Does California have the best opportunities for community college transfers in the US?

Transfer Students UC Transfers
1

I’m an adult who wants to return to school in the future to get my undergraduate degree. I currently live in Nebraska, which only has one state school with my major. Due to a lot of irrelevant red tape regarding financial aid, it’s not financially feasible for me to do my degree here. That’s why relocating to another state to work for a year to achieve in-state residency is very attractive to me.

I’ve been looking at jobs in California at the moment, because from what I’ve read online, it seems as though California community colleges have unusually strong programs and relationships with public universities for transferring students into four-year degree programs. The sheer number of UCs alone, CSUs notwithstanding, make the number of opportunities seem astronomical compared to the single feeder school where I live.

The big problem with moving there is that the cost of living is dramatically higher than just about anywhere else in the country. It’s not a decision I want to make hastily by any means…

Are there really more educational opportunities for community college students in California, or is this impression biased by unrelated factors? Are there community colleges in more affordable states that also attract high numbers of undergraduate-seeking out-of-state or international students?

Thanks a bunch.

2

CA CCs have priority with the UC system. There are also programs like TAG (1) (transfer admission guarantee) that are 100%, so long as you meet specific requirements. Top UCs, like UCB, UCLA, and UCSD, do not have TAG programs, but UCB/UCLA has a (2) TAP, and UCSD has (3) U-link.

The living costs here are high, however you do not have to live in a major city. I’d do some research onto CCs in smaller areas that have a TAP program. Then look into some housing/jobs to see if it is a feasible option.

  1. http://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/transfer/guarantee/
  2. UCLA: http://www.ugeducation.ucla.edu/tap/ UCB: http://cep.berkeley.edu/tap
  3. http://admissions.ucsd.edu/transfers/prep-programs/university-link.html
3

UC system is by far the best public school system in the US.

4

Yeah it’s a good idea if you can afford it and you’re motivated. There are really hardly any public schools in the same league as the top UCs, and pretty much all of them are well ranked nationally. If you look at the private schools that are similarly ranked as Cal and UCLA, the transfer rates are far lower. Your best chance at getting into a great school is transferring into a UC. I moved here to go to community college and I have never regretted it.