UC Transfer

UC Transfer Hub (click and get guidance on UC Transfer!)

The University of California is one of two public university systems in the state of California. There are nine UC campuses that offer Bachelors degrees, and together they educate over 200,000 students: UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC Los Angeles, UC Merced, UC Riverside, UC Santa Barbara, UC Santa Cruz, and UC San Diego. The UC system not only provides an exceptional education to many thousands of students, it also serves as the state’s research institution and engages a number of public service programs and industry partnerships. The UC offers bachelor's, master's, doctoral, and professional degrees and provides a number of opportunities for post-degree continuing education.

The following information can help you learn more about how to meet requirements to enter a UC campus as a transfer student, which academic programs are offered by campus, and how to apply for transfer.

UC Transfer Requirements (Starting Fall 2025)

If you're planning to transfer to a University of California (UC) campus for Fall 2025 or later, there's an important update to how you complete your general education (GE):

UC Transfer Basics

To be eligible for junior-level transfer to a UC, you must:

  • Complete 60 UC-transferable semester units
  • Finish at least 2 English composition courses and 1 math/quantitative reasoning course
  • Have a minimum 2.4 GPA (2.8 for non-residents)
  • Complete major preparation (highly recommended for competitive majors)
  • Meet campus and program-specific requirements

What is Cal-GETC? (Link)

Cal-GETC (California General Education Transfer Curriculum) is the new statewide general education pattern that:

  • Replaces IGETC and CSU GE Breadth for students starting college in Fall 2025 or later
  • Fulfills lower-division GE requirements for most UC and CSU campuses
  • Includes required coursework in English, math, arts & humanities, social sciences, science (with lab), and more

Important: Not all UC majors or departments accept Cal-GETC.
Always meet with a counselor to make sure Cal-GETC fits your transfer goals.

 

Start Planning Early

Planning to transfer to a UC? Use tools like the UC TAP planner (link) and meet with a counselor (link) to:

  • Confirm which GE pattern is right for your UC campus/major
  • Map out your major preparation
  • Stay on top of application deadlines and Personal Insight Questions (PIQs)

College of Marin offers a Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) to six University of California campuses:

Davis, Irvine, Merced, Riverside, Santa Barbara and Santa Cruz.
To be eligible, students must have already completed at least 30 UC-transferable units with a 2.8 to 3.5 UC-transferable GPA (varies by major/campus). Please note that certain UCs and majors may have additional requirements. For more detailed information, please visit the campus' website. 
Students may apply for a Transfer Admission Guarantee to only one UC campus. Applications can be submitted online September 1st-30th. Students must also complete and submit the regular UC application by November 30th indicating their TAG school, as well as any other UC campuses they would like to apply to.

TAG application and UC application are completed in the fall semester for enrollment at a UC in the following school year. 

For example students planning to attend a UC in the Fall of 2026 must complete their UC application and/or TAG during the Fall of 2025. 
*Note: Many majors may have additional minimum requirements. Work with a counselor to determine what courses are best for you.
**For the most up-to-date information, visit the University of California Transfer Admission Guarantee webpage for specific requirements and to begin the online TAG application.
 
Students should place the highest priority on achieving minimum transfer eligibility and on completing major preparation courses.
Note that major preparation requirements can differ across the UC campuses. When UC campuses receive more applications than they have room to admit, they typically select the applicants who are most prepared for their majors.
After students have planned their courses for major preparation, they can think about General Education, as oulined in the UC IGETC worksheet. GE is not required for admission; however, it is required for graduation from UC.

Students should work with a counselor and a UC advisor to understand how to prepare for their majors. This consultation will guide students to take the appropriate general education and major prep course work. Make an appointment with a College of Marin counselor by calling (415)485-9432 or make an appointment through the MyCOMportal. 

For more information, go to the UC Transfer Admission Requirements website.

CAL-GETC (GENERAL EDUCATION)

2024-2025 Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum

  • Cal-GETC (California General Education Transfer Curriculum) outlines which courses a student may take at a community college to complete the lower-division general education requirements at UC and CSU campuses.
  • Cal-GETC is not an admissions requirement and is not recommended for all majors.
  • Students majoring in STEM fields such as Engineering, Biological and Physical Sciences or majors that require extensive lower-division preparation are not encouraged to follow Cal-GETC.
    • UC Campus Specific Guidelines can be found here: link
  • Make an appointment with a College of Marin counselor to see if CAL-GETC is the right path for you.

GENERAL EDUCATION OPTIONS FOR STUDENTS WHO STARTED BEFORE FALL 2025: (Link)

Students who started before Fall 2025 (and maintain catalog rights) may choose to follow Cal-GETC (above), IGETC, CSU Breadth, or the prior version of COM's local GE, depending on their academic goals. 

IGETC— The Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) is a 37-unit general education pattern that allows California Community College students to fulfill lower-division general education (GE) requirements for either the CSU or UC system without the need, after transfer, to take additional lower-division GE requirements. Please note that not all departments at the UCs accept IGETC. Meet with a counselor to determine if IGETC aligns with your educational goals.
CSU Breadth— The CSU General Education Breadth (CSU GE) is a 39-unit general education pattern that allows California Community College students to fulfill lower-division GE requirements for the CSU. Meet with a counselor to determine if CSU Breadth aligns with your educational goals.
Local COM General Education—The College of Marin’s local general education pattern meets the general education requirements for an Associate Degree in Arts or Sciences. Please note that this general education pattern does not meet the Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT) requirements. For ADTs, you must complete IGETC or CSU Breadth.

Completing any of the above patterns (or prior completion of a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution) will meet the general education requirement for a local AA/AS degree from College of Marin.

 

Assist.org

Assist.org helps you find community college courses that are transferable to a UC or CSU campus, how those transferable courses might be used to satisfy major preparation or general education, and helps you understand which courses are required or recommended for transfer according to major and campus. 

*Assist.org Instruction Video

Please use this resource IN ADDITION to your academic counselor advising. Creating an Student Education Plan (SEP) with an academic counselor will make sure you stay on track for transfer and complete the courses you need for your transfer schools.