Admission as a Transfer Student

The University of California defines a transfer applicant as a student who has been a registered student in a regular term at a college, university or in college-level extension classes since graduating from high school. Summer session attended immediately following high school graduation is excluded in this determination. If you are a transfer applicant, you may not disregard your college record and apply for admission as a freshman.

California residents must meet the requirements that follow. If you are not a California resident, see Minimum Requirements for Residents of Other States. Applicants to UC Davis generally must perform well above the minimums in order to gain admission, since the number of eligible applicants exceeds the number of students we can admit.

The highest priority for admission is given to junior-level California community college transfer applicants with 90 quarter (60 semester) units completed by the end of the spring term prior to fall admission.

Transfer applicants to UC Davis generally must perform well above the minimum requirements needed to gain admission to UC Davis.

UC Minimum Requirements for California Residents

To be eligible for admission to UC as a transfer student, you must fulfill both of the following criteria:

1. Complete 90 quarter (60 semester) units of transferable college credit with a grade point average of at least 2.400. No more than 21 quarter (14 semester) units may be taken Passed/Not Passed.

2. Complete the following course pattern requirement, earning a grade of C or better in each course:

• Two transferable college courses (four-to-five quarter or three semester units each) in English composition; and,
• One transferable college course (four-to-five quarter or three semester units) in mathematical concepts and quantitative reasoning; and,
• Four transferable college courses (four-to-five quarter or three semester units each) from at least two of the following subject areas: arts and humanities, social and behavioral sciences, physical and biological sciences.

If you were eligible for admission to UC when you graduated from high school—meaning you satisfied the subject, scholarship and examination requirements, or were identified by UC during the senior year as eligible in the local context—you are eligible to transfer if you have a C (2.000) in your transferable college course work.

If you met the Scholarship Requirement in high school, but did not satisfy the Subject Requirement, you must take transferable college courses in the missing subjects and earn a C or better in each required course to be eligible to transfer.

To verify UC transferable courses for California community colleges, see http://www.assist.org.

Minimum Requirements for Residents of Other States

If you meet the requirements for admission as a nonresident freshman, you must have a grade point average of 2.800 or better in college courses that are accepted for transfer credit by the University of California.

If you do not meet the minimum requirements for admission as a nonresident freshman, you must have completed at least 90 quarter (60 semester) units of transferable work with a grade point average of 2.800 or better and have completed the subject requirements for California residents.

Unit Credit for Courses Taken Elsewhere

The university gives quarter unit credit to transfer students for courses they have completed at other accredited colleges and universities. To be accepted for credit, your courses must be comparable to those offered at the university, as determined by Undergraduate Admissions. You can find information about transferable credit from California community colleges at http://www.assist.org.

A total of 105 quarter (70 semester) transferable units toward a university degree may be earned at a community (two-year) college. Only subject credit will be granted for courses taken in excess of these amounts.

UC Intercampus Transfer

If you are an undergraduate student currently or previously registered at another UC campus and have not since been registered in another institution, you may apply for transfer to the Davis campus. Filing dates, the application, fees and admission requirements are the same as those listed for new applicants.