Understanding UC Maximum Transfer Credit Limitation Policy
Confused about the UC Maximum Transfer Credit Limitation Policy? This information applies to intercampus (UC-to-UC) transfers and transfer students with four-year college credits. Empower yourself with knowledge so you can make informed decisions about your future.
August 2023 update: UCs have renamed the “Maximum Transfer Credit Limitation Policy” to “High-Unit Limits and Admission Policy” and moved the explanation into the Quick Reference Guide for UC Admissions (the short link in the video “askmssun.com/unit-cap” now directs you there). You can find a campus-by-campus unit limit chart and some additional information regarding the policy (under “Limits on Transfer Credit”) on page 37 of the PDF file. Examples of how to calculate the unit limit are provided on page 38 of the PDF file.
February 2021 update: UCs did a webinar for transfer counselors on how to advise “reverse transfers” that covered some specific issues and noteworthy problem areas for former UC students and students with four-year college credits. Access a recording of the webinar and the presentation slides (including presentation notes) here.
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84 Comments
Join the discussion and tell us your opinion.
You are the most important source for UC Admissions. Period. I am sorely disappointed by the billion dollar UC System’s total failure to clarify this bureaucratic maze. I personally think this policy is utterly moronic to say the least; but even more moronic is UC System Wide dearth of information. Not a single campus’s web site has information remotely as clear as your web site does. You are doing a great service for the public, and UC should give you a medal. If not, they should come up with one, so that you can be the first recipient. I mean it seriously. Thank you for your dedication.
Thank you very much for your kind words 🙂
p.s.: Oh! I forgot to mention, the short URL is no longer active. I think UC took it somewhere and cannot be found. Typical UC.
Yeah, that’s on my “fix” list. For now, I added a comment to direct viewers to the correct location (it’s now buried in a 78-page document).
Hello Ms.Sun. What if I have only 3 units of upper division coursework at a 4-year university (I don’t know if it’s transferable or not) on top of the 70 semester units cap? Am I still automatically disqualified for admission? Thank you!
Did you look at the chart on page 30 of the Quick Reference for Counselors?
If I am a student who double timed at 2 community colleges and then I transferred with 98.5 units only at CC. Then if I transfer to a CSU to do biochemistry but I am not doing upper division classes yet (I’m still completing calculus, physics, biology) would those disqualify me from transferring from CSU to UC?
As long as you don’t have upper-division units (and no UC units), you should remain eligible.
If I earned 65 units at a community college and have 15 units from AP credits, will 80 units of lower division courses be able to go toward my bachelors degree?
You will only get “unit credit” (number of units that will count toward UC graduation unit requirement) for up to 70 semester or 105 quarter units. But you will receive “subject credit” for all of the courses/AP credits you have (you don’t need to retake anything you already passed). Duplicate credits (for example, AP Calculus BC score of 5 and one year of calculus course sequence) will only count once.
Are you saying all of the credits including the subject credits from the AP tests can only add up to 70 units? Or the subject credits are separate from the 70 units and can push someone over that unit cap?
“Unit credit” has to do with the number of units you need to accumulate in order to graduate; that is capped at 70 semester units (you can apply 70 semester units you have earned toward meeting that graduation unit requirement). “Subject credit” is different and that has to do with the courses you can take or don’t need to take (for example, if you already took Calculus, you don’t need to retake that).
I plan on having 74 semester units (all lower division from community college) by the end of next spring, and earned 24 AP unit credit, am I a junior level transfer?
You are a junior level transfer. After you transfer, you can apply up to 70 semester units toward your UC graduation unit requirement but you will retain subject credit for all of the courses you have completed and AP credits you have earned.
I spent one semester at a 4-year University and completed 17 units of all lower division courses. I have 71.50 units from CCC. So 88.5 total. Am I ineligible for the UCs? Some of the lower division units at the 4 year university don’t match UC coursework on ASSIST, so would those not be counted? Thanks!
As long as that 4-year university is NOT a UC and all of your units from that 4-year university are lower-division, you will be under the maximum unit limit (you cannot exceed the limit if you only have lower-division units; the only exception is when you have UC units).
You need to report ALL coursework and grades on your UC Application. The UCs will determine which courses are transferable. If you omit courses and then the UCs later find out (when reviewing official transcripts in July), you may get your admission offer revoked.
