UC TAGs and UCLA’s TAP

Many students who attend a California community college have the goal of transferring to a four year university. Two of the most useful and important transfer tools to lookout for at your community college are the transfer agreement guarantee program (TAG) and UCLA’s transfer alliance program (TAP).

What is a TAG?

The TAG program, short for transfer agreement guarantee program, is a program that assists California community college students in transferring to a UC. The TAG program offers transfer agreement guarantees, a contractual agreement for guaranteed transfer admissions to participating UC campuses. Students interested in transferring to a UC may sign a contract with one or more UC campuses for guaranteed admission. In order to receive guaranteed admission, however, you must fulfill the UC’s minimum transfer requirements as outlined in the TAG contract. If you sign a TAG with more than one UC, you must complete the minimum transfer requirements for every individual UC you sign a TAG with (as different UCs have different requirements) for guaranteed admission.

UC Campuses offering TAG

Seven out of the nine total UC campuses offering TAGs:

• UC Davis
• UC Irvine
• UC Merced
• UC Riverside
• UC San Diego
• UC Santa Barbra
• UC Santa Cruz

Due to their competitive nature, UC Berkeley and UCLA unfortunately do not offer TAGs. UCLA, however, does have a transfer alliance program (TAP) with California community colleges.

TAG Requirements:

• earn a minimum of a 3.0 GPA
• complete all IGETC courses
• complete all TAG prerequisites for your major with a C or better (a list of prerequisites can be found at Project Assist)
• complete at least 60 transferable units (IGETC courses + Prerequisite courses) by the end of your Spring term prior to transfer

When should I sign my TAG(s)?

To pursue a TAG you should complete the online TAG application for the campus(es) you plan on signing a TAG with the fall term prior to transferring. You should check with your counselor for exact TAG deadline dates.

What is a TAP? What is the difference between the TAP and the TAG?

Although UCLA does not offer a TAG, they do have a transfer alliance program (TAP) for serious transfer applicants. Participation in UCLA’s TAP will give you priority consideration for admission to UCLA. Students who have completed TAP are additionally allowed to submit an alternate major they have completed the prerequisites for. Thus, you will be considered for your alternate major if you do not get your first choice.

Students interested in joining UCLA’s TAP and being certified as a TAP participant must meet the program’s minimum requirements. Unlike the guaranteed admission the TAG program ensures if you meet the minimum requirements, however, a GPA higher than the minimum requirement may be needed to be competitive.

What are the TAP Certification Requirements?

TAP Certification Requirements:

• complete a minimum of 15 honors units by the end of the Spring term prior to transfer
• meet the minimum GPA requirement set by the honors program at your community college (different colleges may have different requirements)
• meet the community service and honors counselor meeting requirements set by the honors program at your community college (different colleges may have different requirements)

TAP Deadlines:

TAP certification forms are accepted sometime between mid-January to mid-March—check the TAP Admission and Certification Cycle web page for exact deadlines.

You should contact your community college counselor for more information about the TAG or TAP regardless of where you plan on transferring to. Because there are many program requirements for both the TAG and TAP it is wise to regularly meet with your counselor for guidance and planning.

Related Posts

1. UC Riverside Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) Requirements

2. Helpful websites for UC and CSU transfer students

3. UC Santa Barbara makes changes to their fall 2011 TAG Agreements

4. UC San Diego Raises TAG eligible GPA to 3.5

5. Ensure Your Seat At A University

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3 Responses to “UC TAGs and UCLA’s TAP”

1. UC Santa Barbara makes changes to fall 2011 TAG Agreements | College To Careers says:

   July 1, 2010 at 12:45 pm

   [...] If you would like more information about the Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) program, visit out TAG’s Article [...]
2. University of California (UC) TAG applications go online | College To Careers says:

   July 3, 2010 at 6:04 am

   [...] the UCSC TAG web site.  If you are unfamiliar with the UC TAG program, we recommend you read our UC TAG Program article where we explain the details of the Transfer Admission Guarantee set up between California [...]
3. USC Transfer Articulation Agreement with California Community Colleges | College News, College Scholarships, and Grants - CollegeToCareers.com says:

   December 8, 2010 at 9:12 am

   [...] Although USC’s Transfer Articulation Agreement does not guarantee you admissions like the UC Transfer Agreement Guarantee (TAG), knowing which classes you need to take at your community college will help increase your chances [...]