the transfer process

Introduction
Transferring from a community college to a four-year institution or obtaining an A.A. or A.S. degree is a straightforward process when approached with proper planning and awareness. However, many students encounter obstacles that complicate their transition. These challenges often arise due to a lack of information, poor academic planning, or reliance on unreliable advice. Identifying and addressing these potential pitfalls can significantly improve a student’s chances of successfully transferring. To avoid these common pitfalls, students should take the following proactive steps:

Research Transfer Requirements Early: Start researching potential four-year institutions as soon as possible to understand their specific transfer criteria, application deadlines, and credit transfer policies.
Research A.A. and A.S. Degree Requirements: This also should be done as soon a possible.
Meet with a Career Counselor: Schedule a meeting with a career counselor to explore career options, set professional goals, and develop plans to achieve them. Also, to secure guidance on choosing majors, exploring job opportunities, and navigating the education-to-career transition.
Meet with an Academic Counselor Regularly: Schedule regular meetings with an academic counselor to stay on track with coursework and ensure eligibility for transfer.
Utilize Official Resources: Rely on official college websites, transfer offices, and articulation agreements to gather accurate information about transferring.
Maintain a Strong GPA: Stay focused on academic performance, seek tutoring or academic support if needed, and prioritize coursework to meet the GPA requirements of target universities.

By staying informed, planning ahead, and seeking appropriate guidance, students can navigate the transfer process with confidence and increase their chances of successfully transitioning to a four-year institution. The purpose of this resource is to help you begin defining and planning your transfer plan and to help prepare for your meeting with an academic counselor.

Identity and Career Decision Making

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Associate of Arts and Associate of Science Degrees at the Community College

Among the core academic offerings at California Community Colleges are the Associate of Arts (AA) and Associate of Science (AS) degrees, which serve as foundational credentials for students pursuing a variety of academic and career goals. The AA degree typically emphasizes studies in the liberal arts, social sciences, communications, and humanities, helping students build essential skills in writing, analysis, critical thinking, and cultural awareness. In contrast, the AS degree is more focused on STEM fields, health sciences, business, and technical education, offering students both theoretical knowledge and practical skills aligned with today’s workforce demands.

These degrees usually require completion of 60 semester units, including general education (GE) requirements and courses specific to a student’s major. The CCC system has also introduced Associate Degrees for Transfer (ADT)—either AA-T (Associate in Arts for Transfer) or AS-T (Associate in Science for Transfer)—which are specially designed to streamline the transition from community colleges to the California State University (CSU) system. Students who complete an ADT with a minimum GPA are guaranteed admission to a CSU campus, although not necessarily to the campus or major of their choice.

Beyond transfer preparation, the AA and AS degrees are also structured to support career technical education (CTE) for students looking to enter the workforce directly after graduation. Many programs incorporate certifications, internships, and industry-aligned curricula that ensure graduates are job-ready in high-demand fields such as nursing, automotive technology, cybersecurity, and early childhood education.

Transfer to a College or University? Public or Private ?

Do you plan to transfer to a college or university? A public or private? So what exactly is the difference between a college and a university. The main difference between a college and a university lies in their size, scope, and degree offerings:

A college typically offers undergraduate programs only, such as associate and bachelor’s degrees. It often has a smaller student body and a more focused academic mission.
A university offers both undergraduate and graduate programs, including master’s and doctoral degrees, and usually consists of multiple colleges or schools (e.g., College of Engineering, School of Business). Universities tend to have a larger campus, more research opportunities, and a broader range of academic disciplines.

In short: colleges are smaller and more teaching-focused, while universities are larger with broader academic and research capabilities.