Hi Ms. Sun,
I am currently attending UC Riverside where I am going to start the Winter quarter of my second year in January. Currently, my major is Psychology, though I have decided to change my major to Computer Science with Business Application. I talked to an advisor in my current college (CHASS) and I was told that I cannot change to another major in the engineering college after my first year. I am confident that I do not want to pursue my initial major and career choice after college and I feel the college of engineering would be integral for my long term career plan. I am considering a full withdrawal from UCR, instead taking the required courses at a community college to apply for a junior transfer or readmission to my major of choice. In this case, would you say these actions are effective for a change of major? If otherwise, could you offer any recommendations for other options? I appreciate your time and consideration on this matter! Thank you.
You may have too many UC units to stay under the maximum cap, which would make you ineligible for transfer admission. CS majors at most UCs require a six-course sequence in math (single-variable/multivariable calculus, differential equation, linear algebra), a three-course sequence in physics (mechanics, electricity and magnetism, heat/light/waves), and an assortment of four to six computer science courses (programming, data structure, assembly language, computer organization, discrete math, etc.). I’m not sure how many UC units you have now and if the courses you have already completed coincide with the CS requirements; if you haven’t taken the math/physics/computer science sequences, my guess is you’ll exceed the cap before you finish all of the required CS courses.
I recommend that you check with with your UCR Transition Advisor to see if leaving UCR and then returning to a different major is actually allowed (that sounds like a massive loophole and I would be surprised if UCR is not aware of it).
For the other UCs, you need to match the courses you have completed against the CS requirements at each UC campus where you intend to transfer to see how many courses you are missing and then figure out if you can actually complete all of the missing courses without exceeding the maximum cap. If you’d rather have me do that for you, you can sign up for this service.
Yes, I’ve worked out a course plan that would enable me to not exceed the credit limit for a major switch, I will be checking if I can do the same the graduation credit limit. Thank you for your help! If I need assistance in a plan, I will subscribe the service.
Ok, if your intention is to go back to UCR (the major there doesn’t seem to require the extensive math and physics preparation that the other UCs require), then definitely discuss your plan with the UCR Transition Advisor. Your instinct may be to avoid discussing this, but know that UCR may choose to close the loopholes (if it hasn’t already) and you don’t want to unknowingly walk into a dead end (especially if you are not planning for transfer to other UCs).
Ok, thank you for your time and your reply!
You are very welcome (I took out your name to preserve confidentiality given the information you have disclosed).
Thank you, I appreciate that very much!
👍
Hi Ms. Sun! I have around 80 units as a transfer student (all from CCC’s), and understand that I’ll receive unit credit for up to 70, but am wondering if that means I will necessarily be receiving that credit or if I’m able to apply only some of those units to my graduation requirements.
I wasn’t able to find any mention in the Quick Reference Guide of whether you have a choice in what courses above the 60 unit minimum to transfer you earn credit for, and considering that I might want to take more than 50 units in my upper division courses, I’m concerned that I’ll be capped off at the 120 unit maximum because I received unit credit for CCC courses I didn’t want nor need.
This might be sort of a silly question, so any clarification on how the process work would really help. I’ve been on your site since starting my application last year and you’ve been nothing but tremendously helpful, so I also just want to thank you for all the effort you put in to helping so many students like myself.
You will get subject credit for ALL of UC-transferable courses you completed. You will just get 70 semester units (wholesale) applied toward your UC graduation unit requirement. Think of your units as having two distinct forms: a qualitative form (subject credit) and a quantitative form (capped at 70 when applied toward graduation).
A somewhat ambiguous version of what I just said is in the Quick Reference, page 35, first paragraph under “Limits on Transfer Credit.”
Okay, I think I’m understanding you correctly-instead of telling the UC’s something like, “I only want 60 units applied to my graduation requirement, and from only these classes…,” I would just have a flat 70 units automatically applied to the unit requirement, regardless of what courses I earned them in.
What I’m getting caught up on is the wording of “up to” in “up to 70 semester units” in the Limits on Transfer Credit section. Let me know if what I wrote sounds correct, and thanks again for the help!
You got it.
The UCs are using “up to” like “a maximum of” (so “Students will be granted a maximum of 70 semester units …”). Either way, it’s meant to convey that you will NOT get unit credit beyond 70 semester units (but you’ll always have subject credit). If you completed 68 units, you’ll carry over 68 units. But if you have 72 units or 84 units, you’ll only be able to carry over 70 units.
