Transfer Information

Napa Valley College offers curriculum that helps students complete the first 60 units of a bachelor's degree instead of four-year degree program. A majority of courses offered at Napa Valley College are transferable to four-year colleges and universities. When a course can be counted for total unit accumulation or towards credit to meet any type of requirement at the four-year institution, it is considered “transferable”.

  1. To meet lower-division requirements in the major. To be accepted for this purpose, the course must be articulated or accepted in lieu of the comparable course at the four-year institution’s course by meeting the terms of rigor, content, prerequisites, and unit value. All courses must be transferable before they can be articulated. Napa Valley College has established a considerable number of course-to-course agreements in many majors that transfer as core preparation to various universities. These course agreements are referred to as articulation agreements and are published on ASSIST.
  2. To complete general education requirements. This information is published on ASSIST as well as the NVC Articulation website. Keep in mind that there are multiple general education patterns with which to choose from. Consultation with a Counselor is strongly advised.
  3. To be applied as elective credits. An elective course is one that is not acceptable as part of a major, support for the major, or as general education
    credit.     Elective course units will apply to the total unit requirement for the four-year degree at the four-year institutions.     The CSU institutions are generally liberal in accepting courses for elective credit. The UCs require pre-approval through a Transfer Course Agreement articulation process. Check the footnotes on ASSIST.org articulation agreements for potential credit limitations in courses considered duplicative by the UC system. For example, PE/Kinesiology courses are limited to 4 semester units of credit. Refer to ASSIST (ASSIST.org.) and consult with a Counselor.  
  4. To satisfy subject-credit only. Acceptance of a course for subject credit only, without unit accumulation, usually takes place when:
    • The student has accumulated as many units as the four-year institution will accept from a community college.
    • The course at the four-year institution is upper-division level course. Acceptance of an upper-level course in the major is at the discretion of each four-year institution.
    • The course is a prerequisite for a required course in the student’s major, but the prerequisite is normally completed in high school.

Students are generally advised to complete their lower division preparation for the major prior to transfer/ High demand majors may require lower division preparation completion as program entrance criteria.

Students are encouraged to complete an entire general education pattern prior to transfer so they can request to have their general education certified as complete. This means that no additional lower division general education courses will be required to graduate from the transfer institution. The Admissions and Records web page provides information about the transcript process and GE Certification process. 

General Education Certification

Napa Valley College is authorized to offer general education certification patterns. Beginning fall 2025, new California community college students will be able to request GE Certification using Cal-GETC, a 34 minimum unit singular general education pattern fulfilling lower division general education for both the University of California and the California State University.

The CSU GE Certification is a 39 minimum unit pattern which has fulfilled the lower division general education requirements for the Bachelor Degree at the California State University prior to fall 2025. The IGETC (Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum) is a 37-39 minimum unit pattern which has fulfilled the lower division general education requirements for the Bachelor Degree at either the University of California or the California State University prior to fall 2025. Only students who were continuously enrolled prior to fall 2025 may request CSU GE or IGETC Certification fall 2025 and beyond.

Certification of transfer general education indicates completion of lower division general education requirements. Certification is based on the qualification of a course at the time when it was completed by the student.

Students may elect to work toward CSU GE (non-breadth) coursework for California State University campuses or 7-course pattern coursework for University of California campuses if they are not planning to complete GE certification but want to complete requirements for transfer admission. If the student transfers without certification, the university may require the student to complete additional lower division general education. Students should consult with an NVC Counselor for detailed information.

Upon completion of requirements, students should request an evaluation for Certification to be included with the online official transcript request to be sent to the university. The transcript certification process is explained on the Admissions and Records web site (include link). 

Transferring to the California State University System

The California State University system works closely with the California Community Colleges to develop articulation for lower division courses.  Refer to www.assist.org.  Priority for admission to a CSU campus at the upper division level is given to transfer students from the California Community College System, including those that have earned an Associate Degree for Transfer for some select majors. Students should plan carefully with a Counselor to insure that they meet all transfer requirements. A maximum of 70 transferable units are acceptable from California Community Colleges. Refer to the CSU’s Transfer Information page.   

To transfer with junior standing, a student must complete at least:

  • 60 transferable semester units with a minimum GPA of 2.0 or better across all transferable college credit (all NVC courses numbered between 100 and 299 and courses with a “C” in front of the course number such as ENGL C1000 are transferable to the CSU system) and
  • 30 semester units at a level equivalent to transferable general education CSU GE coursework with grades of “C-" or higher where applicable, including The "Golden 4" GE courses for admission in these areas: 
    • 1A - English Composition
    • 1B - Critical Thinking and Composition
    • 1C - Oral Communication
    • 2 - Mathematical Concepts and Quantitative Reasoning

Some CSU campuses have additional selective or impacted major requirements, which are essential for admissions into the program. See a Counselor for additional information. 

Students are advised to file their applications for the CSU system during the following priority periods:
Winter 2026 - June 1, 2025 - June 30, 2025 (Limited campus and majors open)
Spring 2026 - August 1, 2025 - August 31, 2025
Fall 2026 - October 1, 2025 - December 1, 2025

Transferring to the University of California System

The University of California system also works closely with the California Community Colleges to develop articulation for lower division courses. Refer to ASSIST.  The UC system gives first priority for admission with junior standing to undergraduate transfer students from the California Community College System. Students should plan carefully with a Counselor to ensure they are prepared to transfer. A maximum of 70 UC transferable units are acceptable from California Community Colleges.

To transfer with junior standing, a student must complete at least:

  • 60 UC transferable semester units, with a minimum GPA of 2.4 or better across transferable college credit.
  • 7-course pattern courses included in Cal-GETC pattern.
    • 1A - English Composition
    • 1B - Critical Thinking and Composition
    • 1C - Oral Communication
    • 2 - Mathematical Concepts and Quantitative Reasoning
  • Four UC transferable college courses from at least two of the following subject areas: arts/humanities, social/behavioral sciences, and physical/biological sciences.
    • ​3A - Arts
    • 3B - Humanities
    • 4 - Social and Behavioral Sciences
    • 5A - Physical and Biological Sciences
    • 5B - Biological Science

Most UCs have additional major selection admission requirements. See a Counselor for additional information. Students are advised to complete the as many lower division preparation courses for the major prior to transfer. Students who wish to transfer with freshman or sophomore standing must consult a Counselor to determine entrance requirements. Transfer Admission Guarantees are available at six UCs.

Students are advised to file their applications for the UC system during the following priority periods:
Winter 2026 - July 1, 2025-July 31, 2025 (Limited campus and majors open)
Spring 2026 - June 18, 2025-August 28, 2025
Fall 2026 - October 1, 2025-December 2, 2025

Each UC campus is comprised of several colleges, or schools within the university. Each one of these colleges has its own general education or breadth pattern required for the bachelor’s degree. Students should focus on completing their major classes and should consult with a Counselor to determine general education/breadth requirements for their chosen major, college, and campus.

Transfer to Independent Colleges and Universities (Private or Out-of-State)

Napa Valley College students may also use credits earned to transfer to independent, out-of-state or international colleges and universities.  Admission requirements can vary from college to college, and students should consult a counselor or the Transfer Center for assistance. Students should also consult individual college websites and the Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities www.aiccu.edu for more information.
New: Select AICCU institutions now have some articulation agreements available at ASSIST.org. For additional information, consult with a Counselor to determine general education/breadth requirements for the chosen major and college/campus and visit the Transfer Center website.