Transfer Center

First Steps

• Complete an orientation
• Meet with a counselor to explore your transfer options
• Identify a major
• Identify your GE pattern (IGETC or CSU GE)
• For UC and CSU transfers, visit Assist to see which courses are required for your major
• For private and out-of-state universities, refer to their website for GE and major course requirements

Explore

• Research the colleges and universities you are considering transferring to
  • Visit each institution’s website for their transfer requirements
• Create an educational plan with a counselor
• Attend Transfer Day in Fall semester
• Visit university campuses you are interested in attending
  • Many universities offer online booking for tours
• Visit the Calendar tab on our website to learn about transfer events on campus, including:
  
  • Transfer workshops
  • Campus tours to four-year institutions 
  • University representative visits to our campus (for appointments or presentations)

See Transfer Planning document.

One Year Prior to Transferring – Fall Semester

• Apply for a Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG), if applicable
• Apply to transfer
• Attend Transfer Application Workshops:
  • September 
    • UC Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) Application Workshop
  • October – December
    • UC Application Workshops
    • UC Personal Insight Question Workshops
    • CSU Application Workshops
    • Common Application Workshops
• After you submit your application, check each university's portal on a weekly basis for any special requests and "To Do" lists
• Apply for financial aid (FAFSA or California Dream Act between October 1 – March 2)

Last Full Semester Prior to Transferring – Spring Semester

• Update all UC and CSU applications in January with your Fall semester grades
• Submit supplemental applications, if applicable
• Apply for your Associate Degree for Transfer in early February through your student portal, if applicable
  • Sign up to participate in Commencement in April
• Submit official transcripts to the universities you're applying to, as requested
• Apply for housing at the university you are applying to transfer to, if applicable
• File your Student Intent to Register (SIR) by May 1 for CSUs or June 1 for UCs
• Register for your transfer university’s New Student Orientation

Application Deadlines

*Campuses that accept winter/spring applicants are limited and vary by year.

See Transfer Checklist document.

Community college students can become eligible to transfer to any of the following campuses:

• UC Berkeley
• UC Davis
• UC Irvine
• UC Los Angeles
• UC Merced
• UC Riverside
• UC San Diego
• UC Santa Barbara
• UC Santa Cruz

Out of all of the students who transfer to the California State University (CSU) system, nearly 94% transferred from a California Community College. See all 23 CSU campuses.

Minimum Admission Requirements to transfer as an Upper Division Transfer Student

To be admitted to a CSU as an upper-division transfer student (with junior standing and to receive priority admission over high school seniors), you must:

• have completed a minimum of 60 semester units of transferable coursework
• have an overall college GPA of at least 2.0. Your GPA is calculated using all your transferable level coursework. For impacted majors and campuses, a GPA of 2.0 may not be sufficient for admission.
• be in good standing at the last college or university attended. In simple terms, “good standing” means you are eligible to re-enroll at your last college or university
• have completed 10 general education courses (30 semester units), with a grade of C- or better, and, specifically, four courses completed in the following areas (in either column):

General Education

California Community Colleges can certify up to 39 lower-division GE-Breadth semester units. Certification means that the CSU will accept these courses to meet the CSU GE-Breadth areas designated by West Valley.

Students who are certified with 39 semester units of lower-division GE-Breadth units will only be required to complete a minimum of nine semester (13.5 quarter) units of upper-division general education work after they transfer, just like other students attending their CSU campus.

If you are applying to a high-unit major such as science, technology, engineering and some math-based fields, be sure to check with the CSU campus for their requirements in this area or make an appointment to speak with a counselor.

If you plan to complete all of your GE requirements at West Valley (either by following the CSU GE or IGETC), you need to request a GE certification through the transcript ordering system, available on your student portal. When you place an order, make sure you select either the “CSU GE” or “IGETC” option. 

Major Preparation Courses

Visit Assist to see which courses the campus you are applying to require (or recommend) you complete at West Valley prior to transferring. You should also check each school’s individual website if you are applying to an impacted major. Many CSUs prefer that you follow the AA-S/AA-T/ADT if it is available for your major. However, you should still check Assist to see if there are any additional requirements. To see which ADTs are offered at West Valley, visit our ADT page.

How to Apply

You need to apply to transfer between October 1-November 30 of the year PRIOR to the fall you want transfer to the CSU. If you want to transfer for the Spring semester, you should apply between August 1-31. Not all CSU campuses accept students for the spring semester, and if they do, they are sometimes open only for certain majors. It also changes from year to year. To find out if a CSU campus is open for spring admission or to apply to transfer, visit Cal State Apply.

