Transfer Credit

High School Exam Credit

You can get an approximation of how many units you will earn from your exam scores through the UC Admissions website. Ultimately, your Transfer Credit Report, found in the Academics tab of your CalCentral, will detail the units you received for your exam scores. This information will become available during your Initial Transfer Credit Review. 

Exam scores may satisfy:

• Entry Level Writing 
• American History and American Institutions
• Reading and Composition
• Computational Reasoning
• Statistical Reasoning

Exam scores can not satisfy:

• American Cultures - University Requirement
• Human and Social Dynamics of Data and Technology - College requirement
• Breadth requirements - College requirement

Other Higher Education Institutions

Transferring courses from other higher education institutions (CSUs, private, out-of-state schools, non-UC study abroad programs) is possible, but involves additional steps (and time) to assess the credit. Because very few courses from these institutions have been pre-reviewed, it can take additional time to get assurance that you have chosen a course that will transfer. Additionally, some institutions may not have courses that meet UC standards, so while a course may sound similar to one found at UC Berkeley, it may not be transferable. If you do not get your course pre-reviewed before taking it, bear in mind that there are no guarantees that the credit will transfer.

Assessing coursework from other higher education institutions is a multi-step process:

• First, the credit must be determined to be transferable to your undergraduate degree at UC Berkeley. If a course is determined as transferable, this means that you can receive units for the course and that the course meets standards of the UC system, allowing it to potentially apply to degree requirements.
• Second, the course must be assessed for any specific degree requirements beyond units, such as general education or major requirements.
• It is ideal to get your coursework reviewed before taking the course. This gives you a guarantee that a course will count in the way you are planning. However, you may have found this information after taking the course, or may not be able to get a syllabus for review before taking the course. The procedure for review is the same whether it is before you have taken the course or after the course has been posted to your record. 
• Some basics about transfer credit from other higher education institutions (CSUs, private, out of state schools, non-UC study abroad programs):
  • Will not count in UC GPA. 
  • Will not show on transcript outside of "transfer credit" unit summaries. 
  • Will not count for residence requirements, including upper division in residence, senior residence, or major residence.
  • Not guaranteed to transfer.
• Additional public searchable information can be found on the College Source website. This includes courses in other higher education institutions in the country and limited offerings abroad. 

Study Abroad (through UC Berkeley)

Berkeley Summer Abroad and Berkeley Global Internships

All courses taken on Berkeley Summer Abroad and Berkeley Global Internships programs are accredited Berkeley courses. The course numbers, titles, units, and grades will be posted to your Berkeley transcript and are calculated into the cumulative UC GPA like an on-campus course. If approved by the department and/or college, the courses may fulfill major, minor, breadth, and general education requirements.

UC Education Abroad Program (UCEAP)

All UCEAP courses, units, and grades will automatically transfer back to Berkeley and post to your transcript as UC credit. UCEAP grades are calculated into your cumulative UC GPA. UCEAP assigns a course subject, number and title to every course you enroll in. These UCEAP course numbers do not correlate with any specific UC Berkeley course numbers. However, if approved by the department and/or college, the courses may fulfill major, minor, breadth, and general education requirements.

Other UC campus programs

If you participate in a summer or quarter program offered by another University of California campus, you will have a transcript issued by that UC. Once submitted to the Berkeley Office of Undergraduate Admissions, the courses will receive unit credit on your Berkeley transcript, and grade points are calculated into your UC GPA. However, no course detail is shown on the Berkeley transcript. You can request an official transcript from the UC of participation to submit to graduate schools, employers, etc. when course detail is required. If approved by the department and/or college, the courses may fulfill major, minor, breadth, and general education requirements.

Affiliate and independent programs 

You may submit an official transcript for coursework taken on affiliate and independent study abroad programs to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. If approved, transfer credit is posted to your Berkeley transcript, noting the institution awarding the credit, the term, and total units. Individual course detail does not appear on the Berkeley transcript, and courses are not calculated into the UC GPA. In the future, you will have to request an official transcript from the host institution to submit to graduate schools, employers, etc. when course detail is required. However, the course titles, units, and grades are visible in the CalCentral system for Berkeley undergraduate academic advisors, and can be used to fulfill major, minor, breadth, and general education requirements if approved by the department and/or college.

College Advising for Study Abroad

If you are interested in studying abroad and want to know more about what requirements you can complete as a CDSS student, is it important to meet with an advisor in both your major and college. For CDSS students, we recommend that you visit the Berkeley Study Abroad College Advising website for information on the following:

• Senior Residency
• Evaluation of breadth courses (and a database of pre-approved courses through UCEAP)
• Study abroad as your last term at Berkeley