Transferring Course Work

MiraCosta College students have the opportunity to transfer to a variety of public and private/independent colleges and universities. In California, students may transfer to a college or university in the University of California (UC) system, California State University (CSU) system, or various private/independent universities and colleges. Transfer students should be aware of both the entrance and graduation requirements of the university or college they wish to attend. MiraCosta's curriculum is designed to prepare students to transfer to four-year colleges or universities by providing instruction in general education course work and preparatory courses for specific majors.

As soon as possible after enrolling at MiraCosta, students should choose the specific major area they wish to pursue and the four-year college or university they wish to attend. The counseling staff is available to assist students in making these important decisions.

MiraCosta has "articulation" agreements with many public and private universities. An articulation agreement is when a course taken at MiraCosta can be used to satisfy a general education or major-preparation requirement at a transfer university. Many of these agreements with the public universities in California can be found online at www.assist.org. Students should work closely with a counselor to develop educational plans that are based on completing articulated courses. MiraCosta's Transfer Center provides additional counseling assistance as well as workshops that provide students with valuable information about the transfer process.

Students interested in attending graduate school to pursue a post-bachelor's degree can find important resources in the Transfer Center to assist them with their goals. These students should visit the website www.miracosta.edu/transfer and select Graduate School Information. Transfer Center counselors are available to assist students individually by appointment. The counselors will review graduate school admission requirements and discuss how to prepare while still at the community college level.

California State University (CSU)

The California State University (CSU) system has 23 campuses across the state. The CSU offers students the choice of more than 1,800 bachelor's and master's degree programs in 240 subject areas.

To obtain a bachelor's degree from a CSU campus, students must complete a minimum of 120 semester units (180 quarter units). A maximum of 70 units of transferable credit will be accepted for courses completed at MiraCosta or any California community college. Information about which courses transfer to the CSU is included in the catalog course descriptions (see How to Read Course Descriptions). This information can also be found at www.assist.org.

Admission Requirements

The CSU will consider a student a transfer applicant if he or she enrolled in a regular session at a college or university, except while in high school or summer session, immediately following high school. The vast majority of transfer students enter the CSU as upper-division students. Students must fulfull the following criteria to be eligible for admission to a CSU campus as an upper-division transfer student:

• Complete a minimum of 60 transferable units with an overall minimum 2.0 grade-point average (GPA). This GPA is calculated using all transferable units.
  Note: Many CSU campuses require a higher GPA for admission.

• Complete a minimum of 30 units of general education courses with a grade of "C" or better. The 30 semester units must include courses in the areas of written communication, oral communication, critical thinking, and mathematics.

A student may be eligible for lower-division transfer (completion of fewer than 60 units) if he or she has completed all admission requirements for a first-time freshman. Some campuses may also require completion of general education classes in math and English with a grade of "C" or better. For more information, students should check with a MiraCosta counselor or visit www.csumentor.edu.

Note: Most CSU campuses will not accept lower-division transfer students.

Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate Credit

Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) credit can also be used to satisfy the 60 transferable units. The Advanced Placement Guide identifies which AP exams can be used for general education credit and admission units.

Impacted Programs

An undergraduate major, program, or campus is designated as impacted when there are more eligible applicants than there are available spaces. Impacted majors, programs, or campuses are authorized to use supplementary admissions criteria to screen applicants, such as the following:

1. Completing specific courses
2. Accumulating a specific number of college units
3. Earning a specific grade point average
4. Meeting advance application deadlines
5. Participating in interviews or special evaluations

The list of impacted programs may vary from year to year, as majors are added and deleted frequently. Also, a major impacted at one campus may be open at another; therefore, students should consult www.assist.org, a MiraCosta counselor, or a representative at their intended transfer campus to receive updated information about impacted majors.

Transfer Planning

Students are strongly encouraged to meet with a MiraCosta College counselor to develop an appropriate transfer plan. A transfer plan consists of general education courses, major preparation courses, and, if additional units are required, transferable elective courses. The counselors ensure students are aware of CSU application deadlines and all necessary transfer requirements.

General Education Requirements: CSU GE (Plan B)

All students obtaining a bachelor's degree from a CSU campus must satisfy general education (GE) requirements. A minimum of 48 semester units is required for GE-Breadth: 39 units of lower-division and at least 9 units of upper-division courses. All of the lower-division courses for GE-Breadth may be completed at MiraCosta before students transfer to a CSU campus. To satisfy the GE-Breadth requirements, students must take specified courses in the following areas:

Area A — English Language Communication and Critical Thinking
Area B — Scientific Inquiry and Quantitative Reasoning
Area C — Arts and Humanities
Area D — Social Sciences
Area E — Lifelong Learning and Self-Development.

