I attended a out-of-state private college for a year
& I am planning to attend California community college and then transfer to UC.
Because that private college is an art school and credits that I have are mostly about art-related courses, I really need to earn all the IGETC & prereqs credits IN ccc. (The major that I want to pursue in UC is not an art-related major)
However, what I am worried about is what if I have too many credits(exceed the maximum credits for transferring) from private college + ccc.
I looked up the course catalogs in UCs, and found out a lot of UCs have comparable courses. (so I guess most of the credits from private college will be UC transferable?)
I asked about this to UC admission, but the answer was kinda ambiguous… so I’m still confused
I know that students who ONLY have credits from ccc do not have to worry about this unit cap thing, but I attended out-of-state college for a year so I have to be aware of that unit cap/unit ceiling thing.
Ok so my question is:
Let’s say I have 50 transferable credits from private college and have earned 90 transferable credits (IGETC+prereqs, etc…). Will I be okay to apply as (junior)transfer applicant? (I will transfer from CCC)
As long as they are lower division you’re ok. Since it was your first year, they are likely all LD. They just cap it at 70 units that will transfer. Any units over that 70 get subject credit only.
Also, it is likely that some of those courses will not be UC transferable, so they aren’t even counted.
You can have some upper division courses but they’re calculated on top of the LD final number. That’s where you can run into issues. I doubt you have more than 10 UD units, if you even have any, so you’re good at all the UCs.
Examples:
100 LD = 70 units that transfer
60 LD + 15 UD = 75 units
80 LD = 70 LD that transfer + 10 UD = 80 units
@Ohm888 Thank you! Does TAG has the same system? On the TAG requirement, it says the credits from ccc+out-of-state should be less than 120~135 quarter credits. If all of my credits are from lower division courses, will I be able to apply to TAG? (if I meet all the other requirements?)
Those numbers translate to 70 LD (no matter the actual number over 70) + 10 UD = 80 semester units (120 qtr). Depending on campus, you can add more UD, up to 135 total.
@Ohm888 Oh can i ask you one more question about transferring?? For the prerequisites, should I finish them by the Fall quarter(the quarter that I apply for UC transfer)? I know that I can finish IGETC by the spring quarter, but I am not sure about the prerequisites…
You can finish pre-reqs by spring but don’t load them on last term. They want to see grades and they only see grades through fall. So try to get most done by fall.
@Ohm888 Thank you so much! Can I just ask you one last question?? So I know that engineering-major students focus on finishing prerequisites, rather than finishing IGETC. When they transfer, do they need to finish IGETC in that school?
Engineering students usually don’t do IGETC. Too many classes. Get the two English and then usually four other classes, but it can vary by UC college. You can do them once at the UC but the more you get done in advance the faster you’ll get through the UC (saving tuition).
You need to go to assist.org, and see the rules for each UC major. For instance, UCLA EE says:
“Applicants are not required to complete the HSSEAS General Education Requirements in order to be admitted, although it is beneficial for students to complete 1 course from each of the following areas: arts, humanities, social sciences, and life sciences.”
You can find the breadth course list for the CCC by subject area on assist at the bottom of the page where it says UC Elegibility courses. Eligibility = breadth.
IGETC is a program accepted by most (but not all) majors at UC schools in which you are marked as having satisfied the distribution requirements of general ed even if you haven’t actually taken the exact pattern of classes used at that school. If you enroll without finishing IGETC (or in a major that doesn’t recognize IGETC) then you have to meet the specific general ed classes of your major/college/campus. This may be similar to the classes of IGETC, which is why IGETC applies to so many majors, but it is not actually IGETC.
Hi @Ohm888 , can I just ask you one more question?
So I just met the counselor in community college, and she told me that I should be under 120 credits because the credits from private university might affect my transfer admission(high unit). I talked about that the courses from my previous school were lower-division courses, but she said I should still be aware of the unit cap.
Since I do not know how many courses from private university will be transferable to UC, I am not sure how many courses I should take in CCC.
Should I ignore the credits from private university and earn at least 90 quarter units from ccc? Or should I count all the courses from private college into the unit cap & take a small amount of courses in ccc to not exceed the unit limitation? (But if none of my courses transfer to UC, then I will not meet the minimum requirement for units & it is risky)
I really want to go to UC, and I have no problem with maintaining high GPA, but this unit cap thing annoys me so much
The rule used to be more complicated re LD from 4 year colleges. Not so the last couple of years. All LD are calculated the same. They add them up and you transfer up to 70 semester units. Where they come from is no longer relevant. The advisor is incorrect.
Considering the courses are art-related, many may not transfer. I believe Berkeley has a service where they examine coursework from other schools. So if unsure, take 60 semester (90 qtr) units at the CCC.
@Ohm888 Thank you SO MUCH. I was so worried after I had a conversation with ccc counselor…
Also I just received emails from some UCs and they also told me that as long as the courses are all lower-division then I am eligible to apply.
I will take 90 quarter units(or more) in ccc. Thanks again!
@Ohm888 Oh and for the difference between lower-division/upper-division courses. I asked about the freshman courses to academic advisor in my previous school, and she did not really understand what does “lower-division” mean. (maybe it’s because that school is a private college? Idk) I explained her that usually LD courses are for freshman/sophomore & UD is usually for junior/senior and more major-related than LD. Then she told me that since all the courses in freshman year were “foundation” courses (in my previous school, “foundation” courses refer to basic drawing and design courses. So basically everyone takes same courses in freshmen year.) they would be LD.
Based on my knowledge about LD/UD, I am pretty sure those foundation courses are LD, but the advisor from my previous school seems so unclear about the LD/UD stuff.
What should I do if I want to make SURE if those freshmen foundation courses are LD?
Thank you! (sorry if I am asking too many questions to you… haha)
@ekakcof, you might get some idea with your school’s curriculum guide and course numbering. Such as all LD courses with below 100, UD courses 100-199, and graduate courses 200+
@SculptorDad I just found an information about course numbering (by searching on Google):
100-299: Undergraduate, reflects the first and second year of study.
300-499: Undergraduate, generally third & fourth year of study
500-599: Undergrad/Grad
600+: Graduate
And all courses I took in freshman year are between 100-199.
That course numbering sheet does not specifically mention about “lower-divison” or “upper-division,” but since it says 100-299 reflects the first & second year of study, I guess it’s LD?
They definitely sound like LD. All transcripts have notations at the bottom of the page explaining the number system in order to guide other schools in calculations, with the breakdown similar to what sculptor dad said.
Run, don’t walk, away from this counselor. Anyone who doesn’t understand such a simple point shouldn’t be trusted to give advice on anything else.
Does TAG has the same system? On the TAG requirement, it says the credits from ccc+out-of-state should be less than 120~135 quarter credits. If all of my credits are from lower division courses, will I be able to apply to TAG? (if I meet all the other requirements?)