Transfer applicants can receive academic and studio credit for work thus far completed prior to transferring to CCA.

Receiving Transfer Credit

Academic credits received from regionally accredited institutions are usually transferable to CCA, provided they satisfy the requirements for the BA, BFA, or BArch.

Transfer credits must be a grade of C or better (or pass, in pass/fail courses where a pass is equivalent to a C grade or better) and have been completed within the past 10 years.

CCA is on the semester system. Students transferring from an institution on the quarter system can calculate the value of transferable credits at CCA by counting quarter units as two-thirds of a semester unit.

BA and BFA applicants may transfer a maximum of 45 studio semester units; BArch applicants may transfer a maximum of 63 studio semester units.

Once you are a CCA degree student, you may only transfer a maximum of 12 additional units.

Receiving Studio Credit

Transfer credit for studio courses is based on a portfolio review and corresponding transferable coursework. Waivers for the Core entry requirements (Drawing, 2D, 3D, 4D) are given based on successful completion of studio work and overall portfolio quality.

Students with 12 or more studio units that meet the aforementioned grade and portfolio requirements may also receive waivers for the Core entry requirements. Portfolios should include images that reflect competency in drawing, 2D and 3D organizational principles, and work that covers digital technologies or film.

Studio units that do not meet CCA requirements for course waivers may be used as studio electives.

Articulation Agreements

CCA has articulation agreements with several community colleges. All California community college students can use the ASSIST website (described below) in conjunction with CCA's CSU breadth chart to place their humanities and science transfer units.

ASSIST is an online student-transfer information system that shows how course credits earned at one public California college or university can be applied when transferred to another.

ASSIST is the official repository of articulation for California's public colleges and universities and provides the most accurate and up-to-date information about student transfer in California.

Use the "Explore Transfer Information" section at the ASSIST website by choosing the institution you are intending to transfer from in the drop-down menu. Once you have selected the institution, then select the CSU Transferable Courses link.

Once the page has refreshed, you can select a department from the drop-down menu. The CSU transferable courses will be listed by course number, title, and the number of units. Use this information in conjunction with CCA's breadth chart for equivalencies.

IGETC

CCA accepts the Inter-Segmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC). Completion of the IGETC pattern in its entirety will enable students to complete 33 semester units of the 51 humanities and science coursework CCA requires.

Transfer Credit for Second-Degree Students

BA and BFA applicants who have a previous undergraduate bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited U.S. college or university will automatically receive transfer credit for all of the CCA humanities and sciences requirements except for the 15-18 units of visual studies.

Transfer credit is given for Visual Studies courses in accordance with CCA's transfer credit policy. The 10-year limit on transfer credit does not apply to previously earned bachelor's degrees.

Advanced Placement Credit & International Baccalaureate (IB)

Advanced Placement
Advanced Placement (AP) exams administered by the College Board are accepted as credit toward satisfying both humanities and sciences and studio requirements, depending on which exam has been completed.

A score of 3 or higher is granted transfer credit. Advanced Placement for studio work is based on a portfolio review. Advanced Placement studio credit that does not meet major studio requirements may be used as credit for studio electives.

International Baccalaureate
Students who complete the International Baccalaureate (IB) exams and earn a score of 4 or higher are granted transfer credit. CCA may transfer a maximum of 30 units from the IB exams. (See also Advanced Placement (AP), above).