Published May 14, 2018
Fall 2019 UC Davis TAG Criteria
The UC Davis Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) is a written agreement that guarantees admission to
UC Davis for fall term in a given major.
Students at any California community college can apply for a TAG one year before they wish to enroll at
UC Davis:
1. Speak with a California community college counselor about transferring with a UC Davis TAG.
2. Complete the University of California Transfer Admission Planner (UC TAP).
3. Submit the TAG application September 1-30, 2018, using the UC TAP.
Approved applicants will receive a TAG contract outlining coursework, grades, GPA thresholds and any
other admission requirements that must be completed prior to transfer. Students who meet the terms of
their UC Davis TAG contract and who submit a UC application during the fall initial UC application filing
period, are guaranteed admission to UC Davis.
I. TAG REQUIREMENTS
General Requirements
When applying for the UC Davis TAG, students must:
• Have been enrolled at a California community college (CCC) during the previous spring term
• Be enrolled at the CCC for the current fall term
• Plan to continue enrollment at the CCC through the spring term prior to enrolling at UC Davis in
the fall
• Have at least 30 semester (45 quarter) UC-transferable units. These may include Advanced
Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) exam units.
Additional Considerations
Full-time enrollment is strongly recommended to be adequately prepared for UC Davis. Students who
are enrolled part-time for any of the above terms should provide justification in the Additional
Comments section of the TAG application.
Students who attended a college or university outside of the CCC system (including out-of-state and
international institutions) prior to attendance at a CCC are eligible for TAG if they meet the criteria
above and their combined UC-transferable units do not exceed the maximum allowable units. After
applying UC lower-division unit limitations and exclusions, students must have fewer than 80
semester (120 quarter) transferable units of college coursework at the time of enrollment.
Exclusions
The following situations preclude eligibility for a UC Davis TAG:
• Students who have already earned a bachelor, graduate and/or professional degree
• Students previously enrolled at UC Davis during a regular term (excluding summer)
• Students who are concurrently enrolled in high school when the TAG is submitted
• Students who are concurrently enrolled in a 4-year (baccalaureate, non-CCC) institution in any
term from when the TAG is submitted, up to the term of enrollment
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Unit Requirements
When applying for the UC Davis TAG, students must have completed at least 30 semester (45
quarter) UC-transferable units. This may include Advanced Placement (AP) or International
Baccalaureate (IB) exam units.
By the close of spring term 2019, students must complete at least 60 semester (90 quarter)
UC-transferable units, and at least 30 of those semester units (or 45 of those quarter units) must have
been completed at one or more California community colleges.
Additional Considerations
Students may not earn credit for some college courses if they duplicate credit already earned through
AP or IB credits according to UC Davis articulation rules. For additional details, please refer to the AP
and IB charts in the UC Davis General Catalog at catalog. ucdavis.edu.
Grade Point Average (GPA) Requirements
The UC-transferable overall GPAs below must be achieved by the time the TAG application is
submitted and must be maintained through spring term 2019, before transferring to UC Davis.
• 3.20 is the required overall GPA for all majors in the College of Agricultural and Environmental
Sciences, College of Biological Sciences and College of Letters and Science.
• 3.30 is the required overall GPA for all majors in the College of Engineering.
Additional Considerations
All majors in the College of Biological Sciences and College of Engineering, as well as some majors in
the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and College of Letters and Science, are
selective and have additional requirements. Technical GPA is derived from courses or groups of
courses required for selective majors. For additional details, refer to Section III.
English and Math Requirements
When applying for the UC Davis TAG, the following requirements must be completed or in progress
by fall 2018:
• Two transferable courses in English (UC-E)
• One transferable course in mathematical concepts and quantitative reasoning (UC-M)
Additional Considerations
Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) exams can also be used to meet the
minimum transfer admission subject requirements in English (UC-E) and math (UC-M). However,
only one of the two UC-E requirements can be met with AP or IB exams. For additional details, please
refer to the AP and IB charts in the UC Davis General Catalog at catalog.ucdavis.edu.
