Transfer Information

Napa Valley College offers curriculum that helps students complete the first two years of a 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”.

A community college course can be counted for transfer to a four-year institution in the following ways:

  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. Four-year institutions are generally liberal in accepting courses for elective credit.
  4. To satisfy subject-credit only. Acceptance of a course for subject credit only, without unit accumulation, usually takes place when:
    1. The student has accumulated as many units as the four-year institution will accept from a community college.
    2. The course at the four-year institution is upper-division level course.
    3. 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 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 IGETC pattern, which can also be used for UC transfer, can be used in lieu of the CSU GE pattern.

Students planning to transfer are recommended to seek assistance from the Counseling Office and/or the Transfer Center since transfer institution requirements vary significantly. Transfer Students are encouraged to meet with a counselor each academic year to review any possible changes in transfer admission, general education, major and/or major supplemental requirements.

General Education Certification

Napa Valley College is authorized to offer general education certification patterns. The CSU GE Certification is a 39 minimum unit pattern which fulfills the lower division general education requirements for the Bachelor Degree at the California State University. The IGETC (Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum) is a 37-39 minimum unit pattern which fulfills the lower division general education requirements for the Bachelor Degree at either the University of California or the California State University.

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. If the student transfers without certification, the university may require the student to complete additional lower division general education. Please refer to the CSU GE and IGETC patterns in consultation 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.

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.

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

  • 60 transferable semester units with a minimum GPA of 2.0 (all NVC courses numbered between 100 and 299 are transferable to the CSU system) and
  • 30 semester units of the 39-unit CSU General Education pattern with grades of “C-" or higher where applicable, including The "Golden 4" GE courses for admission in these areas:
    • A-1 - Oral Communication
    • A-2 - Written Communication - NVC ENGL-120
    • A-3 - Critical Thinking and
    • B-4 - Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning

Students are advised to file their applications for the CSU system during the following priority periods:

Fall Semester Transfer: October 1-November 30 of the previous year
Spring Semester Transfer: August 1-31 of the previous year

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 60 UC transferable semester units, with a minimum GPA of 2.4;
  • complete the following pattern of courses;
    • two UC transferable courses in English composition including NVC’s ENGL-120 and one course from the following: ENGL-121, or ENGL-123, or ENGL-125; and
    • one UC transferable course in mathematics and
    • four UC transferable college courses from at least two of the following subject areas: arts/humanities, social/behavioral sciences, and physical/biological sciences.

Most UCs have additional admission requirements. See a Counselor for additional information. Students are advised to complete the lower division preparation for the major prior to transfer. Students may be required to also complete a lower division general education pattern before transfer. Students who wish to transfer with freshman or sophomore standing must consult a Counselor to determine entrance requirements. Transfer Admission Guarantees are available for many UCs.

Students are advised to file their applications for the UC system during the following priority periods:

Fall Quarter or Semester Transfer: November 1-30 of the previous year
Winter Quarter Transfer: July 1-31 of the previous year
Spring Quarter Transfer: October 1-31 of the previous year

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. For additional information, call the Transfer Center at (707) 256-7333 and view the Transfer Center website.