Cal-GETC

What is Cal-GETC?

The Californial General Education Transfer Curriculum (Cal-GETC) is a series of courses that California community college students can complete to satisfy most freshman/sophomore-level general education requirements before transferring to UC.

Cal-GETC is the new general education pattern at all California community colleges. If you enrolled at a CCC in fall 2025, this is the pattern available to you.

If you choose to follow Cal-GETC in order to transfer to UC, you’ll want to:

Check with your transfer advisor to make sure your courses satisfy Cal-GETC requirements.
Complete all the Cal-GETC courses before you transfer. Otherwise, you'll need to satisfy the specific freshman/sophomore-level general education requirements of your UC college or school.

Cal-GETC subject and unit requirement

Subject area	Required courses	Units required
1. English Communication One course in English composition, one course in critical thinking and composition, and one course in oral communication.	3 courses	9 semester units or 12 quarter units
2. Mathematical Concepts and Quantitative Reasoning	1 course	3 semester units or 4 quarter units
3. Arts and Humanities Two courses with at least one from the arts and one from the humanities	2 courses	6 semester units or 8 quarter units
4. Social and Behavioral Sciences Two courses from at least two disciplines	2 courses	6 semester units or 8 quarter units
5. Physical and Biological Sciences At least two courses; one physical science course and one biological science or course, at least one of which includes a laboratory	2 courses	7 semester units or 9 quarter units
6. Ethnic Studies	1 course	3 semester units or 4-5 quarter units
Total:	11 courses	34 semester units

GPA requirement

Your courses will count towards Cal-GETC if you get grades of a C or better. A grade of Credit or Pass will also count if the community college's policy states it is equivalent to a grade of C or better.

Using AP exams to meet Cal-GETC

You can fulfill Cal-GETC course requirements with some AP exam scores.

Cal-GETC course credit may be earned for scores of 3, 4 or 5 on specific AP exams.

A score of 3, 4, or 5 on an English AP exam may be used to meet the English Composition requirement (Cal-GETC Area 1A), but not the Critical Thinking and Composition requirement (Cal-GETC Area 1B).

Taking Cal-GETC courses at more than one community college

You don’t have to complete your Cal-GETC coursework all at the same California community college. Courses taken at more than one college may be used to fulfill Cal-GETC, but there are some restrictions.

Coursework may only be applied in the area or category it was approved for in the Cal-GETC agreement at the community college where it was completed.

What if I don’t complete Cal-GETC?

Cal-GETC is not a UC admission requirement, but some campuses may prefer that you complete the pattern prior to transferring for selection purposes. If you do not complete Cal-GETC, you'll receive credit as appropriate for courses completed that meet your UC's general education breadth requirements.