Among Californians aged 18–24, 30% are currently enrolled in community colleges, and 30% of UC students come from California community colleges.
On one hand, the University of California gives priority to transfer applicants from California community colleges, and international students enjoy the same priority status as local students.
On the other hand, the state government strongly supports community colleges and mandates a certain proportion of transfer students from community colleges at public four-year institutions.
UC and California community colleges not only share credit recognition and course articulation, but many also have transfer guarantee agreements in place.
Among the numerous transfer admission benefits, the Transfer Alliance Program (TAP) launched by UCLA can be described as a precisely targeted fast track!
What is TAP?
The Transfer Alliance Program (TAP) is a cooperative agreement between UCLA and California Community Colleges (CCC) regarding transfer admissions.
For community colleges that have signed this agreement, students who complete that college's honors program will have a greatly increased chance of being admitted to UCLA's College of Letters and Science.
UCLA's undergraduate division consists of seven schools:
1) College of Letters and Science
2) School of the Arts and Architecture
3) Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science
4) Herb Alpert School of Music
5) School of Theater, Film and Television
6) School of Nursing
7) Luskin School of Public Affairs
Among them, the College of Letters and Science comprises four divisions: Humanities, Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, and Social Sciences. It is considered the mainstay of UCLA undergraduate education, offering around 100 majors, with 21,000 enrolled undergraduates and 900 faculty members.
As of 2019, 51 California community colleges have signed TAP agreements with UCLA. Each community college has a different TAP agreement with UCLA, specifying the honors courses that students must complete.
These honors courses include both general education and major preparation courses, and they satisfy the transfer unit requirements for community college students.
Each California community college has its own list of TAP honors courses and TAP completion requirements; students can find more specific information on their college's official website.
For example, Los Angeles Mission College's TAP students need only complete 15 honors course units and achieve a minimum 3.25 GPA to be eligible for transfer to UCLA.
Academic advisors and transfer counselors at these 51 California community colleges will also carefully help students plan their course selection and transfer timeline, track progress toward completing the TAP honors courses, and thereby assist TAP students in successfully transferring to UCLA's College of Letters and Science.
Advantages of TAP
Students who complete the TAP honors courses have a 70%–95% chance of being admitted to UCLA, whereas those who do not complete the honors courses have only a 14%–20% chance. The advantage is clear.
Additionally, participating in the TAP honors program also gives students access to extra scholarship opportunities. Foothill College in the Bay Area is one such example. If students complete the TAP honors courses, they will not only receive priority consideration for UCLA admission, but also receive a scholarship offer from CSU Stanislaus ranging from $4,000 to $7,000.
Each semester, TAP students can also attend seminars to exchange insights on honors courses and transfer preparation with peers, seek advice from TAP mentors who can provide guidance and valuable tips, and perhaps gain some unexpected benefits!
Furthermore, community college students in TAP also have the opportunity to visit the UCLA campus, attend UCLA sporting events and diverse campus cultural activities, and access UCLA's libraries and other rich academic resources just like enrolled UCLA students.
While you are still a community college student, you can apply for a free UCLA library card, sit in the classic and dignified Powell Library to study and do homework, motivating yourself to excel in TAP honors courses and eventually officially transfer to your dream school, UCLA!
Things to Keep in Mind
Many students ask: "If I participate in TAP, what GPA do I need to guarantee admission to UCLA?"
In reality, there is no exact cutoff; the minimum GPA for admission fluctuates each year based on the number of applications and available spaces. If community college students already have priority in UC admissions, then TAP students enjoy an additional layer of priority specifically for UCLA admission.
However, regarding unit requirements, almost all community colleges participating in TAP require students to complete 15 honors course units. UCLA's admissions process is holistic; it considers not only GPA and coursework, but also activities and honors, personal statements, and other factors.
The UC application season is in November each year. If you applied to UCLA and have completed the required honors courses, don't forget to submit your TAP certification form to UCLA between mid-January and mid-March of the following year.
Submit it via email; the form and email address can be found on the UCLA website. UCLA will not accept unsigned certification forms!
If a student transfers from one community college to another, and both are UCLA TAP members, the student can generally transfer up to 6 honors course units from the previous college.
Can you only transfer to the College of Letters and Science through TAP? Are the other schools out of the question? There is still a chance to transfer into a school outside of Letters and Science!
The prerequisite is that the applicant must meet the requirements for an alternative major within the College of Letters and Science. Additionally, UCLA has specific rules regarding changing majors after admission and other matters.
Common Misconceptions
In addition to UCLA's TAP program, there are many similar guaranteed transfer fast tracks, such as TAG (Transfer Admission Guarantee). TAG is a transfer guarantee agreement between each California community college and six of the nine UC undergraduate campuses, ensuring that community college students who meet unit and GPA requirements will be admitted to at least one major at a participating UC campus.
UCLA's TAP, on the other hand, is for community college students with clear goals and high expectations who wish to transfer into the College of Letters and Science through honors coursework.
Sharing the same acronym is the Transfer Admission Plan (TAP), which is a transfer application planning system applicable to all nine UC undergraduate campuses, including TAG applications and regular transfer applications.
If UCLA is one of your dream schools, and if you are considering taking the community college "scenic route" to transfer into a top university, TAP is a rare opportunity. Contact a CheersYou（清柚教育） advisor today and get started!
