Counseling Services

What is Cal-GETC?

(Transfer General Education Pathway)

Starting in Fall 2025, the California General Education Transfer Curriculum (Cal-GETC) became the new singular transfer general education pathway for California Community College (CCC) students to fulfill lower-division general education requirements for transfer and admission to the University of California (UC) and California State University (CSU).  Cal-GETC is most helpful to students who know they want to transfer, but want to keep their options open and have not chosen a particular major or institution.

Some California private independent institutions, out-of-state institutions, and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) may also accept Cal-GETC to fulfill some or all of their general education requirements.  It is recommended for students to contact the institution directly to determine if Cal-GETC will be accepted.

The Cal-GETC requirements can be accessed online at LMC Catalog website, or a paper copy can be provided by the LMC Counseling Office.

Who should complete Cal-GETC?

Cal-GETC applies to the following:  Cal-GETC is NOT required for: 
  • New students enrolling in classes 
    Fall 2025 and forward
  • Students coming from UC, CSU, or CCC without Title 5 catalog rights
  • Students who are continuously enrolled prior to Fall 2025, but elect to follow Cal-GETC 
  • Students with continuous enrollment prior to Fall 2025 who have maintained catalog rights
  • Students who have already completed ADT with CSUGE or IGETC

*If attended before Fall 2025, it is strongly recommended to meet with an LMC Counselor to determine what GE pattern would work best with your major goals and transfer plans.

  • What grade is required for Cal-GETC courses?

    All courses must be completed with a grade of “C” or better (C- is not acceptable), in order to meet Cal-GETC requirements.  D grades will not be accepted to complete an Area on Cal-GETC.

  • Can I use my Advanced Placement (AP) Exam scores to meet the Cal-GETC Areas?

    Yes, a score of 3 or higher can satisfy an Area on Cal-GETC. To determine how AP credit is awarded, please refer to the Advanced Placement Chart found in the LMC Catalog 

    AP credit is also evaluated independently by each college and university.  Their evaluation will not impact Cal-GETC applicability, but may affect credit at the transfer institution (for example, a score of a 3 may be accepted at LMC, however a university may require a score of a 4 or 5 to award credit).  It is recommended to contact your transfer institutions of interest to determine how your AP exams will be evaluated. 

    A transcript of your AP Exam scores can be accessed through the College Board website.  Please send your AP Score Report and Transcript to LMC Admissions Office to be officially evaluated.

  • What is the minimum unit value of courses applied to Cal-GETC?

    A course must have a minimum unit value of 3 semester or 4 quarter units to meet the requirements for Cal-GETC, unless it is a laboratory course intended to accompany a lecture course. 

  • Can students be awarded partial Cal-GETC certification? 

    Partial Cal‑GETC certification—meaning you have completed Areas 1A, 1B, 1C, and 2 and are missing no more than two courses from Areas 3, 4, 5, or 6—is accepted by only a limited number of majors at UC campuses. 

    Before you transfer, it is very important to check directly with the UC campus to confirm that your intended major accepts partial Cal-GETC certification.  Partial certifications must be accompanied by a Cal-GETC Certification form that specifies exactly how many courses are missing from each area. 

    Please note that CSU campuses do not accept partial Cal‑GETC certification, and partial certification cannot be used to meet the GE requirements for an Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT).

  • Can students interested in transferring to a CSU satisfy the CSU “American Institutions” (AI) categories as part of Cal-GETC?

    The courses listed in the “CSU U.S. History, Constitution, and American Ideals (AI)” category are NOT required to be completed in order to fully meet Cal-GETC.  This specific category is a graduation requirement for the CSUs, so can either be completed at LMC or at the CSU.  However, students are encouraged to complete the courses at community college prior to transfer, as it can help lessen the amount of classes needed to be taken at the CSU.  

    Also, some courses found in this category can be found in other Areas on Cal-GETC, such as Area 4 or Area 3B.  So a course used to satisfy the AI requirement may also be used to satisfy a Cal-GETC subject area requirement. For example, POLS-C1000, which is listed under the AI category, is also listed under Area 4 (Social Sciences).  So completing this specific class can count in both categories.

  • Can students interested in transferring to a UC satisfy the UC “Language Other Than English (LOTE)” category as part of Cal-GETC?

    The courses listed under the “UC Language Other Than English (LOTE)” are NOT required to be completed in order to fully complete Cal-GETC.  This specific category is a graduation requirement for many UC colleges and majors, so can either be completed at LMC or at the UC.

    This category can also be fulfilled through completion of language coursework in high school. Verification will be based on transcripts from the high school indicating completion with a grade of “C-” or higher of coursework equivalent to two years in high school of the same language.

    In addition, each UC may have different guidelines and requirements related to LOTE, depending on their respective campus and/or major.  For more information related to LOTE requirements at each UC, please refer to - UC LOTE Website

     

  • My university is asking me to “certify” that I have completed Cal-GETC at my community college.  How do I do this?