Here are some other things to consider:

Public: “Public colleges and universities receive funding from tuition and endowments, but the larger part of their funding comes from state or local taxes. Most public postsecondary schools are state-run, which lowers the tuition for in-state students” For example the University of California Los Angeles and California State University Long Beach.
Private/Non-Profit: “Private, non-profit colleges and universities receive funding primarily from student tuition and endowments. These institutions function as non-profit organizations that usually follow the leadership of a board of trustees. Private colleges and universities may receive some governmental support in the form of tax breaks and student loans, but operating mostly on private support allows them to develop their own institutional plan.” For example the University of Southern California and Loyola Marymount University
Private/For Profit: “For-profit colleges are run by companies that operate under the demands of investors and stockholders. These institutions are privately run and exist, at least in part, to earn money for their owners. Nevertheless, for-profit colleges can receive up to 90 percent of their revenue from federal student aid.” For example the University of Phoenix.

Explore your Transfer Institution Options

Transfer Steps

What are the exact steps one should follow to start the transfer process? First and foremost, work with an academic counselor as soon as possible to ensure your transfer success. Also, work towards completing the following steps:

Be sure to submit your high school transcripts or college transcripts if you have attended other community colleges or four-year institutions to ECC’s admission office.
Identify a major and career choice you wish to pursue both at ECC and at your four-year transfer target. Also identify possible transfer targets. Know the minimum eligibility and selection criteria for you transfer targets.
Visit the Transfer Center and attend their workshops.
Work with an academic counselor to develop a transfer plan. If you are STEM major (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) it is critical that you work with a counselor as soon as possible!
Visit Career Services for learning about career options.
Become familiar with your General Education options and be familiar with articulation agreements for your major.
Learn if you qualify for a Transfer Admission Guarantee from the University of California or a Associate Degree for Transfer from the California State University.
Identify transfer application filing periods.
Apply to be certified for General Education.

Transfer Requirements

Transfer admission requirements can vary from campus to campus. Some campuses have very strict outlined requirements, while others have more open ended criteria. This is why it is imperative that you work with a counselor to ensure your transfer success. Below are some terms you need to be familiar with. Most colleges and universities have three major types of requirements you will need to satisfy to gain admission: course requirements, GPA requirements, and unit requirements.

Course Requirements: This refers to courses that you must take at a community college before you transfer to the receiving institution. For example: English, Math, major related courses and other general education courses.
GPA Requirement: This refers to a minimum grade point average that you must achieve to be considered for admission.
Unit Requirement: This refers to the amount of units that must be completed before you transfer

Two other things to consider:

Minimum Eligibility: “Minimum eligibility means that you have completed the minimum requirements to apply, in short you are eligible. Just because you are eligible to apply to a university does not mean you will be admitted.” For example, the UC Transfer-Basic Admissions website states that student must have at least a 2.4 GPA in UC-transferable courses (2.8 if you’re a nonresident) for admission.
Selection Criteria: “Selection Criteria refers to the set of criteria a university or college is looking for in the students they select. For example, if a student has the minimum GPA for eligibility but the campus selection GPA is higher, the student would most likely not be admitted.” In contrast, the average GPA selection criteria for admission to UCLA’s College of Letters and Science as a pre-History major in Fall 2020 was 3.93.

Transfer Units

A minimum of 60 transferable units must be completed to transfer to the UC or the CSU. California independent and private colleges or universities may require less units to transfer. So, how do you get these units? Read below to find out.

Pre-Major Units: Most majors at four-year colleges and universities require completion of lower division major specific courses as preparation for the upper division. The number of pre-major courses may vary.
General Education Units: G.E. is a group of courses in varied areas of the arts and sciences, designate as one of the requirements for a degree. G.E. can satisfied by completing IGETC for the UC and CSU or the CSU G.E. applicable only to the CSU.
Elective Units: Courses not required for the major or general education but are acceptable for credit. An elective course may be in the student’s major area of study or any department of a college.

