Help for CSU to UC transfer

I’m currently a student at SDSU and wanting to transfer to either UCLA or Berkeley. I’ve been told it’s nearly impossible to transfer from a CSU to a UC and I’m better off going to a community college first. I just want to know if going to a community college for a semester or two (even though I’m a freshman, I already have 45 units from AP classes) is the right choice in terms of acceptance. If I make the transfer agreement at a community college, is it more likely that I’ll get into a UC even if I attended SDSU first?

The problem with a CSU to UC transfer is that some CSU courses do not articulate well to the comparable UC courses. Assist.org can help you determine which SDSU courses may transfer, but it will be much easier to attend a CC and complete your requirements for transfer.

If you take at least 30 units at a CC, then you will be given CC to UC priority vs. CSU to UC priority in the transfer process.

Here is some information that may help you decide to stay at SDSU and attempt the transfer or do the CC route. This information was posted by a successful CSU to UC transfer.

Tips for CSU to UC transfers:

  1. Get informed and and make a plan.

Use assist and college confidential to get informed and go out to look for any answers you might have. From ASSIST you will get all the information you need for the prerequisites you need for your major. Look up the major prereqs for every school you are interested in transferring to. When you know all the information for which classes to take, make a plan. Plan out which classes you need to take each semester before you transfer and how you will reach those mandatory 60 semester units needed to transfer to a UC. This is probably the most important part of transferring. The faster you have a plan the faster you get to transfer and you will have a easier and clearer path. And look through all the threads on the website and get a sense of what you need to do and what it takes to get a UC.

  1. Don't lose sight of the goal!

I know how hard it has been for me to keep my grades up and take enough classes to stay on track. So when you are striving to get As in those classes and you want to give up, don’t lose sight for what you are doing this for. CSU students probably have to the most to transfer because the odds are against us. If you are not willing to put in the work and you do not have the heart then trying to transfer is not for you especially if you are a CSU student. If you do put it in the work, trust me it will be worth it.

  1. Applications have to be perfect.

When you are finally applying to those UCs, make sure they are perfect when you submit them. Call all the schools you are applying, talk to some counselors, going to workshops if you can… do everything to make sure they are perfect. And for your personal insight questions, start early and and get some expert advice on them. Every CSU has a writing center to my knowledge, go to them with your essays and have them go over it for you and they’ll help you. Talk to counselors because they know what schools are looking for in a good essay and what an applicant should write.

  1. Plan for the worst.

The truth is that CSU students have last priority for transferring to UCs right after 1st) CC and 2nd)UC students. Some of us will not get into the schools we want or might not get into any that we apply to and that is the sad truth. So make a plan for every outcome that is possible. You might go to a UC that you did not expect or you might have to stay where you are now.

Thank you! That information was super helpful, but also somewhat discouraging since CSU transfers aren’t prioritized. Santa Monica College and Moorpark College are the closest to where I live (and somewhat closer to UCLA) so I think I might choose one of those to increase my chances.

CSU transfers get to the UCs a lot. The key is to match up course requirements as best you can on assist using SMC or another CCC. I personally think most of the courses transfer as long as they are standardized courses, such as Intro to Psych, Calc 1, Physics, U.S. History, Gen Chem, Organic Chem, etc. If it in any way appears vocational, such as graphic design, windows, excel, how to do marketing, they usually will not transfer.