Got it! Thanks so much for the clarification.
I’m happy to help!
Hi, Ms Sun, I am currently applying to UC Berkeley from UCSB. However, my total units are about 121 by the end of spring quarter. I was wondering whether all courses taken at UCSB can be given credits in Berkeley. Because Berkeley has a 120quarter unit maximum requirement, so I am hoping one course will not be transferable to Berkeley.
All UC units are transferable within the system. However, I have heard of one case where the student was capped at 70 UC units (it really depends on the campus policy). Once you transfer and figure out how your units are counted, any disputes you have would require you to research the academic policy at your campus and work things out with your academic advisor and/or college dean.
The maximum unit limit that you CANNOT exceed for Berkeley is 135 (look at the chart on page 37 of the Quick Reference). All of the units you have completed at UCSB will count against that limit.
Thank you so much, I really appreciate your help!
I’m happy to help. My best wishes to you and good luck!
Hi! I have been accepted as a transfer, but found out I will exceed units by 0.5 before I arrive on campus since I have classes currently that I cannot drop. Will they rescind if I exceed credits?
If you had reported all of your units on your UC Application, then the admission offer was made with that in mind. If you made changes to your schedule and did not report the changes, then you should report them now and see what the campus says.
I understand that UCLA has a unit cap of 216 and transfer credits are counted towards that. However, how about if I took college courses before high school graduation. I applied for transfer this year but 70% of my college credits (from community college) were granted before I graduated high school. I noticed that UCSB and UC Berkeley do not factor in college courses/credits earned before high school graduation into the unit cap limit but have not seen any information about this for UCLA.
If you only have college credits from community college, then the unit cap does not apply to you (but you will only be allowed to apply up to 70 semester/105 quarter units worth of credit toward your UC graduation unit requirement). Also, the max is 130 quarter units for UCLA; I’m not sure where you got the 216.
Hi I have a question. I have been in community college since graduating from high school. I have 71 UC transferrable units when I transfer and 25 AP units that can transfer to uc. Am I over the limit for junior transfer? Even if I am qualify for a junior transfer, would I still be competitive enough for the transfer? That 71 units are all completed in a community college. And that 25 units are all completed in high school.
If all you have are community college and AP credits, then you’ll be a junior level transfer even if you have credits far above junior level. This is because all community college courses and AP credits are “lower division.” Since you never took “upper division” (junior or senior level) coursework, you cannot actually be above junior level.
If so, will I be counted as competitive? I saw on that guide for 2022, high unit transfer would be consider as not competitive. Also, thank you so much for replying my questions so late! Thank you!!!!!
You are not a high unit transfer because that definition only applies to those who have four-year or UC units.
Thank you so much! You really help me a lot!
You are very welcome. My best wishes to you and good luck!
Your presentation on the details of transfer units at UC’s are the best I have seen. Thank you.
Thank you!
Hello Ms. Sun, thank you for this!
I’m a student at UC Davis and all I have are credits from Davis and my AP exams. I’m hoping to transfer to UCLA or Berkeley. I’ve taken one upper division course worth 4 credits. After fall 2023 I will have 63 credits from Davis, but I have 72 credits from my AP exams, which will put me at 135 quarter credits (and, of course, I will be taking more courses in the winter and spring). With these factors in mind, will this prevent me from transferring at the junior level?
AP credits are excluded from the limit.
Hello Ms. Sun, thank you for this!
I’m a student at UCR and all I have are credits from Riverside. I am hoping on transfering to Cal or UCD however I am going to have about 117 units by the end
of spring 2024 so is there any way for me to transfer?
You’ll be ok if it’s 117 quarter units (cap is 120 quarter units).
I only have lower division units, no upper divs so would the cap still be 120 quarter units? I thought it was 105 quarter units.
All UC units are transferable within the system so the “105-quarter-unit limit” does not apply to UC units; you will be eligible to transfer as long as you are under 120 quarter units (meaning you will be ineligible to transfer if you are at 120 quarter units or above). You need to review the relevant section of the Quick Reference Guide mentioned in the post.
Hi Ms Sun, I took quarter 45 units at UCSC and now I am taking courses at a CC where I will accumulate 80 more units for a total of 125 units with no upper division classes. Do you think it would be fine?
