Q: What are the deadlines for transfer applications?
A:
Fall Quarter 2010: November 1-30, 2009

Note: Applicants interested in winter admissions should check with the Admissions Office at (831) 459-4008 before applying. The UC Santa Cruz campus is open to junior level transfers only during the winter application period and in some years may not be open for winter quarter at all.

Q: What are the academic criteria for transfer admission and selection?
A: For a full description of the academic criteria for transfer admission, please see the Transfer Admission and Selection Guide.

Q: Are there any selective majors at UC Santa Cruz?
A: Most transfer students are admitted to the campus as prospective majors (as listed on the UC application). Most majors are readily available to transfer students once they have completed the lower-division prerequisite courses. Junior transfers are required to declare their major during their second quarter of attendance.

Art majors: Junior transfer students are accepted into the art major after passing the portfolio review. The UC application and the Art Department Portfolio Review application are separate and independent processes. Being accepted to UC Santa Cruz does not guarantee that you will pass the portfolio review, and passing the portfolio review does not guarantee admission to UC Santa Cruz. More information on the portfolio review can be found at art.ucsc.edu or by calling the Art Department at (831) 459-3551.

Jack Baskin School of Engineering: Acceptance into any Jack Baskin School of Engineering (BSOE) major will be based on completion of and grades earned in the individual department’s foundation courses, in addition to the overall college academic record. IGETC is not recommended for engineering transfer students. The foundation courses required for admission to BSOE majors are described at www.soe.ucsc.edu/admissions. For more information, e-mail soeadmissions@soe.ucsc.edu or call (831) 459-5840.

During the declaration of major process, which occurs once you are already enrolled at UC Santa Cruz, other departments may screen for admission to their majors using criteria beyond minimum eligibility requirements. These majors currently include all Economics Department majors, all Physics Department majors, the creative writing concentration within the literature major, film and digital media, psychology, and sociology. Consult the UC Santa Cruz General Catalog or the relevant department for more information.

Q: What kinds of courses can I transfer?
A: UC Santa Cruz accepts courses for transfer credit whose content (as described in the school's course catalog) is similar to courses offered in any regular session at any University of California campus. Final decisions about the transferability of courses are only made after an applicant has been admitted and submitted official transcripts.

Transfer course agreements and articulation between the University of California and California community colleges can be accessed on the ASSIST web site.

Q: What is the maximum number of credits I can transfer into UC Santa Cruz with?
A: The University will award graduation credit for up to 70 semester (105 quarter) units of coursework transferred from community colleges. Courses in an excess of 70 semester units will receive subject credit and may be used to satisfy University subject requirements.

Q: Can I fulfill lower-division requirements with the IGETC?
A: The Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) is a series of California community college courses prospective transfer students may complete to satisfy the general education requirements at both the University of California and the California State University.

If you have chosen to follow the IGETC, you must complete it before you transfer; otherwise you will be required to satisfy the specific lower-division requirements of UC Santa Cruz.

The IGETC is not an admissions requirement. However, completing the general education requirements--either through IGETC or by taking courses that satisfy UC Santa Cruz's specific general education requirements--may improve your chances for admission to a competitive or specific program at UC Santa Cruz.

IGETC requirements must be completed with a grade of C or better. A grade of Credit or Pass may be used if the community college's policy states that it is equivalent to a grade of a C or better.

IGETC course work does not need to be completed all at the same community college. Courses taken for IGETC credit may be used only once to satisfy a subject area, even if they are listed in more than one subject area. However, courses taken for IGETC credit can also be used to satisfy UC Santa Cruz's lower-division major requirements.

However, students planning to major in the sciences and engineering are not well served by completing IGETC due to the extensive lower-division major preparation course load and related prerequisite course requirements. Students interested in these high-unit majors are encouraged to complete courses equivalent to the specific program’s lower-division major requirements first and the university’s broader general education equivalents second. Please see ASSIST to identify these course equivalents.

