Admission Requirements for Transfer

Admission Requirements for Transfer to the California State University

While attending LBCC, students planning to transfer to the California State University System (CSU) should follow the recommended pattern of GE-breadth/General Education requirements listed in Plan B. Students planning to transfer to either the CSU System or the University of California System (UC) may follow the recommended pattern of GE-breadth/General Education requirements in Plan C. In addition, students should take the specific lower-division courses required for their chosen majors. Students should consult a counselor for assistance in identifying these requirements. Course equivalencies between CSU or UC campuses and California Community Colleges (articulated coursework) are found at www.assist.org.

Lower-division transfers: Undergraduate transfer applicants with fewer than 60 transferable semester units may qualify for regular admission if they were eligible as freshmen and have been in continuous attendance since high school graduation or if they were eligible as freshmen except for the subject requirements and have completed appropriate college courses in the missing subjects. All transfers must have a 2.0 minimum grade point average (GPA) and be in good standing at the last college attended. Impacted majors or campuses may require a higher GPA for admissions. Applicants who were not eligible as freshmen cannot be admitted as lower-division transfers and must establish eligibility by completing the requirements for upper-division transfers. Lower-division transfer opportunities to CSU campuses or majors may be limited. Students should talk to their counselor about lower-division transfer opportunities.

Undergraduate transfer applicants with fewer than 60 semester units of transferable college credit who have not completed the subject requirements may do so by meeting the following requirements:

  • Completing appropriate courses with a C or better in adult school or high school summer sessions or
  • Completing appropriate courses in college with a C or better. One course of three semester, or four quarter, units will be considered equivalent to one year of high school study or
  • Earning appropriate scores on specified examinations.

Upper-division transfers: Upper-division transfers may qualify for admission to a CSU if they have completed 60 transferable semester units and have completed appropriate college courses to fulfill any missing college preparatory subject requirements.

An applicant may also be eligible as a freshman to be admitted as a lower-division transfer. The missing college preparatory subject requirements may be made up in the following ways:

  • Complete the missing subject requirements in ways specified for lower-division applicants or
  • Students who graduated from high school prior to 1988 may complete with grades of C or better the CSU GE requirements in communication in the English language (9 units in areas A1, A2, and A3) and math (from Area B4) or
  • Students who graduated from high school in 1988 or later may complete with grades of C or better in a minimum of 30 semester, or 45  quarter, units selected from courses in English, arts and humanities, social science, science, and math of at least equivalent level to courses that meet GE or transfer curriculum requirements.

Each student must complete all CSU GE requirements in communication in the English language (9 units in Areas A1, A2, A3) and the GE requirement in math (from Area B4) as part of the 30 semester unit requirement.

Please consult the LBCC Counseling Department and Transfer Center regarding appropriate courses and tests to satisfy the subject requirements as well as continuous attendance issues and criteria used to determine eligibility as a first-time freshman.

Courses numbered 1-99 in the LBCC Catalog are transferable to the CSU. Students with 60 CSU transferable units are eligible to be admitted as upper-division transfers. A maximum of 70 CSU transferable units earned at a California community college will be accepted by a CSU campus for the baccalaureate degree.

A program at a CSU campus may be declared to be impacted when the number of applications received in the first month of the admission filing period is greater than the number of spaces available. Admissions standards may be raised for impacted programs. Students are urged to consult with an LBCC counselor to be aware of the filing deadlines and any additional admissions criteria for such programs.

Admission Requirements to Transfer to the University of California

Students planning to transfer to the University of California (UC) are encouraged to follow the recommended pattern of GE breadth/General Education requirements listed in Plan C/IGETC. However, some high-unit majors (e.g. engineering) may suggest you do not complete Plan C/IGETC for admissions. Please talk to an LBCC counselor.

A transfer student from LBCC may meet the UC admission requirements through any of three options. In all cases, transfer students who are California residents must have at least a 2.4 GPA in all UC transferable coursework to be admitted to the university. Other requirements depend on whether a student was eligible for admission to the university when he/she/they graduated from high school in June 1986 or later.

The options are as follows:

  1. If a student was eligible for admission to the university when he/she/they graduated from high school, that student may transfer at any time provided that he or she has maintained a 2.0 GPA in transferable community college courses.
  2. If a student was not eligible for admission after high school because he/she/they did not meet subject requirements, the student may take college courses in the subjects that were missed and transfer upon successful completion of those courses. Students must earn a grade of C or better in each of these required courses and an overall GPA of 2.0 in all transferable college coursework. If fewer than 12 semester, or 16 quarter, units of transferable college coursework are completed, the student must also satisfy examination requirements for freshman applicants.
  3. If a student was not eligible for admission after high school graduation because he/she/they did not achieve the required score on the eligibility index and may also have lacked the required A-G subjects, the student must do the following:
    1. Complete 60 semester units of UC transferable college credit with a GPA of at least 2.4 and satisfy either (b) or (c) below.
    2. Complete appropriate college courses with grades of C or better in the A-G subjects that were lacking. The university will waive up to two units, or two academic years, of the required high school coursework except in math and English.
    3. Complete with grades of C or better in the following college courses:
      1. English: one transferable college course in English.
      2. Math: math courses equivalent to three years of high school math (i.e., elementary algebra, intermediate algebra, and geometry) or one course in math or statistics for which intermediate algebra is the prerequisite. For applicants who graduated from high school prior to June 1986, the math course must have elementary algebra as a prerequisite.
      3. U.S. history, lab science, foreign language: one transferable college course selected from these subjects.

Students are advised to see a counselor to ensure they are following the correct academic program.

The specific UC requirement for American History and Institutions is met by those students who have earned a grade of B or better in their high school history and government classes.

A student who plans to transfer to the UC System is advised to concentrate on university and college requirements and on the available prerequisite and introductory courses required by their major.

Private Colleges and Universities Transfer Information

Private colleges and universities, often called independent institutions, offer a diversity of educational programs and opportunities. Great differences in size, educational purpose, and emphasis exist among independent colleges and universities in the state of California. For information on private colleges and universities, students should contact the LBCC Counseling Department. Additional information on transferring to a private college is at https://aiccu.edu/page/transferstudents.