1)    Find out where the student is in the transfer process

• What major(s) is the student considering?
• Which colleges and universities is the student considering?
• Make sure you have copies of transcripts for ALL colleges and universities attended (otherwise you can’t do any of the following)

2)    Calculate the number of transferable units completed •Organize transcripts in date order starting with earliest records. From these records, pull out the student’s UC or CSU transferable courses, units and grades (pay close attention to C- grades. C- grades do not fulfill UC or CSU admission requirements or IGETC requirements). If the courses are from a CCC, check transferability to UC on the UC Transfer Course Agreement (TCA) and take into consideration the UC limitations of credit listed on the UC TCA. For CSU, check against the CSU Baccalaureate list. Both lists are on ASSIST. If the courses are from a four-year or out-of-state college, see page 4, #2

•Total the number of transferable units (the UC count will be different than the CSU count)

•Remember to convert quarter units into semester units: sem.units times 1.5 = quarter units. Quarter units times .66 = semester units.

• Do not count the units for F grades, withdrawals or incomplete courses

• Transferable courses taken for credit are counted into the unit count, but not the GPA

3)    Calculate the UC or CSU transferable GPA • Only UC units are calculated into the UC GPA, and only CSU transferable units are calculated into the CSU GPA. So, accurately determining transferable units is essential in determining the transferable GPA.

• D and F grades are always calculated into the GPA if the course is transferable.

Repeating Substandard Grades

UC and CSU have differing policies regarding the repeat of D and F grades:

UC – If a student repeats the same course for which he/she received a substandard grade (or a course that UC deems to have the same course content), the new grade will be used in calculating the GPA. The original substandard grade will not be counted in the GPA calculation.

CSU – Most CSU campuses will use the repeated grade if both attempts are from the same college. However, CSU tends to average all grades if courses are repeated at a different college than where the course was first attempted (this policy, however, various from campus to campus).

Grades of B or C cannot be repeated for a better grade. If a student receives a grade of C in a transferable course and repeats the course for an A grade, the C grade will be used in the GPA calculation.

Academic Renewal

Students who receive substandard grades can petition for academic renewal at Cabrillo if two years has passed since the grades were attained, and the student has subsequently completed 12 graded units with a 3.0 GPA, or 24 graded units with a 2.0 GPA. Both the UC and CSU systems honor our academic renewal policy in calculating transferable GPAs.

4)    Admission Requirements

Check to see if the student has completed all admission requirements for UC, CSU or the university to which they plan to transfer. Start a list of courses and prerequisite courses required for admission that the student still needs to complete.

5)    General Education Requirements

•Determine which general ed. pattern makes the most sense for the student given the student’s campus and major interests
•Check to determine how much IGETC, CSU General Ed, or UCSC General Ed. the student has completed.
•Add to the list of courses needed for admission, any general ed courses that are still required -- making sure that you double count courses that can be used for both admission and general ed.

6)    Lower-Division Major Preparation

•Check ASSIST to determine which lower division major requirements or screening criteria should be completed prior to transfer.

•Determine whether the courses are required or recommended for admission and advise accordingly.

•Determine how many of these courses the student has already completed, and add any that still need to be taken to the above list.

•If the student will accrue more than 70 semester units, I usually do not recommend that the student take recommended major requirements at Cabrillo. However, if the courses are required for admission, the student will need to take the courses even if she will accrue more than 70 units.

•Major preparation courses should also be checked to see if any of them can be double counted for either admission or general education requirements (UC allows this more than CSU).

•Give the student a copy of the major preparation articulation agreement for their campus and major.

•If there is no articulation agreement on ASSIST, have the student look up the lower- division major requirements in a current catalog (course selections done in this manner should always be checked at the transfer institution -- there are no guarantees).

7)    Educational Plan

•The students educational plan should include all of the courses from the above list -- every course that a student will need to complete admission, general education and major requirements.

• The counselor should discuss with the student how many hours per week he/she is working (or other outside obligations), and agree on a realistic number of units that can be achieved each term.

• The courses should be listed by semester and include summer session and winter session if the student plans to attend those sessions. Counselors should pay special attention to the sequencing of these courses and include all prerequisites. The courses should be listed in the order in which they need to be taken (i.e., Math 4 before 5A before 5B etc.)

•Add the number of transferable units the student has completed and the units the student plans to take based on the educational plan you have just completed. Make sure the student will have 56 CSU or 60 UC units upon completion of all of their course work.

•Students should be given a copy of their ed. plan. The student’s ed. plan should also be entered into the computer, or filed in the student’s counseling file.

8)    Clarify what you have just done for the student

•Make sure the student understands the difference between admission, general education and major requirements, and which general education pattern he/she is following.

•Make sure the student leaves your office with their current transferable unit count, their current transferable GPA (UC or CSU), a copy of appropriate major articulation agreements, and their ed. plan.

•Recommend that the student see you each semester to assist in course selection and to stay abreast of changes in transfer requirements. Tell the student that their ed. plan will change if they change their major or campus choice, and that they should schedule an appointment immediately if this happens.

9)    Requesting Final Transcripts and G.E. Certification •Tell students that they must get their general education (IGETC or CSU General Education) certified through Admissions and Records in their last semester at Cabrillo, as soon as they know DEFINITELY where they will transfer. Have students fill out the Transcript Request Form available at Admissions and Records and turn it in to that same office prior to their last day at Cabrillo.   10)    Encourage students to apply for an A.A. degree • Encourage students to apply for an A.A. degree at the beginning of their last semester at Cabrillo. All students who complete 60 transferable units and either the IGETC or the CSU General Education pattern, are eligible for an A.A. degree in Liberal Arts at Cabrillo. 11)    Financial Aid • Make sure that students know about applying for financial aid both while they are attending Cabrillo and as they prepare to transfer. All students should know about the FAFSA deadline of March 2 each year. Students should be encouraged to attend financial aid workshops for transfer students held each February.  
 

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