Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Transfer Questions

The information on this page is subject to change.
Please see your counselor and visit the Cadena/Transfer Center each semester!

PREPARING FOR TRANSFER:

How do I transfer to a CSU?
How do I transfer to a UC?
How do I transfer to a private campus?
How do I transfer to an out of state college or university?
How do I make myself a more competitive applicant?
Do I really need 60 units to transfer to a CSU or UC?
What does it mean to be GE certified for the CSU & UC and how do I get it?
What does it mean when a campus or major is "impacted, selective, or competitive?"
I have earned an associates degree; does that mean I have met the transfer requirements?
I attended another college or university and I want to finish my transfer requirements at Fullerton College, what do I do?
I am an international student; how can the Cadena/Transfer Center help me?
I did not take my SAT or ACT exam in high school; do I need them to transfer?
How can I get official results of my AP exams?
How can I get official results of my SAT/SATII?

APPLYING TO A UNIVERSITY:

How do I apply for a university?
Do I need to have all my transfer requirements completed before I apply to a CSU or UC?
I attended another college where I did not do well in my courses; can I start over or do I have to report the grades to the university I am applying to?
Do I need letters of recommendations to apply to a university?
I applied to a university; when will I know if I have been accepted or denied?
I applied to a university; when do I need to send official transcripts?
I attended another college or university and sent official transcripts to Fullerton College; will you forward them to the university when I transfer?

STUDENT DEVELOPMENT:

I failed a class what can I do to improve my GPA?
I am having difficulty with math what can I do?

PREPARING FOR TRANSFER:

How do I transfer to a CSU?
Visit www.csumentor.edu for CSU transfer requirements. Visit with a Fullerton College Counselor and the Cadena/Transfer center to best understand transfer requirements.

How do I transfer to a UC?
Visit www.uctransfer.org and www.universityofcalifornia.edu for UC transfer requirements. Visit with a Fullerton College Counselor and the Cadena/Transfer center to best understand transfer requirements.

Do I really need 60 units to transfer to a CSU or UC?
To transfer at the upper-division level (junior-level or higher) students must complete a minimum of 60 transferable units. There are many CSU campuses that will still accept applications from lower division transfer applicants (students with fewer than 60 units). For more information visit www.csumentor.edu. Some UC campuses accept lower division transfer applicants (students with fewer than 60 units). For more information visit www.universityofcalifornia.edu.

How do I transfer to a private campus?
Because transfer admissions vary for each campus, there is no set criteria that will work for all private campuses. We strongly recommend that you contact a university representative from your desired transfer institution as soon as possible and meet with your Fullerton College counselor today!

How do I transfer to a college or university outside California?
Because transfer admissions vary for each campus, there is no set criteria that will work for all out of state campuses. We strongly recommend that you contact a university representative from your desired transfer institution as soon as possible and meet with your Fullerton College counselor today!

To make yourself a more competitive candidate ...
Many of the highly competitive campuses will screen their students very carefully. In general, these universities are trying to insure that they are admitting students who are well-prepared and show promise to complete their degree. In addition, they are also looking for students who will add to the academic vigor of the campus. To do this, the universities are looking for evidence of your dedication and love of learning, leadership qualities, and your ability to commit yourself to a goal and will look for these qualities in the following areas (NOTE: campuses vary in the information they require of students):

   AWARDS & HONORS
    COURSEWORK
    EMPLOYMENT
    ESSAY
    EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
    LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATIONS
    VOLUNTEER WORK & COMMUNITY SERVICE

What does it mean to be GE certified for the CSU & UC and how do I get it?
The CSU & UC both require a student to complete a general education pattern as part of their degree requirement. If a student attends a CSU or UC directly from high school, they will follow the general education pattern or breadth pattern of that university. However, thousands of students will instead attend a California community college and then apply to the CSU and/or UC as a transfer student. While at the California community college, the student has the option of following either the:

* California State University General Education Requirements
   Good for transfer to CSU only.
                              OR
* Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum IGETC
   Good for transfer to UC & CSU with some UC exceptions.
   Please see a counselor for more information.

Students follow the patterns above in lieu of the general education pattern of the university. These approved general education patterns may not be identical to the breadth (Gen Ed.) patterns at the CSU & UC. In many cases, the breadth patterns at the universities may require more units to complete! Getting GE or IGETC certified means you have completed the entire pattern successfully.
The CSU campuses will recognize the certification and consider the student to have met lower division general education requirements.
Note that the CSU campuses will require students to complete upper division general education coursework that are not available at the community college.

Most UC campuses will recognize the certification and consider the student to have completed their general education requirements.
Note that some UC campuses/colleges (UCSD Roosevelt & Revelle Colleges for example) or programs (science or engineering majors) may not accept IGETC in entirety and will require the student to either follow their breadth pattern or meet additional units.

For more information please see a counselor and visit www.assist.org.

Certification does not happen automatically; student must file for certification using the FC transcript request form.

What does it mean when a campus or major is "impacted, selective, or competitive?"
If a campus or a major at a campus is listed as either impacted, selective, or competitive, it means that the college or university receives more applications than they can accommodate. To limit the amount of candidates, the campus may require students to have a competitive GPA and/or complete certain pre-requisite courses.

I have earned an associates degree; does that mean I have met the transfer requirements?
Earning an Associate’s degree does not necessarily satisfy transfer requirements, but it is possible to meet both requirements concurrently. See your Fullerton College counselor to review your academic progress. CSUs and UCs do not require an Associate’s degree for transfer, however, some private institutions may.

