This blog post covers everything you need to know about the UC transfer from a California Community College that you need to know.
I was lucky enough to come across excellent counselors during my time at community college — but I know that’s not the case for everyone. That’s what inspired me to write this post about the UC transfer process.
As a first-gen transfer student, I was eager to get into a UC — and I ultimately got accepted to UCLA, UC Berkeley, UC Irvine, UC Santa Barbara, and UC San Diego. I’m incredibly grateful to have gotten into all the UCs I applied to. While I had great support from my counselors, I also did a lot of independent research and extra work to make myself competitive.
As a first-gen student, I’ve always felt the need to give back. Over time, I’ve shared what I’ve learned with so many other transfer students — and I’ve been shocked by how many didn’t know some of the most important things I picked up along the way. I hope this blog post reaches those students at community college who want to prepare themselves for the UC transfer process — because not too long ago, I was one of them, and I remember how lost I felt.
Disclaimer: This blog post is based on what I wish I knew when I was preparing to transfer to a UC. It’s meant to share insight and personal experience — not to replace guidance from a college counselor! Be sure to visit the Transfer Center at your community college to learn about helpful resources, updates, and opportunities that could benefit you.
UC Transfer from a California Community College- UC System
Okay, I wanted to do a brief introduction to the UC Campuses and the system itself. The University of California College system has nine undergraduate campuses (Bachelor’s degree); the campuses consist of San Diego, Riverside, Irvine, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, Davis, Merced, and Berkeley.
The UC system is widely recognized for its strong commitment to research and its role in shaping students into leaders in their fields. Its focus on research isn’t just about reputation — it’s a key reason the UCs receive the funding and prestige they’re known for. The volume of groundbreaking work produced under the UC name has helped establish its reputation as a top-tier institution, both nationally and globally.
In undergrad, the UC system places a strong emphasis on theory and research, aiming to prepare students for leadership roles in their fields. By engaging deeply with research, students are encouraged to hold themselves to higher academic standards. During my time at a UC, there was a clear push for students to pursue graduate school — with plenty of resources available outside the classroom to support that path, including research opportunities and mentorship. In my experience, the UC system does an excellent job of preparing students to engage in meaningful research. Many of my peers who went on to grad school found the transition smoother compared to students from other institutions, thanks to the rigorous academic foundation the UC system provides.
While attending a UC isn’t the only path to success, I can say that the rigorous expectations during my undergrad years played a big role in preparing me for grad school. For some, like myself, the choice was to enter the workforce directly, and that’s perfectly fine too. The UC system is designed to push students toward research and provides the foundation to do so. Whether you continue your education or go straight into the workforce, the skills you gain in research and the academic challenges you face at UC set you up for success in a wide variety of fields.
Only two out of the nine campuses are on semester system for their undergraduates meaning that they have Fall and Spring semester in one school year, only UC Berkeley and UC Merced. The semester system consists of 14 weeks of instructions then a week of finals. Whereas the other campuses follow the quarter system, consisting of fall, winter, and spring quarter which run 10 weeks of instruction then a week of finals. Everyone has different preferences, but I LOVED QUARTER SYSTEM as it went by faster and I was able to take more classes.
UC Transfer from a California Community College- Class Requirements
classes at the cc (if your cc has them) before transferring to a UC. People often get this confused with just getting their associates and then transferring, but it is a bit more detailed than that. Yes, you need an associates degree, but you need to make sure that you also fulfill the IGETC and major pre-reqs at the cc. The IGETC is a series of courses that fulfills most lower division classes before transferring to a UC; the series consists of seven subject areas that toal 34 semester units. You can view the IGETC subject and unit requirement on this page that the UC Admission has on their website.
For your major pre-reqs, it varies at your community college as some institutes offer more classes than others and some UCs may ask for different pre-reqs between each other. The UC admission officers won’t hold it against you if it’s not offered at your cc and you will just need to take that class if you end up transferring to that UC; which I had to do when I transferred to UCLA because my cc didn’t have Introduction to Sociological Research Methods. To check what classes you need, I will suggest seeing a counselor, but I am going to show you how to check the pre-reqs for your major on your own!
There is an official course tracker for colleges and universities within California that is open for everyone online; the website is assist.org and it is very straightforward. You put in the most recent academic year, the Community College you are attending, then the institution you want to transfer to. Next, you will be directed to a list of majors offered at the institution you are interested in. When selecting a major, you will see the required pre-reqs for your desired transfer school and on the right, the equivalent class that is offered at your current community college.
