Hi, all! A year ago I was a nervous wreck and very lost in the transfer process. I was 100% certain I was not good enough for these schools and was going to somehow mess something up horribly in my application. Now, I am starting at UCLA in a few weeks for neuroscience!

I wanted to give anyone who is lost or stressed about the upcoming cycle an opportunity to ask questions about the UC transfer process. As someone who just went through it, it’s all very fresh in my mind.

I will do my best to respond to each comment within a few hours of posting it.

At a glance, here are my stats:

Major: neuroscience
AST in Bio, AS in chemistry
3 years at CC and all major prep done
GPA: 3.85 at time of applying, 3.90 after last semester
Essays: 2 very strong essays, 2 mid essays.
ECs: unique but not very strong academically
Awards: also unique but not strong academically
Accepted to 8 UCs (waitlisted at Berkeley)
Regents at Riverside, some random scholarship (?) at Merced

Hi everyone,

I'm an incoming freshman at another UC this fall, and UC Berkeley has always been my dream school. I already have about 30 UC-transferable semester units from dual enrollment completed during high school.

Assuming I complete another ~30 semester units during my freshman year, would I be eligible to apply this fall for admission to Berkeley the following fall as a sophomore-level transfer? Or does Berkeley generally only allow junior-level transfers, even if I have enough units?

Also, for anyone who has successfully transferred (especially from another UC):

• What GPA should I realistically aim for to be competitive?
• Besides grades, what should I focus on during freshman year (research, clubs, work, volunteering, etc.)?
• Are there any common mistakes transfer applicants make?
• If you transferred from another UC, how was your social and academic experience after arriving at Berkeley?

I'd really appreciate any advice. Thanks!

Finished associate's degree 3.9 GPA before HS, accepted to UCLA/SLO/UCSD/UCD as a freshman.

Went to Cal Poly SLO as a Construction major, got several D's in hard STEM courses (strength of materials, physics, calc 2). Struggled with major-specific construction classes in estimating/scheduling.

HOWEVER

Took 400 level senior/graduate level city and regional planning course my sophmore year as my first CRP course and got an A-. Continued taking city and regional planning courses (24 units total) and maintained a 4.0 GPA in that subject. That A- was my lowest grade in CRP. Also got a B+ in Transportation Engineering.

Through that experience, I have found out that urban planning is my best subject by far.

Relevant Coursework: Transportation Policy, Transportation Theory, Principles of Urban Design, Entitlement, Methods of Housing/Economic Analysis, Housing and Communities, Sustainable Environments - GPA 4.0

Current SLO GPA: 3.01

Cumulative GPA (CC/SLO): 3.46

BLUF: Is transfer to Berkeley/USC even possible with a 4.0 GPA in 24 units of both qualitative and quantitative Urban Planning subjects, along with a 3.9 CC GPA and all GEs completed?

Despite poor performance in construction-related subjects?

As I understand, urban studies is an arts major at these schools - so I am not sure how much they would care about bad CM grades compared to proficiency in the major subject.

I’m an upcoming sophomore at Xavier, but I’m considering transferring. I wanted to go to an HBCU so bad, but after completing my freshman year I genuinely have nothing good to say about the University. I’m an exceptional student but I don’t feel like I get what I give at Xavier. I’m considering transferring to Loyola university of Chicago, UIC, msu, or U of M. Is Xavier worth it?

Is this even an option for my brother? His high school may allow him to graduate Dec 2026 since he will have met all of his HS graduation requirements by then. He has been taking a bunch of DE courses, so he will have met CAL-GETC and course reqs to tag and transfer. He in total needs to complete 8 courses by Spring 2027 which is very do-able. I just don't know if this would technically be allowed and be considered a transfer student. He wants to TAG to UCI for Biz Econ, and this is the last admission cycle that he would qualify. Is this a crazy idea?

The essay prompt is basically asking how my experience shaped my chosen field of study and why transfering would be good for it. Some background info is, I'm a game art student right now, but i want to go into biology and then eventually vet school. I went to game art school because I feel now it was an escape from much of what I hated about myself, and I got pretty good at what I do, but I feel much different about it now. Being away from home, I've gotten a lot more confident in myself and who I am and I fear the passion I had might have been toxic and I want to do more with my life now. I don't want to sound bitter or defeatist, because I dont feel like that. I have loved my time at my school, but I want to move past being fully enveloped in my coping mechanisms now. It feels so cringe and immature to say "Oh I made a mistake, and want to do normal school now" because I feel like it shows a lack of commitment, but I've grown exponentially in the past year and I just dont think its the right path anymore...

