Planning to transfer from a non-California Community College or a four-year university? UCSB does not review students' transfer coursework before receiving an application for admission. While we can't tell you which of your courses may transfer to UCSB, this guide is meant to provide you with details to help you understand what we look for in UC-transferable courses so that you can review which of your courses may have the best chance of meeting admission requirements.

Courses will likely transfer if:

  1. Your school has proper accreditation. This includes:
    • U.S. colleges or universities that are regionally accredited.
    • International colleges or universities recognized by the Ministry of Education (or a higher-education authority or appropriate government agency) as a degree-granting institution in that country.
  2. Your course is essentially the same as courses offered for an undergraduate degree at any UC campus. The course must meet these three criteria: a) includes the same or similar content; b) requires the same or similar prerequisite course work; c) is offered at the same level of instruction (lower vs. upper division). Graduate level courses will not apply to an Undergraduate degree.
  3. Your course is from a traditional academic discipline (such as mathematics, natural science, literature, social sciences, fine arts, philosophy, etc.) and the course is comparable in scope and depth to those offered at UC.
  4. Your course is published in your college’s catalog for the academic year in which it was taken.
  5. Your course was taken while enrolled at another UC main campus (not UC Extension) during a regular academic term. Courses from any UC Extension division are transferable if the course is numbered 1-199.

Courses will likely NOT transfer if:

  1. Your school does not have proper accreditation.
  2. Your course is credit for work or volunteer experience, vocational or technical training (internship), or a personal enrichment course.
  3. Your course is focused on a remedial academic topic or pre-Bachelor’s degree courses, especially in English and Mathematics.
  4. Your course is a duplication of passing AP/IB exams or of other coursework you have taken.
  5. Your course is from a discipline or area that is not offered at any UC campus.

A Special Note on U.S. Military Credit

If you have completed courses provided by the U.S. military, you should report those courses on the UC application and should be prepared to submit an official military transcript after enrollment at UC. We may award transfer credit after enrollment for some of your U.S. military courses only if the content was equivalent to a course taught at UC.

Note

When you apply for admission, report your courses exactly as they will be shown on your official transcript. If you’re admitted and choose to enroll at UCSB, we will verify self-reported information from your UC application with official university transcripts.

Limitations on Transfer Credits

A common concern for transfer students is having too many units and reaching senior standing. UC’s lower-division transfer credit maximum limitation is often difficult to understand. Here is a breakdown:

First, you want to separate the number of lower-division and upper-division units you will have on your transcripts. You will be awarded up to 70 semester (105 quarter) units of credit for transferable lower-division coursework completed at any institution or any combination of institutions. Any lower-division courses beyond the 70 (105) units will still get subject credit and may meet requirements, but the total number of lower-division units you get credit for will remain at 70 (105) units. Upper-division units are then added on top of the maximum lower-division units allowed, therefore having too many upper-division units could potentially put you at senior standing. UCSB defines senior standing at 90 semester or 135 quarter units. In short, you can have up to 19 semester or 29.5 quarter upper-division units before you reach senior standing.

Courses Not Included in the Limitation

  • Units earned at any UC campus or UC Extension (at any level: lower and upper) are never limited and will always count in your unit totals. Depending on your total unit count from other institutions, UC units may put you at risk of being denied admission due to reaching senior standing.

  • Units earned through AP, IB, and/or A-Level examinations are not included in the limitation and do not put you at risk of reaching senior standing.

  • If you have completed all of your coursework at one or more 2-year community college, you would never be in danger of having too many units since community colleges primarily offer lower-division courses.

Limitations to Keep in Mind

  • English as a Second Language Courses: A maximum of 8 semester (12 quarter) units will be awarded.
  • Physical Education Courses: A maximum of 4 semester (6 quarter) units of PE Activity and a maximum of 8 semester (12 quarter) units of PE Theory will be awarded.
  • College Algebra/Pre-Calculus Courses: A maximum of 5 semester (7.5 quarter) units will be awarded for College Algebra or Pre-Calculus or any portion completed.
  • Some courses have lower-division limitations. For example, there is a standard limitation of one course in Introductory Business and one course in Statistics.

For more information, refer to the UC Statement of Transfer Credit Practice.

English Composition

This is one of UC’s strictest requirements. Courses in English Composition must have a prerequisite or a placement exam listed on the course description. Courses should require extensive practice in writing and revising papers and must be at least 3 semester or 4 quarter units. Courses in English, English Composition, and Expository Writing often have the best chance of meeting this requirement. Courses in Philosophy, Critical Thinking, Literature, or Seminar courses often do not meet this requirement. UC does not accept English Composition courses from international universities where English is not the primary language of instruction.

Mathematics

Your math course should have a listed prerequisite of intermediate algebra or higher. Courses such as Pre-Calculus, College Algebra, Statistics, or higher level Mathematics are usually appropriate. Courses such as Math for Liberal Arts, Nature of Math, Math for Teachers, or Mathematical Ideas will not meet the admission requirement in Mathematics.