This pattern of courses, called CSU GE-Breadth, is illustrated on Plan B. Students may also choose to complete the UC/CSU IGETC pattern, illustrated on Plan C, to complete the CSU general education requirements.

Major Preparation

Students need to identify a major and complete the required admission courses for that major. MiraCosta has articulation agreements with most CSU campuses. These agreements, which can be viewed at www.assist.org, tell students which courses at MiraCosta can satisfy a major requirement at a CSU campus.

At some CSU campuses, the required GPA in these major preparation courses may be higher than the admission criteria GPA. And at some CSU campuses, completion of all major preparation courses will make an applicant much more competitive in the admission process.

Transferable Electives

If additional units are needed to meet the 60-unit admission requirement, students can complete transferable elective courses. Students may explore areas of interest through any course work at MiraCosta as long as the course is designated as CSU transferable. The course descriptions in the college catalog and schedule of classes indicate this designation where it applies.

U. S. History, Constitution, and American Ideals

All CSU campuses have a graduation requirement in U. S. History, Constitution, and American Ideals. Students may be certified as completing this requirement at MiraCosta by completing one of the five groups of classes listed on Plan B.

University of California (UC)

The University of California (UC) system includes nine undergraduate campuses, extending from Davis in the north to San Diego in the south. They are located in the following areas: Berkeley, Merced, Davis, Riverside, Santa Barbara, Irvine, San Diego, Santa Cruz, and Los Angeles.

To obtain a bachelor's degree from the UC, a student must complete a minimum of 120 semester units (180 quarter units). A maximum of 70 units of transferable credit toward a bachelor's degree will be accepted for courses completed at any or all California community colleges. The UC may limit the amount of credit received for some courses. For example, no credit will be given for an introductory course if it is taken after a more advanced course, credit may be limited for courses with overlapping content, and duplicate credit will not be awarded for both the honors and non-honors version of a course. The UC credit limitations that apply to MiraCosta College courses are identified in the catalog course descriptions as well as in the official course outlines.

Priority Eligibility for Transfer Students

The UC will consider a student a transfer applicant if he or she enrolled in a regular session at a college or university, except while in high school or summer session, immediately following high school.

Students who transfer to a UC campus from MiraCosta or any California community college with 60 transferable units are given priority over all other transfer applicants, including those from four-year institutions and UC's own intercampus transfer students, if they meet all of the following criteria:

• They were enrolled at one or more of the California community colleges for at least two terms (excluding summer session)
• The last college they attended prior to enrollment at a UC campus was a California community college (excluding summer session)
• They have at least 30 semester UC transferable units at one or more community colleges. 

 

Upper-Division Transfer Admission

The vast majority of students transfer to the UC as upper-division transfer students. Students must fullfill both of the following criteria for upper-division transfer eligibility:

1. Complete 60 semester (90 quarter) units of transferable college credit with a GPA of at least 2.4.* No more than 14 semester (21 quarter) units may be taken "P/NP" (Pass/No Pass)
2. Complete the following course-pattern requirements, earning a grade of "C" or better in each course:

• Two transferable college courses (3 semester or 4–5 quarter units each) in English composition
• One transferable college course (3 semester or 4–5 quarter units) in mathematical concepts and quantitative reasoning
• Four transferable college courses (3 semester or 4–5 quarter units each) chosen from at least two of the following subject areas: arts and humanities, social and behavioral sciences, and physical and biological sciences.

Note: Students who complete 60 transferable units that include the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) will meet the minimum admission requirements described above.

*Most UC campuses require a higher GPA for admission and for major preparation courses.

Meeting the minimum transfer admissions eligibility requirements does not guarantee a student's admission to the major and UC campus of his or her choice. In cases where there are more eligible applicants than transfer openings, applicants with the strongest academic preparation are given priority. To learn more about requirements that can be met to make an applicant more competitive for admission to a specific UC campus as well as important application deadlines, students should meet with a MiraCosta College counselor, visit the Transfer Center, or review information available online at www.universityofcalifornia.edu/admissions.

Lower-Division Transfer Admission

Students may be eligible for lower-division transfer if they were eligible for UC admission as freshmen upon high school graduation and had a 2.0 GPA in their transferable college course work.

Students who met the Scholarship Requirement in high school but did not satisfy the a-g Subject Requirement may become eligible to transfer by taking transferable college courses in the subjects they are missing, earning a minimum grade of "C" in each of these required courses, and earning an overall "C" (2.0) average in all transferable college course work. Students can find more information about the Subject, Scholarship, and Examination requirements on the UC Admissions Web site: www.universityofcalifornia.edu/admissions.