I attended another college or university and I want to finish my transfer requirements at Fullerton College, what do I do?
The most critical thing you need to do is request official transcripts from your other college or university. We suggest that you request one copy for yourself and one that you will turn in to your Fullerton College counselor so that we have it on record - keep this one sealed! You should also visit with a counselor to discuss an evaluation of your other college transcripts.
Note: Fullerton College cannot forward any official transcript from another college or university. When it comes time for you to submit all your transcripts you must request official transcripts from that college or university to be sent to your transfer institution.

I am an international student; how can the Cadena/Transfer Center help me?
All the services offered at the Cadena/Transfer Center, walk-in counseling, advising, appointments with the university representatives are available to any Fullerton College student, domestic and international. However, international students should meet every semester with the counselor located at the International Student Center. In addition, international students are welcome to participate in all the events, seminars, tours, etc. that we offer our domestic students. We especially encourage our international students to become a participant in our diversity events.

I did not take my SAT or ACT exam in high school; do I need them to transfer?
If you are transferring to either a California State University (CSU) or University of California (UC) as an upper division applicant, you will not need to report SAT or ACT scores. Admissions requirements vary for private and out of state institutions so please see a counselor.

How can I get official results of my AP exams?
To receive official scores:
AP Exams
PO Box 6671
Princeton, NJ 08541-6671
(609) 771-7300 or toll free (888) 225-5427
http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/ap/contact.html

How can I get official results of my SAT/SATII?
http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/sat/contact.html

APPLYING TO A UNIVERSITY:

How do I apply for a university?
During application filing periods students should use the online application for CSUs (www.csumentor.edu) and UCs (www.universityofcalifornia.edu). These websites also provide downloadable paper applications, but online submission is preferred. For private and out-of-state institutions, visit the school’s website to apply online or to obtain a paper application. The Cadena/Transfer Center provides application assistance on a walk-in basis during our office hours and computers are available for student use.

Do I need to have all my transfer requirements completed before I apply to a CSU or UC?
For fall semester/quarter transfers, the CSU and UC will rarely require you to complete all transfer requirements at the time of application (fall semester of the previous year). However, some highly selective campuses/programs may require certain classes to be completed to be considered a competitive candidate! They are usually making their decisions based upon your projected/planned coursework that you will complete by the end of the spring semester of the year you plan to transfer. However, some campuses may allow you to have coursework in progress the summer before you plan to transfer for the fall. Check your transfer institution for specific deadlines!

I attended another college where I did not do well in my courses; can I start over or do I have to report the grades to the university I am applying to?
Students are required to report all institutions attended - even if no coursework was completed! Even if you think the courses are not transferable, you must still report it! Many institutions now subscribe to the National Student Clearinghouse which tracks student enrollments. Unexplained gaps in your education may prompt a campus to go through the Student Clearing House to see if you have been enrolled in an institution. Failure to report coursework may result in your permanent barring from the institution or in the case of the UC, the entire system! Just be honest!

Do I need letters of recommendations to apply to a university?
The CSU & UC do not require any letters of recommendations for general admissions to their campuses; however, in certain cases where the major/program is impacted, the university may request letters of recommendation.
Private campuses may request letters of recommendations from academic personnel or in the case of independent religious institutions, letters of recommendation from clergy may be required. Check your campus for specific information.

I applied to a university; when will I know if I have been accepted or denied?
Fall applicants to the CSU & UC will typically receive their notifications in April; however, in the case of the highly selective campuses such as UCLA and UC Berkeley, it is not uncommon for students to receive their acceptance/denial notices in the first week of May!
Private campuses vary so check the institution.

I applied to a university; when do I need to send official transcripts?
Once you have applied to the CSU/UC you should receive an acknowledgement letter or email letting you know that the institution received your application for admission. Usually the institution will inform you of the transcript deadlines within that notice.
Note: The UC campuses will not ask for any official transcripts until they have admitted you! Instead, in January students are required to complete the Work in Progress report at www.universityofcalifornia.edu . Once you are admitted to the UC, you have until June 1 to submit your Statement of Intent to Register and your official transcripts showing all grades received - including spring.

I attended another college or university and sent official transcripts to Fullerton College; will you forward them to the university when I transfer?
No. Even though you have submitted official transcripts to our college for our records, we cannot forward them to your transfer institution. You will have to request official transcripts from the other college or university you attended.

STUDENT DEVELOPMENT:

I failed a class; what can I do to improve my GPA?
The state of California has granted two options for California Community College students to improve their academic records when they have received unsatisfactory/failing grades at a California community college:

Appeals Petition - Student repeats the exact course and files for the original grade not to be calculated into the student's GPA. Note: The original (unsatisfactory/failing) grade is never removed from the actual transcripts; it is just not calculated into the GPA. Students who have repeated and failed a course more than twice must file a petition to sign up for that class a third time. See a counselor if this applies to you.

Academic Renewal - A process in which a student may (if they qualify) have a certain amount of units of
unsatisfactory/failing grades petitioned to not be calculated into their GPA. (At Fullerton College, that number is 24 units)
Note: The original (unsatisfactory/failing) grades are never removed from the actual transcripts; they are just not calculated into the GPA. Requirements to qualify for academic renewal vary at each California community college; see your counselor for more information.

Important rules/notes regarding Appeals Petition and Academic Renewal:

Both the CSU & UC will recognize the California community college Appeals Petitions & Academic Renewal.

UC will still require transfer applicants to report the original unsatisfactory/failing grades on their UC application for admissions.

Private & out of state colleges and universities may or may not recognize these processes.

You must petition the institution where you earned the grade; one institution cannot remove the grade from another.

I am having difficulty with math what can I do?
Math is a critical and required course for upper division transfer to the UC & CSU systems. Rarely will these systems allow a transfer applicant to be accepted as upper division without math. If you are having difficulty in completing a college level math course, we would encourage you to see your counselor.

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