I was admitted to UCSC as a freshman into Computer Science. I plan to attend, but Santa Cruz was not my first choice. Ideally I would prefer to attend UCSB or UC Davis.
Is it possible to transfer out of UCSC and if so, how difficult is it?
I realize that CC students have a higher preference. Is it likely that I could transfer into UCD or UCSB?
Certainly it’s possible. UC-UC transfers are given less priority than CC students, but more than OOS students. You would be in the running.
However you could have a 4.0 and still be rejected just because you’re a CS major. CS is so impacted that you can never really guarantee anything.
If you are absolutely certain you won’t like UCSC and want to attend UCSB or UCD, I would recommend attending a CC and transferring from there. There’s little point in spending extra money to attend UCSC for two years if you’re just going to transfer out. This is particularly true if your ultimate goal is to maximize your odds of being accepted to UCSB or UC Davis.
Good luck!
Agree with @Cheolf ^^^. At a CCC, you can TAG into UCD but not UCSB, but if you meet all the TAG requirements, you are guaranteed admission.
https://tag.ucdavis.edu/counselors/F16TAG_QuickRef_Criteria.pdf
Infinitely easier from a CC. Much less feasible from UCSC, honestly. Many of the CS majors on here can give you a better answer as to why.