Q: What if I don't fulfill the general education requirements before I transfer?
A: If you don't satisfy general education requirements before transferring, you'll need to satisfy them while you're a student at UC Santa Cruz.

Q: What are the requirements to apply for the TAG program?
A: The UCSC - Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) program at UC Santa Cruz offers guaranteed admission to qualified juniors from any of the 110 California community colleges that choose to participate. To be eligible for TAG, students must:

1.    Have a minimum of 30 UC transferable semester units (45 quarter units);
2.    Have a G.P.A. of at least 3.0;
3.    Be registered at one of the California community colleges that have TAG agreements with UCSC

Students who have completed 20 semester units (30 quarter units) at a four-year college or university are not eligible for the TAG program. TAG offers guaranteed admission for the fall quarter only. The filing period is August 1 - October 15. TAG Brochure

California Community Colleges Currently Participating in UCSC TAG:

• Allan Hancock College
• American River College
• Antelope Valley College
• Bakersfield College
• Barstow College
• Berkeley City College
• Butte Community College
• Cabrillo College
• Cañada College
• Cerritos College
• Cerro Coso Community College
• Chabot College
• Chaffey Community College
• Citrus College
• City College of San Francisco
• College of Alameda
• College of Marin
• College of San Mateo
• College of the Canyons
• College of the Desert
• College of the Redwoods
• College of the Sequoias
• College of the Siskiyous
• Columbia College
• Contra Costa Community College
• Copper Mountain College
• Cosumnes River College
• Cuesta College
• Cuyamaca College
• Cypress College
• De Anza College
• Diablo Valley College
• East Los Angeles College
• El Camino Community College
• Evergreen Valley College
• Feather River College
• Folsom Lake College
• Foothill College
• Fresno City College
• Fullerton College
• Gavilan College
• Glendale Community College
• Golden West College
• Grossmont College
• Hartnell College
• Imperial Valley College
• Irvine Valley College
• Lake Tahoe Community College
• Laney College
• Las Positas College
• Lassen Community College
• Los Angeles City College
• Los Angeles Harbor College
• Los Angeles Mission College
• Los Angeles Pierce College
• Los Angeles Trade-Technical College
• Los Angeles Valley College
• Los Medanos College
• Mendocino College
• Merced College
• Merritt College
• MiraCosta Community College
• Mission College
• Modesto Junior College
• Monterey Peninsula College
• Moorpark College
• Mount San Antonio College
• Mount San Jacinto Community College
• Napa Valley College
• Ohlone College
• Orange Coast College
• Oxnard College
• Palomar College
• Pasadena City College
• Porterville College
• Reedley College
• Riverside Community College
• Sacramento City College
• Saddleback College
• San Bernardino Valley College
• San Diego City College
• San Diego Mesa College
• San Diego Miramar College
• San Joaquin Delta College
• San José City College
• Santa Ana College
• Santa Barbara City College
• Santa Monica College
• Santa Rosa Junior College
• Santiago Canyon College
• Shasta College
• Sierra Community College
• Skyline College
• Solano Community College
• Southwestern College
• Taft College
• Ventura College
• Victor Valley College
• West Hills College (Coalinga)
• West Hills College (Lemoore)
• West Los Angeles College
• West Valley College
• Woodland Community College
• Yuba College.

Q: When are acceptance notices sent out?
A: For fall quarter acceptance, notices are sent March 15-April 30.

Q: What is Concurrent Enrollment?
A: Concurrent Enrollment is a service offered by UC Santa Cruz Extension that allows a non-admitted student to take one or two UC Santa Cruz classes a quarter. If that student is subsequently admitted to UC Santa Cruz, the classes taken through Concurrent Enrollment are transferable into UC Santa Cruz.

Q: Where can I go for more information?
A: More information can be found in Answers for Transfers, which is UC's publication for transfer students. UCSC also offers transfer workshops on selected Fridays.