Hello all!
I began my college career as a Biology major, fulfilling various lower-divison pre-req courses for Biology. I then switched to pre-nursing in my Sophomore year, which required I take other lower-division courses.
I realized, though, that the medical field is simply not for me. I changed my major to one that is completely different, and is actually making me happy, this Spring. That said, I have acquired about 75 units at a CSU, and want to transfer out of here to a UC.
My 75 units (+ 36 AP credits, for a total of 100+ units) are basically all lower-division and GE courses, thanks to my indecisiveness. How does the unit cap affect me in applying to UCs such as UC Berkeley, UCSD and UCLA?
I have heard mixed things, such as UCs automatically rejecting anybody from a 4-year with 70+ units. Does this still apply to me, if I haven’t taken any upper divs? How about me changing my major: how will that effect my past units? Am I still over the unit cap, even though my major was changed to something completely different?
What is my best course of action? Should I stop attending the CSU and take classes at a community college instead?
Thank you all! I very much appreciate the help (:
I have listed the UC unit caps for each campus. If all are lower division then anything over 70 semester units are given subject credit. AP/IB credits are not considered part of the maximum unit cap limit. Just so you know that CC to UC transfers get priority over a CSU to UC transfers and since there is no articulation agreement between the CSU’s to UC’s, some of the units may not transfer so try to match your courses to the course descriptions on assist.org. I would consider attending a CC and filling in your schedule with any needed major prep courses required or recommended.
Berkeley: 90 semester/135 quarter units or more
Accepts some High Unit Juniors and Seniors
Davis: 80 semester/120 quarter units or more; Dean’s Review required
Accepts some High Unit Juniors and Seniors
Irvine: 90 semester/135 quarter units or more
Accepts some High Unit Juniors and Seniors
Los Angeles: 86.5 semester/130 quarter units or more
Accepts NO High Unit Juniors or Seniors
Merced: 80 semester/120 quarter units or more; Dean’s Review required
Accepts some High Unit Juniors and Seniors
Riverside: 90 semester/135 quarter units or more; Dean’s Review required
Accepts some High Unit Juniors and Seniors
San Diego: 90 semester/135 quarter units or more
Accepts some High Unit Juniors
Santa Barbara: 90 semester/135 quarter units or more
*College of Creative Studies will consider seniors on a case-by-case basis
Accepts High Unit Juniors
Santa Cruz: 90 semester/135 quarter units or more
Accepts High Unit Juniors
Lower division non-UC credit is capped at 70 semester units, although all courses count for subject credit.
It is upper division or UC credit that can lead to “too many units to transfer” problems.
First off, thank you for your help!
If I wanted to apply as a CC student (to take advantage of CC priority), rather than a CSU student, what course of action would I have to take?
Which UC’s and major are you targeting? Have you completed all the required courses needed for your transfer major?
I would enroll this summer at a community college. CC transfers get priority.
I believe I didn’t word my question well ):
I’m targetting UC Berkeley, UCLA and UCSD with an Applied Mathematics major. I have not yet finished all my prerequisites, but believe I can do so by next Spring.
I would have taken practically all of my required pre-req courses, besides Calc 1, as a CC. I have taken Calc 1 at a CSU. Would I still have a CC priority in this situation?
Sorry, edited my response. As long as the last school attended is a CC prior to transfer, you should get priority.
As stated in my other post, enroll at the CC this summer so you would have CC grades to report on the UC application for Fall 2023. You also have to report your Fall CC grades in the January TAU and you have until Spring prior to matriculation to finish all requirements. The more requirements completed at time of the application, the better for your chances.
Thank you so much. I will get on it!
From University of California Counselors page 28
A CCC transfer student is defined as having completed at least
30 semester (45 quarter) UC-transferable units at one or more
California community colleges and whose last college attended
in a regular session (fall/spring or fall/winter/spring) before
enrolling at a UC campus is a California community college.
This just has to describe you the summer before you enter UC, not when you submit your xfer app in the fall. You should check with UC but my understanding is that if you don’t meet this then you don’t get the CCC preference.
1 Like
Also it’s worth adding that if you are planning on meeting the definition of a CCC student then you might as well apply to one UC using TAG if you have a major that qualifies. TAG guarantees admission but isn’t obligatory; if you get other admissions you like better then you just choose one of them.
UCLA also has a TAP program which gives admission preference to CCC students applying to majors including Applied Math. It essentially involves taking part in the CCC honors program. See https://tap.ucla.edu/
Does this also imply that I must have 30 semester units completed at a CCC by the end of the summer before transfer?
I think you’d need them by the end of the spring term but I’m not sure. For xfer they require 60 units to be completed by the end of spring (see Basic requirements | UC Admissions ) so by extension they’d also require the 30 units to be considered a CCC xfer by then. But UC rules are not always logical or consistent so best to email them (a call is quicker, but get it in writing).
As to a question some might have, “how would they know in advance how many units you’d have?”, when you apply you fill out a proposed schedule of your classes and then you send an update in January. Then if they accept you and you enroll they compare your final transcript to what you told them.