If i already have my associates degree before transferring

Hi, RepeatRach! I agree that a student should do research and consult with a program advisor from the institution that the student wants to enter. He or she will get the most accurate rundown of which credits transfer and which can be applied towards the 4-year program.

From my viewpoint here at a public community college in NJ, this would be the best route as our higher ed system is decentralized. while some CCs have close working relationships between its advising depts and 4-year schools' depts, not all do, so the information may not be current. My intern last semester encountered this problem. He completed his AS degree in CS and was accepted with junior status, but the credits he thought would apply to his major were not accepted.

Regarding reverse transfer, I would add a note that not all higher ed state systems offer reverse transfer. For example, in NJ, some CCs have reverse transfer agreements with certain 4-yr schools, but not all. Unlike schools in states with a centralized higher ed system, the reverse transfer process is not seamless and system-wide.

What is the California Community Colleges-Associate Degree for Transfer Program (CCC-ADT)?

The California Community Colleges (CCC) Associate in Art for Transfer (AA-T) and the Associate in Science for Transfer (AS-T) degrees are two-year associate degrees that are fully transferable to the CSU and are no more than 60 semester units or 90 quarter units.

With these Associate Degrees for Transfer (ADT) — sometimes called a Degree with a Guarantee — students who meet the CSU’s minimum eligibility requirements are guaranteed priority admission to a CSU campus, though not necessarily to a particular campus or major.​

With an ADT you will be able to earn two degrees — your associate’s degree and your bachelor’s degree — with only 120 units if you transfer into a program at the CSU that’s similar to the one in which you earned your associate’s at a California Community College.

If you’re already enrolled at a California Community College or thinking of applying to one, visit the college’s transfer center or talk to a counselor to explore available AA-T and AS-T degrees and develop a plan that will allow you to transfer to the CSU as part of the ADT program.

Admission Requirements for ADT

​

If you have been awarded or are pursuing an AA-T or AS-T degree from your California Community College and wish to transfer to the California State University, you must:

• have earned or be completing an approved Associate Degree for Transfer (AA-T or AS-T) at the time you apply;
• have completed a minimum of 18 semester or 27 quarter units in a major or area of emphasis and an approved set of general-education requirements (CSU GE-Breadth or IGETC);
• submit your application for admission to CSU campuses for an open term by the published deadline;
• submit all requested transcripts and documents by published deadlines;
• meet CSU admission eligibility requirements for the programs to which you are applying; and
• comply with any other prescribed admission requirements.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS IF YOU'RE A STEM MAJOR

Students preparing for a major in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) are eligible to complete IGETC (Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum) for STEM Majors, a separate IGETC track designed specifically for these disciplines, or the GE Breadth for STEM.

For certification under IGETC for STEM Majors, students must complete:

• All courses in Areas 1, 2, and 5 of the traditional IGETC; and
• Two courses in Area 3 and two courses in Area 4.
  

This general education plan will allow STEM students to concentrate on the required lower-division math and science courses needed for success in the major. Visit ADegreewithaGuarantee.com for details on which Associate in Science for Transfer (AS-T) degrees will allow IGETC for STEM Majors and which ones require the traditional IGETC certification.

The GE Breadth (General Education-Breadth) for STEM pattern allows students in the approved majors to defer two lower-division GE (general education) courses (six semester/nine quarter units) until after transfer.

Students completing GE Breadth for STEM Majors are only required to complete 33 semester units for lower-division GE certification for transfer.

Requirements of the GE Breadth for STEM Majors effective 2021 catalog** are:

• Area A — All courses in English Language Communication and Critical Thinking
• Area B — All courses in Scientific Inquiry and Quantitative Reasoning
• Area C — One course in Area C1 Arts and one course in Area C2 Humanities
• Area D — One course from Area D
  
• Area E — All courses in Lifelong Learning and Self-Development
• Area F — One course is Ethnic Studies

* IGETC (Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum​) is a series of courses that prospective transfer students from California Community Colleges may use to satisfy the lower -division/general education breadth requirements at both the California State University and the University of California.

The CSU General Education-Breadth (GE-Breadth) program allows California Community College transfer students to fulfill lower-division general education requirements for any CSU campus prior to transfer. This curriculum provides an alternative to the IGETC requirements and can be a good option if you know you want to transfer to a CSU but don't know which campus you will attend, or if you know which campus you will attend but don't know which major you will pursue. For more information, visit ASSIST.org.

**Undergraduate students who have maintained continuous attendance at a CSU or a CCC may elect to qualify for graduation from the CSU under catalog requirements in effect either:

1. ​​​At the time they began attending any CCC or CSU campus;
   
2. At the time they entered the CSU campus from which they will graduate; or
3. At the time they graduate from the CSU

Contact your counselor for additional details.

Students who began at a CCC or CSU prior to fall 2021, and maintained continuous enrollment, will not be held to the Area F Ethnic Studies requirement due to their pre-2021 catalog rights. CCC students who did not maintain continuous enrollment, but their transcript indicates completion of an Associate Degree for Transfer, Full GE Breadth certification, or IGETC certification, are not required to complete a course in Ethnic studies prior to graduation.

Redirection

If you have a verified AA-T or AS-T degree and meet the CSU's upper-division transfer admission eligibility requirements, but you haven't been admitted to the CSU of your choice because that campus doesn't haven enough space, you will be redirected to an alternate campus. To learn more, go to the Redirection page on Cal State Apply.

Graduation Requirements

If you apply and are admitted to a CSU program that has been deemed similar to the Associate Degree for Transfer you are awarded, you are guaranteed to complete the baccalaureate (bachelor’s) degree at the CSU in the similar discipline within 60 semester (or 90 quarter) units as long as you successfully complete all of the requ​ired coursework without the need to repeat courses or supplementing instruction with additional courses for minors or areas of emphasis.

Some academic programs may require a performance evaluation, an audition, portfolio review, or set specific academic progress requirements to retain enrollment in the program.

To uphold the guarantee of completing 60 semester (90 quarter) units, you must maintain continuous enrollment in the same academic major unless you have obtained an approved leave of absence from your campus. After your enrollment at your CSU campus begins, the guarantee is not transferable to another CSU campus.

To explore similar majors that are available and find out which majors are offered at the California Community College or California State University campuses in your area, visit ADegreewithaGuarantee.com.

​​