Cal-GETC - The New GE Pattern for CSU and UC Transfer

1. What is Cal-GETC?

The California General Education Transfer Curriculum (Cal-GETC) is the singular general education pathway for California Community College (CCC) students to fulfill lower-division general education requirements for transfer to both the California State University (CSU) and the University of California (UC). It consists of 11 courses with a minimum of 34 total semester units completed.

Completion of Cal-GETC is not an admission requirement or admission guarantee for transfer to the CSU or UC, nor is it the only way to fulfill the lower-division general education requirements for CSU or UC. However, for the majority of students it is strongly recommended that they complete Cal-GETC prior to transfer. All CSUs and most UC campuses and programs will accept certified Cal-GETC completion as satisfying lower-division general education requirements.

2.When does Cal-GETC begin?
Cal-GETC will be in effect in Fall 2025 for new incoming Santa Ana College students (no previous CCC or CSU enrollment). Students previously enrolled in UC, in-state-private and/or out of state institutions should also follow Cal-GETC.

3. Is Cal-GETC right for all students?
Cal-GETC may not be right for students who:

are not planning to transfer and who are earning an AA or AS degree
have maintained "continuous enrollment" at SAC or another CCC and/or CSU beginning prior to Fall 2025. Consult a SAC counselor for more information. Students who have continuous enrollment prior to Fall 2025 may elect to complete Cal-GETC but it is not required.
were awarded an Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT) on their official transcript
were awarded full CSU-GE or IGETC certification whether transcribed on their official CCC transcript or in other forms
who initially enroll at a UC campus, then leave and attend a CCC, and subsequently return to the same UC campus. Such students are considered "readmits" by the UC and cannot use Cal-GETC.

4. Can students still use CSU-GE Breadth (SAC Plan B) and IGETC (SAC Plan C)?
CSU-GE Breadth and IGETC are still an option for students who began continuous enrollment prior to Fall 2025 and who have maintained it. Please see a counselor for further information. It has yet to be determined when the use of these GE patterns will be phased out. Students who have continuous enrollment prior to Fall 2025 may elect to complete the Cal-GETC requirements but it is not required.

5. What grade is required for Cal-GETC courses?
All courses applied to Cal-GETC must be completed with a grade of "C" (2.0 grade points on a 4.0 scale) or better (C- is not acceptable) or Pass if P is equivalent to a "C" grade or higher. No more than 14 semester units (21 quarter units) of Pass/No Pass, excluding credit by exam, may be used toward Cal-GETC certification. (AP and IB are considered part of credit by exam.) The P/NP option is not recommended for areas 1A, 1B, 1C, and 2.

6. What is the minimum unit value of courses applied to Cal-GETC?
A course must have a minimum unit value of 3 semester or 4 quarter units to meet the requirements for Cal-GETC, unless it is a laboratory course intended to accompany a lecture course. (There may be an exception for 3 quarter unit or 2 semester unit Math and English courses that are part of a sequence that satisfy Area 1A or 2.)

7. Can students be awarded partial Cal-GETC certification?
Only full Cal-GETC certificition, with all areas completed, will be granted. Partial Cal-GETC certification is not permitted.

8. Can courses completed prior to Fall 2025, that were included in IGETC (SAC Plan C) when completed (see assist.org), be applied to Cal-GETC?
Students who have taken IGETC approved (at the time of completion) courses prior to Fall 2025 may include those courses in Cal-GETC certification if those courses are also approved for the corresponding Cal-GETC Area.

9. Can Cal-GETC approved courses be applied to CSU-GE Breadth (SAC Plan B) or IGETC (SAC Plan C) requirements (for those students who qualify to use CSU-GE and IGETC based on continuous enrollment)?
Students who qualify to use CSU-GE Breadth should choose to complete courses listed on the SAC 24-25 CSU-GE Breadth pattern. New Cal-GETC approved courses cannot be used to satisfy CSU-GE breadth requirements. Cal-GETC courses taken Fall 2025 or later may be applied towards IGETC certification if the courses are approved for the corresponding Cal-GETC Area.

10. Can CSU-bound students satisfy the CSU "American Institutions" (AI) requirement as part of Cal-GETC?
The CSU U.S. History, Constitution, and American Ideals (AI) graduation requirement is not part of Cal-GETC. However, a course used to satisfy the AI requirement may also be used to satisfy a Cal-GETC subject area requirement (at the discretion of the CSU campus). It is generally recommended that students complete the History and Political Science courses and "double count" them in the Cal-GETC areas.

11. Can UC-bound students satisfy the UC Language Other Than English (LOTE) requirement as part of Cal-GETC?
The UC Language Other Than English (LOTE) graduation requirement is not part of Cal-GETC. Upon transfer to a UC, a course that is approved to fulfill a Cal-GETC subject area may also be used to satisfy the LOTE requirement if it meets relevant UC criteria. It is generally recommended that UC-bound transfer students complete this requirement prior to transfer. You can learn more about UC LOTE here: UC LOTE Requirement

12. Can courses completed at other California Community Colleges be applied toward SAC Cal-GETC completion?
Yes. Coursework will be applied to the Cal-GETC area in which it is listed by the CCC where it was completed, at the time the course was completed. See assist.org.

13.Can courses completed at non-California Community Colleges be applied toward SAC Cal-GETC completion?
Courses taken at other U.S. institutions (which do not maintain a Cal-GETC certification list) with accreditation from ICAS approved (formerly regional) accreditors will be placed in the subject areas for which Santa Ana College has equivalent courses. In some cases non-equivalent courses may also be considered. Please see a counselor for additional information. International coursework, from an institution without accreditation from an ICAS approved accreditor, cannot be applied to Cal-GETC.

14. If a new student wants to take classes in Summer 2025, which pattern would the student follow?
A new student taking classes in Summer 2025 must follow either the 2024-2025 CSU GE Breadth or IGETC requirements, as Cal-GETC will not start until Fall 2025. Students can change to the Cal-GETC pattern in Fall 2025, if they choose to do so.

15. Are there options to fulfill CSU or UC general education requirements other than Cal-GETC (or CSU-GE Breadth or IGETC for those with continuous enrollment)?
For the UC, students may choose to complete coursework to meet the campus general education requirements of the university program to which they plan to transfer. For the CSU, some students may elect to take courses to fulfill the CSU's general education requirements (CSU GE) after transfer (though this is inconsistent with the intent of Assembly Bill 928/Cal-GETC).