You should also cross-reference your major and transfer requirements with a counselor when making your education plan. This ensures you’re meeting both IGETC and major prep requirements, keeping you on track for a smooth UC transfer. For STEM majors, transferring may take three years or more, but remember—it’s not a race. Prioritizing a strong GPA over rushing through courses will benefit you in the long run.
To wrap up this section on required coursework—I’ve shown you how to use resources to plan your community college coursework effectively. However, it’s always best to check in with a counselor to ensure you’re on the right track!
UC Transfer from a California Community College- UC Application
The UC Application can be intimidating, but it’s similar to the freshman application if you applied in high school. Make sure to be applying as a transfer student because I have seen both high school and cc students doing the wrong application and they don’t realize why the application is asking for stuff you wouldn’t know about. I mentioned earlier that there are 9 UC undergraduate campuses that you can transfer to and through the UC Application Portal, you can submit one application and pick as many campuses as you would like. Keep in mind that each campus you apply is an $80 fee for domestic applicants or you may be eligible for four free waivers! I was able to apply for four campuses for free and I paid for an additional campus out of my own pocket. This page from UC admissions goes over fee waiver eligibility for the UC applications.
One thing that a lot of students don’t know about the uc application for transfers is that you can not apply undecided- unlike incoming freshmen. The UCs want to accept a transfer student that will be at Junior level classes when they enroll, so you need to have a declared major and those required classes planned to be done before transferring. Another thing that I want to highlight is GPA, the requirement to apply as a transfer is at least a 2.4 gpa for California residents and 2.8 gpa for non-california residents. However, I think your GPA needs to be at least at 3.0 to be competitive in the application pool if I’m being fairly honest. Though I can not speak about the competition within the application pool because it varies between campus and major you’re applying to, on top of that the competition varies every year. The UCs actually have a public access of data on their accepted applicants based on campus and major, which you can use to get a sense of what gpa to achieve for your major. Of course, take it with a grain of salt as the UC admission officers also look at other areas in the application into consideration.
The application is split into 4 areas; personal information, transcript showing your academics, extracurriculars/rewards portraying a resume, and Personal Insight Questions playing the part of the interview. Yes, the UCs want to know if you are strong in academics, but they would like to see if you are involved in your community or if you have any other passions! I have written two blog posts about Personal Insight Questions, where I broke down the questions and another where I shared two of my PIQs that got me into UCLA, UCSD, UCSB, UCI and UC Berkeley. I will drop the links for those blog posts on the bottom of this blog post!
UC Transfer from a California Community College- UC TAG
As a CA Community College student, there is another application called the UC TAG. The UC TAG (Transfer Admission Guarantee) is a separate application that CAN guarantee you admissions at one UC Campus. Only 6 of the 9 UC campuses participate in the TAG; which consists of UCSC, UCSB, UCD, UCM, UCI, and UCR. This application usually opens twice a year depending if you are applying for fall term or spring/winter term! Depending on the campus you tag and the major you plan to enroll in, there are requirements that need to be fulfilled to guarantee your admissions. Then you would still need to do a regular UC transfer application for the campus you tag. UC admission has a section explaining the UC TAG and the requirements that the campuses are looking for on this page.
UC Transfer from a California Community College- Final Thoughts
I would like to also congratulate you on planning to further your education past community college! It is not easy and I am glad to see you are taking action to make that happen.
Let me briefly explain why I put together this blog post, its because people think transferring from a CC to a UC is soooo easy- if it was so easy, then why aren’t the rates higher! I was fortunate enough to have come across a great counselor during my time in community college, but for most people even at my cc that was not the case. This blog post is my way to give back to the transfer community. Of course, make sure you find a good counselor to help you transfer!
The misconception people have about transferring from the CC to a UC it’s that it’s like high school, when the reality is it’s so different. When you are in high school you take your general ed classes within the A-G requirements to transition into a 4-year afterwards into any major and college you apply for. Whereas at the CC level, you NEED to have a declared major, have those pre-reqs major requirements and general ed classes planned to be done when applying. On top of that, most transfers apply in the middle of their two years, so you have to have done all that in the past ONE year.
I would say that the earlier you plan to transfer to a UC the better for you to start knocking down the general ed classes that the UC require for transfers, thinking about what to write in your personal statements, and which campuses you would like to apply to.
This blog post covers everything you need to know about the UC transfer from a California Community College that you need to know.
If you liked this blog post, check out my other blog posts about the UC Application: