IGETC Advising Form Information

Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC)

Transfer students should review the ASSIST website for the most accurate list of approved IGETC courses and for a list of lower division course required for a major. In addition, use counseling services to review all transfer requirements –general education, major, units, campus/major selection criteria, and GPA. Full IGETC CERTIFICATION provides official recognition that the GE portion of transfer requirements has been completed and permits students to transfer from College of San Mateo to any California State University or University of California campus without having to take additional lower-division general education courses after transfer. As the last step in the transfer process, students should request an IGETC CERTIFICATION be sent with the final transcript to the transfer destination. The Office of Enrollment Services is responsible for transcripts and certifications. Students with coursework from other colleges or universities within the United States should use the District Transcript Evaluation service to determine if and how prior coursework can be applied to IGETC certification.

To track the courses you have completed for certification, the IGETC Worksheet is available online or on page 413 of the 2022-2023 Catalog PDF.

Use DegreeWorks to monitor progress to IGETC completion

Within WebSMART under "Student Services," students can find DegreeWorks. DegreeWorks is a web-based tool to help students monitor progress to IGETC completion and other goals.

Important information regarding completing IGETC

  1. The IGETC certification permits students to transfer from College of San Mateo to any campus of the California State University (CSU) or University of California (UC) systems without having to take additional lower-division general education after transfer.
  2. Completion of the IGETC is not an admission requirement or guarantee for transfer to CSU or UC, nor is it the only way to fulfill lower-division general education requirements for CSU or UC prior to transfer. Engineering students and students completing majors with high lower division unit requirements are advised to focus on completing the pre-major requirements while meeting minimum admission requirements.
  3. Courses listed in more than one area can be used to satisfy only one area unless noted otherwise.
  4. All courses applied to IGETC must be completed with a grade of C or higher (C- grades are not acceptable).
  5. Students who enroll at a UC or CSU campus, then leave and attend a community college, and subsequently return to a different UC or CSU campus MAY use IGETC.
  6. Students who initially enroll at a UC campus, then leave and attend a community college, and subsequently return to the same campus are considered “readmits” by the UC. Such students cannot use the IGETC.
  7. If the Language Other than English Requirement was satisfied in high school, the student's official high school transcript must be submitted prior to certification.
  8. Coursework from other accredited colleges/ universities, other than California community colleges, may be approved as long as the courses meet IGETC standards; the exception is Area 1B (Critical Thinking).
  9. Be sure to request IGETC certification with your final transcripts to be sent to your choice of university or college.
  10. The IGETC is not advisable for all transfer students.
  • UC Berkeley - Haas School of Business and colleges of Engineering, Environmental Design and Chemistry have extensive prescribed major prerequisites and IGETC is not appropriate preparation for majors in these colleges.
  • UC Los Angeles - The Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science does not accept IGETC.
  • UC Riverside - The Marlan and Rosemary Bourns College of Engineering accepts completion of IGETC but additional breadth coursework may be required after enrollment. College of Natural/Agricultural Science does not accept IGETC.
  • UC San Diego - Eleanor Roosevelt and Revelle Colleges accept IGETC but additional general education coursework will be required after transfer.
  • UC Santa Cruz - Transfer students pursuing any major in the physical and biological sciences or the Jack Baskin School of Engineering should not follow IGETC as it will not provide them with lower division preparation for their majors.