ADT Explained: How Associate Degrees for Transfer Work

The Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT) is a specific type of associate degree that guarantees priority admission to a California State University campus with junior standing. It's backed by state law — Senate Bill 1440 (2010). If you enroll in a similar major, the CSU can't require more than 60 additional units to graduate.

There are 40+ ADT majors. If you finish one, you're guaranteed priority admission to a CSU campus, though not a specific campus or major. At impacted campuses and majors, an ADT in a similar major gives you a small GPA boost in the ranking.

What an ADT actually is

An ADT is an associate degree (AA-T or AS-T) that meets specific requirements set by the California Community College Chancellor's Office and the CSU system. The degree requires:

• 60 UC/CSU-transferable units total
• Minimum 2.0 GPA in all transferable coursework
• Completion of Cal-GETC (or CSU GE Breadth or IGETC for CSU if you started before fall 2025)
• At least 18 units in the major (the "Transfer Model Curriculum" or TMC)

The major block (at least 18 units) is where the specificity comes in. Each ADT has a TMC — a specific set of major-prep courses developed jointly by the CCC and CSU systems. Complete the TMC and the CSU system accepts your degree as equivalent to the first two years of a Bachelor's in that field.

What you get from an ADT

Guaranteed CSU admission

This is the big one. If you complete an ADT in a major offered at a CSU campus, you are legally guaranteed priority admission to a CSU campus — though not necessarily your first-choice campus or major. If your campus is full, you may be redirected to another one.

Priority at impacted campuses

At impacted campuses and majors, ADT holders applying to a similar major get a boost: under CSU guidelines, 0.1 is added to their GPA for ranking (CSULB spells this out on its major pages). SJSU also ranks ADT completers ahead of non-ADT applicants with the same GPA. It helps, but it isn't a guarantee.

Similar majors

If you complete an ADT and apply to a "similar" major at a CSU (not an exact match), you still retain junior standing and guaranteed graduation within 60 additional units. The CSU determines similarity, not you.

60-unit graduation cap

If you enroll in a similar major, the CSU cannot require more than 60 additional units after transfer — as long as you stay continuously enrolled in that major and don't add minors or extra emphases. This caps your time at the CSU at two years for full-time students — four years total.

Fewer lower-division courses after transfer

You arrive with all your lower-division GE done and your major's lower-division prereqs completed. You focus entirely on upper-division major coursework.

What an ADT does NOT give you

The ADT majors available

Over 40 ADT types exist covering most common majors. Common examples:

• AA-T in Psychology
• AA-T in Communication Studies
• AS-T in Business Administration 2.0
• AS-T in Computer Science
• AS-T in Mathematics
• AS-T in Biology
• AA-T in Sociology
• AA-T in History
• AA-T in English
• AA-T in Kinesiology
• AA-T in Art History
• AS-T in Administration of Justice
• AS-T in Early Childhood Education
• AS-T in Agriculture Animal Sciences, Agriculture Business or Agriculture Plant Science

Not every CC offers every ADT. Check your specific CC's catalog. Full list at ICanGoToCollege.com (formerly ADegreeWithAGuarantee.com).

ADT vs. regular associate degree

Feature	Regular AA/AS	ADT (AA-T/AS-T)
CSU admission	Not guaranteed	Guaranteed priority admission to a CSU campus
Junior standing	Not guaranteed	Guaranteed
60-unit graduation cap	No	Yes (similar major)
Impacted campus boost	No	+0.1 GPA for ranking
GE pattern required	Varies by CC	Cal-GETC (or CSU GE/IGETC under older catalog rights)
Major coursework	Varies	Specific TMC required
UC admission benefit	None specific	Considered in review; no guarantee

Who should pursue an ADT

Yes — pursue an ADT if:

• You're aiming primarily for a CSU (SDSU, Cal Poly SLO, CSULB, CSUF, etc.)
• You want a safety net even while also applying to UCs
• Your target major has a matching ADT at your CC
• You want guaranteed junior standing at any CSU
• You want to graduate on a 2+2 timeline with maximum certainty

Skip the ADT if:

• You're aiming only for UCs or for private/out-of-state schools that don't honor the ADT
• Your target major has no matching ADT
• Pursuing the ADT would force you to take courses that don't serve your UC applications
• Your CC doesn't offer your major as an ADT

How to pursue an ADT

1. Check what ADTs your CC offers. Every CC's catalog lists ADT programs available on their campus.
2. Match the ADT to your target CSU major. Use ICanGoToCollege.com (formerly ADegreeWithAGuarantee.com) to see which ADT works at which CSU for which major.
3. Get a counseling appointment. ADT requirements are specific — a single wrong course choice can knock you off the ADT path.
4. Follow Cal-GETC. It is now the single GE pattern for UC and CSU. If you have catalog rights from before fall 2025, you may still use IGETC or CSU GE Breadth.
5. Complete the TMC. This is the major-specific block of at least 18 units; the number of courses depends on the ADT.
6. Maintain a 2.0+ GPA in all transferable coursework. ADT guarantees work with a 2.0, though impacted campuses need higher.
7. Petition for the ADT through your CC's counseling office before you leave.
8. Apply to CSU during the fall application window (October 1-November 30 typical).

How impacted CSUs rank ADT applicants

The ADT itself needs a 2.0, but impacted campuses rank applicants by GPA and set cutoffs each year, major by major. There is no single "ADT GPA" per campus. Two examples from official pages:

• Cal State Long Beach: local-area applicants who meet a major's minimum GPA and prep are offered admission, except in highly impacted majors. An ADT adds 0.1 to your GPA for ranking.
• San José State: all majors are impacted. Fall 2026 cutoffs ran from 2.0 (several majors) to above 3.85 (Computer Science). Local applicants get +0.25, and an ADT can push your ranking GPA above 4.0.

Check each campus's transfer impaction page for the latest cutoffs in your major.

ADT and impacted majors

The most selective CSU majors — Cal Poly SLO Engineering, SDSU Nursing, Cal Poly SLO Business, CSULB Nursing — are impacted both for frosh and transfer. An ADT gives a GPA boost in the ranking, but it doesn't guarantee admission to these majors. There is no Nursing ADT, so nursing applicants complete each program's own prerequisites.

Planning to finish your bachelor's fully online instead? See our guide to online bachelor's degree options for California community college students, including CSU online degree completion programs.

The bottom line

The ADT is the single best tool for CSU-focused applicants, and a smart safety net for UC-focused applicants who can get one with minimal added effort. The guarantee is legally backed. The GPA boost at impacted campuses is real, if modest. The graduation time cap protects you post-transfer.

If you're at a California community college and you haven't checked whether an ADT exists for your major, stop reading this and go check. Even if you never use it, knowing you have guaranteed priority admission to a CSU campus is the cheapest insurance policy in California higher education.