General Requirements for Transferring to a Four-Year Institution
Information on a wide variety of transfer programs is available in the Counseling Center and the Transfer Center. Students are also encouraged to consult the web to investigate the many transfer options currently available throughout California and out-of-state. The following information will be helpful for use in developing a transfer plan to a four-year college or university. Students are encouraged to work with an Academic Counselor and to utilize the services of the Counseling Center and Transfer Center in order to make the transition from PCC to a four-year institution easier.
TRANSFER BASICS
Students who wish to transfer to a university for a bachelor’s degree typically take general education and major preparation courses at PCC. The college offers lower division major preparation for many university majors (Example: for transfer as a Business major to a CSU, students may take ACCT 001B, BUS 012A, BUS 014B, STAT 050, BUS 011A, and ECON 001A/ECON 001B).
In most cases, the UC and CSU require a minimum of 60 transferable units (courses numbered 001-099 or C1000-C2999) to transfer at the upper-division (3rd year or junior) level.
General Education + Major Classes & Electives = Total
Approximately 34 units + 26 units minimum = 60 units minimum
Some majors require more than 60 units to transfer due to extensive major preparation requirements. See an Academic Counselor to discuss high-unit majors such as biology, engineering, music, etc.
SYSTEM WIDE GENERAL EDUCATION AGREEMENTS
The California State University (CSU) and the University of California (UC) systems have developed a single system-wide general education agreement which enables community college transfer students to complete lower division courses that satisfy general education requirements at both CSUs and UCs.
As of Fall 2025, the California General Education Transfer Curriculum (Cal-GETC) is the singular general education pathway for California Community College (CCC) students to fulfill lower-division general education requirements necessary for transfer and admission to both the CSU and the UC. The curriculum and its policies are overseen by the Intersegmental Committee of the Academic Senates (ICAS), representing faculty from California’s three segments of public higher education.
Some institutions will accept the Cal-GETC Certification from PCC in lieu of their local general education requirements.
The Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) and CSU General Education Breadth (CSU Breadth) are the two former GE pathways that prospective transfer students could complete at PCC to satisfy lower division breadth/general education requirements at the CSU and/or the UC. These have both been archived, but students with 2024-2025 or earlier catalog rights are eligible to continue on either pattern and qualify for certification.
Students are encouraged to meet with an Academic Counselor for additional information and to determine which transfer GE pathway they are eligible for, as well as to develop a transfer plan that includes both general education and major preparation components.
ARTICULATION AGREEMENTS
Articulation agreements are the formalized agreements outlining how PCC courses will apply to the transfer institution.
Articulation agreements with the CSU and UC universities can be found on assist.org. These agreements outline how PCC courses fulfill:
- CSU and UC elective units
- Cal-GETC, the archived CSU Breadth and IGETC, and campus specific general education requirements
- UC Transfer Admission Eligibility requirements
- Course-to-course articulation
- Course requirements for specific majors
Transfer requirements vary for private 4-year and out-of-state colleges and universities. Specific articulation agreements outlining the general education and/or major requirements for transfer to select private and out-of state universities can be found on the Planning for Transfer webpage.