Note: Most UC campuses will not admit transfer students who have fewer than 60 transferable units completed even if they were eligible out of high school.

Impacted Programs

An undergraduate major, program, or campus is designated as impacted when there are more eligible applicants than spaces available at a campus. Such majors, programs, or campuses are authorized to use supplementary admissions criteria to screen applicants. This criteria may include the following:

1. Completing specific courses
2. Accumulating a specific number of college units
3. Earning a specific grade point average
4. Meeting advance application deadlines
5. Participating in interviews or special evaluations

Impacted programs vary from year to year, as majors are added and deleted frequently. Also, a major impacted at one campus may be open at another; therefore, students should consult www.assist.org, a MiraCosta counselor, or a representative at their intended transfer campus to obtain updated information about impacted majors.

Transfer Planning

Students are strongly encouraged to meet with a MiraCosta College counselor to develop an appropriate transfer plan. A transfer plan consists of major preparation courses, general education courses, and, if additional units are required, transferable elective courses. MiraCosta's counselors ensure students are aware of UC application deadlines and all necessary transfer requirements.

Major Preparation

Students need to identify a major and complete the required admission courses for that major. MiraCosta has articulation agreements with most UC campuses. These agreements, which can be viewed at www.assist.org, tell students which courses at MiraCosta can satisfy a major requirement at a UC campus. At some UC campuses, the required GPA in these major-preparation courses may be higher than the admission criteria GPA. Students should choose their major as early as possible for the following reasons:

• UC campuses admit transfer students to specific majors, so getting admitted undeclared is unlikely.
• Admission to most majors and campuses is competitive, and being fully prepared for a major improves the student's chance of admission.
• Choosing a major early allows the student to stay focused on completing requirements before he or she transfers. Changing majors is difficult after the student is admitted and usually delays graduation. 

 

General Education Requirements: IGETC (Plan C)

To earn a bachelor's degree from a UC, students must complete a program of general education (GE). They have the option of completing either the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) pattern or a campus-specific lower-division GE pattern. The UC campus-specific GE patterns mirror the GE requirements of students who enrolled at UC as freshmen. Students who follow a campus-specific GE pattern must complete the MiraCosta courses that are specified in the GE articulation agreement, which can be found at www.assist.org.

IGETC is most helpful to students who want to keep their options open, such as those who know they want to transfer but have not yet decided upon a particular institution, campus, or major. Students are strongly encouraged to complete IGETC prior to transfer as doing so can be advantageous in the admission process for many majors on most UC campuses. However, students who intend to transfer into majors that require extensive lower-division preparation, such as engineering or the physical and natural sciences, should concentrate on completing the many prerequisite courses for the major that the college screens to determine eligibility for admission. All students are strongly advised to work with a MiraCosta College counselor to determine which option for completing general education is most appropriate for their educational goal.

Note: California community college transfer students may complete the IGETC pattern to satisfy the lower-division GE requirements at both the UC and CSU. Students who began college at a UC campus and who intend to transfer back to that campus cannot use IGETC. However, students who began college at a UC campus and intend to transfer to a different UC campus may use IGETC.

UC Transferable Electives

Students who have completed all requirements for their major and have selected courses appropriate for the general education pattern at a UC campus may need to complete additional courses to earn the required 60 transferable units. These courses are often referred to as electives. The course descriptions in the college catalog and schedule of classes indicate when a course is UC transferable.

Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate Credit

Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) credit can also be used to satisfy the 60 transferable units. The Advanced Placement Guide identifies which AP exams can be used for general education credit and admission units.

University of California Transfer Admission Programs

Many UC campuses offer guaranteed admission to California community college students who meet specific requirements.

Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG)

Each UC campus, except UC Berkeley and UCLA, offers a Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) program. By participating in a TAG, students receive early review of their academic records, early admission notification, and specific guidance about major preparation and general education course work. For complete information about TAGs offered at the seven participating UC campuses, students should see a MiraCosta College counselor, visit the Transfer Center, or locate information at the following website: http://uctransfer.universityofcalifornia.edu/transfer_ADMIS_guar.html.

UC Los Angeles (UCLA) Transfer Alliance Program (TAP)

The Transfer Alliance Program (TAP) is a collaboration between the MiraCosta College Honors Scholar Program and UCLA College of Letters and Sciences in conjunction with Undergraduate Admissions and Relations with Schools. The program is designed to foster academic excellence at MiraCosta and other participating community colleges and to promote diversity and retention in the UCLA transfer population. Students wishing to participate in this program must meet the following criteria:

• Enroll in and complete MiraCosta's Honors Scholar Program
• Complete a minimum of 60 transferable units, including five honors classes, with a competitive GPA.