Are you accumulating 80+ quarter units or semester units? Some UCs have a cap at 120 quarter units, other UCs have a higher cap (130-135), you need to look at the Quick Reference (page 37) to see the cap for each campus.
Hi Ms Sun, thank you for replying! I am taking 125 quarter units total but I was wondering that if because I took classes at a different UC that would put me over the max limit.
Yes, all UC units will count toward the cap. Some UCs have a cap at 120 quarter units, other UCs have a higher cap (130-135), you need to look at the Quick Reference (page 37) to see the cap for each campus <-- you need to look at this (this is pretty much going to be my answer no matter how many different ways you rephrase your question).
Hi Ms Sun, If i wanted to do UC to UC transfer as a junior, is it required to get letter of recriprocity? And you do not require it then do i have to redo all my GE classes that I already took at previous UC, if I get accepted?
Reciprocity is not required for admission. If you don’t have reciprocity, then the destinations UC would just pick through the courses you already completed to see what general education requirements are satisfied and make you take classes to finish the remaining general education requirements. Having reciprocity means the destination UC will be waived you out of general education requirements wholesale (rather than going through courses one by one).
Hi Ms Sun
I have around 20 quarter units from an out of state 4 year college. I will be completing around 120 credits at a ccc. so in total i’ll have around 140 credits. am i at risk for being a high unit transfer?
You are fine if the 20 quarter units are “lower-division.” If any of them are “upper-division,” then those need to be added on top of 90 quarter units (max count for lower-division) and the sum compared to the campus-specific limit.
Hi Ms. Sun,
I’m doing a UC to UC transfer, and have been admitted to Berkeley yesterday.
However, my original submitted coursework plan included exactly 120 units, yet last week, I added two courses, amounting to 120+4+5 = 129 units in total.
With your expert advice, should I try to drop these classes, or should I include them in my Update Form?
Thank you so much,
Sebastian
If you exceed 120 quarter units before starting at Berkeley, you will become ineligible for transfer. My recommendation would be to drop them. You may also want to check with your Berkeley admission officer about this (you should find the contact information in your portal).
Hi Ms. Sun, I am a current UCI student wanting to transfer from UCI to UC Berkeley and UCLA. I have 76 quarter units at UCI, and 60 quarter units from a CC. Does this make me ineligible? Also is there an upper-division unit limit for UCLA and UC Berkeley?
If you have 136 quarter units total, you have exceeded the limit for transferable eligibility for all UCs (there might be couple of majors open for senior transfers, but you would have to look them up when the UC Application opens). UC units are basically counted like they are all upper-division units for the maximum unit limit calculation.
HI Ms.Sun,
Would this apply to tag as well? I am trying to tag to UCSB, but have over 70 CCC units and 12 lower division units from a 4-year. Would the policy still apply as well?
Slide 2:
Who is NOT Subject to the Policy?
Students with only community college coursework
OR
Students with only lower-division coursework from a four-year college THAT IS NOT A UC CAMPUS
I am a CA high school senior and will have 75 UC transferable quarter units from a CA community college (CC) when I graduate high school after Spring next year. I am applying to UCLA now as an entering freshman 4-year. UCLA has a general 216 quarter unit cap that you can’t exceed across your 4 years at UCLA (without special petition permission). I know that AP units don’t count towards this 216 unit cap, but what about my 75 units from CC that were ALL taken during high school? I want to spend all four years at UCLA and not graduate early or worry about exceeding this cap. If these 75 units are credited at UCLA and also then counted towards the 216 cap, does that mean the maximum units I can take now at UCLA is 141 units across the four years? (That would limit me to about 11.75 units each of the 12 quarters at UCLA!) Because of these 75 units, is UCLA going to force me to try to graduate early, say in 3 years, instead of going at a normal pace where I can graduate in 4 years and earn more then 216 units total (CC + UCLA units)? Am I going to have to petition about this to UCLA ? Maybe all these CC classes in high school have a downside . . .
Your understanding is correct. I would recommend focusing on getting into UCLA first before you worry about the unit limit.
