Community College Library · San Francisco Bay Area · Pleasant Hill
Diablo Valley College to UC: TAG and International Admissions
Diablo Valley College is in the East Bay, follows a semester calendar, and holds TAG agreements with six UC campuses. It is not on the UCLA Transfer Alliance Program list, and it charges no application fee for international students.
- International tuition per unit
- $447 (tuition and fees combined, 2026-27)
- F-1 deadline, applicants outside the U.S.
- Fall: July 1; spring: December 1
- English requirement (selected tests)
- TOEFL iBT 61 or 3.5 on the new scale, IELTS 5.5, Duolingo 95
- Annual budget and proof of funds
- $30,495 (2026-27)
- UC TAG agreements
- Six UC campuses
- UCLA fall 2025 transfer profile
- 743 applicants, 28% admit rate, GPA 3.85 to 4.00
DVC to UC: ten years of transfer data
- UC applicants, 2024-25
- 1,250
- Admitted to UC
- 994
- Admit rate
- 79.5%
- Change in applicants since 2015-16
- −12%
- UC applicants
- Admitted
- Admit rate
- 2025-26 fall only
According to the UC Information Center, 1,250 Diablo Valley College students applied to UC in 2024-25, and 994 were admitted to at least one campus, 79.5% of applicants; 770 enrolled at UC. The campuses that admitted the most students that year were UC Davis (584), UC San Diego (452), UC Santa Barbara (380). Compared with 1,421 applicants in 2015-16, that is a decrease of 12%. For 2025-26, only fall data are available so far: 1,196 applied and 994 were admitted, which cannot be compared directly with the earlier full-year figures.
UC campus comparison, 2024-25
| Campus | Applicants | Admitted | Admit rate | Enrolled | Average GPA of admitted students | Ten-year admissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UC systemwide | 1,250 | 994 | 79.5% | 770 | 3.62 | |
| UC Davis | 868 | 584 | 67.3% | 153 | 3.70 | |
| UC San Diego | 674 | 452 | 67.1% | 145 | 3.70 | |
| UC Santa Barbara | 549 | 380 | 69.2% | 53 | 3.70 | |
| UC Santa Cruz | 473 | 332 | 70.2% | 65 | 3.52 | |
| UC Berkeley | 917 | 288 | 31.4% | 222 | 3.79 | |
| UC Irvine | 664 | 280 | 42.2% | 41 | 3.79 | |
| UCLA | 738 | 170 | 23.0% | 74 | 3.91 | |
| UC Riverside | 245 | 134 | 54.7% | 9 | 3.55 | |
| UC Merced | 150 | 103 | 68.7% | 8 | 3.40 |
Admit rates are calculated from student counts. UC does not publish categories with fewer than five students; these appear as "—" in the table. GPA is the UC-calculated GPA in transferable courses. Campus names link to the corresponding transfer guides. Source: UC Infocenter · Admissions by source school (visualizedata.ucop.edu, AdmissionsDataTable transfer view), retrieved 2026-09-27.
Diablo Valley College (DVC) is located in Pleasant Hill, in Contra Costa County in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, and also has a San Ramon campus. DVC follows a semester calendar, with fall and spring as the main terms. After completing transfer coursework here, students can apply to transfer to the University of California (UC). DVC admits international students on F-1 visas, and international matters are handled centrally by the Office of International Education of the Colleges of Contra Costa district. DVC holds Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) agreements with six UC campuses but is not on the official member list of the UCLA Transfer Alliance Program (TAP). For East Bay students targeting a TAG campus such as UC Davis, or planning a regular application to UC Berkeley, the DVC to UC transfer route is a pathway worth considering. The data section below shows how students from this college have transferred to each UC campus.
Transfer support and honors programs
Honors program
This review found no official description of an honors program on the DVC website, so this page does not list one.
The actual average admit GPA is UC Information Center data for DVC students in 2024-25; an average is not an admission cutoff. Further reading: UCLA Transfer Alliance Program, How transfer GPA is calculated.
UCLA Transfer Alliance Program (TAP)DVC is not on the official UCLA TAP member list, so its students cannot use TAP priority consideration or alternate major review when applying to UCLA.
Transfer CenterDVC has TAG agreements with six UC campuses, including UC Davis, UC Irvine, and UC Santa Barbara. The Career and Transfer Center offers transfer counseling appointments, transfer workshops, and visits from university admissions representatives, as well as workshops on the UC personal insight questions (PIQ).
International student admission
2026-27, tuition and fees combined. The annual budget assumes 12 units per semester, including $10,728 in tuition.
International application periods
- Fall entryDeadline: July 1
- Spring entryDeadline: December 1
These deadlines apply to applicants outside the United States. For applicants in the United States, the deadlines are August 1 for fall and January 1 for spring. International matters are handled centrally by the Colleges of Contra Costa district Office of International Education; DVC, Contra Costa College, and Los Medanos College share one application, and there is no application fee.
