What is Cal-GETC? Requirements, areas and units explained

Cal-GETC (California General Education Transfer Curriculum) is the single general education pattern for California community college students who plan to transfer to a UC or CSU. It replaced IGETC and CSU GE-Breadth for students who started community college in fall 2025 or later. It's 11 courses and at least 34 semester units across six areas, each passed with a C or better.

Cal-GETC in one minute

• Who uses it: students who started at a California community college in fall 2025 or later. If you've been continuously enrolled since before fall 2025, you can keep using IGETC or CSU GE-Breadth, or choose Cal-GETC.
• Where it counts: it's designed to satisfy lower-division general education for transfer to both the UC and CSU systems.
• What it is not: a UC admission requirement. UC says some campuses may prefer it for selection, but you can be admitted without it.
• When to finish: before you transfer. If you don't finish it, your UC campus applies your completed courses to its own GE requirements instead.

Cal-GETC requirements by area

These are the six areas as UC lists them (UC Admissions).

Your college publishes its own list of approved courses for each area. Check it, and ASSIST.org, before you register.

What changed from IGETC

Here's a quick summary. For which pattern to prioritize, and how it compares with major prep campus by campus, see IGETC vs. Cal-GETC vs. major prep.

About the language requirement: dropping LOTE from Cal-GETC doesn't remove UC's language rules. Many UC colleges and majors still require a language to graduate, so it's often smart to finish it before you transfer. Ask your counselor which courses count.

About partial certification: the CSU's implementation memo says Cal-GETC students may receive only full certification, while some colleges say partial certification may be possible for UC campuses that accept it. Treat Cal-GETC as all-or-nothing and confirm with your transfer counselor if you'll be short a course.

Should you complete Cal-GETC?

It depends on your major and your campuses. Some programs prefer it, and finishing it can help you graduate on time. In high-unit majors like engineering and the sciences, major preparation usually comes first, and many students transfer without full general education. We compare the trade-offs campus by campus in IGETC vs. Cal-GETC vs. major prep.

• Going for an ADT and a CSU? Ask your counselor which GE pattern your ADT uses, and see the ADT explained.
• Filing a TAG? Most TAG agreements don't require a full GE pattern, but a few majors do. Check the UC TAG guide and your campus's TAG terms.
• Applying to UCSD? UCSD's colleges each set their own GE rules. See our UC San Diego guide.

Rules students miss

• Grades: each course needs a C or better. A C- doesn't count. Pass grades count only if your college treats them as a C or better.
• AP exams: scores of 3, 4 or 5 on specific AP exams can count. An AP English score can satisfy Area 1A, but not Area 1B.
• More than one college: you can combine courses from several California community colleges. Each course counts only in the area it was approved for at the college where you took it.
• Certification: ask your last community college to certify Cal-GETC before you transfer, and confirm with a transfer counselor that your courses qualify.

Common questions