Thank you!!! I couldn’t find a direct answer on this anywhere on any UC website. My focus has been “getting in” as you mention, and I started taking all these CC classes very early in high school because I thought doing so would help for admissions (plus my large high school’s classes were really not that good and some even bad). Unfortunately, 90+% of my 75 CC quarter units are in the social sciences and humanities, which earned me an A.A.., and this is because I thought I would be majoring at a 4-year UC in a social science. That plan unfortunately changed this year, and now I want to major in one of the natural sciences in the College of L&S. I heard UCLA is more rigid about enforcing the 216 unit cap (as well as its 13 unit minimum load each quarter), and I don’t see any way to avoid hitting this cap mid-point in college, since most of these CC units can’t be used towards say a Physics or Chemistry major. So, how can I work towards one of these natural science majors knowing I will hit 216 units during Year 3 or 4 and not have enough required classes done to graduate with one of those degrees? Is there a way to “tell” UCLA after admission that I don’t want any credit for the CC classes that don’t help me towards my GEs and natural science major? I think they need something on their website about this issue, as I know a lot of high school students who have a lot of CC units by end of senior year!
I received some information two weeks ago that led me to speculate that UCLA doesn’t like students who take outside courses (there seems to be a preference for students who can thrive within the limitations of their immediate school environment). That means there is a possibility that you might be disadvantaged because of the community college courses you completed. UCLA would be the only campus that does that (Berkeley seems to favor students who proactively reach for educational opportunities outside of their immediate school environment and the other UCs don’t seem to have a strong preference one way or the other). There really isn’t a way to know for sure how things would pan out; you just have to apply and figure things out as you go.
I know some kids who did not take many of the AP classes offered at our high school and elected to instead load up on easy online CC classes as a way to avoid the AP tests, so in that situation I can see UCLA perhaps saying that is not ideal and thinking that you are not taking advantage of and thriving in your high school environment. But if you followed the conventional wisdom like I did and got As in every high school class, had 25+ A to G classes across the 4 years of high school, and will end up taking 10+ AP classes (and passing those tests with 4s and 5s) all with As across your 4 years in high school, then how can taking 75 units of additional CC classes (5 of which classes were offered through the high school as dual enrollment) on top of all the AP classes, plus earning an AA degree, be a disadvantage? It doesn’t make sense to me, and I guess depends on the context? The information you heard must be for a different kid who didn’t take enough APs, right? If you somehow think this information might still apply to me, does that mean UCLA might be going in the direction of thinking CC classes are no longer as important as other pursuits with that time, such as more volunteering, work experience, or more types of other extracurriculars that are better then CC classes? That’s the only thing that might make sense to me. I happen to have played 6 different sports in high school across 12 seasons, have a weekend job, volunteer, and do all the rest of the usual stuff (Boy’s State, Seal of Biliteracy, etc.), so I would think doing additional CC classes would make me more well-rounded and prove I was seeking every educational opportunity I could find beyond the high school. Taking more A to G classes at the actual high school (like with a 0 period) would have been impossible with my schedule, so I could only do online CC classes as they fit in better and I could work on them on weekends. In any event, I am glad I at least got an AA degree for the work, but honestly am bummed out by the thought that (1) I now have a 216 unit cap problem at ALL the UCs for my desired science major, and (2) UCLA may now even penalize me in admissions because of taking too many online CC classes!
It doesn’t make sense to me either. The information I heard was general, not specific to any student. The information does corroborate what I see with students I have advised (I generally push for more outside courses) because they tend to do better with Berkeley and not as well with UCLA (the ones that do well with UCLA tend to have more rigorous courses from their high school and fewer or no outside courses). I worked with someone last year who took more community college classes than you (and had just as many, if not more, activities – honestly, when do you sleep?) and that student was admitted early to Berkeley and waitlisted at UCLA. There is always the possibility that the various UCs are playing games with yield. But I don’t have the ability to crawl into their heads to figure out what they are thinking so the best I can do is interpret whatever cryptic messages they give out at counselor conferences and advise students accordingly.
I have to say though, I’m not surprised that UCLA wants students who can thrive in a toxic environment (your ability to come out on top in an environment with limited resources is basically that). From what I heard, it can get pretty toxic there (I was there for graduate school for a year before I left; I would not describe where I was as supportive or nurturing). There are definitely people who do well and thrive in that kind of environment, but it’s not for everyone (it certainly wasn’t for me).
