UC Application 101: Tips for Transfer Applicants (2024)

Transfer students at UC Berkeley make up a diverse community of scholars who come from all walks of life. While transfer students are just as much a part of campus as first year students, their application process is a little different. We’re here to answer some of the nuanced questions about the application process for prospective transfer applicants.

Firstly, admissions requirements are different for transfers and first years. Transfer students should also have a better grasp on what major they want to pursue. It is important that they speak as soon as possible with their community college counselor and identify which schools and majors they may be interested in. This way, the counselor can develop a plan of action that addresses the applicant’s intended college admissions and major requirements.

Second, because transfer applicants come to UC Berkeley as juniors, they are required to have completed a minimum of 60 UC transferable units and have taken prerequisite courses which enable them to enter their major of choice once they are on campus. Because of these requirements, a transfer student tends to be more focused and goal-oriented than an entering first year might be. The coursework taken by transfer applicants at their community college is also looked at a lot more closely, since they need to be prepared to hit the ground running should they be admitted. Since transfer students only have two years to complete their degree, they have less flexibility than their first-year counterparts.

And finally, transfer students can typically bring more to their UC application by speaking more clearly about their life experiences, both through their PIQs (Personal Insight Questions), their extracurricular activities and, if necessary, the additional comments section.

1. Academic preparation — Beyond their unique experiences, application readers are looking for how prepared the student is to enter the university with junior standing and to successfully complete their degrees in two years. Completing most or all of their major prerequisites, as well as breadth requirements, before applying to Berkeley is a key factor. A student can have a 4.0 GPA and all of the accolades in the world, but if they are missing even one required prerequisite, their competitiveness in the pool begins to diminish.

2. Their story — In regards to academics, readers are looking for those major prerequisites to be completed prior to starting at Berkeley. But they also look at what the applicant is doing in addition to their academic pursuits. Usually, transfer students have to work in order to support themselves and their families. Because of this, applicants may not have as many extracurricular activities as a typical first-year applicant, but will instead offer individual narratives and share the struggles that transfer students often encounter.

3. Bringing it all together — Transfer students should highlight aspects of their academic path, personal journey, and other experiences. To create a three-dimensional picture from a two-dimensional application, students should share a sense of self and have an honest discussion about their interests and passions.

Many students believe that work does not count as an extracurricular activity. Don’t leave these important details out of your application! Anything you do that is directly outside of academics can be considered an “extracurricular activity.” This includes being a parent and/or taking care of someone else. If you do not list these activities on your application, it reads as if you don’t have any activities; the reader won’t get the full picture.

Always try to explain extenuating circ*mstances in your application. Examples include: Listing a term of low grades without explaining that they had to work or became ill; working full-time and not addressing how that may have influenced their ability to get better grades or how they were able to successfully manage their time; not taking an important prerequisite and not explaining that it was because the course (even though listed on ASSIST.org) has not been offered for the last two years at their community college; or not fully understanding the process, and therefore, not taking the critical courses they needed. Explaining these things can bring much more context and add value to your application.

Transfer students oftentimes miss the opportunity to fully share these kinds of stories/context with us. To some students working 40 hours a week, taking a full load of courses, raising a family, and taking classes at multiple community colleges is normal. We want to hear those stories and learn about how you have dealt with these challenges. Ultimately it isn’t these challenges we are most concerned with, but what did you achieve as a result and in spite of them. How did those experiences affect you and how did it shape who you are? Those are the things we want to hear in your own, authentic voice.

Don’t procrastinate! — Keep in mind that we have three minimum requirements that applicants must meet in order to be eligible: 1) a 3.0 GPA by the end of the fall semester prior to transfer 2) all general education requirements completed, and 3) 60 semester transferable units completed by the end of the spring semester prior to transfer. Once those are fulfilled, the Office of Undergraduate Admissions will continue to review the rest of their application. Often, students may wait until their last semester to take a course that is absolutely necessary to transfer, such as a course for their general education (Reading and Composition, Quantitative Reasoning, or Language Other than English). If the student does not do well, there is no more time for them to make up the grade. Students then become ineligible even after they are admitted, and could have their admissions revoked. Another example — we commonly see students save their one transferable general education math course until the very end. Since they had not taken math for many semesters at that point, they are ill-prepared to complete the course. Try to get those required courses done as soon as possible!

Believe in yourself! — Attaining a Berkeley degree is possible for everyone! We’ve seen a number of transfers who started their college careers receiving grades of D and F or incompletes and withdrawals, and we’ve seen them bounce back and earn more competitive grades. A student in this case may not have a higher-than-average GPA, but has shown tremendous perseverance, has an upward trend in grades, and a unique and compelling story they bring to the university. Just because a student doesn’t have an above-average GPA, or they started their college career earning deficient grades doesn’t mean they don’t have a chance of being admitted to Berkeley. If a student meets the minimum eligibility requirements, we encourage you to apply!

1. Help us understand who you are, what you’ve accomplished and what you’ve learned from your journey. Write in your own voice and use concrete examples that illustrate the message you want to convey.
2. Be as thorough as possible and provide as much context and detail as you can throughout your application. Focus on those areas where you have the most control and make sure to get your story across to the reader.
3. Fill out as much information as possible. Context is very important to our review process, and is often what sets you apart from other applicants.

A final note — students who have worked hard should feel empowered to reach for their fullest potential at a place that will give them opportunities to stretch themselves both academically and personally. We hope you decide that place is Berkeley!

Learn more about applying to UC Berkeley as a transfer student and visit the Berkeley Transfer Student Center.