Cal-GETC General Education:Area Requirements and Trade-offs

The California General Education Transfer Curriculum (Cal-GETC) is a set of general education courses certified by California community colleges. Once a student completes it and receives certification, the student generally does not need to take additional lower-division general education courses after transferring to the University of California (UC). The same applies to transfer to the California State University (CSU). Students who first enroll at a California community college in fall 2025 or later can use only Cal-GETC as their general education pattern. Cal-GETC totals 11 courses and 34 semester units, but it is not an admission requirement for transfer from a community college (CC) to UC. Whether STEM students should complete it depends on the specific rules of the target college.

What Cal-GETC Is and Which Students It Applies To

This section explains the role and scope of Cal-GETC. Cal-GETC replaces the former Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC). IGETC previously had different requirements for UC and CSU; Cal-GETC unifies the two into a single pattern.

• New studentsStudents who first enroll at a community college in fall 2025 or later can use only Cal-GETC.
• Continuing studentsStudents who enrolled before fall 2025 can continue to complete IGETC, and UC still accepts IGETC certification.
• Returning studentsStudents who attended a UC campus, then a community college, and then return to the same campus cannot use Cal-GETC.
• Certification processThe student requests certification from the last California community college attended, and the certification is sent directly to UC or CSU.

UC requires transfer students to submit Cal-GETC or IGETC certification by July 15 of the year of entry. Each community college’s Cal-GETC course list is available on ASSIST; for how to look it up, see How to Use ASSIST.

Courses and Units in the Six Areas

This section lists the number of courses and units in each Cal-GETC area, based on the Cal-GETC standards published by the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office.

Area	Courses	Semester units (quarter units)	Notes
1 English Communication	3 courses	9 (12)	1 course each in English composition 1A, critical thinking and composition 1B, and oral communication 1C
2 Mathematical Concepts and Quantitative Reasoning	1 course	3 (4)	1 math or quantitative reasoning course
3 Arts and Humanities	2 courses	6 (8)	1 course each in arts 3A and humanities 3B
4 Social and Behavioral Sciences	2 courses	6 (8)	From two different disciplines
5 Physical and Biological Sciences	2 courses	7 (9)	1 course each in physical science 5A and biological science 5B, with 1 including a lab 5C
6 Ethnic Studies	1 course	3 (4)	1 ethnic studies course or a course cross-listed with one
Total	11 courses	34 (45)	C or higher in each course

Each course must be completed with a grade of C or higher; a C- is not accepted. A Pass or Credit grade can be used only if it is equivalent to a C. Advanced Placement (AP) exam scores of 3 or higher can count toward some areas, but not toward 1B or 1C. English AP exams can satisfy only English composition; for AP credit details, see AP Credit.

How Cal-GETC Differs from IGETC

This section compares the main differences between the two patterns. Both consist of 11 courses and 34 semester units, but the distribution across areas differs.

Item	IGETC (UC version)	Cal-GETC
Students	Enrolled before fall 2025	First enrolled in fall 2025 or later
English communication	2 courses, 6 semester units	3 courses, 9 semester units, adds oral communication
Arts and humanities	3 courses, 9 semester units	2 courses, 6 semester units
Social and behavioral sciences	2 courses, 6 semester units	2 courses, 6 semester units
Language other than English	Proficiency equivalent to two years of high school study	No language requirement

The UC graduation requirement in a language other than English is not part of Cal-GETC. After transferring to UC, students can still use previously completed language courses to meet that requirement if the courses meet UC standards.

Should STEM Students Complete It?

This section answers the question most often asked by students in STEM and other high-unit majors. UC states that students in engineering, biological sciences, physical sciences, and natural sciences majors are encouraged to complete major preparation courses first. The Cal-GETC standards also state that it may not be appropriate for some students in engineering, mathematics, the sciences, and majors with heavy lower-division requirements. These students can focus on major preparation courses while meeting the minimum requirement of the 7-course pattern.

Some UC colleges have explicit rules on Cal-GETC:

• Not acceptedthe UC Berkeley College of Engineering, the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley, and the College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences at UC Riverside.
• Cannot complete all general educationRevelle College at UC San Diego.
• Major preparation recommended firstthe UCLA Samueli School of Engineering, the School of Engineering and the School of Natural Sciences at UC Merced, and UC Santa Cruz majors that require extensive prerequisites.
• Required for TAGTAG (Transfer Admission Guarantee) for the public health major at UC Merced requires completion of Cal-GETC or IGETC.
• Strongly recommendedthe School of Business at UC Riverside strongly recommends completing Cal-GETC or IGETC in its TAG guidance.

How Cal-GETC Relates to the 7-Course Pattern

This section explains how the two divide the work. The 7-course pattern is the minimum course requirement for UC transfer admission, while Cal-GETC is a general education requirement. Both cover English, mathematics, and the subject areas, and both require a C or higher in each course. Whether a single course counts toward both must be checked course by course against the college’s course lists.