You can schedule an appointment to meet with a counselor at any time should you need individual assistance in completing your application. The Transfer Center also offers application workshops during the fall semester. Visit our Transfer Calendar to see when we are offering these workshops.

If you are interested in transferring to a private or out-of-state university, you need to go to that school’s website to learn about their specific transfer admission requirements. Please visit Articulation for links already established with some of our more popular private transfer institutions and out-of-state colleges/universities.

Private Universities

Some private colleges in California accept our Associate Degrees for Transfer (ADT/AA-T/AS-T) as a guaranteed admission to their campus. This agreement allows:

• Guaranteed admission for the ADT students meeting admission requirements
• Guarantees a minimum of 60 semester/90 quarter units will transfer
• Guarantees the student starts with junior standing

We strongly recommend you meet with a counselor to help you plan what you need to do to prepare to transfer to a private or out-of-state college/university.

You can learn more about all accredited California private colleges/universities by visiting the AICCU website.

Out-of-State and International Universities

University of Hawai’i at Manoa

We have an articulation agreement that provides students the opportunity to transfer to UHM’s College of Social Sciences. Students need to successfully complete an Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT) in Administration of Justice, Anthropology, Business Administration, Communication Studies, Economics, Geography, Political Science, Psychology, Social Justice, or Sociology to earn guaranteed admission to UHM with junior standing. Qualifying students may also be eligible to participate in the Western Undergraduate Exchange tuition program, which provides a significant tuition discount (150% of in-state tuition) making the cost of room and board at UHM equivalent to room and board at San Jose State University.

For more information, please visit the Aloha Pathway website.

The California Community Colleges HBCU Transfer Program is an agreement that facilitates the transfer process of community college students to a set of partnering HBCUs. This agreement simplifies the transfer process and shortens the time to degree completion.

Students are guaranteed admission into participating institutions if they meet one of the two following requirements:

1. Complete an Associate Degree for Transfer with a 2.0 GPA or higher, with completion of either the IGETC or CSU GE pattern
2. Complete a minimum of 30 UC or CSU transferable units with a 2.0 GPA or higher

Please note that certain partner HBCU campuses will require a higher GPA. 

The participating colleges/universities are:

• Alabama State University
• Alcorn State University
• Arkansas Baptist College
• Benedict College
• Bennett College
• Bethune-Cookman University
• Bowie State University
• Central State University
• Claflin University
• Clark Atlanta University
• Dillard University
• Edward Waters College
• Fisk University
• Florida Memorial University
• Fort Valley State University
• Grambling State University
• Hampton University
• Harris-Stowe State University
• Huston-Tillotson University
• Kentucky State University
• Lane College
• Lincoln University of Missouri
• Lincoln University of Pennsylvania
• Mississippi Valley State University
• North Carolina Central University
• Philander Smith College
• Shaw University
• Southern University at New Orleans
• Southern University and A&M College
• Stillman College
• Talladega College
• Tennessee State University
• Texas Southern University
• Tougaloo College
• Tuskegee University
• Virginia State University
• West Virginia State University
• Wiley College
• Xavier University of Louisiana

After the description of every course (in the schedule of classes, the catalog, or on the Portal), courses indicate if they are transferable to a CSU and/or UC campus with a notation enclosed in a parenthesis.

There are 2 transfer GE patterns you can choose from to transfer to a UC or CSU campus: the IGETC and the CSU GE

• IGETC: This GE pattern is accepted at both UC and CSU campuses.
• CSUGE: This GE pattern is only accepted at CSU campuses.

Private and out-of-state universities have their own GE patterns. Some accept the IGETC and/or the CSU GE. You need to consult their individual website to see what they accept.

No. Obtaining Associate’s Degree is optional. However, it may give you priority admission to a CSU or a California Private College/University depending on your major and college where you want to transfer.

Most students tend to transfer within anywhere between 2-4 years. STEM majors tend to take longer to transfer simply because we offer so many of the pre-requisites needed for their majors. Transferring is not dependent on time; it is dependent on units. If you are a full time student who takes courses year round (including winter and summer terms), you will transfer at a faster rate than students who need to take fewer units per semester due to work and/or home responsibilities.

The “No course articulated” notation indicates that an equivalent course for that requirement or recommendation is not currently offered at West Valley. If it’s recommended, you simply will take that course after you transfer. If it’s a requirement, you should see what other local community colleges offer it. It is recommended that you meet with a counselor to discuss your options. 

Yes. You need to apply for your ADT/AA-T/AS-T in Admissions and Records at the beginning of the last semester that you will complete your ADT/AA-T/AS-T. To apply for your degree, visit your student portal and select "Apply to Graduate." You will not be awarded a degree if you don’t apply to graduate. The deadline varies each semester, so you will need to check the Academic Calendar for details. 