Students who complete MiraCosta's Honors Scholar Program receive priority consideration for admission to UCLA's College of Letters and Sciences. Admitted TAP students are also eligible to apply for TAP scholarships.

UC Irvine (UCI) Community College Honors Transfer Program

The UCI Community College Honors Transfer Program offers transfer students priority consideration for admission to UCI and provides them with library privileges and opportunities to participate in cultural activities on the UCI campus.

Students wishing to participate in this program must be enrolled in and complete MiraCosta College's Honors Scholar Program.

UC San Diego (UCSD) University Link Program

This program is designed for freshmen and represents a partnership among UCSD, MiraCosta, and local high schools. It guarantees a high school student's admission to UCSD if the student completes his or her first two years of academic course work at MiraCosta.

Students in the program receive individual academic advisement and counseling, informational workshops and tours, invitations to special events at UCSD, and contact with current UCSD students.

All UniversityLink students must register for one semester of COUN 105 during their first year at MiraCosta and sign a UniversityLink contract once they have completed the course.

Private/Independent Colleges & Universities

MiraCosta also has agreements with many private/independent colleges. However, their requirements vary greatly. Many private/independent universities will accept all courses designated as UC transferable, and many will accept completion of CSU GE-Breadth (Plan B) or IGETC (Plan C) in lieu of their own general education requirements.

To find out more about accredited private/independent colleges in California, students should visit www.californiacolleges.edu. For specific information about private/independent colleges, students should visit the Transfer Center or make an appointment with a MiraCosta counselor.

Recommendations for Transfer Students

The MiraCosta College Transfer Center provides students with all of the tools they need to navigate the transfer process. This process can sometimes seem complex because the requirements and application timelines can differ depending on where a student chooses to transfer.

The Transfer Center offers workshops, provides appointments with university representatives, and makes catalogs and computers available for students to research possible transfer destinations. For the most comprehensive assistance, the Transfer Center encourages students to develop an educational plan with a counselor and to monitor that plan with their counselor as they move toward their transfer goal.

Students considering a transfer path should take the following steps: 

1. Complete required math and English courses as soon as possible, especially if skill development is needed prior to eligibility for transfer-level courses.
2. See a counselor within the first semester at MiraCosta to make sure necessary preparation-for-the-major, general education, and admission requirements are understood. Request a written educational plan. Counseling faculty are available to assist students who need help selecting a major and/or a transfer university.
3. Select a major-preparation course over a general education course when there is a conflict in scheduling. Many major-preparation courses are part of a sequence and may not be offered every semester, whereas general education courses are frequently offered each semester and during the summer.
4. Visit the intended transfer college's website to research major and other transfer opportunities.
5. Attend a campus tour and orientation session at the transfer university. Tours and orientation sessions provide a great way to learn about different campuses and to meet with department advisers.
6. Submit applications to more than one college or university (unless the student is participating in a transfer admission guarantee program). Be aware of admission application filing dates. Visit the application website for information:

• UC online application website: www.universityofcalifornia.edu/admissions
• CSU online application website: www.csumentor.edu

1. Check application status at the transfer school's website to ensure application materials have been received; follow up if any problems are detected. Respond immediately if contacted with any questions.
2. If eligible, apply for an associate degree within the first 6 weeks of the student's last semester at MiraCosta (for eligibility requirements, see Associate Degree & Certificate Requirements).

2010 Transfer Center Calendar

July 1–31	Admission Application Filing Period for UC Winter Quarter
August 1–31	Admission Application Filing Period for CSU Spring Semester
August 1	Deadline to apply to MiraCosta's Honors Scholar Program for fall. For students interested in UCLA TAP Program (priority admission), this is a requirement.
August 1	Initial deadline to submit UC Santa Cruz TAG contracts. Contracts may be accepted until October 15.
September 1	Initial deadline to submit UC Davis TAG contracts. Contracts may be accepted until September 30, based on space availability.
October 1–November 30	CSU and UC Application workshops; contact the Transfer Center for dates and times
October 1–November 30	Admission Application Filing Period for CSU Fall Semester/Quarter
November 1–30	Admission Application Filing Period for UC Fall Semester/Quarter
December 1	Deadline to apply to MiraCosta's Honors Scholar Program for spring. For students interested in UCLA TAP Program (priority admission), this is a requirement.

All dates above are subject to change. Information is based on data available as of May 2010.

To contact the Transfer Center, call 760.795.6880