    The “Cal-GETC Certification Request Form” can be accessed on the LMC Admissions Forms website. The Form will be reviewed and processed by the LMC Admissions Office. The Admissions Office will notify and “certify” to the university listed on the form that Cal-GETC requirements have been fulfilled by the student.

  • Is Cal-GETC required for admission to the UC or CSU?  

    Although full completion of Cal-GETC is not usually an admission requirement for CSU and UC campuses, there may be some campuses that require full completion of Cal-GETC as an admissions requirement. In general though, it will benefit students if you transfer to a UC or a CSU with a fully certified Cal-GETC. This means you would not need to complete any additional lower-division (freshman and sophomore level) general education after transfer to a UC/CSU campus. Please with an LMC Counselor to plan your general education coursework and discuss your transfer plans.

  • Do I need to complete Cal-GETC in order to receive an Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT)?  

    Yes, full completion of Cal-GETC is required in order to be awarded an Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT). A list of ADTs offered at LMC can be found at – LMC ADTs

  • I took a class listed on Cal-GETC before Cal-GETC was approved. Will it still count?

    Yes, if the course was approved for IGETC the year you took it, it will count for Cal-GETC credit.

    However, students are recommended to consult the LMC Counseling each year for revisions to the Cal-GETC pattern.

  • Can one class cover me for two Areas on Cal-GETC?  

    No, a course can only count in one Area within Areas 1 through 6 on Cal-GETC.

    However, courses listed under the American Institutions (AI) category and Languages Other Than English (LOTE) category may also count in another Area on Cal-GETC. 

    For example, POLS-C1000, which is listed under the AI category, is also listed under Area 4 (Social Sciences).  So this specific course can count in both categories.  Another example is SPAN-051, which is listed under the LOTE category, is also listed under Area 3B (Humanities).  So this course can count in both categories.

  • I have taken courses at another college or university. Will they count towards Cal-GETC?  

    It is possible to use coursework completed at another college or university to count towards Cal-GETC requirements.  To determine if prior completed courses will count towards Cal-GETC, please send an official transcript to LMC Admissions Office, and complete a “Request for Transcript Evaluation” Form online. 

    LMC Admissions Office will then review transcripts submitted to determine eligibility of coursework, and whether credit can be applied towards Cal-GETC.

  • I took a course in a past semester, but the course has changed its course prefix and/or course number.  Will it still count?  

    Starting in Fall 2025, some courses at LMC changed their course prefix and/or course number.  For example, MATH-110 (Introduction to Statistics) is now called STAT-C1000. Even though a student took MATH-110 in a prior year, it will still count under Area 2 on Cal-GETC.

    For more information about the course changes, please visit the Common Course Numbering web page or meet with an LMC Counselor to discuss your prior coursework.

  • How does Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) apply toward Cal-GETC?  

    CPL in the form of credit by exam, Advanced Placement (AP), and International Baccalaureate (IB) are approved forms of CPL for Cal-GETC.  All other forms of CPL such as CLEP, portfolio, industry certification, and military credit are not approved forms of credit for Cal-GETC.

  • I started at LMC prior to Fall 2025. Do I have to follow Cal-GETC?  

    Continuing students who started before Fall 2025, who have maintained enrollment and catalog rights for CSU General Education (CSUGE), have the option to complete and gain a fully certified CSUGE certification.

    Continuing students who started before Fall 2025, who have maintained enrollment and catalog rights for Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC), have the option to complete and gain a fully certified IGETC certification.

    For some students, switching to the Cal-GETC pattern may be recommended for their intended major and transfer campus. For some students, staying with the CSUGE or IGETC pattern may be the best option.

    *It is strongly encouraged to meet with an LMC Counselor to determine your catalog rights and which General Education (GE) pattern would be best to follow that best matches your overall major and transfer plans.

 

Important Notes for Cal-GETC

Specific courses listed on the LMC Cal-GETC sheet were only approved to count for Areas on Cal-GETC during the specific year the course was officially approved.

Courses Approved for Cal-GETC starting Fall 2025 on forward:

MUSIC-012 – Popular Music in American Culture Area 3A
KINES-210 – Introduction to Public Health Area 4
SOCIO-012 – Introduction to Marriage and Family Area 4
BIOSC-030 – Introduction to Anatomy and Physiology Area 5B

Courses Approved for Cal-GETC starting Fall 2026 on forward:

ENGL 147 - Graphic Novels, Comics, and Manga Area 3B
ETHN 111 - Introduction to Chicanx Studies Area 4
ETHN 112 - Introduction to Latinx Studies Area 4
ETHN 113 - Introduction to Asian American & Pacific Islander Studies Area 4
ETHN 121 - Critical Race Feminisms Area 4
ETHN 122 - Race, Ethnicity, and Political Activism Area 4
ETHN 123 - Statistical Methods for Ethnic Studies Area 4
BIOSC 030 - Introduction to Anatomy and Physiology Area 5C
PHYS 015 - Introduction to Physics Area 5A & 5C
ECON C2001 - Principles of Microeconomics Area 4
ECON C2002 - Principles of Macroeconomics Area 4
HIST C1001 - United States History to 1877 Area 4
HIST C1002 - United States History since 1865 Area 4