Let's start with the goal
Transfer to a UC and earn your bachelor's degree
Most of the journey is coursework, spread across however many semesters you need. There's one focused "application year" near the end and here's a preview.
(Do you miss the old UC Transfer page? Access it here)
Your application year, once you're ready
Fall
Sept 30 — TAG deadline (one campus)
Dec 1 — UC application due
Spring
April — admission decisions
Summer
Prepare to enroll
Fall
You start at your UC
Everything before this (GE, major prep, units) happens at your own pace. Meet with a counselor each semester to confirm you're on track.
Which path applies to you?
Most students
Started Fall 2025 or later
Follow Cal-GETC and the requirements below — this is the current, default path.
Catalog rights
Started before Fall 2025
You can choose Cal-GETC, IGETC, CSU Breadth, or COM's prior local GE pattern. See your options ↓
What it takes to be eligible
- Complete 60 UC-transferable semester units
- Complete your 7-Course Breadth requirements:
- Finish at least 2 English composition courses and 1 math / quantitative reasoning course
- Four transferable college courses chosen from at least two of the following subject areas:
- arts and humanities
- social and behavioral sciences
- physical and biological sciences
- Earn a minimum 2.4 GPA (2.8 if you're a non-resident)
- Complete your major preparation courses. These are strongly recommended for competitive majors.
- Meet any campus- and program-specific requirements
What is Cal-GETC?
Cal-GETC is the statewide GE pattern for students starting Fall 2025 or later. It:
- Replaces IGETC and CSU GE Breadth for new students
- Fulfills lower-division GE for most UC and CSU campuses
- Covers English, math, arts & humanities, social sciences, and lab science
Confirm this fits
Not every UC major or department accepts Cal-GETC. STEM majors are encouraged to discuss these pathways as soon as possible. Meet with a counselor to confirm it's right for your transfer goals.
Started before Fall 2025? See your GE options
If you started before Fall 2025 and maintain catalog rights, you can choose any of the following — talk to a counselor about which fits your goals:
IGETC
37-unit pattern covering both UC and CSU lower-division GE. Not all UC departments accept it.
CSU Breadth
39-unit pattern covering CSU lower-division GE only.
COM local GE
Meets COM's AA/AS requirement, but not the Associate Degree for Transfer — use IGETC or CSU Breadth for that.
Any of these (or a prior bachelor's degree) also satisfies COM's local AA/AS general education requirement.
Your top priority
Major preparation comes first
Requirements vary by campus and are critical for admission to competitive majors. GE is required to graduate, but it's not required for admission — major prep is what most affects whether you get in. STEM majors (engineering, biological/physical sciences) especially need extensive lower-division coursework and may not follow Cal-GETC at all.
Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG)
College of Marin has TAG agreements with six UC campuses. You can apply to one campus.
Eligibility
- At least 30 UC-transferable units completed
- 2.8–3.5 GPA (varies by campus/major)
- Additional requirements may apply by campus and major
TAG campuses
UC Davis UC Irvine UC Merced UC Riverside UC Santa Barbara UC Santa Cruz
File TAG Sept 1–30, then your UC application by Dec 1 — same fall, for the following fall's enrollment.
See the TAG matrix for full campus details
Your toolkit
ASSIST.org
See which of your courses transfer, and what they satisfy for your major or GE, at any UC or CSU.
UC TAP Planner
Track your coursework and progress toward your major — and where you'll file your TAG application.
PIQ workshops
Prep for the Personal Insight Questions on your UC application before deadlines hit.
Use these alongside your counselor, not instead of them. The Student Education Plan (SEP) you create with a counselor is what actually keeps you on track.
Do I need a language other than English (LOTE) requirement?
Cal-GETC made LOTE optional — but check your campus
LOTE is no longer a required area of Cal-GETC, but it's still a graduation requirement at many UC colleges and majors. Whether the optional Cal-GETC certification satisfies it depends on the campus:
| Campus | Optional Cal-GETC LOTE certification |
|---|---|
| Berkeley | Not accepted for transfers. From Fall 2026, requires a second-semester/third-quarter college LOTE course (C- or better). AP/IB still count. |
| Davis | Accepted. |
| Irvine | Accepted. |
| UCLA | Accepted. |
| Merced | Contact the campus admissions office. |
| Riverside | Not required; some majors require Level 3–4 LOTE instead. |
| Santa Barbara | Accepted. |
| Santa Cruz | No LOTE graduation requirement. |
| San Diego | Accepted only at Revelle and Eleanor Roosevelt colleges. |
Ways to meet it: a qualifying COM course (ASL, French, Italian, Japanese, or Spanish through the second level), two years of high school coursework (C- or better), a qualifying AP/IB/SAT II/A-level score, or equivalent schooling/assessment documented through Admissions and Records.
Still on IGETC (started before Fall 2025)? LOTE completion is required for full IGETC certification, regardless of your campus's own rule.
Not sure where to start?
Talk to a person first
A counselor can confirm your starting point and build a plan with you. You don't need to figure this out alone. You'll want our counselors checking your plan each semester, regardless of which tools you use above.
Or call (415) 485-9432.
The UC system has nine undergraduate campuses: Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, UCLA, Merced, Riverside, San Diego, Santa Barbara, and Santa Cruz. See the UC for Everyone presentation →
Requirements and deadlines can change without notice. Confirm anything time-sensitive with a counselor or your target campus before acting on it.