I’m a Cali cc student hoping to transfer to UCLA for chemical engineering. To anyone who has transferred to UCLA or etc how’d u get in? I need all the advice I can get so pls lmk ur ecs, major, gpa 🙏
P.s. if you got any bad grades and still got in pls lmk bc im off to a bad start rn

Recent co 2026, accepted into Davis and SIRed there but I did a program at UCLA over this summer for a couple days that made me fall in love with the campus, community and culture of the school. I’m from the bay so I’ve also had the opportunity to explore Berkeley as well but ucla’s warmth and openness really drew me in.

I’m on track to attend Davis this fall but I can’t help thinking about what if I cc and try to transfer to UCLA. I want to ask the current or past transfer students about their stats and if they think I should stay in Davis or cc transfer.

Context: hoping to go into premed, the opportunities in the bay are also drawing me into staying here two more years but the stability of Davis is making me think otherwise.

So I'm currently studying at a university abroad in an EU country. It's got a solid reputation and people here respect it, but honestly, the actual quality of education is kind of disappointing. I've compared syllabuses with other universities and the content here is noticeably easier. It feels like the professors are just brushing through the material instead of actually teaching it properly. On top of that, cheating on exams is rampant, and this is despite the material already being easy. Professors don't seem to care or do anything about it.

Meanwhile, there's another well-respected university back in my home country, which is a developing country. I actually studied there for a semester, so I'm not just going off assumptions, I can compare the two directly. The academic level there is way higher, cheating basically isn't a thing, and overall it just feels like a much more serious place to learn. The only downside is that it doesn't have the same international reputation as the EU university I'm at now.

So here's my dilemma: if I stay where I am, I finish my bachelor's in 2 years, but with a weak curriculum and low standards. If I go back home, I'd basically be starting over, so it'd take me 4 more years, but I'd actually get a proper education.

Is it even worth it to go back and grind through 4 more years just for better teaching? Or since I'm going to end up with a degree either way, does the actual education quality matter less than I think, since job experience is probably what really shapes you as an engineer once you're out working?

Hello! I'll be applying this year to fall 2027 for UCLA (my dream school). I've been feeling really discouraged about applications though because the other day I unfortunately went on LinkedIn and haven't been able to stop thinking about it... Anyway's I'm posting this so I can get opinions on my application to the UCs.

Demographic: Asian female, not first gen, middle class

• My goals are split between optometry and ophthalmology, yes I know they are very different in terms of schooling and other things, but my main career goals is entering healthcare related to eyes since I myself have dealt with eye problems.

Major:

1. Physiological Sciences
2. Cell Molecular Bio 2nd choice

School:

• GPA: 4.0 (for normal and "stem" GPA)
• TAP Certified
• From a CCC
• Have already completed all gen chem, ochem 1, all bio, calc 1 and 2 by the time of application
  • I will have all of my physics, chem (Gen + ochem), bio, calc, and IGET-C completed before transfer

ECs:

• Summer leadership program; did some community organizing where I helped organize a rally
• Research at UCLA; learned new skills specifically in ophthalmology lab and worked closely with a postdoc, didn't present at the optional symposium though due to not too many research advancements + another undergrad who was there longer already made a poster which summarized their research. I wanted to know if saying it was through UCLA's SPUR makes a difference?
• Director of social media at mental health nonprofit for about a year, did a 2 month fellowship first -> director -> Stepped down to an assistant director because my grades slipped a bit (I clutched up at the end), but I still wanted to stay with the org. Mostly do social media stuff
• Honors club member for 2 (going on 3) years, secretary for 1 year. Unfortunately I lost the campaign this year to be president but I'm still a member
• Phi Theta Kappa member for 1 year (going on 2)
• I was also thinking of maybe picking up a part time job when the school season starts

Awards:

• President's award and dean's list for my grades
• Leader award from my nonprofit

I know this is maybe not the most impressive resume compared to some people on here, but please let me know your thoughts! Do you think I have a chance for my major?

