Eligibility For Transfer

1. Students will qualify for admission as a transfer student if they have a grade point average of 2.0 (C) or better in all transferable units attempted, are in good standing at the last college or university attended and meet any of the following standards:

a. were eligible as a freshman* at the time of graduation from high school, provided they have been in continuous attendance at an accredited college since graduation, OR

b. were eligible as a freshman except for the college preparatory subject requirements and have completed appropriate college courses in the missing subjects, and have been in continuous attendance at an accredited college since graduation, OR

c. have completed at least 56 transferable semester units and have completed appropriate college courses to make up any missing college preparatory subjects* (Nonresidents must have a 2.4 grade point average or better.)

*Refer to the CSU application for the freshman eligibility index and subject requirements.

Transferable courses are those designated for that purpose by the college or university offering the courses. All Golden West College courses numbered 100 to 299 in the catalog are transferable at least as electives.

Making up missing college preparatory subject requirements-

Undergraduate transfer applicants who did not complete the subject requirements while in secondary school may make up missing subjects in any of the following ways:

a. complete appropriate courses with a "C" or better in adult school or high school summer sessions;

b. complete appropriate courses in college with a "C" or better (one course of three semester [four quarter] units will be considered equivalent to one year of high school study); or

c. earn acceptable scores on specified examinations.

Transfer applicants with 56 or more semester units can satisfy the preparatory subject requirements by completing, with a "C" or better, one of the following alternatives:

a.1987 or earlier high school graduates: complete the CSU general education requirement in communication in the English language (Area A) and mathematics (Area B-4), of the AA Degree, Option II.

b.1988 and later high school graduates: complete 30 semester units applicable to CSU general education requirements (AA Degree, Option II), including all of Area A and B-4 with a minimum grade of "C" in each course.

2. The number of transfer units from community colleges is governed by the California Administrative Code, Title 5: "A maximum of 105 quarter (70 semester) units earned in a community college may be applied toward the degree." No upper division credit is allowed for courses taken in a community college.

3. Students transferring with certification of general education requirements are assured that they have met up to 39 of the 48-unit minimum requirements for the bachelor's degree. Students transferring without certification of general education must complete the pattern of courses required of "native" students, as outlined in the catalog of the particular state university. The course pattern which Golden West College uses to certify that students have met the 39 semester units of general education is described in the catalog under Option II Associate Arts Degree.

4. Some majors, such as business administration, computer science and engineering may be impacted at some campuses, i.e., more applications are received during the first month of the filing period than can be accommodated. In such cases, campuses use supplementary admissions criteria such as grade point average, required subjects or test scores to screen applications. Applications for admission to an impacted program must be filed during the first month of the filing period. To be considered in impacted programs at two or more campuses, applications must be filed to each. Information about screening criteria is available in the Counseling Office.

What Is Certification?

Courses taken at the community college may be used to satisfy general education requirements for graduation from CSU schools. However, such courses must be specifically identified and verified by the community college before they will be recognized by the CSU campus. This process is called certification.

CSU certification is automatic for students who complete the requirements and submit a petition for the GWC, Option II, AA Degree. All other students must request certification from the GWC Records Office when the request for sending their final transcript to the CSU campus is made.

What Courses Can Be Certified?

Courses taken at any fully accredited U.S. college or university may be certified. Courses taken at a California Community College or a California State University must be applied to the subject area in which they are listed by the school at which they were taken. For example, if a Psychology 100 course is taken at Cypress College where it is listed in Area E, it will be certified in Area E. Also, courses can only be certified if they were on the college's CSU approved list at the time they were taken by the student. Courses taken at other accredited colleges and/or universities can be certified if they meet the criteria established by the California State University. The decision to certify these courses is made by the Golden West College faculty.

What Courses Are Best To Take?

For a complete list of CSU general education courses, please refer to the Associate in Arts Degree requirements (Option II) in the Golden West College catalog. In order to be eligible for admission to the CSU system, students who were not eligible based on high school performance must complete 56 transferable units to include the following:

1. All of Area A, with at least a "C" in each course.
2. Area B, Group #4 (Mathematics), with at least a "C".
3. Thirty units of coursework from Areas A through D with at least a "C" in each course.

Students who complete all of the requirements in Areas A through E are considered to be fully certified by the community college. It should be pointed out that in addition to the community college coursework at least three more general education courses must be completed in the junior/senior years at the CSU campus.