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California Guaranteed Transfer Admission Programs
California has the deepest and most mature transfer-guarantee system in the country. There are TWO main paths: (1) the University of California Transfer Admission Guarantee (UC TAG), where six UCs guarantee admission to students who meet a published GPA and course plan, and (2) the CSU Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT), which guarantees admission to the CSU system with junior standing. Both require attending a California community college.
Data last reviewed: 2026-04-17. Confirm current terms with the official program page before making decisions — transfer policies shift annually.
UC Transfer Admission Guarantee
UC TAG
Sponsoring CCs: All 116 California community colleges
Target schools & minimum GPA
UC Davis
Min GPA: 3.2
Higher for engineering/CS
UC Irvine
Min GPA: 3.4
Nursing, Business Admin, CS, Dance, Drama not TAG-eligible
UC Merced
Min GPA: 3.0
UC Riverside
Min GPA: 3.2
3.4+ for Bourns College of Engineering; some BCOE majors excluded
UC Santa Barbara
Min GPA: 3.4
Engineering higher; several majors not eligible
UC Santa Cruz
Min GPA: 3.0
3.25+ for impacted majors (Psychology, CS, Robotics)
Course requirements
Minimum 60 UC-transferable semester units by end of spring before fall entry. Two UC-transferable English composition courses + one college-level math, all with C or better. Progress toward major prep per ASSIST.org; follow the 7-course transfer pattern.
Deadlines
TAG application window: September 1–30 (for the following fall). UC admission application: October 1–November 30. Transcript updates (TAU): January.
Watch out: You can only TAG with ONE UC campus. Berkeley, UCLA, and UC San Diego do NOT participate. Major isn't guaranteed — you may be admitted under an alternate major.
In-state community college students only (California)
Official program page Sponsored · Study tools
Chegg Study
Step-by-step solutions for the transferable courses that decide your GPA.
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CSU Associate Degree for Transfer
ADT / AA-T / AS-T
Sponsoring CCs: All 116 California community colleges
Target schools & minimum GPA
All 23 CSU campuses
Min GPA: 2.0
Impacted campuses (SDSU, Cal Poly SLO, Long Beach, Fullerton, SJSU) effectively require 3.5+ for many majors
Course requirements
Complete an AA-T or AS-T at a California community college: 60 CSU-transferable units including CSU GE or IGETC, plus 18+ units in the major with 2.0 GPA.
Deadlines
CSU priority window: October 1 – November 30.
Watch out: ADT guarantees admission to the CSU SYSTEM with junior standing and a "similar" major — not to a specific campus. If your first-choice CSU is impacted, you may be redirected to another campus.
In-state community college students only (California)
Official program page Pick the right 4-year school to TAG with
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