Transferring to Independent or Out-of-State Colleges
In addition to state-funded institutions, California has many accredited independent colleges and universities, visit www.aiccu.edu. Other states have a wide variety of schools from which to choose. Generally, in-state public school tuition costs are the lowest, but financial aid packages can sometimes absorb much of the difference. For information about private and out-of-state institutions, whose requirements vary considerably, the independent college or university in which the student is interested should be contacted.
Transfer Information
It’s a good idea to begin thinking about transfer goals in the early stages of the program, so that a well- planned program of courses toward the objectives can be established. The Counseling staff, located in the John O. Crain Student Services Building, are available to find out about careers, majors, universities and colleges.
Catalogs: Catalogs from colleges and universities throughout California are available online. These catalogs contain program of study, course descriptions, photographs of the campus, requirements for degrees and other pertinent information.
College Representatives: Representatives from various Universities visit Palo Verde College periodically to discuss students’ transfer plans. Other representatives from both public and private schools visit during the year as well. Ask your counselor for information regarding the current schedule.
Counseling Resources
Counselors are available to help students identify personal and educational goals, select a major, plan courses to meet objectives, and work confidentially with personal situations that may affect their education. It is strongly recommended that all students planning to transfer meet with a Palo Verde College counselor, to ensure that their courses are in line with their goals and requirements.
An annual Career Day, Transfer Day and other resources are available to help students explore their career alternatives.
Campus Visits
In addition to reviewing catalogs and other written materials of the campus being considered, it is beneficial to visit those institutions.
This will provide the opportunity to become familiar with not only the campus itself, but also the surrounding areas. Do you want to be in an urban setting? Rural? Desert? Coastal? What is the “flavor” of the place and would you feel comfortable there? Visit the libraries, shopping areas, recreation facilities, cafes, bookstores, movie houses and other components that make up a student’s life. To explore living situations, visit the university’s housing office; also, look at the want ads in the local newspaper.
Applying for Admission
The University of California (UC system) and the California State University (CSU system) are different and distinct branches of public higher education in California and have different requirements for admission.
To apply to the University of California or the California State University systems, students should plan to complete all requirements and submit applications online during the filing periods at www.calstate.edu/apply or www.universityofcalifornia.edu. Information is available from the counseling staff.
Contact other institutions directly for information about applications. For further assistance contact any college counselor..
Application Deadlines
To better the chances of acceptance, students should apply to every university for which they want to be considered during the initial, or priority, application filing period. Students planning to apply to a private university need to research what the initial or priority application filing period is for that university. Certain impacted or highly competitive majors may require earlier deadlines. It is the student’s responsibility to research what these deadlines are. All information can be found online.
Each individual campus closes application filing periods at different times according to how many students apply. Students who are filing an application late should contact the Admissions Department of the specific college for which they are applying to inquire if applications are still being accepted.
Impacted Majors
At some UC and CSU campuses, more students may seek admission to popular areas of study such as engineering, computer science, and business than can be accommodated. Occasionally, more applications are received during the first month of the filing period than can possibly be accepted at the particular school. When this happens at a UC or CSU campus, certain majors are declared “impacted,” and these schools may permit only limited enrollment. Students who apply to impacted majors may also be directed to alternate campuses. Applicants to impacted majors are subject to supplementary admission criteria.
Students who seek to transfer into majors which are impacted should complete all courses designated as required lower division preparation for the major prior to transfer.
At some schools, completion of specific courses with minimum grades is required before transfer as a condition of acceptance into an impacted major.
Maximum Transferable Credit
A maximum of 70 semester or 105 quarter units earned in California community colleges may be applied toward the Baccalaureate degree at either a UC or CSU campus.
Notice of Responsibility
Students should always study the catalog of the school to which they plan to transfer, and are responsible for directly contacting that institution’s admissions office for the most up-to-date information. No matter how much help is received from various sources, it is ultimately the student’s responsibility to ensure that all transfer requirements and deadlines are met.
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