<p>I’m just now finishing up my GER’s in a ccc, which took longer than I’dve hoped. I’ve been going around visiting many CSU, and they readily inform me that they have plenty of space for upper-division transfers (Fall 2013, not Spring 2012). </p>
<p>Honestly I’m not an amazing student (3.0ish), so why the open-arms now? I’m missing the why’s and how’s, the same colleges that I had no room for me as a lower-div transfer, have freed up space once I’m an upper-division.</p>
<p>What’s been nagging at the back of my head is: does having these openings reflect on what I can expect from the quality of education of the schools? If there are many upper-division transfer opportunities, is that reflected in the lower-division retention rates, and how correlated are retention rates to education quality an institution provides?</p>
<p>To an extent I’m looking the gift horse in the mouth; perhaps I should just be satisfied with finally getting in to a four year college. However I’m wondering just what footing having cc general requirements done puts someone ( ie IGETC, GER, UCTAG ). Are other colleges as accepting of ccc transfers as UC or CSU’s? Should I be setting the bar higher than just the CSU system?</p>
<p>Just to be clear: just because a CSU says they have lots of space to you verbally doesn’t mean you will automatically be accepted. At your local (to your CCC) with a 3.0 you have a good chance of getting admitted depending on your major. However, at all other CSUs you will need to be competitive enough in your major to get in.</p>
<p>Also, the CSUs are not “freeing up space” for upper division students all of a sudden. A few years back a student could transfer as a lower OR upper division student. Now that there have been budget crunches, the CSUs have been limiting the overall number of transfer students (and regular students) because their budgets are cut, so they cut the number of classes offered, so there are less “seats” to accommodate students, so they take less students overall in all categories. Forcing transfer students to wait until they have 60+ credits slows the rate of students coming over into the CSUs because they all are required to stay that extra year or so at a CCC.</p>
<p>If anything, the CSUs have become MORE selective in the past few years. For example, a few years ago a student could easily transfer to SJSU in English with the minimum 2.0 GPA. Today, the student (depending on how competive the year) needs anywhere from a 2.8 to a 3.3 to get in to that same school. I don’t know if there are more or less seats in English at SJSU lately, but my guess is that the number are static or shrinking because the budget is shrinking.</p>
<p>The better UCs a 3.0 is not a good enough GPA to get in usually (UCLA, Berkeley). However the less competitive ones like Merced it is possible, again, depending on impaction.</p>
<p>For privates, privates like Santa Clara University or Stanford will likely turn you down. Mills, St. Mary’s, LMU is possible but a bit of a stretch with a 3.0. However, quite a few of the less competitive privates would take you with a 3.0.</p>
<p>“Forcing transfer students to wait until they have 60+ credits slows the rate of students coming over into the CSUs because they all are required to stay that extra year or so at a CCC.”</p>
<p>Ok, this makes sense now. That was the explanation I was looking for. Gracias annika, you much have a better understanding than the ccc transfer advisers and admission councilors I’ve been meeting with.</p>