Thank you Ms. Sun! Fortunately UCLA was just an example of the 216 cap question, and there are other UCs that I am applying too. I am so mad about this whole cryptic, random process, that honestly my friends and I have this cognitive dissonance about the whole UC thing, and we often all say we hope we get rejected by all of them so we can just go to CC! That is my safety plan, and sometimes I think it should be my primary plan. With my units and AA degree, I could get a job for a year while taking the science CC classes I need and applying as a transfer. Then I only give these UCs two years of my 4-year college money and keep the other half! Without the SAT, I think more and more friends are saying all this CC vs AP hassle just for the UCs is not worth it for only a lottery chance at probably a waitlist at best. We all hope there is some backlash and the UCs get some bad karma back for putting us through this. They’ve made this way too hard and now as a senior I have to figure out things like wait, you mean I now have a problem with too many units if I want the full 4-year experience!??? What is this 216 unit cap and why am I even having to think about it!? Again, we all say I hope everyone rejects me so I can just enjoy that year after high school, transfer and get a UC degree in 2 years, a year ahead of all my friends shelling out full price for the same degree that I got 50% off and a year earlier. I know I am not the only one. Anyway, sorry for the tangent and long digression. Your information and answer on the cap is going to be really helpful to a lot of people. I couldn’t google one article about it, so maybe something to put on your website as so many seniors are accumulating so many CC units now and don’t have a clue!
I understand and sympathize with the cognitive dissonance you and your friends are experiencing. Ultimately there is a funding, and a resulting space limitation, issue with the UCs. If you divide the number of students who start at the UCs in the fall (41,903 for Fall 2023) by the number of students graduating from California high schools the summer before (440,117 in 2022-2023), you get 9.5%. That means more than 90% of students graduating from California high schools are NOT meant to have a seat in the UC system.
The cap you are upset about exists for a similar reason – space limitation. The UCs have to kick students out promptly so other students can come and take advantage of the educational resources and opportunities.
I think attitude about college might be changing and that’s part of what creates the frustration you experience. For a long while, it was considered sensible to finish college quickly because of cost. But I’m hearing more now from students who want to thoroughly enjoy a full four-year experience. But, either way, the UCs only have limited spaces, if students don’t leave, then there won’t be room to take other students, so there will always be rules to kick people out.
I am applying to transfer from UC to UC this Fall 2024 as a liberal arts major. Currently I have around 96 credits (combined lower and upper division coursework) at UCR including credits courses I signed up for this current 1st fall quarter. By next Winter quarter and definitely by the Spring quarter, I will be reaching the max allowed. If I need to limit my credits, will the transfer application be negatively impacted if I take less than 12 credits during the following Winter & Spring quarters or even take the final quarter off?
Could you please clarify the difference between the “105 quarter unit limits” mentioned on the UCI, UCSD, UCLA websites versus the 120 quarter units limit noted on one of your previous post answers? Per your previous post on September 1, 2023 at 2:17 pm “All UC units are transferable within the system so the “105-quarter-unit limit” does not apply to UC units; you will be eligible to transfer as long as you are under 120 quarter units …”
Also, how may the schools view my application if I wanted to add another major (double) or minor? Would it be best to apply as my current major? Would it help my application to note or explain the reason why I accumulated so many credits in preparation for adding another major/minor?
If you do part-time enrollment or skip a quarter, you will need to provide an explanation for why you are doing that. The information you referenced was in response to someone asking whether the CCC 105-unit cap applied to UC units (it does not because it is a CCC cap). There is a UC unit cap chart in the Quick Reference Guide mentioned in the post updates above (I even specified the page number – I’m simply puzzled why no one would read that). You can only choose one primary major on the UC Application; you can explain you plan to double major and that’s why you have so many units, but whether you can actually double major is something you’ll have to work out with the UC where you end up (there might be limitations/restrictions).
Thank you for your response. I had seen the Quick Reference guide you linked with all the UC schools maximum credits listed, but to cross-reference, I also checked ea. of the different UC websites to confirm if there were specific allowable maximum units listed for ea. school. I also called UCI, UCLA, UC Berkeley, and UCSD Admissions to see if they could provide more precise numbers and even after telling them I would be applying as a UC-to-UC transfer, all insisted that the limit of credits I could have to transfer would be 105 units. Also, the link for the Quick Reference Guide on the official main UC website at the bottom of Transfer Credit Practices (https://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/counselors/preparing-transfer-students/transfer-credit-practice.html) links to an “error” message and not to the Quick Reference (August 2024) link you provided.
