Can I finish IGETC after transfer?

[ucsbyay]

I’m a transfer student at UCSB. I was told by my advisor at my CC to complete my IGETC after transfer. I have been planning to graduate in Fall 2020. I went to my CC to see if I could complete the IGETC or get partial certification. I was initially planning on taking one class there and then getting partial certification. They told me they have a policy against certifying IGETC after transfer, and they couldn’t give me partial certification because I’m missing more than 2 classes (I’m missing 3 because they won’t accept my physics class from a previous CC I went to). They told me to try to contact other california CC’s to see if they have a different policy. If I can’t get my IGETC certified, I won’t be able to graduate when I was planning to. I was wondering if anyone knows of a california CC that would be willing to certify my IGETC after transfer, or if this policy applies to all CCs?

I also have some other questions. One of the requirements I’m missing is an art class, and I’ve taken an art class at UCSB. I asked my advisor if I could use that in my IGETC but couldn’t really get a clear answer, so I was wondering if anyone knows if I can use my UC coursework to apply towards IGETC requirements?

[mikemac]

The IGETC page says IGETC must be completed prior to transfer; note the “otherwise” sentence below

The Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) is a series of courses that California community college students can complete to satisfy freshman/sophomore level general education requirements before transferring to most colleges and majors at UC campuses.

If you choose to follow IGETC, we recommend that you complete all the IGETC courses before you transfer. Otherwise you’ll need to satisfy the specific freshman/sophomore level general education requirements of your UC college or school.
https://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/admission-requirements/transfer-requirements/general-education-igetc/igetc/

And this…

If IGETC is not completed prior to transfer, or if you have not attempted IGETC, you must complete UCSB’s General Education (GE) program to graduate from UCSB
Eligibility and Selection | Undergraduate Admissions

You don’t have to submit the IGETC letter prior to xfer, just have taken all the courses you want to use for the full or partial certification. But you are missing too many classes to be certified for partial and the rules don’t allow you to take any more classes towards IGETC after you started at UCSB.

There is no CCC that will give you partial certification with 3 missing classes

California community colleges may grant partial certification of IGETC to students who are missing no more than two requirements
University of California Counselors

[ucsbyay]

Thanks for the info. That’s what I thought, for some reason my advisor was saying this policy was specific to my CC, and that didn’t seem right to me cuz I feel like the IGETC requirements should be the same at any CC.

My transfer advisor for some reason thought I had completed the foreign language requirement in HS when I hadn’t cuz I only took one year, and so they told me I could finish IGETC after transferring when I actually couldn’t. The head advisor at my CC said it was an advising error and apologized a lot and said she would try to get an exception, but ultimately they said no exceptions. Now my graduation will be delayed by a year cuz UCSB requires me to complete 3 quarters of foreign language classes while the IGETC only requires me to complete 1 semester.

[ucbalumnus]

@ucsbyay

Now my graduation will be delayed by a year cuz UCSB requires me to complete 3 quarters of foreign language classes while the IGETC only requires me to complete 1 semester.

Are you now entering your first quarter at UCSB, or did you enter UCSB as a transfer student several quarters ago?

You should be able to take quarter 2 and 3 of the foreign language that you completed semester 1 of previously.

[Ohm888]

I don’t see how graduation will be delayed a year. Talk to the UC. It is really at the advisor’s discretion as to what they sign off on.

[mikemac]

Talk to the UC. It is really at the advisor’s discretion as to what they sign off on.

That’s a really good point. UC has a lot of latitude in what they can do. I was in the dept chair’s office for office hours one day and he got a call from a counselor asking if he’d agree to let a student graduate who was missing a required class for the major, and he did.

If you don’t make headway with your UCSB counselor then you can next try the undergrad dean https://www.college.ucsb.edu/contact who has the power to waive just about anything

I suggest prior to contacting UCSB that you see if the head advisor at your CC would be willing to write a letter acknowledging their mistake, or if she would confirm it if UCSB calls. Then when you talk to your UCSB counselor or the dean your story seems a bit stronger.