There are over 4,000 Colleges and Universities in the United States. These range from 2 to 4 year and private to public institutions. This provides you, the students, with a large variety of transfer options. See our "Transfer Planning" section for tools on how to narrow your choices. This section highlights Mesa's local transfer public universities, the california public university systems and quick links to California Private and Public and Private out-of-state options.
San Diego State University
San Diego Mesa College is a leader in Transfers to SDSU
SDSU is the largest university in San Diego and the third largest in California. The SDSU campus community is home to nearly 33,000 students and approximately 6,400 faculty and staff.
At San Diego State University, faculty, staff, students and community partners come together to pursue knowledge and meet the challenges of our region and our world. The educational process is not confined to classrooms and laboratories. It flows seamlessly wherever faculty and students come together-in traditional campus settings, in the community and in the international arena. Faculty members exemplify the integrated role of teacher/scholar, enabling students to learn through both interaction and participation in ongoing research efforts and community-based learning projects. This pedagogical approach allows students to apply classroom learning to real-world challenges. San Diego State's reputation for academic excellence and practical problem-solving inspires the confidence of community leaders, who look to SDSU for ideas and solutions.
San Diego State is characterized by rapid change, increasing levels of student achievement and exceptional faculty and staff. They are an intellectual community committed to the ideals of diversity and dedicated to human growth and development. All of these attributes make San Diego State a vital university serving the community with "minds that move the world."
- Transfer Fact Sheet (currently not available)
- Scholarships
- Housing Fact Sheet
- Finanical Aid Fact Sheet
UC San Diego
San Diego Mesa College is the #1 Transfer Institution to UCSD!
Since its founding four decades ago, UCSD-one of the ten campuses in the world-renowned University of California system-has rapidly achieved the status as one of the top institutions in the nation for higher education and research. UCSD's interdisciplinary ethos and tradition of innovation and risk-taking underlie its research strength and ability to recruit top scholars and students.
Mesa College's Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) program with UCSD guarantees admission in the college of your choice. More info.
UCSD Representatives visit the Mesa campus throughout the year.
Hardcopies available in the Mesa Transfer Center
CSU San Marcos
Cal State San Marcos offers the ambiance of a small, personal campus with the unequalled value of the California State University.
It's a new kind of CSU that is continually building a reputation for rigorous, high-quality programs.
Students from a broad range of life experiences interact closely with leading academic scholars.
Faculty design programs that help students develop critical skills for success as they pursue careers and further education in a technologically dynamic global environment.
The University, through its programs, its faculty and its students, is an active partner in the vitality of the region.
California State University
The California State University (CSU) system is made up of 23 universities throughout the state.
- California Maritime Academy
- California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
- California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
- California State University, Bakersfield
- California State University, Channel Islands
- California State University, Chico
- California State University, Dominguez Hills
- California State University, East Bay
- California State University, Fresno
- California State University, Fullerton
- California State University, Long Beach
- California State University, Los Angeles
- California State University, Monterey Bay
- California State University, Northridge
- California State University, Sacramento
- California State University, San Bernardino
- California State University, San Marcos
- California State University, Stanislaus
- Humboldt State University
- San Diego State University
- San Francisco State University
- San Jose State University
- Sonoma State University
Explore and plan your CSU Transfer on www.csumentor.org
Students who plan to earn a university degree may find it advantageous to complete freshman and sophomore work at a California community college. A student may apply 70 transferable semester units from the community colleges toward a university degree. Courses completed at a community college after the 70-unit maximum course units has been reached will count toward university requirements, but these course units will not count toward the total number of units required to earn a university degree.
Transfer students will be eligible for admission by meeting the following requirements:
1. Complete 60 semester units or 90 quarter units of transferable units. These 60 units consist of:
- General Education pattern,
- Preparation for Major, and
- any electives needed to reach the 60 unit minimum.
2. Within the General Education, the completion the Golden 4 (Critical Thinking, Writing, Speech, Math) with a grade of C or better. Credit/No-Credit grades are not recommended in these areas.
3. GPA: Your overall grade point average must be at least 2.0 (2.40 for California nonresidents). Impacted majors may have higher GPA requirements.
4. The CSU designates major programs as impacted when more applications are received in the initial filing period from CSU-eligible applicants than can be accommodated by the campus. The initial filing period is defined as the first month of the filing period (October and November for fall terms). If you are interested in an impacted major, you must apply during the initial filing period. You will be subject to supplementary admission criteria and may not be accepted into the program.
To apply to any CSU, complete the online application at www.csumentor.edu. The application periods are as follows:
- Fall - October 1 - Novmeber 30
- Spring - August 1 - August 31
(not all CSU accept Spring admissions)
University of California (UC)
The University of California system includes nine campuses and a Health Sciences Center in San Francisco.
