If you plan to transfer to a four-year college or university to complete your bachelor's degree, it is important that you understand the transfer process.
Below are five key steps to ensure transfer success. We also encourage you to visit the Career and Transfer Center to get additional support and resources, and to get all your questions answered.
Five Steps to Transfer
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- Take guidance classes taught by DVC counselors to help you decide your major and transfer goals.
- Career 110: Career and Life Planning (3 units)
- Career 120: Career Assessment (1 unit) - not designed to be taken with Career 110
- Career 130: Career and Major Exploration (1 unit)*
- Career 140: Job Search Strategies (1 unit)*
- Counseling 130: Transfer Planning (1.5 units)
- Take some major and/or career assessments to help narrow down your interests, values, and skills
- Eureka.org (code: OS2PERV)
- CACareerZone.org
- ONetOnline.org
- What can I do with a major in…?
- Still undecided? Take transferable introduction courses that interest you from IGETC or CSUGE.
- TIP: Check the transferability of courses before you take them!
- Take guidance classes taught by DVC counselors to help you decide your major and transfer goals.
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- When deciding where to transfer, be sure to consider the following:
- Size of the campus (also a predictor of class sizes)
- Cost of tuition (and possibilities of grants, scholarships, etc.)
- Location (near the beach, in the mountains, far from home)
- Do they offer your program/major? Is it competitive/impacted/selective?
- Comparison shop - with the considerations above as search filters, use the following links to compare:
- Transferbound Major Finder
- Cal State Apply (CSU)
- University of California (UC)
- CollegeScoreCard
- Petersons
- US News Best Colleges
- Historically Black College and Universities
- Compare Colleges
- Academic Ranking of World Universities
- Find Your Perfect Universities
- US Colleges, Community Colleges, & Universities by Name
- As you are researching campuses, use this helpful decision-making guide on How to Choose Your Transfer University.
- Other helpful ways to compare schools:
- Attend a "Preview" Day on campus to see what the vibe is like
- Talk to university representatives when they visit DVC
- Take a campus tour as they are usually given by current students of the school - virtual tours are also available!
- Talk to students attending the college in your field(s) of interest or visit classes
- Create a LinkedIn account and connect with different schools and alumni on the university's page
- Research your major's undergraduate department at each university to learn their unique offerings
- Affording Your University Education
- When deciding where to transfer, be sure to consider the following:
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- New students with less than 12 units should register for and complete our Education Planning class – COUNS-095 (or COUNS-096 for student athletes) - as part of the DVC's enrollment process.
- After you have an initial educational plan on file, you can make an appointment to work with an academic counselor each semester to plan for any changes in requirements or timelines.
- Plan which courses to take each term such as:
- Completing IGETC or other GE patterns
- Major requirements/pre-requisites
- Other requirements for transfer (unit minimums, GPA requirements, deadlines, etc.)
- Assist.org can help you stay up to date and you can monitor your educational plan on InSite's Student Planning tool.
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- Schedule an appointment with a university representative.
- Check the admission requirements
- GPA - What is the minimum to apply? What is the minimum to be competitive?
- To calculate your GPA, use this GPA calculator.
- Units - How many units are needed to transfer?
- Use the Unit Conversion Chart for quarter systems
- Re-check general education, pre-major and lower division requirements for transfer
- GPA - What is the minimum to apply? What is the minimum to be competitive?
- Check timelines
- For college or university application deadlines (usually about 10 months before you start at the transfer institution)
- DVC's academic calendar for AA/AS/ADT degree and certificate filing/application dates
- For transcript deadlines, check your e-mail for messages from your school after you apply and utilize our post-application checklist
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- Have unofficial copies of all college/university transcripts ready to view
- Have your current income information and most recent tax year information (for household) ready to view
- Have all applicable test scores ready to view
How do I apply for transfer to each university campus/system?
Access information and resources on these pages:
What do I do after I apply?
For transcript deadlines and other important dates after you apply, check your email for messages from your school and utilize our post-application checklist. Explore transfer scholarships available to apply for through the DVC scholarship office.
How can I get additional help?
Visit the Career and Transfer Center for help through the whole process - we look forward to working with you!