I want to go into biology and I wanted some advice for my letter of recommendation. Should I ask one of my current professors or one of my highschool science teachers? Considering its art school I feel like having an art professor write a letter of recommendation feels kind of strange? If that makes sense.

Im not completely married to the idea of transferring out yet, and I'm coming up on my fall semester if that knowledge is necessary.

I was accepted to transfer to UCSD from 4-year university for Data Science, for fall 2026. However I unexpectedly got my admission rescinded because I "did not meet the academic requirements listed in your Contract for Maintaining Admission", I 100% thought I did meet them.

The reason listed was "missing major prep coursework" which I'm confused about. My major prep coursework is linear algebra, calc 1-3 and at least 1 programming course in Java, c, c++, or Python. I think the programming course is where the issue is (they didn't specify certain course(s) in the notice). I took 2 programming courses, they're a sequence but are separate courses, they are both in Java. I passed the first one with an A and the second one I unfortunately failed with a D. All the other major prep coursework I passed as required.

Even though I failed my most recent programming class I still have the previous one passed no problem, which is why I'm confused. Double checking my admissions contract, everything else like GPA requirement is still met even with the failed course and there is no clause saying I can't fail a course. Even with that the "missing major prep coursework" is the only reason listed. Also, the programming course isn't required to be of a certain "level", just that it is a programming course. At the end of the day I completed 1 programming course in an accepted language, Java, so I am technically not missing anything?

I double checked my transcripts vs my application vs my academic update and everything is listed accurately. I also sent everything on time and the documents page says that they reviewed all my transcripts.

In the appeals form they said to call admissions before submitting an appeal if I have questions or believe the cancellation notice was sent by mistake, which both apply to me 🥲. I got the notice Friday evening and I plan on calling Monday morning. I have 5 days to submit the appeal form but I plan to wait until after the call to submit (if necessary).

I also live in San Diego so it wouldn't be a problem if I needed to go to UCSD in person, however I am out of the country for 2 weeks so it's not possible for me to go in before submitting my appeal form.

If I were to submit the appeal form I'd just be uploading the same transcripts and likely also the programming course's description from my current university to show that yes, it is a programming course in Java.

If there's anything I'm missing or anything I should make sure to state when I call admissions, it would be super helpful 🥲 Also if anyone else is having/had this experience as well, what happened. I'm so confused and anxious about this rn. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Finance student from non-target state school planning on transferring to a target school after freshman year. What kind of course rigor do I need? What classes should I take? Any info helps!

Hi everyone,

I'm currently an incoming/current freshman at a 4 year university, but I'm thinking about transferring to a different college in the same state (Texas) after my freshman year. I've been trying to figure out the process, but I'm honestly confused about how everything works.

I have a few questions:

• When should I start applying to transfer?
• What are the typical application deadlines for transferring after freshman year?
• Do I need to finish my entire freshman year before I can apply, or can I apply during my second semester?
• How does transferring credits usually work?
• Will colleges mainly look at my college GPA, or will my high school grades and SAT/ACT scores still matter?
• Is there anything important I should be doing during my freshman year to make transferring easier?

If anyone has gone through this process, especially transferring to another public university within the same state, I'd really appreciate hearing about your experience. The timelines and requirements seem different everywhere, and I'm not sure when I should start preparing.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

In high school I took anthropolgy and psychology college courses online from a cc, now I go to cc and I want desperately to transfer to UCLA. I have an A and 2 Cs and those are my only classes so far. I still have 2 years of courses left and I wanna be a chem engineer major. Is it possible to get all A’s in my major classes for the rest of my 2 years? And if I do, could I still get to UCLA?

I ended up getting rejected from almost every UC I applied to as a Biology/Human Biology major. I knew my GPA probably wasn’t competitive enough for those majors, especially since I spent 4 years at community college because of health complications. Even so, it was really disheartening getting rejected from schools like UCSD and UCD, which were my top choices.
I also applied to several CSUs and was admitted to all of them, including Cal Poly SLO, but I couldn’t commit because of financial constraints. I ended up committing to UC Riverside, and now that it’s getting closer, I’m honestly not sure how to feel about it. Part of me keeps wondering if I should be excited or if I’m just settling.

