With the many options available at most community colleges—special programs, student organizations, majors and minors—it can be challenging to prepare for a successful transfer. UC Davis and the University of California offer several resources to help you position yourself for admission to a UC campus.
The UC Davis TAG program offers transfer students a guarantee of admission to UC Davis, one year in advance, in their major of choice. The agreement, available at all California community colleges, is prepared online by the student and submitted in September, one year before his/her planned enrollment at UC Davis.
TOP is a cooperative effort between UC Davis and 16 Northern California community colleges. TOP advisers from Undergraduate Admissions regularly visit participating colleges to provide information about UC Davis admission and selection, major preparation, general education, financial aid, housing and many other important student services.
Which courses at your California community college will transfer or fulfill requirements for admission, general education or your major? ASSIST can answer your questions quickly and easily.
If you are attending a college that is not a California community college, you can determine which courses may be UC-transferable by comparing your college's course descriptions with similar courses at UC Davis or at another UC campus. If the descriptions match, the coursework is most likely UC-transferable—after you apply to UC Davis, our admission advisers will evaluate your transcripts to arrive at a final determination of which courses are transferable.
If you plan to enter a UC Davis selective major, we recommend that you complete the UC Davis General Education (GE) pattern after transferring. It is critical, while in community college, to complete courses required for your UC Davis major. You may take UC Davis-comparable general education courses as your schedule allows, and complete the UC Davis GE pattern after transferring to UC Davis.
If you plan to complete a UC Davis Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree or other high-unit major, a great deal of lower-division course preparation is often required and we recommend that you complete the UC Davis GE pattern after transferring. You may take UC Davis-comparable general education courses as your schedule allows, and complete the UC Davis GE pattern after transferring to UC Davis.
If you plan to complete a UC Davis Bachelor of Arts (A.B.) degree in the College of Biological Sciences or in the College of Letters and Science, you can use the IGETC pattern to fulfill campus GE requirements and college foreign language requirements. With some exceptions, students choosing the IGETC pattern should complete it before transferring to UC Davis and submit a certificate of completion after admission.
An important decision you'll make while preparing to transfer concerns your selection of a general education (GE) pattern—those courses required for graduation that guarantee a well-rounded education. You have two choices:
IGETC is a pattern of courses designed to allow California community college students to complete their general education requirements before transferring to a UC campus or a California State University (CSU) campus. With some exceptions, students choosing the IGETC pattern should complete it while at a California community college in order for the pattern to fulfill all general education requirements that can be met with lower-division courses. Once you're admitted to UC Davis, but before you enroll in classes, you should submit a certificate of IGETC completion to UC Davis Undergraduate Admissions.
The UC Davis GE pattern is required of transfer students from institutions other than California community colleges and those not completing the IGETC pattern.
Visit uctransfer.universityofcalifornia.edu to learn more about transferring to the University of California from a California community college. Find out what's required to transfer and how you can maximize your chances of being admitted to the University of California.
UC Davis Undergraduate Admissions
178 Mrak Hall
530-752-2971
© 2013