EDUBUS College Planning · Community College to University of California (CC to UC)
Community college transfer is the second formal pathway into the University of California (UC), often called CC to UC. Students complete two years of coursework at a California community college and enter UC as juniors, earning the same degree as students who enrolled as freshmen. The EDUBUS advisory team, based in Irvine, designs the two-year route and manages the process.
Book a community college transfer consultationSee the two-year route ↓25 CC-to-UC guides ↓
The two-year CC-to-UC route
The example assumes fall entry and a fall transfer two years later. Students who start in spring shift the entire plan by one term.
Who it suits
Students whose high school GPA falls short of freshman admission levels at their target campus and who want to reapply to UC with two years of community college grades. California residents pay far lower community college tuition than international students.
Students who come to the United States after high school with the goal of earning a UC bachelor’s degree, including students who completed high school in China and want another route into a leading American public university.
Transfer review centers on grades. Students who complete each term’s courses as planned and keep a steady GPA are the most likely to transfer on time.
Transfer rules set firm requirements in English composition and math. Students with weaker English may need foundational English courses in the first term, which extends the time needed to transfer.
Transfer requirements
60semester units
Complete 60 UC-transferable units (90 quarter units) before transfer, with no more than 14 graded Pass/No Pass.
7core courses
Two English composition courses, one mathematics and quantitative reasoning course, and four courses in at least two subject areas.
Cor higher
Earn a C or higher in each of the seven courses.
2.4 / 2.8minimum GPA
2.4 for California residents and 2.8 for nonresidents, including international students. This is the eligibility minimum; popular campuses and majors expect more.
ASSISTmajor preparation
Complete the courses required for the target campus and major. ASSIST (assist.org) is California’s official course articulation system and shows whether each course transfers to UC.
Cal-GETCgeneral education
Students entering in fall 2025 or later follow Cal-GETC, which replaces IGETC. Not every major requires completing it.
These requirements must be completed by the end of the spring term before transfer. UC recommends completing English and math early, and some campuses strongly recommend finishing them by the end of the fall term in the year before transfer.
Choosing campuses · Fall 2026
The nine UC undergraduate campuses are listed below from lowest to highest Fall 2026 transfer admit rate, using data from each campus’s official page (preliminary data as of June 2026).
ReachAdmit rates near 20%, suited to students with near-perfect GPAs
Primary targetsAdmit rates of 36% to 62%, where most students compete
LikelyAdmit rates above 67%, all participating in TAG
* The UC Merced official page lists an admit rate of 67.5%, which does not match its published applicant and admit counts; this page uses 76.7%, calculated from the counts. Within a campus, admit rates for popular majors such as computer science, engineering, and business are markedly lower than the campus overall. Campuses marked TAG participate in the Transfer Admission Guarantee.
Data centerTen-year admission trends at nine campusesEvery major by campusAdmit rates for popular majors by campus
Further reading: UC BerkeleyUCLAUC San DiegoUC IrvineUC DavisUC Santa BarbaraUC Santa CruzUC RiversideUC Merced
TAG · Fall 2027 entry cycle
TAG is the Transfer Admission Guarantee. Students apply in September of the year before transfer; meeting the course and GPA requirements of the chosen campus guarantees admission to that campus.
| Campus | Minimum GPA | Majors not open to TAG (selected) |
|---|---|---|
| UC Davis | 3.2; College of Engineering 3.5 | Business, computer science, data science, and undeclared |
| UC Irvine | 3.4 | Business administration, all majors in the School of Information and Computer Sciences, nursing, art, dance, and music |
| UC Santa Barbara | 3.4; biology, chemistry, economics, mathematics, physics, and statistics also have a prerequisite GPA | All majors in the College of Engineering and the College of Creative Studies, and some dance, music, and theater majors |
| UC Santa Cruz | 3.0; some majors also have a prerequisite GPA | All majors open |
| UC Riverside | 2.7 to 3.6 by college and major (computer science 3.6) | Art (studio) |
| UC Merced | 2.8 to 3.0 by college and major | All majors open |
Free toolsTAG Eligibility Check: enter a GPA and check the thresholds at all six campuses
Further reading: The complete TAG guideUCLA Transfer Alliance ProgramThe 7-course pattern
Community colleges
The five community colleges EDUBUS serves most are all in Southern California, three in Orange County and two in Los Angeles County. All use the semester system, and international students must take at least 12 units each semester. The bar at the bottom of each card shows the fall 2025 UCLA admit rate for applicants from that college; the vertical line marks the overall UCLA transfer admit rate of 23%.
Orange CountyIrvine
1,026 applied to UCLA31%
Middle 50% GPA of admitted students: 3.76 to 4.00Orange CountyMission Viejo
516 applied to UCLA28%
Middle 50% GPA of admitted students: 3.68 to 4.00Orange CountyCosta Mesa
592 applied to UCLA22%
Middle 50% GPA of admitted students: 3.81 to 4.00Los Angeles CountySanta Monica
1,859 applied to UCLA34%
Middle 50% GPA of admitted students: 3.74 to 4.00Los Angeles CountyPasadena
1,366 applied to UCLA30%
Middle 50% GPA of admitted students: 3.78 to 4.00UCLA Transfer Alliance Program
All five colleges are members of the UCLA Transfer Alliance Program (TAP). Students who complete their college’s honors program and receive certification get priority consideration for majors in the UCLA College of Letters and Science and for public health, public affairs, and education and social transformation.
The bar scale runs from 0 to 50%. Tuition follows each college’s published rates for the year; health insurance, student service fees, and living expenses are additional. Saddleback College lists a 2026-27 annual budget of $31,000 for international students and Orange Coast College lists $29,459, both including estimated tuition and living expenses.
