UC Eligibility Requirements for Transfer Admission

The requirements described here represent the minimum level of achievement to be eligible for admission to the University. Meeting the minimum requirements is not enough to gain admission to many UC campuses and programs due to space available for new students.

If the number of applicants exceeds the spaces available for a particular campus or major -- as is often the case -- the campus uses criteria that exceed the minimum requirements to select students. (See the discussion of transfer selection criteria for more information.) Meeting the minimum requirements, therefore, is not enough to gain admission to many UC campuses and programs.

There are several ways to meet the University's minimum admission requirements for transfer students, as described below. The path you use depends on the degree to which you satisfied UC's minimum eligibility requirements for freshmen at the time you graduated from high school. In all cases, you must have at least a C (2.0) average in all transferable coursework.

1. If you were eligible for admission to the University when you graduated from high school -- meaning you satisfied the Subject, Scholarship and Examination requirements -- you are eligible to transfer if you have a C (2.0) average in your transferable college coursework.

2. If you met the Scholarship Requirement but did not satisfy the Subject Requirement, you must take transferable college courses in the subjects you are missing, earn a grade of C or better in each of these required courses and earn an overall C (2.0) average in all transferable college coursework to be eligible to transfer.

3. If you were not eligible for admission to the University when you graduated from high school because you did not meet the Scholarship Requirement, you must:
   1. Complete 90 quarter units or 60 semester units of transferable college credit with a grade point average of at least 2.4 (no more than 14 semester/21 quarter units may be taken Pass/No Pass); and

   2. Complete the following course pattern, earning a grade of C or better in each course:
      • two transferable college courses (3 semester or 4-5 quarter units each) in English composition; and
      • one transferable college course (3 semester or 4-5 quarter units) in mathematical concepts and quantitative reasoning; and
      • four transferable college courses (3 semester or 4-5 quarter units each) chosen from at least two of the following subject areas: the arts and humanities, the social and behavioral sciences, and the physical and biological sciences.

      Students who satisfy the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) prior to transferring to UC may satisfy Option 3b of the transfer admission requirements. For more information about the IGETC, refer to the University publication Answers for Transfers.

The minimum admission requirements for nonresidents are very similar to those for residents. Please consult with the Admissions Office at one of the University campuses for details. In all cases, however, nonresidents must have a grade point average of 2.8 or higher in all transferable college coursework.