Honors University Transfer Program

The Honors University Transfer Program provides highly motivated students the opportunity to work closely with instructors and other motivated students in advanced levels of critical thinking, analysis, research, writing, and communication. The goal of the Program is to engage, support, and challenge self-motivated students to pursue a deeper education, enabling them to create opportunities for success in both their personal and professional lives. Honors courses offer enriched educational experiences through our Honors faculty, challenging coursework, typically smaller class sizes, and the opportunity to study with other highly motivated students.

Each honors course you take is designated as Honors on your academic transcript and indicates you took on the additional challenge that these courses represent. If you complete 15 units of Honors courses with a cumulative GPA of 3.25+ then you qualify to receive a special Honors Graduation Medal during Commencement as well as a Permanent Notation on your Transcript noting that you are an Honors Program Graduate. There is no consequence if you enter the program and do not complete the 15 units.

The Honors Program has special partnerships with 4-year universities that provide significant advantages in the application and scholarship process. For example, UCLA TAP applicants are admitted at more than double the rate of the non-Honors transfer applicants.

The Transfer Alliance Program is a collaboration between the West Valley Honors University Transfer Program and UCLA. The program is designed to foster academic excellence at the community college level and to promote diversity and retention in the UCLA transfer population.

Students who have completed the Honors Program at West Valley College receive priority consideration for admission to UCLA College of Letters and Science. Admitted TAP students are eligible to apply for scholarships reserved for the Transfer Alliance Program. In a typical year, TAP students are admitted to UCLA about 75% of the time, while the non-TAP UCLA admission rate is about 25%.

West Valley College Student Qualifications

• Earn a GPA of 3.25 or higher in at least 9 units of university transferable work at WVC

High School Student Qualifications

• Earn a high school cumulative GPA of 3.5

Maintaining Membership

To maintain active membership in the Program, students must:

• Maintain 3.25 or higher cumulative GPA
• Recommended: Enroll in at least two Honors courses each year

Program Completion

Students who successfully complete at least 15 units of Honors coursework with a GPA of 3.25 or higher will receive the benefits of the Honors Program. Please refer to the Benefits tab for more details or contact the Honors Coordinator or Counselor for specific questions.

There is no consequence or penalty if you join the program and do not complete the 15 Honors units.