What is Cal-GETC?

The Cal-GETC (California General Education Transfer Curriculum) 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 California State University (CSU) and the University of California (UC). The Cal-GETC pattern is most helpful for students who want to keep their options open before making a final decision about transferring to a particular UC or CSU campus. Completion of Cal-GETC does NOT guarantee admission, nor is it required for admission. Many independent, private and out-of-state colleges and universities will also accept Cal-GETC as meeting full or partial general education requirements.

If you have completed substantial coursework from institutions outside the United States, consult a counselor to determine whether you should complete Cal-GETC or the lower-division breadth/general education requirements at the campus you plan to attend. In addition, some transfer students in some colleges or majors must follow a more prescribed lower-division curriculum than Cal-GETC allows. 

Students Who May Use Cal-GETC

Cal-GETC was developed by the Academic Senates of the CCC, UC, and CSU for use by California community college (CCC) transfer students. A student may be Cal-GETC certified if they have completed coursework at any CCC without regard to current enrollment status or the number of units accrued at a CCC. Students who initially enroll at a UC or CSU campus, then leave and attend a community college, and subsequently return to a different UC or CSU campus may use the Cal-GETC.

Cal-GETC is most helpful to students who want to keep their options open - specifically, those who know they want to transfer but haven't yet decided upon a particular institution, campus or major.

Students Who Should NOT Use Cal-GETC

Students who initially enroll at a UC campus, then leave and attend a community college, and subsequently return to the same campus are considered "readmits" by the UC. Such students cannot use the Cal-GETC. CSU does not have a system-wide policy that addresses these students and/or this reverse-transfer situation and thus there is no prohibition on the use of Cal-GETC for students returning to the CSU from a CCC. Questions regarding the appropriate use of Cal-GETC for a student who was initially enrolled at a CSU should be directed to the specific campus to which the student wishes to transfer.

Students pursuing majors that require extensive lower-division major preparation may not find the Cal-GETC option to be advantageous. Engineering, Architecture, Math, or Science are examples of those majors. Those students are advised to focus on completing their lower-division major preparation requirements while meeting minimum admission requirements (e.g., the UC seven-course pattern for UC admissions) and are recommended to see a counselor for assistance in course selection.

Cal-GETC and Other Lower-Division General Education Options

Completion of Cal-GETC is not an admission requirement or admission guarantee for transfer to CSU or UC, nor is it the only way to fulfill the lower-division, general education requirements for CSU or UC prior to transfer. Engineering students and students completing majors that have high lower-division unit requirements are advised to focus on completing the pre-major requirements while meeting minimum admission requirements.

Students may also choose to complete coursework to meet the campus general education requirements of the university that they plan to attend. Depending on a student's major, the student may find it advantageous to take courses fulfilling CSU's general education requirements or those of the UC campus or college to which the student plans to transfer.

Is Completion of Cal-GETC an Admission Requirement?

Completion of the Cal-GETC is not an admission requirement or admission guarantee for transfer to the CSU or UC, nor is it the only way to fulfill the lower-division, general education requirements for students at the CSU or UC. However, Cal-GETC may be a requirement for some programs (e.g., if an ADT is required) and under AB 928 is the “singular lower division general education pathway that meets the academic requirements necessary for transfer admission to the California State University and the University of California." Completing GE requirements, whether through Cal-GETC or the campus-specific requirements, may be considered by the campus in selecting among qualified candidates. In fact, some campuses and programs may accept only students who complete Cal-GETC. Students should check campus admission websites for information about the selection.  

Courses Appropriate for Cal-GETC

Courses used towards satisfaction of the Cal-GETC must be at the baccalaureate level and meet the specifications stated in the Cal-GETC Standards, Policies and Procedures for the specified GE area. 

Minimum Grade Requirements

A minimum “C” grade is required in each college course for Cal-GETC. A “C” is defined as a minimum of 2.0 grade points on a 4.0 scale. A “C-” grade valued at less than 2.0 grade points on a 4.0 scale cannot be used for Cal-GETC certification.

Credit/No Credit-Pass/No Pass

Courses in which a student receives a “Credit/Pass” grade may be certified for Cal-GETC if the community college’s policy states that a “Credit/Pass” designation is equivalent to a “C” grade (2.0 grade points on a 4.0 scale) or better. It is important to keep in mind that some CSU and UC campuses may have limitations on the number of “Credit/No Credit” (“Pass/No Pass”) courses that may be used to meet degree requirements. Of the 60 semester units of UC transferable courses needed for admission, the UC system allows a maximum of 14-semester units of grades with “Pass/No Pass” (Credit/No Credit).

There is no system-wide policy for CSU campuses. Therefore, each campus has established its own policy on limitations of courses transferred with grades of “Credit/Pass”. The information is updated annually and is available at the CSU Student Academic Support website:http://www.calstate.edu/ar/counselors.shtml.

Minimum Unit Value

A course must have a minimum unit value of 3 semester or 4 quarter units to meet the requirements for Cal-GETC. Laboratory courses intended to accompany lecture courses are an exception to this guideline. It is not allowable to take three 1-semester unit courses to fulfill a 3-semester unit requirement, as the content of a 1-unit course will not provide the depth, scope, and rigor of a single 3-unit course.