Identifying Pre-Major Units

All articulation agreements for pre-major requirements (units) for the UC and CSU can be found on ASSIST.org. What is ASSIST.org? ASSIST provides the most accurate and up-to-date information about student transfer in California; it is the official repository of articulation agreements for California’s public colleges and universities. Articulation shows how courses completed at one college or university can be used to satisfy requirements at another. ASSIST lists courses that fulfill university admission requirements, major and general education requirements, and university graduation requirements. It also lists transferable elective courses that can be used to reach the number of units needed to transfer to a university. ASSIST does not contain information about private, out-of-state, or international colleges or universities. ASSIST does not take the place of a counselor on your campus. It is intended to help students and counselors work together to establish an appropriate path toward transferring to a public California university.

General Education

General Education courses are graduation requirements not admission requirements. Your counselor will help you figure out which is the best GE pathway for you to pursue which may vary depending on whether you are new to college or a continuing student. STEM majors should immediately consult a counselor about how to best prepare for transfer.

If you are planning to transfer to a UC or CSU, have been a student at El Camino College prior to Fall 2025 and maintain catalog rights through continuous enrollment, there are two GE options you can pursue depending on your campus/system choice: the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) and the CSU GE Breadth pattern of courses.” Most students follow IGETC because it is accepted by both the UC and CSU. CSU GE is only accepted by the CSU system.

If you started attending El Camino College for the first time in Fall of 2025, and wish to complete your general education prior to transferring, you will focus on the Cal-GETC. Cal-GETC replaces IGETC and CSU GE Breadth for ADT students and aims to simplify the transfer process by aligning CSU and UC general education requirements more closely.

Cal-GETC: “The California General Education Transfer Curriculum (Cal-GETC) is the singular general education pathway for California Community College (CCC) students to fulfill lower-division general education requirements necessary for transfer and admission to both the California State University (CSU) and the University of California (UC). The curriculum and its policies are overseen by the Intersegmental Committee of the Academic Senates (ICAS), representing faculty from California’s three segments of public higher education.”

IGETC (before Fall 2025): “The Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) is a series of courses that satisfy the lower division general education requirements at the University of California (UC), the California State University (CSU), some private and out-of-state institutions.” IGETC must be certified at your community college. Students must request this certification, which is sent to the transfer institution.
CSU General Education-Breadth (before Fall 2025): “Completion of the CSU General Education-Breadth pattern will permit a student to transfer from a community college to a campus in the California State University system without being held, after transfer, to additional lower-division general education courses to satisfy campus G.E. requirements.” CSU G.E. must be certified at your community college. Students must request this certification which is sent to the transfer institution.

UC TAG

Six UC campuses offer the Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) program for California community college students who meet specific requirements. By participating in TAG, students receive early review of their academic records, early admission notification and specific guidance about major. Your counselor will assist you in exploring and signing the TAG.

CSU ADT

The California Community Colleges and partnering institutions created the Associate Degree for Transfer to make it easier for students to start at a community college, transfer to a guaranteed saved spot at a participating four-year university and earn a bachelor’s degree. Your counselor will assist you in exploring and identifying an Associate Degree for Transfer.

Financing Your Education

Financing a college education in California can be more affordable than many students realize, thanks to a variety of financial aid options and programs. For those attending a University of California (UC) school, it’s helpful to explore the 8 little-known facts about paying for UC, which highlight lesser-known opportunities and benefits. The Blue and Gold Opportunity Plan is a key UC financial aid program that covers tuition for eligible students whose families earn less than $100,000 annually. Students are encouraged to Apply for Apply for UC Financial Aid early to maximize their award packages.

California State University (CSU) students can find tailored support through CSU Financial Aid Resources, while the California Financial Aid Commission offers a comprehensive overview of state-wide Financial Aid Programs. Additionally, undocumented students can access aid by submitting the California Dream Act Application, which allows them to be considered for many of the same state-based financial aid programs as other students.

Employment Outlook

What is the employment outlook and the salary outlook for the career option you are currently exploring? What is the work environment like for your career choice? What other careers are similar to the one you are pursuing? What are some important qualities one needs to have to be effective in the career you have chosen? To address these question use following resources: