Transferring Credit to UC Irvine

US colleges or universities must be regionally accredited by one of the seven former regional accrediting agencies.

Non-US colleges and universities must be recognized by the country’s Ministry of Education or higher-education authority/appropriate government agency.

Courses that are the same as undergraduate courses at any UC campus generally are transferable as long as they share the same content. The course must also: 

• Be listed in the original institution’s course catalog for the year in which the course was completed
• Require the same or similar prerequisites to the course offered at UC
• Be offered at the same level of instruction to the course offered at UC (lower or upper division)

Lower-Division Coursework

UC Irvine will only award up to 70 semester/105 quarter units of lower-division credit from non-UC colleges or universities. After the unit maximum has been reached, subject credit will still be awarded. 

Community college courses and freshman/sophomore level courses are typically considered lower-division and will not put applicants at risk of being denied admission due to excessive units. 

Upper-Division Coursework 

Upper division units earned at a four year college/university are not included in the lower-division unit limitation and may put applicants at risk of senior standing. 

UC Coursework

Units earned at any UC campus (extension/continuing education, summer session, cross or concurrent enrollment, and regular academic year enrollment) are not included in the lower-division unit limitation and may put applicants at risk of senior standing. 

Exams

AP, IB, or A-Level exam credits are not included in lower-division unit limitations and do not put applicants at risk of senior standing. 

The University of California grants credit for some Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, and A-Level examinations. Credit for AP/IB/A-Level exams is determined by each UC campus. Please refer to UC Irvine’s general catalogue to see how your exam credits are awarded at our campus. Note, exam and course exemptions at your current institution may not transfer over to UC Irvine.

Note: AP, IB, or A-Level exam credits are not included in lower-division unit limitations and do not put applicants at risk of senior standing.

The University of California campuses have pre-approved transferability and articulation agreements with all California community colleges, which are available on Assist.org. Articulation agreements show which courses at California community colleges fulfill major preparatory requirements for UCs and CSUs. 

Please carefully review the articulation agreements to ensure your understanding of UC Irvine requirements for your selected major. Majors that require pre-requisite courses will be listed under the ‘Required for Admission’ section of the articulation agreement. 

California community college students may review ASSIST’s UC transferable course agreements for course and credit limitations by visiting ASSIST.org and utilizing the right-hand side box titled “Search below for transferable courses.” Select the academic year and California Community College, then choose “UC Transferable Courses.” 

UC places limitations on the number of units/credits in certain subject areas. Units earned/received beyond the limitation will not be counted toward unit totals or GPA. 

College Algebra/Pre-Calculus: Limited to one course  

English as a Second Language (ESL): A maximum of 8 semester/12 quarter units 

Physical Education: A maximum of 4 semester/6 quarter units of PE activity 

Statistics: Limited to one course

Additional course limitations could be applied to courses with the same subject content. If courses share similar content, you will receive credit for only one course (ie: Single-variable calculus vs. business calculus).

Students who were previously enrolled at a UC campus and want to transfer to a different UC campus must be in good academic standing (last term and/or cumulative UC GPA of 2.00 or above) at their prior UC campus to be considered for transfer admission, even if that UC campus is not their last school of attendance. 

All courses completed and grades and units earned at a UC main campus (not UC Extension) during fall, winter, spring and summer are transferable to another UC campus. 

UC to UC transfer students automatically satisfy the 7-course pattern admission requirements. However, all majors in the School of Humanities at UC Irvine still require the completion of two lower-division writing (LDW) courses to fulfill major admission prerequisites. However, applicants applying through the Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) program must still fulfill the 7-course pattern by the required terms.

When it comes to repairing deficient grades, C- and lower grades in UC courses can only be repeated at UC. 

UC Irvine does accept a UC Letter of Reciprocity for transfer students. This letter confirms that you’ve completed all lower-division General Education (GE) requirements at your current UC, potentially exempting you from additional GE coursework at UC Irvine. 

*Students who were previously enrolled at UC Irvine during a regular academic term (fall, winter and/or spring), and would like to return to UC Irvine, will need to apply for readmission. Click here for more information on the readmission process. Please note that readmission is neither automatic nor guaranteed, and is subject to approval by your academic unit and the Registrar. 

Courses from enrollment at any UC Extension division are transferable if the course is numbered 1-199.

Courses numbered 1-199 which include a campus designation (e.g. XI, XLA) are equivalent to the same course offered to undergraduates on that campus. C- or below grades earned in concurrent enrollment courses at UC Extension can only be repaired by UC or UC Extension concurrent enrollment courses.

For colleges other than California Community Colleges, UC Irvine does not have pre-approved transferability and articulation agreements. Course transferability and major preparatory requirement fulfillment are not guaranteed and will be determined upon our review after the student has submitted their UC application. For information on how UC campuses determine course transferability, please refer to the General Transferability Practices section at the top of this page.

Credit will be awarded for college courses completed at a university recognized by the Ministry of Education (or higher-education authority/appropriate government agency) in another country that offers university-level academic degree program courses comparable to a U.S. associate's or bachelor’s degree. See General Transfer Practices above for additional parameters regarding determining transfer credit. 

Coursework from an international junior/community college program that is technical or vocational, or which does not lead to further academic study at a university in the international country, will not receive transfer credit. 

Please note the following:

• Transfer and second baccalaureate applicants must complete two UC-E approved English composition courses with a grade of C or better. UC Irvine does not accept English composition courses from international universities where English is not the language of instruction.
• While an official transcript is not needed until after a student is admitted, we may request an unofficial transcript and translation (if necessary), during our evaluation of your application. 

Credit may be awarded for military coursework, if equivalent to a UC taught course. Credit will not be awarded for basic training, vocational or technical training, work experience, personal enrichment courses, College-Level Examination Program (CLEP), or DANTES Subject Standardized Tests (DSST) exams. 

Military academy and college course credit will be determined during the application evaluation process. 

Joint Service Transcript (JST) credit is determined after matriculation, therefore military credit cannot be counted towards the minimum 60 semester/90 quarter units required for transfer admission eligibility. UC will consult the American Council on Education (ACE) recommendations for information regarding course content and as a guide to awarding credit.

Only select majors at UC Irvine accept senior standing transfer applicants. To find out if your intended major is open to senior standing applicants, please visit the UC Check Majors website (the list of majors open to senior standing applicants is subject to change on a yearly basis).

At UC Irvine, you are considered a senior standing applicant if you have completed 90 semester/135 quarter units after applying the UC lower-division maximum transfer credit limitation (you will be granted up to 70 semester/105 quarter units of credit for lower-division coursework completed at any institution or any combination of institutions).

• Units earned through AP, IB, and/or A-Level examinations are not included in the limitation and do not count towards senior standing 
• Upper division units earned at a four year college/university and units earned at any UC campus (extension/continuing education, summer, cross/concurrent, and regular academic year enrollment) are not included in the limitation but are added to the maximum transfer credit allowed and may impact eligibility due to senior standing

If you have started or completed your first term (excluding summer session) at UC Irvine, you will need to submit a Current Student Update request form to post transfer units or update your ELWR and/or American History/Institution requirements.  

NOTE: If you are new to UC Irvine and have not started the fall quarter, contact your Admissions Counselor via the Applicant Portal to update your record.

• Posting units for AP, IB, GCE A-Level exams to your unofficial UC Irvine transcript
• Reviewing and posting units for college coursework completed outside of UC Irvine to your unofficial UC Irvine transcript
• Updating American History and Institutions requirements 
• Updating Entry Level Writing Requirement (ELWR) completed outside of UC Irvine, prior to matriculation at UC Irvine
• Posting SAT/SAT Subject or ACT exam scores to Student Access
• Uploading official IGETC submissions for academic unit review

• Updating your Transfer Course List in Student Access
• Posting UC Irvine Division of Continuing Education courses, units and grades to your unofficial UC Irvine transcript. Please contact the Registrar for more assistance

• Awarding subject credit for transfer courses and exams towards your general education/degree requirements in DegreeWorks
• Academic units need transfer units posted to your unofficial UC Irvine transcript by the admissions office, transfer courses posted in Student Access by the Registrar’s office before they can apply subject credit in Degreeworks
• Please contact your academic unit for more assistance

Unfortunately, we are unable to pre-evaluate coursework completed at institutions outside of the California Community College system. Review the section on General Transfer Practices for guidance on determining which courses may transfer.

We are only able to pre-evaluate coursework completed at the California Community Colleges, given the articulation agreements we have published on Assist.org. Pre-evaluations take place through our Transfer Virtual Advising Appointments. Please note, appointments are generally offered in the summer and fall months. For availability, visit the Transfer Virtual Appointments on our Events Portal.

UC Irvine’s Office of Undergraduate Admissions determines which courses are transferable and count toward your GPA and unit total for admission. After admission, your academic unit decides which courses fulfill general education and degree requirements.

No, UC Irvine does not award credit posted to a third-party institution's transcript. Credit is only considered from the original institution's official academic record.

It depends on the type of units completed. If all transferable coursework is lower-division, excess units won’t affect eligibility. However, the combination of upper-division and lower-division coursework that results in senior standing (135 quarter units) will make you ineligible for majors that do not accept senior-level applicants.

Yes, any course you have enrolled in at a college or university—even if you withdrew, received an academic renewal, or completed the course during high school—is considered part of your academic history and should be reported on your application.

Yes, you are required to report all college or university coursework you enrolled in, regardless of time frame completed, relevance to current major, transferability, or grade received. We recommend referring to transcripts to ensure accuracy and avoid omission. Failure to report your academic history in its entirety can jeopardize the integrity of your application and may result in the withdrawal of your offer of admission. 

Yes, you should be reporting all attempts of courses completed and withdrawn, along with grades received, as reflected on your institution’s transcript. Academic Renewal should only be reported if your request for Academic Renewal has already been granted and is posted on your transcript. 

Yes, you need to report each school attended even if schools attended are part of the same district. Your courses should be distributed accurately to reflect the school at which they were taken. Please utilize your transcripts to ensure accuracy when filling out your application. 

Yes, if your primary California Community College does not offer an articulated course for your major, you are still responsible for completing the major requirement by the end of the spring term prior to transfer in order to be considered eligible for admission.

Yes, you can complete transfer requirements at multiple California Community Colleges. Typically, you can also take courses within series at multiple California Community Colleges, as long as you are checking Assist.org articulation agreements to ensure requirements are fulfilled. If there are any specific parameters regarding a sequence, they will be reflected on Assist.org. If in doubt, please contact our office for clarification.

While we do not require an ADT, we will consider the completion of your ADT as part of our comprehensive review process.

No, if you are in high school at the time of application, you should be applying as a first-year applicant. 

Yes, UC Extension courses (as long as they are transferable, see UC Extension above for more information) may be used to fulfill the 7-course pattern or major requirements.