What semester transfer GPA does UC Admissons look at & value first?

Hello everyone, I’m applying for transfer this fall to UCD,UCSC, and UCI, currently at a CC studying CS but my GPA is at a 3.08. Apparently a lot of students apply with high GPA’s, and end up with low GPA’s by the time they transfer. What happens to a student (like me) who can possibly raise their GPA to a 3.2 after fall, and then a 3.3 after the winter semester is over? Do colleges look at the first gpa students apply with? Or the GPA they get after the Fall, Winter semester is over? Would like any advice on that, thank you.

After applying, transfer students are required to update their grades and course records.

You must provide your final grades from the previous term and list all courses in progress or planned for the term before you expect to enroll. Your updates will ensure UC campuses have the most current academic information available.

Fall term 2019

If you applied for fall quarter/semester 2019, you must provide us with a list of courses completed in fall 2018 and associated grades, as well as your planned coursework through summer 2019.

Even if you do not have any in-progress or planned courses and your record of course grades was complete in your original application, you must log in to your application and complete the Transfer Academic Update.

The priority deadline for the Transfer Academic Update site is Jan. 31, 2019.

This link may help gauge your chances. UC Transfer GPA admit ranges by campus and major for 2017:

https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/infocenter/transfers-major

I would suggest you also TAG to one of the UC’s either UC Riverside or UC Santa Cruz.

The UCs give you extra points for an upswing in grades. The final term they take into consideration is that fall when you apply. If after each term your GPA shows a steady increase, it will be of value.

Courses from that last winter and spring are not calculated in.

@Gumbymom. That was helpful, but what GPA really matters for applications? If I improve over the fall, and winter semester would they take that into account as much as the starting GPA? or does the starting GPA overcome everything else?

@Ohm888 so they count the fall GPA, and that’s the first GPA they look at when they review your application?

They don’t look at GPA piecemeal like that. They look at the overall and, as I said, if there is an upswing term-to-term that will help. If there is a downturn anywhere in the middle or final fall that will not help.

As I also noted, they only calculate GPA through this fall (if you apply in November). They don’t calculate winter into the GPA.

Keep in mind to TAG either Santa Cruz or Riverside (your only two options, as Gumby mentioned), you need a 3.0 and you must maintain that cumulatively. You’re saying you have a 3.08. Make sure to verify that because it is not unusual that a student’s calculation of GPA and the UC’s calculation don’t always match. It must be a minimum 3.0 as of this summer.

@Ohm888 Yeah, I was going to tag to Santa Cruz, but there was one requirement that they’re not counting. I had a Computer Science language course to take, and I got a C in it. So in my mind, I thought if i took another course and got a B, i would be fine for the tag application. So I did just that. Turns out that they only count the first grade that you got regardless if it fulfills the same requirement. The funny thing is, II talked to an international counselor at my community college, and asked him if I was able to tag, and he said yes. I emailed the Tag Coordinator just to verify, and he said that I can’t tag. So that’s why I’m so worried about the status of my GPA.

Why did he say you can’t TAG?
Do you need a minimum grade in the major core courses?

So you retook the same course? If you have a C you won’t get credit for the repeat. You can retake a C- course or lower and that new grade will replace the first.

Update: You need a cumulative 2.8 in CS core courses to apply to the major at UCSC. To TAG you must adhere to the major requirements. That is likely the issue.

You need a 2.5 cumulative in the Calc series and one other major course (essentially everything as far as I can tell) to TAG Riverside.

@Ohm888 He said I couldn’t tag because for their CMPS 12A/ CMPS 12L requirement they required only one course out of three. I got a C in the first course, but I took the other two courses just for the sake of it, and received B’s in them. I contacted the tag Advisor, and he said that you would need at least a 3.0 in that area, and that they are only going to count the first grade. Which is a C, instead of averaging the grades together or picking out the highest grade.

That’s the UC rule. They don’t avaerage grades and won’t accept a repeat for a grade of C. This is why you need to work with an advisor. To be honest, while you can possibly TAG Riverside (your only remaining TAG option), I would suggest you consider a different major. CS is very competitive and they really want strong grades in major prep courses. Perhaps you don’t even really like CS deep down. Just keep that in mind. Good luck.