Transfer Students
Source: https://admissions.berkeley.edu/apply-to-berkeley/transfer-students/
At UC Berkeley, the world’s premier public university, you can excel beyond, exchange ideas and, ultimately, change the world.
- You are a transfer student if you have completed coursework during a regular session (fall, winter, spring) at a college or university after high school (the summer session immediately following high school graduation does not count).
- While the UC gives California community college applicants priority over other transfer applicants, we also accept applications from those applying from institutions outside of the California Community College system.
- UC Berkeley only accepts applications for the fall term. The UC Application is available in August the year prior to the fall term you are applying for.
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- Minimum requirements for admission
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The minimum requirements for UC Berkeley transfer admissions are listed below. It is important to note that transfer admission requirements will vary by college and major, however there are a number of requirements that are common across all colleges. These requirements must be complete by the end of the spring term prior to the fall term you are applying for:
- Minimum 60 UC-transferable semester (90 UC-transferable quarter units)\
- For non-California Community College students, visit Transfer credit practices to determine UC-transferability
- Overall minimum GPA of 3.0 (3.5 for College of Engineering) in all transferable college-level coursework
- Lower division major preparation courses
- Please visit the Transfer Information by college page regarding completion of general education/breadth requirements
NOTE: Effective for the fall 2025 application cycle, UC Berkeley will no longer require IGETC/Cal-GETC, Essential Skills, or UC Reciprocity for students applying to the College of Letters and Science and the College of Computing, Data Science and Society. Students will have to complete University of California 7-course pattern to satisfy eligibility requirements for admission. Full UC IGETC will continue to be used to meet the L&S Essential Skill and 7-course breadth requirements, (different from UC 7-course pattern) which are separate from admission requirements. - Comprehensive review and selection
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Transfer applications are reviewed using a comprehensive review process. While no one attribute or characteristic guarantees the admission of any applicant to Berkeley, transfer students can be most competitive by excelling in the academic areas.
While academic indicators are weighted more heavily than other parts of the application, other factors are considered in the Comprehensive Review process. The following are examples of qualities and attributes we consider in the Comprehensive Review process:
- The applicant’s full record of achievement in college-level courses, including number of units, general education, and major preparation courses.
- Personal qualities of the applicant, including leadership ability, character, motivation, insight, tenacity, initiative, originality, intellectual independence, responsibility, maturity, and demonstrated concern for others and for the community are considered.
These factors can be demonstrated in different ways whether it is traditional clubs/organizations, home life, work life, or other life experiences.
- Likely contributions to the intellectual and cultural vitality of the campus. In addition to a broad range of intellectual interests and achievements, admissions readers seek diversity in personal background and experience.
- Achievement in academic enrichment programs, including but not limited to those sponsored by the University of California or California Community Colleges.
Race, ethnicity, gender, and religion are excluded from the criteria.
All achievements, both academic and nonacademic, are considered in the context of the opportunities an applicant has had, and the reader’s assessment is based on how fully the applicant has taken advantage of those opportunities. For an applicant who has faced any hardships or unusual circumstances, readers consider the maturity, determination and insight with which the applicant has responded to and/or overcome them. Readers also consider other contextual factors that bear directly upon the applicant’s achievement, including linguistic background, parental education level, and other indicators of support available in the home.
The review recognizes a wide range of talent and creativity that is not necessarily reflected in traditional measures of academic achievement but which, in the judgment of the reader, is a positive indicator of the student’s ability to succeed at Berkeley and beyond. - Applicants with coursework from four-year institutions
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- Students will be granted up to 70 semester/105 quarter units of credit for lower division coursework completed at any institution or combination of institutions. For units beyond the maximum, subject credit for appropriate coursework taken in excess of this unit limitation will be granted and may be used to satisfy requirements.
- Units earned through AP, IB, and/or A-Level examinations are not included in the limitation and do not put applicants at risk of being denied admission.
- Units earned at any UC campus (Extension, summer, cross/concurrent and regular academic-year enrollment) are not included in the limitation but are added to the maximum transfer credit allowed and may put applicants at risk of being denied admission due to excessive units.
- Note: if all courses are completed at one or more 2-year (community) colleges, a student would likely never be in danger of having too many (excessive) units.
- If the resulting units exceed 80 semester / 120 quarter (89 semester / 133.5 quarter units for College of Engineering), the student is ineligible for admission.
- Note: Whether or not you believe your coursework will be transferable, you will be required to report ALL post-secondary coursework undertaken in your application. No final decisions on transfer credit will be made until you officially apply and enroll at UC Berkeley.
- Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) exam credit
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Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate exams can be used to benefit students in two ways. Exams with scores of 3 or higher on AP exams, or 5 or higher on IB higher-level exams can be used for unit credit. Units from credit-bearing exams can help students meet the unit minimum requirement, but will not be counted toward the unit maximum admission policy. Students can also use AP and IB exams for general education and/or subject credit and are encouraged to review ASSIST.org or the UC Berkeley Catalog for more details. For more information on how AP credits can be used, review the UC Exam Credit Matrix. - International students
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International students have the same transfer admission requirements as all other students. International English Exams (i.e. TOEFL or IELTS) are not required for admission as English proficiency is satisfied upon successful completion of the UC 7-Course pattern.
Determining Transferability of International Coursework
- Check to see if your school is recognized by your country's Ministry of Education (or other appropriate government agency) or a U.S. regional accrediting agency. The school must be officially recognized in order for credit to be awarded. You must report all post-secondary institutions, coursework, and grades.
- Transferable courses must be from a university level academic degree program comparable to a U.S. Associate's or Bachelor's degree. Terminal vocational or technical programs are often not transferable to UC Berkeley, even if taken at recognized institutions.
- Determine if your subjects are similar to any subjects offered at UC Berkeley using descriptions in the UC Berkeley Undergraduate Catalog. We will only consider transfer credit for subjects that are similar to those offered in the UC system.
- If you cannot find a comparable course at UC Berkeley, look in the catalogs of other UC campuses. A course may also be transferable if it is offered somewhere in the UC system.
- Remedial academic subjects, such as English taught as a second language and high school level math, are not transferable.
Whether or not you believe your coursework will be transferable, you will be required to report ALL post-secondary coursework undertaken in your application. No final decisions on transfer credit will be made until you officially apply and enroll at UC Berkeley.
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