New admission students to Engineering undergrad

Transfer Admission Resources

Transfer Admissions

Considering transferring to UC Davis and the College of Engineering? You could be finishing your undergraduate degree in a rigorous program, ranked among the top engineering schools in the nation, as part of a friendly forward-thinking academic community.

These resources are designed to provide the support you’ll need to make the seamless transition to the UC Davis College of Engineering and to succeed as a student.

Information regarding specific courses required for admission by major can be found on the UC Davis Admissions Page: https://www.ucdavis.edu/admissions/transfer/major-requirements-college-engineering

  • Transfer Credit Agreements

  • For more detailed and specific advice on your requirements, see the transfer counselor at your institution and consult ASSIST for the most up to date and current agreements.

  • Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG)

  • The UC Davis Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) is a written agreement ensuring your admission to UC Davis from any California community college. Application details can be found on the UC Davis Admission page.

  • Transfer Opportunity Program (TOP)
  • TOP is an advising program that puts a committed UC Davis Undergraduate Admissions advisor on select California community college campuses to help you with career and transfer planning. Your UC Davis TOP coordinator is available to meet with you one-on-one to discuss your career goals and advise you on preparing for transfer to a four-year university. More details can be found at: https://www.ucdavis.edu/admissions/undergraduate/transfer/transfer-opportunity-program
  • Options for Completing GE as a Transfer Student

  • UC Davis General Education (GE) Requirements

    The General Education (GE) requirement promotes the intellectual growth of all undergraduates by ensuring that they acquire a breadth of knowledge that will enlarge their perspectives beyond the focus of a major and serve them well as participants in a knowledge-based society.

    Details of GE Requirements can be found here.

    For all students who need to search GE courses, use Schedule Builder, the Class Search Tool to locate courses.

    IGETC (Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum)

    Transfer students should place highest priority on completing all requirements for their chosen engineering major. By completing IGETC, however, the General Education requirement at UC Davis will be totally satisfied. Completing IGETC is not required, nor does it improve the likelihood a student will be admitted.

    IGETC is a set of courses designed to allow California community college students to complete their general education requirements before transferring to a UC campus or a California State University (CSU) campus. With some exceptions, students choosing the IGETC should complete it while at a California community college in order to fulfill all general education requirements that can be met with lower-division courses. Once admitted to UC Davis, but before you enroll in classes, you should submit a certificate of IGETC completion to UC Davis Undergraduate Admissions. 

    If you are submitting a partial IGETC you must not be missing more than two requirements. You have one year to complete your missing requirements at UC Davis and you must notify the Engineering Undergraduate Office when you believe you have completed the missing requirements. You can do so by emailing engugrad@ucdavis.edu.

    Once you matriculate to a UC Institution you cannot return to a community college and complete an IGETC. If you are completing a partial IGETC you should work with your Engineering Undergraduate Office Advisors to identify missing requirements and discuss a completion plan.

    For students transferring from another UC campus with the GE completed (Reciprocity):

    If you are a transfer student who has completed the GE requirements of another UC campus, then you will not need to complete the UC Davis General Education requirement. However, please follow the steps below to ensure this information is included in your UC Davis record:

    1. Ask your prior University of California campus to write an official statement indicating that you fully satisfied the General Education requirements at that UC campus. Consult with the Registrar or your Dean’s Office at that UC campus for specific instructions on requesting such a statement. The statement must be on official UC letterhead and include a contact name/office.
    NOTE: It is possible that UC reciprocity may not satisfy your upper-division composition requirement at UC Davis. Please consult with your UC Davis program advisor for details.

    2. Submit this official statement to the Engineering Undergraduate Office, located in 1050 Kemper Hall via the mail at:

    Engineering Undergraduate Office
    ATTN: UC Reciprocity
    1 Shields Avenue
    Davis, CA 95616

    3. Once the official statement is received, you will receive a confirmation from the Engineering Undergraduate Office.

  • Change of Major for Transfer Students
  • UC Davis allows changes to major only after a student has matriculated. Students cannot change their major on their application once it has been submitted. Once a student has matriculated to UC Davis they are held to the following Change of Major requirements.


    1. Be a registered student and have completed at least one quarter (minimum of 12 units) at UC Davis

    2. Have completed not more than 135 cumulative units (excluding AP units); students who have completed more than 135 units will be considered on an appeal basis only

    3. Be in good academic standing and meet minimum progress requirements

    4. Have received a letter grade for all courses that satisfy Engineering degree requirements

    5. Have completed all transfer admission coursework and GPA requirements for the intended major (see https://www.ucdavis.edu/admissions/transfer/major-requirements-college-engineering for details). For students who have not completed all transfer admission requirements at their previous institution, they must earn a 2.0 GPA or higher in these remaining courses at UC Davis, and receive a C- or better in each of these courses. For Mechanical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering a 2.8 GPA or higher is required.

    6. Have no grade lower than a C- in any completed engineering course required for your intended major(s) taken at UC Davis

    7. Have a 2.0 UC GPA or higher in completed engineering courses. For Mechanical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering must have a 2.8 UC GPA or higher in completed engineering courses.

    8. For Computer Science Engineering a 3.0 overall UC GPA or higher is required.

  • Second Baccalaureate Candidates

  • Effective Fall 2020: the college will consider 2nd baccalaureate applicants for admission in Biological Systems Engineering (EBSE) and Materials Science & Engineering (EMSE) majors only, and will close to all other engineering majors.

    Only the College of Engineering considers applications from students who already have a bachelor’s degree.

    Second baccalaureate applications to the College of Engineering will only be considered if the applicant’s first degree is not in engineering and if the lower division engineering selective major criteria has been completed at a California community college.

    You must submit the online UC undergraduate application for admission and scholarships during the appropriate filing periods.

    After your application receives a full evaluation for meeting college, UC and UC Davis selection and admission criteria, it will be reviewed by the dean of the college and the executive director for Undergraduate Admissions for admission consideration based on superior academic record, clear evidence of a change in objective, and enrollment space available in the applied major.

    Second baccalaureate students in the College of Engineering whose first bachelor’s degree is from any UC campus will not be held to completing the UC Davis General Education requirement. NOTE: It is possible that UC reciprocity may not satisfy your upper-division composition requirement at UC Davis. Please consult with your UC Davis program advisor for details.

  • Information Specifically for Prospective International Transfer Students

  • International students applying for transfer to UC Davis from California community colleges or universities are considered for admission using the same eligibility criteria as domestic students. Applicants who have attended foreign and U.S. colleges and universities will be evaluated using courses and grades from both institutions. Priority is given to California community college transfer students prepared to begin their junior or third year of study.

    For more information, visit Undergraduate Admissions, International Students.