more information on the applications for the UC’s please check out this UC application Step-by-Step Playlist

California community college students are given first priority over other transfer applicants when applying to a UC, and many campuses offer guaranteed admission for well-prepared transfer students. This guaranteed admission is called TAG: Transfer Admission Guarantee.

What is TAG?

Six of the nine UCs (UC Davis, Irvine, Merced, Riverside, Santa Barbara, and Santa Cruz) participate in this program which guarantees admission into one participating school. Students who participate in TAG receive early review of academic records, early admission notification, and specific guidance about major preparation and general education coursework. Admission via TAG is only for California Community College transfer students who have completed 30+ units at CCC, and who meet all general education and major requirements for their intended program at their chosen university. Please review the UC TAG Matrix, for requirements at each campus. The filing period for TAG applications is September 1 – 30 every year. If you choose to apply for TAG, you must additionally complete the regular UC application, the filing period for which is November 1 – 30 every year. For more information about TAG such as where and how to apply, please visit the University of California TAG Website.

What is a UC Transfer Pathway?

The UC Transfer Pathways program is an official “roadmap” of the 21 top majors offered throughout the UC system. This program is ideal for students starting out at a Community College who already know what major they wish to pursue, but do not know which UC campuses to apply to. By utilizing Pathways, students can prepare for their major by taking a single set of courses that applies to all nine UC campuses. For more information on this program and to see if your intended major is included, please visit the University of California Admissions Website. Please note that this is not a program that you can sign up for, it is just a generalized list of major preparation classes that you can take while at a CCC that will apply to any UC.

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How to Apply to a UC

If you’re looking to apply to a UC, first meet with an Academic Counselor at BCC to double-check your progress and make sure that you’ve met the requirements to transfer. Transfer students will need a minimum of 60 units in order to transfer into a UC, as well as successful completion of general education courses, such as IGETC. The minimum GPA for resident transfers is 3.0, while for nonresident transfers it is 3.4. Please keep in mind however that in order to be competitive for your major, it may be advisable to strive for a higher GPA. Once you’ve determined that you are ready, or will soon be ready to transfer, you’ll want to apply for admission the Fall prior to your intended transfer date. For example, if you’re hoping to transfer in Fall 2019, you’ll want to apply in Fall 2018, or when you have 2 semesters left to complete your transfer requirements. Every fall the Transfer and Career Center hosts application workshops and holds one-on-one meetings with students in order to better facilitate the application process.

The UC Application can be found online at https://admissions.universityofcalifornia.edu/applicant/login.htm. The fee to apply is $70 per UC campus. However, you may qualify for a fee waiver based upon your answers to income questions within the application. If you qualify, the fee waiver is automatically applied to your application. Please visit the UC Admissions Website for tips and checklists on how to apply as a transfer.

While all UC campuses accept students for Fall admission, a select few campuses also accept students for the spring or winter quarter. During the 2018 application season, the three UCs who offered winter quarter admission were UC Merced, Riverside, and Santa Cruz. The application process for this admission is exactly the same as it is for fall, however the application period is July 1-31. Please keep in mind that not all majors are open for Winter Quarter Admission. Available majors vary by campus.

Personal Insight Questions

The UC application requires that all applicants answer four short essay questions. One question regarding major preparation is required for all transfers, while the other three are chosen from a list of seven. The word count for each answer is 350 so it is important to use your space wisely. The goal of these PIQs is to provide a snapshot of the things that you find most important, compelling, or intrinsic to who you are; you want to convince the UCs that you wish to apply to that you are a good fit for their campus. Answering these questions can be very time consuming, so make sure to start writing your essays in advance to the application’s deadline. A list of the questions and things to consider writing about can be found here.

If you need help writing your statements, the Transfer and Career Center holds workshops and one-on-one meetings with students to help brainstorm, edit, and submit your answers.