II. APPLYING FOR A UC DAVIS TAG
TAG applications for fall 2019 admission must be submitted September 1-30, 2018, using the
UC TAP at uctap.universityofcalifornia.edu. TAGs are only available for fall quarter admission
consideration. Applicants will be notified by email about their TAG application status by November
15, 2018.
• Students with approved TAGs must submit the UC application for undergraduate admission and
scholarships during the UC application fall filing period.
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• Students who fulfill the terms of their TAG contract and submit their UC application by
November 30 will be notified of their admission to UC Davis in late April 2019.
Tips on Applying
• Students must use their full legal name on both the UC Davis TAG application and the UC
application for undergraduate admission and scholarships.
• Students must apply for admission to the same major for which the TAG is approved in order to
guarantee admission.
• Students must report all academic information, including each college or university of enrollment
or attendance, gaps in education and courses in progress and planned. All courses and grades,
e.g. D, F, I and W, must be listed as they appear on transcripts.
• After submitting the UC application, students must complete the UC Transfer Academic Update
at ucal.us/transferapplication with fall grades and course changes, preferably by January 31,
2019.
• Students must respond to all email inquiries in a timely manner and by specified deadlines.
III. SELECTIVE MAJORS
Certain majors require additional coursework and/or a higher GPA to be eligible for a TAG and
regular transfer admission. Please refer to the additional selective major TAG requirements in the
corresponding areas below. As you prepare to transfer to UC Davis, you are encouraged to work with
your California community college counselor to carefully plan your academic program and to ensure
you are well prepared for your intended major.
The UC Davis TAG is available in all majors, both selective and non-selective, unless otherwise
specified below. Undeclared/exploratory programs are closed to all transfer applicants. For additional
details, please refer to tag.ucdavis.edu.
Academic preparation in your major is a primary basis for transfer admission. We strongly encourage
you to work with your California community college counselor in planning your course of study to
ensure that you are well prepared for your chosen major.
• In the College of Biological Sciences, all majors are selective.
• In the College of Engineering, all majors are selective.
• In the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, the following majors are selective:
o Biotechnology
o Landscape Architecture
o Viticulture and Enology
o For applicants to fall 2021 and later, Managerial Economics will be selective.
• In the College of Letters and Science, the following majors are selective:
o Computer Science
o Psychology
o For applicants to fall 2020 and later, Applied Physics, Physics, Mathematics and
Pharmaceutical Chemistry will be selective.
o For fall 2021 applicants and later, Economics will be selective.
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Additional Considerations
Some course requirements can be satisfied with credits earned from Advanced Placement (AP) or
International Baccalaureate (IB) exams. Please refer to the AP and IB charts in the UC Davis General
Catalog at catalog.ucdavis.edu regarding accepted scores and course equivalencies.
Students are expected to take California Community College (CCC) courses comparable to UC Davis
courses as long as they are offered at the CCC they attend. When the ASSIST website (assist.org)
indicates “no comparable course” or “not articulated,” UC Davis will waive that TAG requirement.
Courses not offered at the primary CCC must be completed after enrolling at UC Davis.
College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
Biotechnology
Biotechnology TAG applicants must have a 3.20 overall GPA and all required courses comparable to
the UC Davis courses listed below completed by the end of the final spring term prior to fall transfer.
At the time of TAG application, students must meet or exceed a minimum 2.50 technical GPA
required for each series of selective major courses. Applicants must complete all courses required for
selective majors with a letter grade and cannot have a grade below a C in any required course.
• Mathematics 16A/B or Mathematics 17A/B or Mathematics 21A/B
Students must have at least a 2.50 technical GPA for this group of courses. If only one course
from this group has been completed at the time of TAG application, students must have earned a
B- grade or better in that course.
• Chemistry 2A/B/C
Students must have at least a 2.50 technical GPA for this group of courses. If only one course
from this group has been completed at the time of TAG application, students must have earned a
B- grade or better in that course.
