Associate Degree for Transfer

The faculty at each CSU campus will determine which ADT degrees are similar to degrees offered at their own campus. This may include one or more options or emphasis within the degree offered at the CSU campus or in another degree program at the CSU campus. The CSU website maintains an up-to-date list of similar degrees.

For more information, visit calstate.edu.

Priority admission is defined at most participating CSU campuses as .1 GPA bump awarded to students completing an AA-T or AS-T for an impacted major. Majors designated as impacted at the CSU campuses can be found at California State University impaction website. Students planning to transfer to an impacted CSU campus in a non-impacted major will be awarded a .2 GPA bump for admissions decisions. These admission priorities are subject to change. Students should consult with a counselor and/or the Transfer Center for updated information on how specific participating CSU campuses are defining priority admission for the Associate Degrees for Transfer.

Although a CSU campus may accept the Associate Degree for Transfer, a faculty adviser may still decide that a student needs to complete some lower-division coursework which is deemed necessary preparation for the upper-division major. Each CSU campus will make this decision at the time of admission. The student will still be guaranteed that the bachelor’s degree can be completed in no more than 60 semester units.

Yes. Foothill College students may still transfer to a CSU campus without an Associate Degree for Transfer, although some majors at some CSU are admitting only students who have completed an ADT. An associate degree is not an admission requirement to transfer to the CSU system. We strongly encourage Foothill students who are transferring to CSU or to any university to apply for and obtain an associate degree prior to transfer.

No. If an audition or portfolio submission is part of prescribed program admission requirements at a CSU campus, this requirement must be met with or without an ADT.

Under a new agreement, many Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) will offer guaranteed admission for students completing an ADT. Information is available at https://www.californiacommunitycollegehbcutransfer.com/.

Other independent and out-of-state universities are not currently participating in this program. Acceptance of the degree will primarily be based on how the courses within the degree meet university program and admission requirements. Some private/ or out-of-state universities do give priority consideration based on the earning of an associate degree. If you are considering a private or out-of-state university, a Foothill College counselor can assist you in reviewing the campus-specific admission requirements.

The California Community College Chancellor’s Office has designated an Associate in Science (AS) or an Associate in Arts (AA) based on the discipline that offers the degree. In general all of the degrees in the science, math or business disciplines are designated as Associate in Science degrees.

Yes, courses completed at other California community colleges will be approved for a Foothill College Associate Degree for Transfer, if they are also approved for the ADT at that institution. Other courses, including those completed at other colleges and universities will be reviewed by appropriate faculty for possible approval, as well. Students with credit from other colleges should meet with a counselor as soon as possible for more information on having those courses certified for the ADT.

The Course Identification Numbering System (C-ID) is a statewide numbering system independent from the course numbers assigned by local California community colleges. When a course is designated with a C-ID number, it signals that participating California colleges and universities have determined that courses offered by other California community colleges with the same C-ID number are comparable in content and scope to courses offered on their own campuses, regardless of their titles or local course number. Thus, if a course bears a C-ID number, for example COMM 110, students at that college can be assured that it will be accepted in lieu of a course bearing the same C-ID COMM 110 designation at another community college. In other words, the C-ID designation can be used to identify comparable courses at different community colleges.

However, students should always go to assist.org to confirm how each college’s course will be accepted at a particular four-year college or university for transfer credit.

The C-ID numbering system is useful for students attending more than one community college. C-ID numbers are applied to many of the transferable courses students need as preparation for transfer. Because these course requirements may change and because courses may be modified and qualified for or deleted from the C-ID database, students should always check with a counselor to determine how C-ID designated courses fit into their educational plans for transfer.

Students may also consult the ASSIST database at assist.org for specific information on C-ID course designations. Counselors are always available to help students interpret the information on ASSIST or to explain this information in greater detail.

The Foothill College community is here to help you make informed decisions regarding the degree or transfer program that is best for you.

Please check out any of the following for more information:

• Counseling appointments

• Foothill degrees and certificates

• I Can Go To College

• CSU Similar ADT Majors List