Thankfully, the information you have been extremely helpful. I don’t understand why the specific UC websites, admissions offices, and even our advisors cannot provide more accurate information. I almost dropped two classes thinking I could only transfer 105 units.
Only on the UC Berkeley website did I find mention of the 120 quarter units.
“Units earned at any UC campus (extension, summer, cross/concurrent and regular academic-year enrollment) are not included in the limitation
Unit maximum admissions policy:
After applying the UC lower-division maximum transfer credit limitation policy, all junior/senior (upper division) and all UC units (lower division and upper division) are added to that total unit count. If the resulting unit count exceeds 80 semester units (120 quarter units), the student is ineligible for admission).”
(https://admissions.berkeley.edu/apply-to-berkeley/transfer-students/transfer-requirements/)
For example, UCSD says:
“Units earned at any UC campus in Extension, summer, cross/concurrent and regular academic year enrollment are not included in the limitation but are added to the maximum transfer credit allowed. These units may put you at risk of being denied admission due to excessive units.” (there is no mention of the “maximum transfer credit allowed” for this campus well as with UCI and UCLA). Did I miss it?
(https://admissions.ucsd.edu/transfer/application-requirements.html#:~:text=You%20will%20be%20granted%20up,(or%20combination%20of%20institutions).
Greatly appreciate the service you provide!
There has been, unfortunately, an incredibly high turnover rate in the admissions office at all of the UCs and, as a result, massive loss of institutional knowledge. I have even heard different answers to the same questions (sometimes within the same sessions) at the UC Counselor Conferences. I keep my fingers crossed that the the quality assurance checks the admissions office has in place works well because what is the point of having so many rules if the people who are supposed to enforce the rules don’t even know what they are?
Hello again Ms. Sun!
I just came across this at this Cal Link: https://lsadvising.berkeley.edu/policies/unit-ceiling-and-semester-limit
It says:
“Again, if you are able to graduate within your allowed semesters, you can take as many units as you want and your unit ceiling will not be assessed. The unit ceiling comes into play only when you want to take additional semesters.
If you will finish your final semester at or under the unit ceiling, you can be extended to the next Fall or Spring semester.
For students declared in a single major, the unit ceiling is 130 units.
For students declared in a double major or more, the unit ceiling is 136 units.
College credit earned before you graduated high school, including college exam credit (AP/IB/etc), will not be counted toward your unit ceiling.”
I was asking earlier about UCLA. But here at Cal at least it seems like from this last sentence that any CC classes you take in high school won’t impact you at all towards any applicable unit ceiling (just like how AP classes don’t count). 🙂 Do you think Cal is the one school that follows this approach, or do you think many of the other UCs are likely to also treat my 75 units of CC credit exactly the same way (and not count them towards the unit cap)? So, maybe I don’t have a problem at all?
Thanks again!
Each UC is an independent institution and has its own governing entities/policies (individual colleges within the campus usually have their own governing entities/policies as well). My recommendation is for you to look up the rules for each UC campus (and the college where your major resides) rather than assuming one set of rules will apply across multiple colleges/campuses (they might, but I wouldn’t count on it).
Thank you again for the advice! I sent a couple emails and finally got a response from UC Davis and, like Cal above, they said CC credits earned while attending high school are treated the same way as units from AP exams: they can only help you meet the minimum # of units needed for graduation, and neither will be assessed against a student’s unit ceiling. I never heard back from UCLA.
I’m not sure where you are sending your question. Most likely a senior academic advisor at College of Letters and Science (assuming that’s where your major will be) or the Registrar’s Office should be able to help you.
Hi Ms. Sun!
I am currently a community college student and will have 33 units completed through CC by the end of the year. I also have around 20 units from a four year university all of which are lower division. In addition to that, I have 26 units from AP credits. In total I have 75 units done by the end of this school year but I hope to apply to transfer next year which by then I will be over 80 units. In addition, I was planning on TAG-ing to UCI for Fall 2026 and would have to take 2 additional courses which would put me over the 80 unit cap.
Would this disqualify me from admission to a UC and the TAG program since some of the coursework was from a 4 year university or are AP credits not counted toward this cap? I have talked to 3 different counselor, (UC general counselor, CC counselor, and UCI counselor) and they all said they were not sure and gave relatively vague answers saying that I will find out when I try transfer.
AP credits are excluded from the maximum limit. This is in writing on page 36 of the PDF I referenced.