• Biological Sciences 2A or 2B or 2C (entire series highly recommended):
If only one comparable UC Davis Biological Science 2 series course has been completed, that
course must be completed with a B grade or better. If multiple courses are required to be
comparable to one UC Davis Biological Sciences 2 series, the combination of those courses must
be completed with a 3.00 technical GPA.
OR
Courses comparable to two or more UC Davis Biological Science 2A/B/C courses can be
completed with at least a 2.50 technical GPA.
We strongly encourage students to complete the entire Biological Sciences 2A/B/C series before
transferring to UC Davis, as that series is a prerequisite for many upper-division courses.
It is also strongly recommended that students complete coursework comparable to the following
UC Davis courses to move more efficiently toward graduation:
• Organic Chemistry 8A/B or Organic Chemistry 118A/B/C
For the best transition and reduced time-to-degree, students should consider completing all lower-
division preparatory coursework shown on assist.org for their intended major.
Viticulture and Enology
Viticulture and Enology TAG applicants must have a 3.20 overall GPA and all required courses
comparable to the UC Davis courses listed below completed by the end of the final spring term prior
to fall transfer.
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At the time of TAG application, students must meet or exceed a minimum 3.00 technical GPA in the
selective major courses, complete all major courses with a letter grade and cannot have a grade below
a C in any required major course. If only one course from this group has been completed at the time
of TAG application, students must have earned a B grade or better in that course.
Complete all courses comparable to the following:
• General Chemistry 2A/B/C
• Organic Chemistry 8A
• Mathematics 16A
• Physics 1A/B or Physics 7A
• Biological Sciences 2A
It is strongly recommended that students complete courses comparable to the following UC Davis
courses. If completed, the student must have at least a 3.00 technical GPA in all required and
recommended courses.
• Organic Chemistry 8B
• Mathematics 16B
• Plant Sciences 2
Pre- Landscape Architecture
Students may apply under a “pre-landscape architecture” major for a TAG without completing
specific major course requirements, but they must have a 3.20 overall GPA. After students have
enrolled at UC Davis they will be required to submit a separate major portfolio application to the
department in February to be considered for placement in the upper-division Landscape Architecture
major. Contact the Landscape Architecture Advising Office at 530-754-8628 or visit
humanecology.ucdavis.edu for details about the portfolio application.
Managerial Economics (selective for fall 2021 applicants)
Managerial Economics TAG applicants for fall 2021 and later must have a 3.20 overall GPA and all
required courses comparable to the UC Davis courses listed below by the end of the final spring term
prior to fall transfer. (Future requirements are subject to change.)
At the time of TAG application, applicants must meet or exceed a minimum 2.50 technical GPA in
the selective major courses, complete all major courses with a letter grade and cannot have a grade
below a C in any required major course.
• Mathematics 16A/B or Mathematics 17A/B or Mathematics 21A/B
• Economics 1A/B
• Statistics 13
College of Biological Sciences
TAG applicants to any College of Biological Sciences major must have a 3.20 overall GPA and all
required courses comparable to the UC Davis courses listed below completed by the end of the final
spring term prior to fall transfer.
At the time of TAG application, students must meet or exceed a minimum 2.50 technical GPA in each
series of selective major courses, complete all required courses with a letter grade and cannot have a
grade below a C in any required course.
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• Mathematics 17A/B/C or Mathematics 21A/B
Students must have at least a 2.50 technical GPA for this group of courses. If only one course
from this group has been completed at the time of TAG application, students must have earned a
B- grade or better in that course.
• Chemistry 2A/B/C
Students must have at least a 2.50 technical GPA for this group of courses. If only one course
from this group has been completed at the time of TAG application, students must have earned a
B- grade or better in that course.
• Biological Sciences 2A/B/C
Students must have at least a 2.50 technical GPA for this group of courses. If only one course
from this group has been completed at the time of TAG application, students must have earned a
B- grade or better in that course.
It is strongly recommended that students complete courses comparable to the following UC Davis
courses. Completion of these courses will help the student move more efficiently toward graduation.