To request a GE certification, log onto your student portal and go to My Records. There will be an option to order an official transcript. On this ordering form, there is an option to select an IGETC or CSU GE certification. 

You need a minimum of 60 transferable units to transfer with junior standing and receive priority admission to a UC or CSU campus. For private and out-of-state universities, the units required vary from just a few units to 60. Please refer to each college’s individual website for more information.

If you are transferring to a UC or CSU campus, visit Assist to see what courses they require (or recommend) you complete at West Valley prior to transferring. Many CSUs prefer that you follow the Associate Degree for Transfer if it’s available for your major. However, you should still check Assist to see if there are any additional requirements. UCs follow Assist as well, but if you are still unsure what UCs you will apply to, you should visit UC Pathways to see the minimum major preparation courses that all UC campuses have agreed to accept.

For fall admission, students need to apply between November 1-30 of the year PRIOR to the fall semester you want to attend.

Some campuses are open on a limited basis for winter and spring admission, but it changes from year to year. To see if a campus is open for mid-year admissions, please go to the UC Admissions website.

You can apply online on their website. You can begin your application as soon as you become a student at West Valley by opening a UC Transfer Admissions Planner (TAP) account. The information you provide on TAP will pre-populate into your UC application once you are ready to apply to transfer.

Regardless of your major, all students must complete 1 course from each of the following 3 GE areas:

• Area 1A – Written Communication: English 1A
• Area 1B – Critical Thinking: English 1B, 1C, 1CH, Philosophy 3, 17
• Area B4 – Mathematical/Quantitative Reasoning: Math G, 1, 2, 3A, 3B, 4A, 4B, 4C, 8, 10, 10H, 12, 19

In addition to the above courses, you also have to complete 4 classes chosen from at least two of the following subject areas:

• the arts and humanities
• the social and behavioral sciences
• the physical and biological sciences
• Please note: although a Communications course is not required for admission to a UC, you must complete ONE of the following Communication courses if you want to obtain an Associate Degree for Transfer: Comm 1, 10, 10H or 20

Some UCs also require that you complete specific major preparation courses. Consult Assist and/or the university’s undergraduate admissions and departmental website for more information.

Please refer to the UC tab on our website for more information about transferring to a UC campus.

Regardless of your major, all students need to complete 30 semester units of general education courses with a grade of C or better. Within those 30 units, students must complete one course from each of the following 4 GE areas (known as The Golden Four):

• Area A1 – Oral Communication: Comm 1, 10, 10H or 20
• Area A2 – Written Communication: English 1A
• Area A3 – Critical Thinking: English 1B, 1C, 1CH, Philosophy 2, 3 or 17
• Area B4 – Mathematical/Quantitative Reasoning: Math D, G, 1, 2, 3A, 3B, 4A, 4B, 4C, 8, 10, 10H, 12, 14, 19

Some CSUs also require that you complete specific major preparation courses (major coursework can also count towards your general education requirements). Consult Assist and/or the university’s undergraduate admissions and departmental website for more information.

Please refer to the CSU tab on our website for more information about transferring to a CSU campus.

You need to apply to transfer October 1 – November 30 of the year PRIOR to the fall semester you want to attend the CSU. If you want to transfer for the Spring semester, you should apply August 1-31. It’s important to note that not all CSU campuses accept students for the spring semester. To find out if a CSU campus is open for spring admission, visit Cal State Apply.

You can apply online at Cal State Apply.

For private and out-of-state universities, you need to consult their individual website. We have created a database of schools where we have equated courses from certain schools to courses at West Valley. To see the list of these colleges with links to our course by course equivalency, go to the Articulation website. If the school you want to transfer to does not show up on the list, you can still transfer to that school. It is likely that we do not transfer many students to that university, so we have not created a course-by-course equivalency yet. If that is the case, please meet with a counselor for further assistance.

The deadlines vary by school. You need to visit the college’s individual website to learn about their application deadline.

Some universities use the Common Application as their application platform. Others use their own specific admission application. You need to visit their website to see what they use.

If you received a score of 3, 4, or 5 on an AP exam, you may be able to earn credit towards your CSU GE or IGETC requirements. You need to provide an official transcript of the scores to the front desk in the Counseling department and ask them to evaluate it. To see what GE area your AP exam can fulfill, please refer to the course catalog. If you would like an AP exam to count towards your major, you need to refer to the CSU or UC campus you are interested in transferring to in order to see if they will accept it for your major.