I was given admission to UCSC a while back, and I was wondering how hard the process would be to transfer to SLO? I’m firm in my decision to not go to a CC beforehand for a number of reasons, but I’m very adamant in completing my undergrad from a school that’s better than UCSC. Currently I have my heart set on SLO, but I was wondering how hard the transfer process would be.
in this case, it might as well apply as a UC → UC transfer question too
What is your intended major? What do you mean a “better school”? UCSC is a top 100 rated school so what exactly are you looking for in a school?
UC to UC or UC to CSU transfers have lower priority than CC to UC/ CSU but it can be done. The main issue is the transfer articulation courses listed in Assist.org are setup for CC transfers. You would have to find courses to match the transfer prep requirements for each target campus using Assist.org as a guideline. UC to UC courses most likely would be a better match.
Due diligence on your part would be needed. Also you need 60 semester/ 90 quarter units to transfer so you are looking at 2 years at UCSC.
One advantage with CC to UC is TAG ( Transfer admission guarantee) where you are guaranteed a spot at one of the 6 participating campuses if you complete the course and GPA requirements. Some majors and campuses are excluded. .
The CSU’s offer ADT which is similar but a specific campus is not guaranteed.
You should not attend a school like UCSC with the intention of transferring. You need to give it a chance and perhaps you will end up loving there.
If you have any more questions about transferring do not hesitate to post.
Still more decisions coming so Best Of Luck.
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Thank you!
So is it impossible to transfer in as a sophomore?
For the UC’s, a few UC’s such as Davis, Santa Cruz, Riverside and Merced has considered Sophomore transfers with major limitations.
For the Cal states, I do not have a list of which campuses will accept Sophomore level transfers but in this instance SLO does not and probably all the impacted CSU’s will not accept Sophomore level/lower division transfers.
Transfer admissions is based on the Transfer GPA and completion of the major pre-req and GE requirements. For most Freshman, unless they have a significant number of DE/CC courses taken during HS, 2 years is usually needed to complete all the requirements.
I do have information for 1 year CC to UC transfers but again most successful transfers have significant # of units completed through dual enrollment while in HS.
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Outside of California few people have ever heard of SLO but most have heard of the University of California.
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Thank you Gumbymom, very helpful.
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I have been reading this thread and I keep wondering about this point. Perhaps I am missing something.
To me UC Santa Cruz is a very good university.
I might be biased. I have a wife who got her bachelor’s degree at a university that is ranked lower than UCSC, and got her master’s degrees at an Ivy League university. I have a daughter who got her bachelor’s degree at a university that is ranked lower than UCSC, and is currently getting her doctorate at a “top 5 in the US” program for her specific major. I got my master’s degree at Stanford (which was highly ranked for my particular major) and the program had many other students who had graduated from universities that were ranked pretty close to UCSC (some slightly higher, some slightly lower, with emphasis on “slightly”).
I will admit that I only visited UCSC once. I thought that it was a beautiful location and a very good school.
One strategy might be to attend UCSC, and make an effort to do very well in your classes. Keep ahead in your homework. Look for internship/coop/research opportunities. If you want to, apply to other schools as a transfer student (perhaps to transfer after 2 years). If you don’t get in elsewhere as a transfer, or if you decide that you like UCSC, or if you are involved in internships or research that you don’t want to give up, then graduate from UCSC. Then if you are looking to get a master’s or other graduate degree, then consider other schools.
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I see. If it’s too difficult to transfer, I plan on getting my Masters somewhere better.