I’m a senior with above average stats but the only UC I got in to was UCR. The community college route seem more appealing and the transfer program seem to good to be true! Is it really that easy? Why aren’t people jumping on this? Cost and program wise seem like the way to go! Thoughts???
Unless you TAG to one of the UC’s (only 6 of the 9 offer TAG), then you are still not guaranteed a spot at a UC as a transfer. Also TAG requirements can change each year so you really need to be on top of the changes in courses and GPA requirements. UCI and UCSB are in the TAG program but they have majors that are not TAG eligible, so if you are targeting one of these majors, TAG is not a guarantee.
I suggest you take a look at this link for the UC Transfer GPA admit ranges for the campuses and major you are interested in pursuing to see what you need to get into your choice UC. Also I would post the link for the TAG requirements for 2018.
https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/infocenter/transfers-major
http://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/counselors/files/tag-matrix.pdf
The CC to UC route is a great option, but it really is not as easy as you think depending upon your intended major. Also take a look at the some of the UC Transfer decision threads and you will see 4.0 UC GPA Transfers getting waitlisted or rejected from the UC’s.
Thank you so much!!!
UCR is an up and coming UC so it would be a good choice if you are happy attending. Best of luck with your decision.
I’m not a full CC to UC transfer, but I spent a year at CC so for the past year I’ve been following the threads and the process. It is exhausting, anxiety producing, and very long but the payoff is a UC!
Depending on major, it is not guaranteed but if you are confident in your ability to get a very high GPA at CC, be able to fulfill all major prereqs (very important, it’s how most qualified applicants get waitlisted or rejected) for your target campus, and set realistic expectations. UCLA had a 13% admit rate for transfers this year.
That said, I do think that it is a good option for some. However, I’d really think hard with your acceptance to UCR as there’s no guarantee you would get into anything that’s not UCR equivalent after transfer. It’s a very situational decision but it is a good one for most.
@Gumbymom The stats look great 40% admit rate!!! Wow!!!
For which campus and major? Remember these are 2017 stats, so each year the UC Transfer GPA could continue to climb so use these as guidelines and not gospel.
@Gumbymom my target is UCI philosophy major. I’m at a competitive high school now with a 4.29 w gpa and 31 act. A lot of my friends with much lower stats got in to uci. I’m very disappointed. I’m very determined to do well at community college but it just all sounds too good to be true. I’m just not feeling it at UCR and their price tag of 39k per year i feel isn’t worth going in debt for. What do you think???
I think that being happy at the college you attend is important for you to be a successful student, so if UCR is not your choice then going the CC route is an excellent way to get into you school that you feel is a better fit.
Your HS record will not be considered as a transfer student, but it does show that you should do well at a CC which will in turn make you a competitive transfer applicant. Definitely look at the TAG requirements for UCI and if you complete all the requirements with a 3.4 GPA, then you are guaranteed admission.
Required of all majors in the School of Humanities unless otherwise specified:
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Meet all basic UC admission requirements with a minimum grade of C or better:
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Have a cumulative UC transferable GPA of 2.7 (3.4 for TAG)
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Complete 60 semester or 90 quarter units of UC transferable credit by the end of the spring term prior to the fall quarter of enrollment
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Complete the UCI Lower Division Writing Requirement
Recommended:
Complete four semesters/six quarters, or a combination thereof, including at least one lower-division course in each of the following four areas: composition, literature, history and philosophy (a course is not required in the area of student’s major). To reach the total number of courses required, additional courses approved for UCI General Education Category IV in Humanities disciplines outside the major can be selected;
OR
Complete a one-year lower division humanities sequence which deals with problems of concern to the disciplines of history, literature, and philosophy, and which emphasizes the reading and analysis of significant texts
Review the two year Language other than English school requirement, and prepare accordingly:
www.humanities.uci.edu/undergrad/academics/lang.php
Complete other major-applicable courses that can be found at assist.org
with a 4.29, you must have a bunch of AP credits… you should know that they count toward the 60 unit X-fer requirement. For many students, it is possible to fulfill the TAG requirements in just one year. If you go in with 18, take 6 over this summer and 18 for the next 2 semesters, you are there.
good luck,
That’s because these kids want “prestige” from going to a university along with the “real” college experience. That’s fine if you can afford to do that. The degrees, however, are exactly the same and employers could care less if 2 of the 4 years of your degree were at community college.
@Gumbymom in your opinion, is it better to be a philosophy or pol sci major??? I’m debating over which major is better because philosophy is not an impacted major but they only accept a handful whereas pol sci is impacted but they take more students. Thoughts???
Only you can decide which major you would like to pursue. Which is better is dependent upon what you plan to do with a major in Philosophy or Political science. What are your career goals?
@Gumbymom I wanna go into law school 
@NCalRent yes! That’s the idea. Just met up with counselor and she said I should be out in a year. Wondering if it’s too much to do it all over fall?? What is your experience?
i am a parent who went to a CC and transferred in 2 years a LONG time ago. Both of my kids went straight to a 4 year school (Chico and Ft Lewis), in no small part, because I wanted them to have the 4 year experience that I missed out on. Is knocking out 40ish units in a year doable, that’s highly dependent on you and what you’ve got going on outside the classroom.
Since your objective is law school, GPA is really important. Assuming budget isn’t a big challenge, I’d suggest you take the full 4 years to earn your BA so you can spend enough time on each class to get close to straight As. If you were my kid, i’d be nudging you toward UCR. They have plenty of prestige, you get the 4 yr experience and 4 years to build relationships with faculty and peers, leadership positions on campus, etc. You also avoid the risk that you can’t transfer to your target UC because your GPA falls one semester due to a health problem or challenging schedule.
Thank you @NCalRent 