UC Irvine TAG changes for fall 2028: which majors lose TAG, and your backup plan

Starting with fall 2028 admission, UC Irvine will no longer offer TAG for 13 popular majors, including Economics, Business Economics, Psychology (B.A. and B.S.), Biological Sciences and four Engineering majors. If you're applying for fall 2027, nothing changes for you. If you plan to transfer in fall 2028 in one of these majors, you'll need a backup TAG at another campus or a stronger plan for UCI's regular review.

Which majors lose TAG for fall 2028

UCI lists these majors as excluded from TAG for fall 2028 admission. They were open to TAG for fall 2027.

These join the majors that were already excluded: all Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences majors (including Computer Science), Business Administration (Paul Merage School of Business), Nursing Science (Sue and Bill Gross School of Nursing), and Art, Dance and Music, B.Mus. (Claire Trevor School of the Arts). UCI hasn't said why it made the change, and it hasn't announced any change to the TAG GPA for other majors.

Who this affects

• Applying for fall 2027 (this cycle): no change. If you filed a UCI TAG in September 2026 for one of these majors, it still counts, as long as you meet every condition.
• Planning to transfer in fall 2028: this is you if you're in your first year at community college now. TAG for fall 2028 is filed in fall 2027. UC usually runs fall TAG filing September 1–30, but the fall 2028 dates haven't been posted yet.
• Majors not on the list: they keep TAG for now, unless UCI announces more changes. Check UCI's TAG page before you file.

UCI TAG requirements for fall 2027 (this cycle)

If you filed a UCI TAG this September, here's what you need to keep it:

• When you file: 30 UC-transferable semester (45 quarter) units completed through your latest term, including summer. AP, IB and A-level exam credit can count toward the 30. At least 30 of your units must come from a California community college.
• By the end of fall 2026: a 3.4 GPA in all UC-transferable courses, one UC-transferable English composition course and one math course (each with a C or better), and your major's minimum prerequisite grades and GPA.
• By the end of spring 2027: 60 UC-transferable semester (90 quarter) units, the second English composition course and four courses across at least two of arts and humanities, social and behavioral sciences, and physical and biological sciences (all with a C or better), and all major prerequisites with the grades and GPA your major requires. Keep a 3.4 cumulative GPA.
• After approval: no grade below C, and at least a 2.0 GPA, in your fall, winter and spring terms. A California community college must be your last school (summer doesn't count). Missing the January 31, 2027 Transfer Academic Update voids the TAG, along with the other mistakes listed below.

Who can't use UCI TAG

You aren't eligible for UCI TAG if any of these apply:

• You'd need more than 19 semester (28.5 quarter) units in your last term to reach 60.
• You've attended a college other than a California community college and have more than 80 UC-transferable semester (120 quarter) units overall.
• You enrolled at UCI before during a regular term (summer doesn't count).
• You already have a bachelor's, graduate or professional degree.
• You're still in high school when you submit TAG.
• You're repairing a deficient grade in a required course and that course is still in progress during review.
• You're not in good standing at a UC campus, or you've been dismissed or suspended from any school for conduct.

Mistakes that void a UCI TAG

• Leaving out a college or course. Report every college you've attended and every course and grade, in both TAG and the UC application, even old ones unrelated to your major.
• Picking the wrong major. You can't change your TAG major after you submit it, and your primary major on the UC application must match it exactly.
• Missing an email. UC may ask for more information during review. A missed or late reply can void your TAG.

If you aren't eligible for TAG, you can still apply to UCI through regular admission. Many students who don't qualify for TAG are strong applicants.

Your backup plan: TAG at another campus

You can file TAG at only one campus, but you can apply to as many UCs as you like. For fall 2028, the most practical move is to file TAG at another campus that still guarantees your major, while still applying to UCI through regular review. Here's how the other five TAG campuses treat these majors under the current 2027–28 rules:

These are the 2027–28 rules from UC's official TAG matrix. UC hasn't published the fall 2028 matrix yet, and campuses can change their rules, so check again before you file in fall 2027. "Screening" and "selective" majors have extra course and GPA requirements beyond the basic TAG GPA.

Other ways into UCI

• Regular review. Losing TAG doesn't mean you can't get in. UCI admitted 36.4% of transfer applicants for fall 2026 (9,839 of 27,004), and 95.6% of admitted transfers came from California community colleges. Without TAG, your GPA and completed major prep carry more weight, so aim above the minimums.
• UCI's ADT Pilot Program. Students completing an approved Associate Degree for Transfer at a participating community college get priority review. It isn't a guarantee. It requires a 3.5 GPA, at least 30 UC-transferable units from the certifying college (which must be your last school), both English composition courses and a math course with a B or better by the end of fall before you transfer, an ADT major that matches your UC application major, and California residency or AB 540 eligibility. There's no separate application. Ask your counselor whether your college and major participate.
• Major prep still matters. UCI's requirements for these majors don't disappear with TAG. For example, Economics and Business Economics expect a B or better in micro, macro and the calculus sequence, and Engineering expects a C or better in all listed prep courses with a 3.0 GPA in them.

What to do now if you're targeting UCI for fall 2028

1. Confirm your major is on the list. If it isn't, TAG at UCI is still an option.
2. Choose a backup TAG campus that still guarantees your major, using the table above. UC Riverside and UC Merced generally have the lowest GPA minimums (2.8–3.0 for most of these majors), though UCR requires extra major prep and asks for more in Psychology (3.3) and some Engineering majors.
3. Plan courses that satisfy both campuses. Check ASSIST.org for UCI and your backup campus, and take the overlapping prep first.
4. Get 30 UC-transferable units by the end of summer 2027. That's the usual point at which you can file TAG.
5. Raise your GPA above the minimums. In regular review, a 3.4 isn't a guarantee for these majors.
6. Ask about the ADT pilot if your college offers an ADT in your major.

Common questions