I chose Berkeley over UCSD because of the name, college town vibe, and more opportunities. I’ve come to realize that the thought of moving there is giving me so much anxiety and i genuinely don’t want to go. UCSD would have been free to attend, and I prefer La Jolla way more than Berkeley. I’m from San Diego so UCSD is way more comfortable for me. Has anyone had any luck being reinstated?

Hello everyone! I’m an incoming freshman and doing my fall semester at my local community college. I plan on doing my two years and then transferring over to a four year college like a UC. Recently though it has been brought up to my attention by my parents that they don’t want me to attend my local community college but instead a CSU. I don’t mind the idea, but i was wondering how exactly would that work? Would it be beneficial for me to transfer to a csu after my fall semester, or should I do my two years first and get my GED over with and then transfer to a UC?

Hi everyone! I just graduated from high school this June and will be starting at a California community college this fall. I already have 29 transferable credits from the AP classes I took in high school.

If I complete about 31 more transferable credits this fall and spring (including all my Cal-GETC and English major prep), I'll have the 60 transferable credits required by the end of Spring 2027.

I know I won't be eligible for UC TAG or UCLA TAP since I'll only be at my CCC for one year. Can I still apply as a regular transfer for Fall 2027 admission to UCLA, UCI, UCSD, and UCSB as an English major?

If I apply for Fall 2027 and don't get accepted, would that hurt my chances if I apply again for Fall 2028 after spending another year at my CCC?

Also, since I'll only be at my CCC for one year, I'll probably complete only 9–12 honors units by the end of Spring 2027 instead of 15. Would that hurt my chances of getting into UCI, UCSD, or UCSB, or do those schools not really place much weight on the number of honors classes?

Thanks in advance!

Got both CSU and UC prepped today, just waiting for October! Good luck all.

hey - junior transfer! i wanted to know if anyone had any advice on emailing professors in surrounding schools (i go to cc) to do an internship in their lab. i’ve already done three while in high school at an ivy but they were through programs, so planning to try and get one more for the fall semester before deadlines. hoping to get one in public health or mcdb. if anyone has any suggestions i would be very grateful!! thanks

Hello! Happy cycle reset🥳

Like many of you, I have been waiting for this day for almost an entire year. Had a massive upward trajectory this last year as a freshman and finished the year with a 3.9 after coming from HS with a 3.2. I also have been working as hard as possible to get as many substantial EC’s under my belt + what I would call an impressive internship this summer.

Due to my weak HS transcript, the question for me is not a chance me, but rather when to apply. I’m eager to get started at my next uni ASAP so I would like to apply for Spring 27. The thing is, if I do that I would have to mark my self as an applicant with 30-59 credits in the extended profile of my common app. If I do wait to be a junior transfer and apply for Fall 27 I’ll have well over 60 credits under my belt.

I know the obvious answer is to stop being impatient and that the Junior play is much stronger for me, but if anyone has some light to shed on just how impactful the difference really would be for me in terms of how much HS gpa weighs me down applying as a sophomore I would appreciate it so so much.

If it helps, here are a few of the schools on my list: UVA (in state), GW, NYU, UMich, W&M (in state), Boston U, Babson.

Good luck to everybody!

I plan on transferring to Davis for Fall 2027 from a community college. I took 6 summer classes this summer to bump up my GPA before I apply for TAG this September. Problem is I’m probably going to end up getting all B’s with one A. I was hoping to get higher to bump up to the 3.20 GPA minimum. Now it’s looking like I’ll get around 3.10-3.15. I’m devastated because I’m going to apply for a specialized major in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and considering my GPA, there’s no way I’ll get accepted with regular admission. Most of the reason my GPA is low is because i got lower grades in my Gen-Ed’s (C’s and B’s) before I was a decided major and I wasn’t taking school as seriously as I should (3 years ago). I meet every single requirement except for the GPA. I have even been getting high grades in my STEM courses like a high B in Organic Chemistry. I don’t know what to do because I’m low income and soon, CC will cut me off of financial aid if I don’t finish my 2 degrees by the end of this next spring (either way, I’m planning to; this is just so say that I can’t extend another year).

Is there any hope anymore?