About Admission as a Transfer Student

Learn about admission requirements for transfer, transferability of courses you've taken, and find links to everything you need to apply for admission to UC San Diego.

Note: A "transfer student" is defined as one who has graduated from high school AND has enrolled in one or more regular sessions at another college or university.

• When to apply

  Transfer students are admitted for Fall Quarter only.

  • The application filing period is Nov. 1 to 30 for the following Fall Quarter.
  • The online application for Fall 2010 is available beginning Oct. 1, 2009.
  Exception: Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) participants may also apply for Winter Quarter.

• Minimum UC eligibility requirements

  For admission to UCSD, you must:

  • Complete a minimum of 60 UC-transferable semester units (90 quarter units) by the end of spring term prior to fall admission
  • Have a competitive GPA in UC-transferable courses and be in good academic standing. The average GPA for fall admitted transfer students is usually at least 3.4.
  • Meet UC eligibility through one of the following two options:
    • Clearing all UC "a-g" subject requirements with high school and college courses, earning at least a "C"
      OR
    • Completing these UC-transferable college courses:
      2 English composition
      1 mathematical concepts and quantitative reasoning
      4 courses from at least 2 of the following:
      • Arts and humanities
      • Physical and biological sciences
      • Social and behavioral sciences

• Priority admissions for California Community College (CCC) applicants

  To qualify, you must:

  • Be enrolled at 1 or more CCCs for at least 2 terms, excluding summer sessions
  • Attend a CCC as the last college before being admitted to UCSD
  • Complete at least 30 semester UC-transferable units (45 quarter units)

• Other transfers

  UCSD considers applicants from 4-year institutions based on available space and academic competitiveness.

  • To learn more about how UCSD evaluates transfer applicants, read Comprehensive Review Factors for Transfer Applicants.

• Community college transfer preparation programs

  See Transfer Preparation Programs for more information about:

  • Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG)
  • UniversityLink
  • Intersegmental General Education Transfer Core (IGETC)

• Transferability

  To be sure your courses are transferable:

  • CCC students: Refer to the UC transferable course list on the ASSIST Web site.
  • Other UC campus transfer students: All courses completed at a UC campus during a regular or summer session (excluding UC Extension) are considered transferable. UC Extension courses numbering 1–199 are also transferable.
  • All other transfer applicants: UCSD accepts transfer courses from accredited post-secondary institutions similar in content to those offered in the UC system.

• Limits on transfer credits

  Transfer credits are subject to the following limits:

  • A maximum of 70 transferable semester units of community college credit will be applied toward the B.A. or B.S. degree. Any transferable units beyond 70 will be given subject credit.
  • Students with credit from 4-year institutions may not exceed 90 transferable semester units prior to enrollment.
  • Physical Education: A maximum of 4 semester (6 quarter) units of PE credit can be used toward the 60-unit requirement. Courses must be listed on your community college's Transferable Course Agreement.
  • ESL: No more than 8 semester (12 quarter) units can be used toward transfer. The courses must appear on your community college's Transferable Course Agreement.

• Transfer from semester to quarter system

  • To avoid duplicating course work, complete series courses before transfer (i.e. Chemistry 1A-1B).
  • All transferable units will be converted from semester to quarter units at UCSD.
  • To convert semester units to quarter units, multiply semester units by 1.5
  • To convert quarter units to semester units, divide quarter units by 1.5.

• Length of time to graduation/ degree

  Many students who complete 2 full years of transferable coursework at a community college graduate 2 years after transferring to UC, but the average is 2.9 years.

  To graduate in 2 years you should:

  • Select community college courses carefully and plan your program to fulfill major and GE requirements.
  • Earn graduation credit for all transferable courses, but keep in mind specific requirements must be met to earn your degree.
  • See General Education (GE) requirements for each of UCSD's six undergraduate colleges.
  Questions? Contact Transfer Student Services, (858)534-4831.