English proficiency (any one)
- 61TOEFL iBTor 3.5 on the new scale
- 5.5IELTS
- 95Duolingo
Scores must be no more than two years old.
I-20 proof of funds$30,495Annual budget for 2026-27, assuming 12 units per semester: $10,728 in tuition, $11,700 for homestay room and board, and $1,945 for mandatory health insurance.
- International students must be at least 16 years old and must have graduated from high school.
- The International Transfer Academic Program, also called the 1+1+2 program, has students take one year of online courses in their home country, study at DVC for one year, and then transfer to a four-year university. International students in this program can also apply for UC TAG.
Further reading: I-20 and visa, Annual budget, English and math placement.
Academic calendar and course planning
Semester calendar: fall and spring are the two main terms, and the units are already semester units, so no conversion is needed. The fall 2026 semester runs from August 24 to December 11, and the spring 2027 semester runs from January 25 to May 21. International students must remain full-time in fall and spring. When registering, students are advised to complete English composition and math first and then schedule major prerequisites.
Further reading: The 7-course pattern, Cal-GETC general education courses.
Housing and transportation
- ✕On-campus housing
- The district Office of International Education states that DVC has no on-campus housing and does not provide or manage off-campus housing services.
- ✓Homestay
- The district page lists homestay agencies such as Diablo Valley Homestay, along with apartment and shared-housing information. Diablo Valley Homestay charges $1,300 per month, including a private bedroom and meals, plus a $450 placement fee. The listed agencies are for reference only; the college does not vet or endorse them.
- Transportation
- Students can take BART to the Concord or Pleasant Hill station and transfer to County Connection buses to campus. Routes 9, 18, 20, and 28 connect BART with the Pleasant Hill campus, which has an on-campus bus stop.
Further reading: Housing and homestays.
EDUBUS advice
- When choosing a college
DVC has TAG agreements with six UC campuses but is not on the UCLA TAP list. Students targeting UCLA have no TAP option and should prioritize GPA and major prerequisites.
- Before applying
The $30,495 annual budget for international students is based on a homestay; confirm it with the international student office before applying.
- First semester
Students targeting UC Davis, UC Irvine, or UC Santa Barbara can treat TAG as a secure option and should check the TAG conditions for the target major early.
Frequently Asked Questions
How difficult is it to transfer from Diablo Valley College to UCLA?
The UCLA fall 2025 transfer profile shows that 743 DVC students applied to UCLA, with an admit rate of 28%. The 25th to 75th percentile GPA of admitted students was 3.85 to 4.00. DVC is not on the official UCLA TAP member list, so its students are reviewed as regular transfer applicants.
What is the tuition for international students at Diablo Valley College?
According to the DVC international student fees page, tuition and fees for international students in 2026-27 are $447 per unit. At 12 units per semester, annual tuition is $10,728, and the total annual budget is $30,495. There is no application fee for international students.
When do international students apply to DVC?
For applicants outside the United States, the deadline is July 1 for fall entry and December 1 for spring. For applicants already in the United States, the deadline is August 1 for fall and January 1 for spring. The college also offers short-term DVC Bridge programs in fall and spring, each with its own deadline.
Does DVC have student housing?
No. The district Office of International Education states that DVC has no on-campus housing and does not provide off-campus housing services. The page lists several homestay agencies, and the housing cost in the annual budget is based on Diablo Valley Homestay.
Sources and Verification Date11 official sources · Last checked September 27, 2026
- Admissions by source school, transfer data (UC Infocenter, retrieved 2026-09-27)universityofcalifornia.edu
- International Student Fees & Payment Instructions (Diablo Valley College, 2026-27)dvc.edu
- International Student Admissions (Colleges of Contra Costa Office of International Education)intl.4cd.edu
- Evidence of English Language Proficiency (Colleges of Contra Costa Office of International Education)intl.4cd.edu
- International Transfer Academic Program (Diablo Valley College)dvc.edu
- Transfer Services (Diablo Valley College)dvc.edu
- International Student Housing (Colleges of Contra Costa Office of International Education)intl.4cd.edu
- Campus Parking and Transportation (Diablo Valley College)dvc.edu
- UCLA Transfer Alliance Program (UCLA Undergraduate Admission)admission.ucla.edu
- Transfer Profile by Community College (UCLA, fall 2025)admission.ucla.edu
- Transfer basic requirements (UC Admissions)admission.universityofcalifornia.edu
Campus photo: Bill Larkins, 2011, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Admission rules, tuition, deadlines, and visa policies change every year. Before applying, confirm the current information published by the college and the relevant official agencies.
