Hi everyone! I’m planning on going to UC Merced this fall (2020) and I am hoping to transfer to UCLA my junior year of college. I heard it’s nearly impossible to transfer from a UC to another UC because they prioritize community colleges. For a personal reason, I can’t go to community college and take advantage of the TAG system so if anybody has tips for me, that would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!
UCLA does not participate in TAG although they participate in TAP which is available at some of the CC’s.
UCLA is known to be more transfer friendly for UC to UC transfers than other UC campuses.
You can check to see their UC to UC admits using this link for 2019 if available:
https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/infocenter/admissions-source-school
Go to UCM with the intention of making the most out of your time there and you might even end up staying.
Best of luck.
If your goal really is UCLA, if there’s any way you can go to a CC I would do that. That being said, transferring there is far from impossible. Make sure you:
Keep your grades up (3.8+ ideally).
Get UC reciprocity (means you complete all GEs at Merced so that you’ll be done with GEs at UCLA).
Make a list of the required/suggested prereq courses for your major and complete them before applying.
Hey! I’m currently a first-year student at UCR who is planning on transferring from UCR to UCSC in Fall 2021! It is definitely an option to go from UCM to UCLA, however, it will require a very competitive GPA and you need to make sure you take all/most of the pre-requisites for your major (especially if it is a highly competitive major) in order to compete with CC students, who are their top priority. I believe in you! Do try to enjoy Merced though. If you genuinely feel as though it is not the right fit, there is no shame in transferring. Good luck! 
@user136130007 UCLA used to prioritize CCC and UC transfers equally. I’m not sure if COVId-19 will change that.