Admission as a Transfer Student

The University of California defines a transfer applicant as a student who has been a registered student in a college or university or in college-level extension classes since last attendance at 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 Requirements for Residents of Other States below. 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 California Community College transfer applicants with 90 quarter (60 semester) units of transfer work with the highest academic achievement, as well as, in some areas, the completion of lower division major program.

UC Minimum Requirements for California Residents

Transfer applicants must meet one of the following conditions:

Students who were eligible for admission to the university when they graduated from high school--meaning they satisfied the Subject, Scholarship and Examination Requirements--are UC minimally eligible to transfer if they have a C (2.00) in their transferable college course work.
Students who met the Scholarship Requirement but did not satisfy the Subject Requirement must take transferable college courses in the subjects they are missing, earn a grade of C or better in each of of these required courses, and earn an overall C (2.00) average in all transferable college course work to be minimally eligible to transfer. Students who met the Scholarship Requirements but did not meet the Examination Requirement must complete a minimum of 18 quarter (12 semester) units of transferable work and earn an overall C (2.00) average in all transferable college course work completed.

Students who were not eligible for admission to the university when they graduated from high school because they did not meet the Scholarship Requirements must:

complete 90 quarter (60 semester) units of transferable college credit with a grade point average of at least 2.40,
and
Complete a course plan requirement to include:
1. two transferable college courses (4-5 quarter or 3 semester units each) in English composition; and,
2. one transferable college course (4-5 quarter or 3 semester units) in mathematical concepts and quantitative reasoning; and,
3. four transferable college courses (4-5 quarter or 3 semester units each) chosen from at least two of the following subject areas: the arts and humanities, the social and behavioral sciences, the physical and biological sciences.

Each of the courses in this pattern must be complete with a grade of C or better.

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 2.80 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 2.80 or better and have completed the subject requirements for California residents. Applicants to UC Davis generally must perform well above the minimums to gain admission to UC Davis.

Transfer Admission to the College of Engineering

The College of Engineering, in screening applicants, gives priority to junior-level California community college students who have completed a minimum of 90 quarter (60 semester) units of transfer work and the specified required lower division engineering courses and who have high GPAs.

The lower division programs and required courses are specified in the "Programs and Courses" section of this catalog, under the specific engineering major. You can also find this information on the World Wide Web at http://registrar.ucdavis.edu/UCDWebCatalog. Direct questions about courses required for transfer admission to your counselor or to the Engineering Undergraduate Office (530-752-0556).

Unit Credit for Courses Taken Elsewhere

The university gives 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 and Outreach Services. You can find information about transferable credit from California Community Colleges on the World Wide Web at http://www.assist.org.

A total of 105 quarter (70 semester) 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.

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