Additional requirements
Along with satisfying our minimum admission requirements, transfer students — like all UC students — must fulfill additional requirements before graduation.
Some, such as the American History and Institutions requirement and the entry-level writing requirement, are UC-wide. Other requirements vary according to the campus you attend and your particular college or school and major.
Major preparation requirements
Major preparation requirements specify the courses you must take during your first two years of college to prepare for advanced study in your major. They may be required as part of the major, be prerequisites for other courses that are required as part of the major or be required to gain admission to the major.
Performance counts.
Transfer applicants are evaluated, in part, on the basis of their performance in major preparation coursework. So it's important — very important — that you investigate the requirements for your intended major as soon as possible. If your major requires mathematics and science, it is essential that you complete those prerequisites before you transfer. Lack of preparatory coursework may affect your admission to your major, particularly if there are many applicants vying for a limited number of spaces.
Start early.
You should begin coursework in your major as soon as you have selected one. If you're applying for fall admission, the campus may require you to complete certain major preparation requirements by the end of the preceding spring term.
Ask for help.
Check out the transfer preparation paths to discover how best to prepare for UC's most popular majors. The Exploring Majors feature on ASSIST lists major-preparation requirements for all UC programs. The lists are updated throughout the year, so check ASSIST periodically to ensure you have the most current information.
General education requirements
General education requirements are designed to give UC undergraduates a broad background in all major academic disciplines — natural sciences, physical sciences, social sciences, humanities and fine arts. The general education requirement — often called the breadth requirement — lists the specific courses you must take or number of credit hours you must earn in each discipline.
Requirements vary.
Each school and college at every UC campus has its own general education requirement. With careful planning, you can meet many of the lower-division requirements before you transfer. If you attend a community college, you also have the option of completing the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) to satisfy the lower-division general education requirements at any UC campus.
Entry-level writing requirement
You must satisfy the entry-level writing requirement to graduate in any program at UC. One way to meet this requirement is to complete a transferable college course of three semester (four quarter) units in English composition with a grade of C or better. Students who meet our basic requirements for minimal transfer eligibility, which include two transferable college courses in English composition, satisfy the entry-level writing requirement.
Many transfer students fulfill this requirement while in high school by achieving minimum scores on the following tests:
- 3 on the College Board Advanced Placement Examination in English (Language or Literature)
- 5 on the International Baccalaureate Higher Level Examination in English (Language A only)
- 6 on the IB Standard Level Examination in English (Language A only)
- 30 on the ACT Plus Writing test; or 680 on the Writing section of the SAT Reasoning Test
Students who have not satisfied the entry-level writing requirement before transferring must enroll in an appropriate English course at UC.
American history and institutions requirement
All undergraduate degree programs at UC require study in American History and Institutions. This requirement may be met through examination or enrollment in specific courses. Each campus decides how its students may meet the requirement.
If you satisfactorily completed a one-year course in U.S. history or a half-year course in U.S. history and a half-year course in American government while in high school, you have fulfilled this requirement for all UC campuses except UC Santa Barbara, which requires students to complete a college-level course. (At UCLA, you also must have earned a B average in these courses.) If you have satisfied your community college's history and institutions requirement you have also met the requirement at most UC campuses. We strongly recommend that you complete this requirement before you transfer.