Academic Preparation for the UCs - Community College Students
The UC system has articulation agreements with all California community colleges. You can find out which courses at your community college will satisfy the UC general education and major prerequisite requirements by visiting Assist.org. Select your community college from the drop-down box then choose the UC campus you are interested in applying to see the general education and major prerequisite courses you need to complete to meet the UC requirement.
You must complete a minimum of 60 semester or 90 quarter units to be eligible for junior-level transfer, and the majority of UC campuses accept only transfer students at the junior-level. Most UC campuses cap the maximum number of units you can transfer (to satisfy graduation unit requirements) at 70 semester or 105 quarter units. Units beyond the maximum are granted subject credit (you can use them to waive out of prerequisite courses or subject requirements) but not unit credit (you cannot use them to count toward your graduation units). You can use the AP exam credits to satisfy the minimum unit requirement and they will not be counted toward the maximum unit cap. There is also a chart from the UCs on using AP exam credits to satisfy IGETC.
Generally speaking, if you are unsure of your major when you start community college, following IGETC is your best bet. However, keep in mind that not all majors make use of IGETC and as you decide on which major you want to pursue, you should verify the requirements you have to complete.
UC transfer admission is very focused on grades and the completion of your general education and major prerequisite requirements. The UCs will generally look at your UC-transferable GPA, calculated using all UC-transferable courses you have taken since you graduated high school. Some competitive majors may also review your GPA in the major prerequisite courses.
Receiving an occasional C or having a W here and there will not ruin your chance of admission, just don't make it a habit and you will be fine. If you receive a D or F, be sure to repeat the course to erase the bad grade. If you have an abundance of Ws or a few bad semesters, explain the situation in your UC application as part of your personal statement or in the Additional Comments section.
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