California’s university system is seeing an increase in the number of students transferring from community colleges, with both the University of California (UC) and California State University (CSU) systems experiencing a rise in new students from community colleges in 2025.
Among the 61,309 new students admitted to UC in 2025, 19,077 were transfer students, accounting for approximately 31.1% of the total. Of the 10 UC campuses, 9 are undergraduate universities. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, for the fall of 2025, a total of 36,000 community college students applied to various UC campuses. About 75% of them received at least one campus admission notice.
The transfer acceptance rates vary among UC campuses, with UC Berkeley having a 25% transfer acceptance rate, while UC Merced boasts a high acceptance rate of 75%.
Some community colleges have higher transfer acceptance rates, such as Cabrillo College in the San Francisco Bay Area, where approximately 38% of students were admitted to UC Berkeley. Additionally, students from Laney College in Oakland and Monterey Peninsula College were admitted to UC Berkeley at rates of 37%.
The success of transfer students often correlates with their academic performance and the efforts of community colleges in guiding and assisting students on this educational path. Furthermore, the socioeconomic conditions surrounding community colleges also indicate a relationship with transfer success rates.
Maya, a new student who enrolled at a Los Angeles County community college last year, plans to apply to CSU. She initially attended a two-year community college due to its low cost and ease of successful application; not only are the tuition fees lower, but other expenses such as accommodation and transportation are also more affordable.
In 2025, CSU’s 22 campuses admitted 119,555 new students, with 53,216 being transfer students, accounting for approximately 44.5% of the total. Of all undergraduate students in the CSU system, 95.3% are from California. In contrast, the number of out-of-state students admitted to the UC system is decreasing.
Both UC and CSU are providing strong support for California high school students’ higher education aspirations. California has around 116 two-year community colleges that offer Associate Degrees for Transfer (ADT) programs, where credits earned are recognized by UC and CSU for transfer. Additionally, the Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) program provides qualified California community college students with priority admission opportunities.