Exception: 3-quarter unit or 2 semester unit Math and English courses that satisfy Cal-GETC Areas 1A or 2 may be applied if 1) they are a part of a sequence, 2) at least two of the 3-quarter or 2 semester unit courses as part of the same sequence have each been completed with “C” grade (2.0 on a 4.0 scale) or higher, and 3) the course sequence must meet the rigor and breadth of Cal-GETC Standards. 

When combining quarter and semester unit values within a Cal-GETC area, units shall be converted to either all quarter units or all semester units to benefit the student

CSU U.S. History, Constitution, and American Ideals Requirement

The CSU U.S. History, Constitution, and American Ideals graduation requirement is not part of Cal-GETC. Courses used to satisfy this requirement may also be listed in Cal-GETC Subject Areas 3B and/or 4. CSU campuses have the discretion whether to allow courses used to satisfy the CSU U.S. History, Constitution, and American Ideals graduation requirement to also count in Areas 3B and 4.

Credit by External Exams

Cal-GETC course credit may be earned with an acceptable score on Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) exams as specified in the latest version of the Cal-GETC Standards Policies and Procedures Manual.

Students who have earned credit from an AP or IB exam should not take a comparable college course because transfer credit will not be granted for both.

Credit by exam is acceptable provided that the transcript from a regionally accredited college or university specifies the course title, unit value, grade, and is posted to a specific term. A “Credit/Pass” designation is acceptable provided that the institution’s policy states that a “Credit/Pass” designation is equivalent to a “C” grade or higher (2.0 grade points on a 4.0 scale). The course must be deemed comparable by the CCC faculty in the discipline or its designee (e.g., Articulation Officer).

The UC does not award unit credit for the College Level Examination Program (CLEP), College Board, and ACT exams, and therefore these cannot be used for Cal-GETC certification. 

The CSU has a system-wide policy for CLEP and other examinations awarding transfer credit for admission based on these exams. The CSU policy for CLEP can be found at calstate.edu  website

Advanced Placement (AP)

The CSU and UC grant unit credit for College Board Advanced Placement (AP) examinations on which a student scores 3, 4 or 5. Elective units awarded may be applied to CSU and UC graduation requirements for specific subjects and/or for general education/breadth requirements, as determined by each CSU and UC campus. To see how AP credits are used for Cal-GETC certification, refer to the Credit for Prior Learning, Advanced Placement Credit (AP for Cal-GETC) Section of the Catalog or the latest Cal-GETC standards. 

International Baccalaureate (IB) Exams

The CSU and UC award unit credit for International Baccalaureate (IB) examinations. A score of 5, 6, or 7 on Higher Level Exam is required to grant credit for Cal-GETC certification. An acceptable IB score for Cal-GETC equates to either 3 semester or 4 quarter units for certification purposes. To see how IB credits are used for Cal-GETC certification, refer to the Credit for Prior Learning, International Baccalaureate Credit (IB for Cal-GETC) Section of the Catalog or the latest Cal-GETC standards. 

Certification of Cal-GETC

All three VCCCD colleges offer Cal-GETC Certification. Students who have completed coursework at more than one California community college (CCC) should have their coursework certified by the last CCC they attended for a regular term (fall or spring for semester schools; fall, winter, or spring for quarter schools) prior to transfer. If a student requests certification from a CCC that is not the last school of attendance, it is at the discretion of that community college to certify. Cal-GETC certification will be processed without regard to current enrollment status or the number of units accrued at a particular CCC.

NOTE: Students transferring to a CSU with a completed Cal-GETC will still need to complete nine-semester units of upper-division general education and may be held to other campus-specific graduation requirements outside of general education and major coursework.

It is strongly recommended that students complete Cal-GETC prior to transfer. Advantages of completing Cal-GETC may include more flexibility in class selection at the university and timely progress to degree completion. All UC and CSU campuses will accept the full and completed Cal-GETC to satisfy all lower-division general education requirements.

There is no limit on the number of courses completed at other United States regionally accredited institutions that can be included in the Cal-GETC certification. However, individual colleges or majors within a CSU or UC campus may not accept Cal-GETC for meeting general education. A list of those UC colleges and majors can be found on the University of California website.  It is the student’s responsibility to request Cal-GETC Certification in the Counseling Office.

Before petitioning for Cal-GETC certification, students are strongly urged to consult with their counselor and verify that they have fulfilled their Cal-GETC requirements.

Partial Cal-GETC Certification 

At this time, partial certification of the Cal-GETC is not allowed.

Exceptions for the Certification Process

  1. Cal-GETC Certification Using Pre-Fall 2025 IGETC Courses: Students who completed IGETC-approved courses prior to Fall 2025, including courses that are no longer active in assist.org, may apply those courses in the same Cal-GETC area(s) for certification.
  2. IGETC Certification Using Cal-GETC Courses: Students seeking IGETC certification may use Cal-GETC-approved courses in the same area(s)—whether newly created or newly approved as of Fall 2025.

Note: These provisions are intended to allow for exceptional cases in which a student would be required to repeat a similar course or courses in the same GE area, expend more financial aid, exceed the transferable unit cap, or incur other undue burdens to transfer without this exception.

Who Certifies the Cal-GETC?

Students who have completed coursework at more than one California Community College (CCC) should have their coursework certified by the last California Community College they attended for a regular term (fall or spring for semester schools; fall, winter, or spring for quarter schools) prior to transfer. If a student requests certification from a California Community College that is not the last school of attendance, it is at the discretion of that community college to certify. Cal-GETC certification will be processed without regard to current enrollment status or the number of units accrued at a particular CCC.

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