Data centerUC transfers from every California community college
Further reading: Community college library (18 colleges, with ten years of official UC transfer data)IVCSaddleback CollegeOCCSMCPCC
International students
2027-28 academic year, nonresident undergraduates
The UC Tuition Stability Plan also applies to nonresidents, keeping tuition unchanged for up to six years after entry.
Undergraduates whose parents are not California residents usually pay nonresident tuition throughout their time at UC.
When an F-1 student transfers from a community college to UC, the two schools transfer the student’s record in SEVIS (the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System), UC issues a new Form I-20, and a visa that is still valid can continue to be used.
Further reading: International Student OverviewI-20 and VisaEnglish and Math PlacementHousing and HomestaysAnnual BudgetF-1 Student Rules
EDUBUS services
The EDUBUS CC-to-UC service begins with choosing a college and ends when the student enrolls at the University of California. Each stage has defined tasks and a responsible advisor. The advisory team is based in Irvine. Local students can meet at the office, and international families can communicate by WeChat or video conference.
Set the target UC campus and major based on grades, English level, and interests; choose a community college; and build a two-year course plan against ASSIST.
Community college applications, Form I-20, and visa documents for international students; placement test preparation; and first-term course selection and housing checks after arrival.
Course selection review, GPA reviews, summer course planning, and progress tracking for the honors program and UCLA Transfer Alliance Program certification.
Choosing the TAG campus and major, the UC application and personal insight questions, grade updates, and comparison of campus decisions.
Accepting the offer, sending transcripts, and, for international students, the SEVIS record transfer and the new Form I-20.
Local students still in high school can refer to the Irvine high school planning guides. For planning that covers every high school grade, see the College admissions planning service.
CC-to-UC guides · 25
The guides divide community college transfer to UC into three sets of questions: how the transfer rules work, how international students proceed, and what each UC campus requires. Every guide cites its official sources and the date they were checked.
How transfer admission is decided: TAG, general education, the 7-course pattern, GPA, and the personal insight questions
Start with “TAG Guarantee” →Starting from abroad: applications, visas, placement, housing, and budget
Start with “International Student Overview” →Transfer admit rates, major requirements, and TAG at the nine undergraduate campuses
Start with the admit rate comparison for all nine campuses ↑The community colleges with the largest transfer volume in Southern California and the Bay Area, each with ten years of official UC transfer data, admission comparisons by campus, international tuition, and application deadlines.
Compare every college by target UC campus →Los Angeles County
Ventura and Santa Barbara
San Diego County
How to begin
Based on these materials, an EDUBUS advisor assesses whether the route fits, recommends target campuses and community colleges, and explains the main milestones of the two years. For service details and fees, contact EDUBUS through the form, by phone, or on WeChat.
Before the consultation, prepare
CC stands for California community college, and UC for the University of California. Community college to UC transfer means studying for two years at a California community college, completing the required units, and then entering a University of California campus as a junior transfer student. It is also called community college transfer or CC to UC. The degree earned at graduation is the same as that of students who enter as freshmen.
A direct application is judged mainly on high school grades and coursework; a transfer application is judged mainly on community college coursework and GPA. UC states that about 3 out of 4 transfer students who apply to UC are admitted. For students whose high school grades fell short, or who completed high school in China, community college transfer offers a second chance to apply on the strength of college grades.
Overall odds are good, but campuses differ widely. UC states that 3 out of 4 transfer students who apply get in. For fall 2026, UC Berkeley admitted 20.0% of transfer applicants, and UC Merced 76.7% based on its published counts, with the other seven campuses in between. The campus and major you choose matter more than the systemwide rate.
UC requires at least a 2.4 GPA in UC-transferable courses for California residents and 2.8 for nonresidents, including international students. That is eligibility, not a cutoff. At UCLA in fall 2025, the 25th-percentile GPA of admits from the five colleges on this page ranged from 3.68 to 3.81.
Yes. The requirements are the same as for local students except the 2.8 minimum GPA, and the shared TAG criteria have no residency condition. International students made up 13% of UCLA's fall 2025 entering transfer class. They also need to plan the community college application, Form I-20, and visa in advance.
TAG is the Transfer Admission Guarantee. UC Davis, Irvine, Merced, Riverside, Santa Barbara, and Santa Cruz participate, with applications due September 1 to 30. Meeting the chosen campus's GPA and course requirements guarantees admission there. UC Berkeley, UCLA, and UC San Diego do not participate.
Usually two years. UC expects 60 transferable semester units, the 7-course pattern, and the major preparation courses before entry. First-term English and math placement decides whether two years is realistic, so it is the step to prepare for earliest.
Yes. Out-of-country deadlines for spring 2027 are November 30, 2026 at Pasadena City College, December 1 at Irvine Valley College, and December 4 at Orange Coast College; Saddleback College accepts applications year-round. Spring starters usually need two and a half years to transfer, and strong students can finish in one and a half.
Usually not. The two schools transfer the student's SEVIS record, and a visa that is still valid can continue to be used. The fixed-admission-period rule DHS published in July 2026 was blocked nationwide by a federal court on September 14. The case is ongoing, so confirm with the international student office before traveling.
Yes. The UC transfer application uses Personal Insight Questions, with the question on preparation for the intended major required and the rest chosen from prompts. Transfer essays focus on the academic path and readiness for the major, which is different from a high school application essay.
Image credits
Admission rules, tuition, and deadlines change every year; before applying, confirm the current figures each school publishes.
Share the grade and the goal. An Irvine-based counselor reaches out within one business day with a first, actionable growth and admissions plan. Direction first, courses later.
