Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC)
The Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) is a series of courses prospective transfer students attending California community colleges may complete to satisfy the lower division breadth/general education requirements at both the University of California and the California State University. It was developed to simplify the transfer process for students.
The University of California has developed an agreement with each California community college that specifies which of its courses may be applied to each category of IGETC.
If you choose to follow IGETC, you must complete it before you transfer to UC; otherwise you will be required to satisfy the specific lower division general education requirements of the college or school at the UC campus you attend. All IGETC coursework does not have to be completed at the same college. Courses taken at more than one California community college may be used to fulfill IGETC. However, coursework may only be applied in the area or category it was approved for in the IGETC agreement at the community college where it was completed.
IGETC is most helpful to students who want to keep their options open — those who know they want to transfer but have not yet decided upon a particular institution, campus, or major. Certain students, however, will not be well served by following IGETC. If you intend to transfer into a major that requires extensive lower division preparation, such as engineering or the biological, physical and natural sciences, you should concentrate on completing the many prerequisites for the major that the college screens for to determine eligibility for admission. See IGETC Considerations section below. Your counselor or a UC admissions representative can give you additional information about IGETC and advise you on which path is best for you.
IGETC is not an admissions requirement. However, completing the lower division breadth/general education requirements — through IGETC or the campus-specific requirements (depending upon the program) — may improve your chances for admission selection to a competitive campus and/or program.
| IGETC Subject and Unit Requirement | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Subject Area | Required Courses | Units Required | |
1 |
English Communication
One course in English composition and one course in critical thinking/English composition. Students transferring to CSU also must take a course in oral communication. |
2 courses |
6 semester/ 8-10 quarter |
| 2 | Mathematical Concepts and Quantitative Reasoning | 1 course | 3 semester/ 4-5 quarter |
| 3 | Arts and Humanities
Three courses with at least one from the arts and one from the humanities. |
3 courses | 9 semester/ 12-15 quarter |
| 4 | Social and Behavioral Sciences
Three courses from at least two disciplines, or an interdisciplinary sequence. |
3 courses | 9 semester/ 12-15 quarter |
| 5 | Physical and Biological Sciences
One physical science course and one biological science course, at least one of which includes a laboratory. |
2 courses | 7-9 semester/ 9-12 quarter units |
| 6 | Language Other Than English
Proficiency equivalent to two years of high school courses in the same language. Not required of students transferring to CSU. |
Proficiency | Proficiency |
| Total: | 11 courses | 34-36 semester/ 45-57 quarter |
|
GPA Requirement
IGETC courses must be completed with a grade of C or better. A grade of Credit or Pass may be used if the community college's policy states it is equivalent to a grade of C or better.
Use of AP Exams
To see how these exams can be applied to the IGETC pattern, visit 
icas-ca.org/standards-policies-and-procedures-manual and click on "The IGETC Standards, Policies and Procedures (searchable version)."
Applying Courses and AP Exams
Courses and exams may be used only once to satisfy one IGETC subject area, even if they are listed in your community college's course agreement under more than one subject area. However, courses may be used to satisfy both IGETC and major requirements.
Certification
Only California community colleges may certify completion of IGETC. Certification of IGETC completion is the responsibility of the last California community college a student attends prior to transfer (with the exception of summer session), although another college may certify upon request.
IGETC Considerations
Students with a substantial amount of coursework from institutions outside the United States should consult with a counselor to determine whether they should complete IGETC or the lower division breadth/general education requirements at the campus they plan to attend.
All prospective transfer students should note the following considerations:
UC Berkeley — In the College of Letters and Science, students must satisfy general education/breadth requirements with either the fully completed IGETC pattern or the college's requirements (Reading and Composition, Quantitative Reasoning, and Foreign Language). The Colleges of Engineering and Chemistry have extensive, prescribed major prerequisites. In general, IGETC is not appropriate preparation for majors in these colleges. . College of Natural Resources: Although IGETC satisfies breadth requirements for most majors in the, specific lower division major requirements must still be satisfied; check with the college or visit the ASSIST website for more information. College of Environmental Design: Beginning with November 2011 applicants, students have the option of fulfilling CED's breadth requirements with the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) certification. If you are using IGETC to fulfill CED's breadth requirements, you must have full certification. Partial certification will not complete the requirements. Haas School of Business: IGETC is not acceptable; however, breadth courses are not required for admission to the Haas Undergraduate Program. However, students are encouraged to spread breadth coursework over 4 years.
UC Davis — All undergraduate colleges accept IGETC; transfer students who have successfully completed IGETC are exempt from all UC Davis GE requirements that may be met with lower-division courses. IGETC works well for students planning for Bachelor of Arts majors with few units of lower division preparation. Bachelor of Science degrees and high-unit majors often have many courses of lower division preparation. In these cases, the UC Davis GE pattern is the best choice.
UC Irvine — All schools accept IGETC. However, selection by the campus is based on demonstrated academic achievement and preparation for the intended major.
UCLA — The Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science does not accept IGETC.
UC Merced — School of Engineering: Strongly discouraged but accepted as students are encouraged to focus on lower-division major preparation prior to transfer. School of Natural Sciences: Not recommended but accepted as students are encouraged to focus on lower-division major preparation prior to transfer. School of Social Sciences, Humanities, and Arts: Recommended and students are encouraged to complete as much lower-division major preparation as possible prior to transfer.
UC Riverside —The College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences does not accept IGETC. The Marlan and Rosemary Bourns College of Engineering accepts completion of IGETC to satisfy IGETC the majority of the college's breadth requirement for transfer students, though some additional coursework may be required after enrollment.
UC San Diego — - IGETC is accepted at John Muir, Earl Warren, Thurgood Marshall and Sixth Colleges as full completion of lower-division general education requirements. Eleanor Roosevelt and Revelle College students with IGETC must also fulfill a few additional general education requirements. At UCSD, all majors are available to students in each college, so students who choose IGETC will not be restricted in their choice of major.
UC Santa Barbara — Transfer students in the College of Letters and Science and the College of Creative Studies may use IGETC to substitute for general education requirements. Students transferring into the College of Engineering are encouraged to focus on the preparation for their major rather than general education courses, but may also use IGETC to substitute for most general education requirements. As part of their general education, all students in the College of Engineering are required to complete a depth requirement. Students who wish to satisfy the depth requirement prior to transfer must complete a yearlong sequence in the history of world civilization, history of Western civilization, history of the United States, history of Western philosophy or history of Western art. Students may want to choose courses for IGETC that will concurrently satisfy the depth requirement. Students may also complete the depth requirement with upper-division coursework after transferring. Please note: Students planning to transfer into a major in engineering, computer science, biological or physical sciences, or economics must be careful to complete lower-division major prerequisites to ensure competitiveness and make normal, timely progress through their major.
UC Santa Cruz — Transfer students intending to pursue any major in the physical and biological sciences or the Jack Baskin School of Engineering should not follow IGETC because it will not provide them with enough lower division preparation for their majors.