- University of California, Berkeley
- University of California, Davis
- University of California, Irvine
- University of California, Los Angeles
- University of California, Merced
- University of California, Riverside
- University of California, San Diego
- University of California, San Francisco
- University of California, Santa Barbara
- University of California, Santa Cruz
Students who plan to earn a university degree may find it advantageous to complete freshman and sophomore work at a California community college. A student may apply 70 transferable semester units (or 105 quarter units) from the community colleges toward a university degree. Courses completed at a community college after the 70-unit maximum course units has been reached will count toward university requirements, but these course units will not count toward the total number of units required to earn a university degree.
Transfer students will be eligible for admission if they meet the following requirements:
1. Complete 60 semester units or 90 quarter units of transferable units;
2. A grade point average of at least 2.4, with no more than 14 semester or 21 quarter units taken as Credit/No-Credit; and
3. Complete the following course pattern, with a grade of "C" or better in each course:
* two transferable college courses (3 semester of 4-5 quarter units) in English composition; and
* one transferable college course (3 semester or 4-5 quarter units) in mathematical concepts and quantitative reasoning; and
* four transferable college courses (3 semester or 4-5 quarter units each) selected from at least two of the following subject areas: arts and humanities; social and behavioral sciences; and physical and biological sciences.
Students who complete the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) pattern prior to transferring to the University of California system will meet the transfer eligibility coursework requirement listed above.
Students who did not qualify for admissions to a university when graduating from high school because subjects A-F were not satisfied, must complete the requirements listed above.
Note: Specific admission criteria vary among University of California campuses. The UC system limits credit for transfer of courses in fine arts, music, theater arts, computer science, engineering and independent study.
Hardcopies available in the Transfer Center
To apply to the UC system, complete your application online at www.universityofcalifornia.edu/apply. Applications periods are as follows:
- Fall - November 1 - 30
- Winter - July 1 - 31
- Spring - October 1 - 31
*Not all UC campuses accept Winter and Spring admissions.
UC Transfer and Physical Education Activity Courses
UC grants a maximum of four semester units of credit for appropriate Physical Education Activity courses. Courses that are subject to this limit are listed as such on the college's UC Transfer Course Agreement, available on web ASSIST at www.assist.org under the UC Transferable Courses link. Physical Education Theory courses or courses that do not fit either the Theory or Activity category are not included in the four semester credit limit.
UC Transfer and Variable Topics Courses
These courses are also called "Independent Studies", "Special Studies", "Special Topics", "Internships", "Field Work", etc. Credit for variable topics courses is given only after a review of the scope and content of the course by the enrolling UC campus. This usually occurs after transfer and may require recommendations from faculty. UC does not grant credit for variable topics courses in Journalism, Photography, Health, Business Administration, Architecture, Administration of Justice (Criminology) or Library Departments because of credit restrictions in these areas.
Private Colleges and Universities
Transfer options are available to hundreds of Private and Independent Colleges and Universities throughout world. Admission requirements, timelines and coursework are different at each private and independent university.
To establish a transfer plan, research the specific institution's transfer requirements and come the the Transfer Center or Counseling Office to review the information and establish a plan.
Below are some resources to aid you in your search.
San Diego Education Consortium is a non-profit partnership of regionally accredited colleges and universities in San Diego County working together to promote higher education and lifelong learning.
- collegesource.org
- collegeview.com
- Regional Admissions Counselors of California - promoting out-of-state education opportunities for Californians
Any historically black college or university that was established prior to 1964, whose principal mission was, and is, the education of black Americans, and that is accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency or association determined by the Secretary of Education to be a reliable authority as to the quality of training offered or is, according to such an agency or association, making reasonable progress toward accreditation. There are over 125 HBCU's in the United States.
The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) is a national educational association that represents colleges and universities committed to Hispanic higher education success in the United States (including Puerto Rico), Latin America, and Spain. HACU has 193 member Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) located in 11 U.S. states and Puerto Rico. To be considered a Hispanic-Serving Institution, the Hispanic enrollment at a college or university must be at least 25 percent of the total student enrollment. California is home to 54 Hispanic Serving Institutions.
There are 35 federally recognized Tribal Colleges and Universities in the United States. Located mainly in the Midwest and Southwest, Tribal Colleges and Universities service approximately 30,000 full- and part-time students. They offer two-year associate degrees in over 200 disciplines with some providing a bachelor's and master's degree. They also offer 200 vocational certificate programs.
List of Tribal Colleges: www.aihec.org
Tribal College Scholarships: www.collegefund.org