Courses should be taken for a letter grade, with no grade less than C; however, grades in these
courses are not assessed as part of a College of Biological Sciences major course group technical GPA:
• Organic Chemistry 8A/B* or Organic Chemistry 118A/B/C
• Physics 7A/B/C or the physics series cited on assist.org for a student's intended College of
Biological Sciences major and degree (Completion of the physics series is especially useful for
students applying to the Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior major.)
*Note: Students planning to major in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology should complete Organic
Chemistry 118A/B/C rather than 8A/B. Students planning to major in Marine and Coastal Science
with a focus in Marine Ecology and Organismal Biology should complete Organic Chemistry 8A/B;
however, students may substitute Chemistry 118A/B/C.
For the best transition and reduced time-to-degree, students should consider completing all lower-
division preparatory coursework shown on assist.org for their intended major.
College of Engineering
By the end of the final spring term prior to fall transfer, TAG applicants to all majors in the College of
Engineering must have an overall 3.30 GPA and have completed coursework comparable to the
required UC Davis courses displayed at ucdavis.edu/admissions/transfer/major-requirements-college-
engineering, at assist.org or in the College of Engineering’s 2018–19 Transfer Credit Agreement.
At the time of TAG application, students must meet or exceed a minimum 3.20 technical GPA in the
selective major courses, complete all major courses with a letter grade and cannot have a grade below
a C in any required major course.
If one course from the group is completed, the grade for that one course must be B+ or better. If more
than one course from the group is completed, the GPA for those courses combined must be a 3.20
technical GPA or higher.
Updates to ASSIST
A new Engineering Computer Science series (ENG CS/ECS 36A/36B/36C) will be replacing
ENG CS/ECS 30, 40 and 60 courses, respectively, beginning with the 2018 academic year. Courses
offered at CCCs with existing articulation to ENG CS/ECS 30, 40 and 60 will be honored for the next
three academic years (2018-2019, 2019-2020, and 2020-2021). Applicants for fall 2021 and later
will need to complete courses articulated to the new ENG CS/ECS 36A/36B/36C series.
A new series, ENG CS/ECS 32A/32B will also be available beginning with the 2018 academic year.
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The following options will meet respective major requirements for the 2018 academic year and
transfer admission requirements for fall 2019, where ENG CS/ECS 30 and/or ENG CS/ECS 40 and/or
ENG CS/ECS 60 were once required:
• Aerospace Science and Engineering, Mechanical Engineering:
ENGIN 6 or ENG CS/ECS 32A or ENG CS/ECS 36A
• Biochemical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering:
ENGIN 6 or ENG CHM 60 or ENG CS/ECS 36A
• Civil Engineering, Environmental Engineering:
ENGIN 6 or ENG CS/ECS 32A
• Computer Engineering and Computer Science and Engineering:
ENG CS/ECS 36A, 36B, and 36C
• Electrical Engineering:
EEC 7 or ENG CS/ECS 36A
College of Engineering also requires one course from the following options for the major listed below
as of fall 2018:
• Biological Systems Engineering
ENGIN 3 or Communications 1 or Communications 3
The College of Engineering strongly recommends that the courses noted below be completed before
transferring in order to help the student move more efficiently towards graduation.
• Electrical Engineering
Communication 1 or Communication 3
ENGIN 6
English 3 or University Writing Program 1
• Mechanical Engineering
Communication 1 or Communication 3
ENGIN 45
English 3 or University Writing Program 1
College of Letters and Science
Computer Science
Computer Science TAG applicants must have a 3.20 overall GPA and all required courses comparable
to the UC Davis courses listed below completed by the end of the final spring term prior to fall
transfer.
At the time of TAG application, students must meet or exceed a minimum 3.40 technical GPA in each
series of selective major courses, complete all required courses with a letter grade and cannot have a
grade below a C in any required course. If one course from the group is completed, the grade for that
one course must be A- or better.
• Mathematics 21A/B/C
Students must have at least a 3.40 technical GPA for this group of course. If only one course from
this group has been completed at the time of TAG application, students must have earned an A-
grade or better in that course.
