The application period for the University of California (UC) Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) at six campuses, for fall 2027 admission, runs from September 1 to September 30, 2026, and applications must be submitted through the UC Transfer Admission Planner (UC TAP). The six campuses include the University of California, Irvine (UC Irvine), where the minimum GPA requirement is 3.4.
Who Is Affected by the UC TAG deadline
TAG is for California community college students: a student who completes the agreed courses and meets the GPA requirement is guaranteed admission to the selected campus. The six campuses are Davis, Irvine, Merced, Riverside, Santa Barbara, and Santa Cruz, and each student may select only one. For current Orange County students who plan to transfer in fall 2027, such as students at Irvine Valley College and Saddleback College, these final two days are the last chance to submit.
Shared requirements for the fall 2027 TAG published by the University of California (excerpt):
- Complete at least 30 semester (45 quarter) UC-transferable units at the time of submission.
- Complete at least one English course and one mathematics course by the end of fall 2026, complete the rest of the seven-course pattern by the end of spring 2027, and earn a cumulative total of 60 semester (90 quarter) units.
- Submit the University of California transfer application between October 1 and November 30, 2026, with the same major as the TAG major, and submit the Transfer Academic Update by January 31, 2027.
- Students who already hold a bachelor’s degree, students who wish to return to a University of California campus they previously attended, and students still enrolled in high school at the time of submission cannot apply for TAG.
UC Irvine requirements: a GPA of 3.4 by the end of fall 2026. TAG is not accepted for art, business administration, dance, music, nursing science, or any major in the Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences.
What to Do Now About the UC TAG deadline
Eligible students should submit by September 30. Before submitting, check whether the chosen major is on the exclusion list of the target campus.
Missing TAG does not affect the regular application. The University of California states that students who miss TAG can still apply as usual between October 1 and November 30, and the University of California TAG matrix notes that about two-thirds of transfer students admitted to the University of California did not have a TAG.
The complete TAG rules are in UC TAG: GPA Thresholds and Timeline at Six Campuses, and the course requirements for transferring to UC Irvine are in Community College to UC Irvine: Admit Rates and TAG. EDUBUS transfer planning services are described in Community College to UC.
Sources
- University of California Admissions: Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) (accessed September 29, 2026)
- University of California Admissions: Dates & deadlines (transfer applicants, 2026–2027) (accessed September 29, 2026)
- University of California Admissions: UC Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) for students applying for fall 2027 or spring 2028 admission (accessed September 29, 2026)
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