TAG AGREEMENTS
Transfer Admittance Guarantees
Transfer Admittance Guarantees allow California Community College students guaranteed admission to SIX UC Campuses, Including:
Davis, Irvine, Merced, Riverside, Santa Barbara, and Santa Cruz.
The California State University system also has a similar program through the AA-T Degree, or the Associates for Transfer Program, allowing guaranteed admittance into a students desired major at the California State University they are accepted into.
HOW DO (TAG) AGREEMENTS WORK?
Community College students follow a course requirement guide which has pre-approved and verified courses that articulate to University of California Campuses. This Guide is often known as IGETC, or the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum. A community college student must fulfill all the requirements to be granted TAG.
If you're curious what the requirements look like you can go to your own community college website and type in IGETC, you should get a result immediately. Or, take a peak at the link below for an idea of what the IGETC looks like but keep in mind they vary for each college and this is just an EXAMPLE.
WHAT ABOUT UC BERKELEY, UC LOS ANGELES AND UC SAN DIEGO?
Although these universities are not a part of the TAG program you can still transfer to them if you have completed your IGETC and major requirements, however, you will be competing for admission instead of having a guaranteed spot.
Don't get discouraged though! Transfer acceptance rates for these schools are much higher than those for freshman admits.
Additionally, some of these colleges have special transfer programs like UC Berkeley's Transfer Alliance Project, or UCLA's Transfer Alliance Program.
San Diego also has a similar but less extensive Specialized Transfer program which may require you to relocate in order to go to a community college that offers the program but it is not necessary to be in any one of these programs if you are trying to transfer to one of these schools.
Each specialized transfer program offers different resources and has different requirements to be accepted but generally they are focused on mentoring/guiding transfers during their time at community college so that they can become the most competitive applicants for their intended schools.
Want to hear a personal experience in these programs? Visit us at one of our many events!
THINKING CSU? US TOO!
CSUs have similar programs to guarantee your admittance with ADTs, or Associate Degrees for Transfer. This follows the same idea as the IGETC/TAG agreements where the CSUs use the CSU:GE-B Pattern, or the California State University General Education Breath Pattern.
This is a pre-approved and verified list of courses that articulate to California State Universities. A community college student must complete all CSU:GE-B requirements and associate degree requirements for the intended campus in order to be eligible.
Curious what the CSU:GE-B looks like? Take a peak at an EXAMPLE.
WHAT IF I WANT TO GO TO A PRIVATE UNIVERSITY?
Many community colleges work with private universities to give you more options. Some even accept IGETC.
Things you should do if you're thinking about going to a private university from a community college:
1. Do Your Research. Do any community colleges have agreements to the school you want to go to? Are there any special transfer pathways available?
2. Reach out to Admissions. Is there a transfer admissions officer you can contact at the private university for specific transfer questions?
3. Save The Receipts! If you're in Community College now but are thinking about applying to a private university save all your syllabi to have verified by the institution.
4. Keep Checking in. Always have a clear picture of what they're looking for and will except at your intended private school.
CAN'T PICK?
Take your time. Decide later.
Many courses on both the IGETC and CSU:GE-B are the same. This means that you can take one course to fulfill both a requirement on the IGETC and CSU:GE-B and when it comes time to transfer you'll have the option of applying to both CSU and UC schools.
BUILD A ROAD MAP
This document will help you build an Education Plan that is right for you by providing a beginners FAQ/Answers sheet, an example Education Plan, and a blank Education Plan for personal use.
Fill this out while using your specific community college's IGETC or CSU:GE-B course sheet and assist.org if you plan to transfer to a UC or CSU.
If you plan on trying to transfer to a private school, go to the intended private school website and search the course requirements for the degree at that specific campus - make sure to get into contact with an admissions officer or counselor!