• Engineering Computer Science (ENG CS/ECS) 20, 30, 50 and 60
Students must have a at least a 3.40 technical GPA for this group of course. If only one course
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from this group has been completed at the time of TAG application, students must have earned
an A- grade or better in that course.
Additional Updates
A new Engineering Computer Science series— ENG CS/ECS 36A/36B/36C—will be replacing
ENG CS/ECS 30, 40 and 60 courses, respectively, beginning with the 2018 academic year. Courses
offered at CCCs with existing articulation to ENG CS/ECS 30, 40 and 60 will be honored for the next
three years (2018-2019, 2019-2020 and 2020-2021). Beginning in fall 2021, Computer Science TAG
applicants will need to complete courses articulated to the new ENG CS/ECS 36A/36B/36C series and
continue to complete ENG CS/ECS 20 and 50 with the 3.40 technical GPA currently required.
Psychology
Psychology TAG applicants must have a 3.20 overall GPA all required courses comparable to the
UC Davis courses listed below completed by the end of the final spring term prior to fall transfer.
At the time of TAG application, students must meet or exceed a minimum 2.90 technical GPA in the
selective major courses, complete all major courses with a letter grade and cannot have a grade below
a C in any required major course. If one course from the group is completed at the time the TAG is
submitted, that course must be completed with a B grade or better.
• Psychology 1
• Statistics 13
• Biological Science 2A
or
Biological Science 10 AND one of the following courses:
Anthropology 1 or Molecular and Cellular Biology 10 or
Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior 10
New Selective Majors for 2020 Applicants
Students applying for fall 2020 or later to majors in Applied Physics, Physics, Mathematics and
Pharmaceutical Chemistry must have a 3.20 overall GPA and coursework comparable to the required
UC Davis courses shown below completed by the end of the final spring term prior to fall transfer.
(Future requirements are subject to change.)
Applied Physics
Complete courses comparable to the following UC Davis courses listed below with at least a 3.00
technical GPA for the group of courses.
• Physics 9A/B/C/D or Physics 9HA/HB/HC/HD/HE
• Mathematics 21A/B/C/D
• Mathematics 22A/B
Physics
Complete courses comparable to the following UC Davis courses with at least a 3.00 technical GPA
for the group of courses.
• Physics 9A/B/C/D or Physics 9HA/HB/HC/HD/HE
• Mathematics 21A/B/C/D
• Mathematics 22A/B
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Mathematics
Complete courses comparable to the following UC Davis courses listed below with at least a 3.00
technical GPA for the group of courses.
• Mathematics 21A/B/C/D
• Mathematics 22A or Mathematics 67
• Mathematics 22B
Pharmaceutical Chemistry
Complete courses comparable to the following UC Davis courses listed below with at least a 3.00
technical GPA for the group of courses.
• Chemistry 2A/B/C or Chemistry 2AH/BH/CH
• Chemistry 118A/B/C or Chemistry 128A/B/C AND Chemistry 129A/B/C
• Mathematics 16A/B/C or Mathematics 17A/B/C or Mathematics 21A/B/C
It is strongly recommended that students complete courses comparable to the following UC Davis
courses with a C or better. Completion of these courses before transfer will help you move more
efficiently toward graduation. The grades for these courses will not be included in the 3.00 technical
GPA requirement for the major courses.
• Physics 7A/B/C or Physics 9A/B/C
• Biological Sciences 2A
• Biological Sciences 2B or 2C
• Statistics 13 or Statistics 32
New Selective Major for 2021 Applicants
Beginning with applicants for fall 2021, Economics TAG applicants must have a 3.20 overall GPA and
all required courses comparable to the UC Davis courses listed below completed with a 3.00 technical
GPA by the end of the final spring term prior to fall transfer. (Future requirements are subject to
change.)
• Mathematics 16A/B/C or Mathematics 17A/B/C or Mathematics 21A/B/C
• Economics 1A/B
It is strongly recommended that students complete a course comparable to UC Davis courses listed
below with a C grade or better. Completion of the course before transfer will help you move more
efficiently toward graduation. If completed, the grade for this course will count toward the 3.00
technical GPA requirement for the major courses.
• Statistics 13