Transfer Admission Guarantee

Yes, please make sure to submit both the TAG application in September and the UC application to UCSB by November 30 in order to be eligible for UCSB’s TAG. Be sure you list your TAG major as your first choice major in the UC application.

Your UC application, which you will submit between October 1 - December 2, acts as an update to your TAG application. In January, you will report your fall grades and any schedule changes for the winter and/or spring terms on the UC application via the Transfer Academic Update (TAU). We will use the UC application and the TAU to verify that you have completed the TAG requirements.

Students who apply for TAG but are found to not be TAG eligible will still be evaluated and be considered for admission to UCSB.

UCSB’s TAG calls for specific requirements to be completed by the end of the fall term. We will wait until you turn in your UC application and complete the TAU in January, before we begin reviewing applications—both TAG and regular decision. All decisions will be posted in April.  

TAG and non-TAG applicants will receive their UCSB admission decision at the same point in April. Our TAG criteria include specific requirements that must be completed by the end of the fall term, and we will not make admission decisions before we have your fall grades.

Changing your major voids your TAG application. Students who change their major will be reviewed for regular admission to the major specified on the UC application. If changing your major is the only reason you don’t meet the TAG criteria, and you have the required major preparation in your new major (if applicable), then you will be a strong candidate for admission. Refer to our Transfer Major Preparation Guide PDF for more information.

No, TAG is a guarantee but it is not binding. Even if you are admitted at UCSB via TAG, you can choose to enroll at any college or university you are admitted to.

Yes. Units from AP exams can be used to meet the unit requirement for TAG. AP exams can also be used to meet subject requirements. Unit values and UC subject requirement areas can be found on the UC AP exam credits page.

Consult the UCSB general catalog AP chart for UCSB course equivalents.

If you submit a TAG application and meet all of the conditions of the TAG, then you are guaranteed to be admitted to UCSB. If you submit the TAG application but do not meet all of the conditions of the TAG, then your admission to UCSB is not guaranteed.

For selective majors in the Biological Sciences, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Economics, Mathematics, and Physics departments, required major preparation courses must be completed by the end of the spring term prior to transfer, with a specific major preparation GPA by the end of the fall term you apply, to meet the conditions of TAG. Students may TAG to other majors without completing all of the courses on Assist, although it is strongly recommended to complete as much major preparation as possible to be prepared to transfer.

Yes, as long as you have at least 30 semester/45 quarter units from a CCC, and your last term before transfer is at a CCC. Courses taken at non-CCC institutions are not guaranteed to be UC transferable, please refer to the Guide to Course Transferability PDF for more details. 

Enter courses that you might take in winter or spring on your TAG application, and then update your planned courses on your UC application in November and/or in the UC application via the Transfer Academic Update in January. It is okay if your TAG and UC application spring courses do not match. As long as you meet eligibility and major preparation requirements, it is okay to take different courses in the winter or spring than you originally entered on your TAG application. 

Yes, the TAG is really a guarantee so long as all requirements are met. You must submit a TAG application to UCSB in September and a UC application to UCSB in October or November. Your TAG/admission decision will be released in mid to late April.

The TAG requires that at least 30 of your 60 semester units (45 of your 90 quarter units) be completed at a California community college, and your last college attended must also be a California community college. Units earned at other colleges or universities can meet TAG requirements, but these units would be evaluated for UC transferability once your UC application is received. There is no guarantee your non-CCC courses will transfer to UC, which can affect your TAG eligibility and overall UC application.