IGETC Q & A's
Last Updated: 11/22/11
The following questions were reviewed and answered on November 11, 2008 by the IGETC Standards Review Committee, a subcommittee of ICAS and formatted by the TCW webmaster. LAtest updates to the following were cnducted September 8, 2011 in accordance to the IGETC Standards, Version 1.3. The IGETC is the baccalaureate general education curriculum of the University of California (UC) and California State University (CSU) systems. Section numbers indicated below refer to the IGETC Standards, Policies and Procedures.
Click on a header below and then click on the Question number to be directed to the answer.
Area I - English Communication
Question 1 (09/08/11)
The University of Oregon offers 3-quarter-unit courses. If we have a student that has taken two 3 quarter-unit English composition courses and our faculty deems the subjects covered in the two courses is comparable to our English 1A, may we use the two U of O courses to clear IGETC Area 1A?
Question 2 (11-11-08)
For partial IGETC certification can any two courses be missing, including Area 1A and Area 2, though not advised for admission purposes?
Question 3 (11-11-08)
Can a CSU course meet IGETC Area 1B?
Question 4 (11-11-08)
When students present scores of 3, 4 or 5 on BOTH the AP English Language and AP English Literature tests, could the AP English Language be placed in Area 1A, and AP English Literature be placed in Area 3B, assuming they met their full 60 units using only 8 quarter units of AP English towards UC transfer?
Question 5 (11-11-08)
A student presents an AP score of 3 in English Language and an AP score of 3 in English Literature. He/she does not complete a Critical Thinking course in Area 1B of IGETC. Has this student met the UC minimum eligibility admission requirement in English composition?
Question 25 (11-11-08)
UC college and/or department counselors expressed frustration that sometimes the IGETC documents aren't official or they need the student to request the IGETC immediately. Is it possible to get all community colleges to supply IGETC on demand?
Area 2 - Math and Quantitative Reasoning
Question 2 (11-11-08)
For partial IGETC certification can any two courses be missing, including Area 1A and Area 2, though not advised
for admission purposes?
Question 30 (11-22-11)
Can a prerequisite for a course, such as Intermediate Algebra for College Algebra, be divided into one unit segments?
Area 3 - Arts and Humanities
Question 4 (11-11-08)
When students present scores of 3, 4 or 5 on BOTH the AP English Language and AP English Literature tests, could the AP English Language be placed in Area 1A, and AP English Literature be placed in Area 3B, assuming they met their full 60 units using only 8 quarter units of AP English towards UC transfer?
Question 29 (09-08-11) (Area 3B)
It is assumed that a student who had nine years of education in a Spanish-speaking country could not use a SPAN 3 course taken
at a community college to clear IGETC Humanities. Is that a correct assumption?
Area 4 - Social and Behavioral Sciences
No questions, yet.
Area 5 - Physical and Biological Science
Question 6 (09/08/11)
What is the minimum unit value a course must have to apply it to IGETC? What about 1-unit-lab courses that correspond to a lecture course?
Question 7 (09/08/11)
In IGETC Area 5, does the lab requirement count as a missing course when considering partial certification? For example, a student is seeking partial certification missing all of Area 5. Is missing areas 5A, 5B & 5C considered completing all but two courses or does the lab make it three missing courses?
Area 6 - Language Other than English
Question 8 (11-11-08)
Can a member from a college or university outside of the CCC system validate language proficiency? Would a letter on CSU or UC letterhead, or some other accredited college or university, validating proficiency equal to 2 years of high school be acceptable?
Question 9 (11-11-08)
When calculating the two courses allowed to be missing for partial certification, does Area 6A count as one course or two?
Question 26 (1-15-2009)
If a student takes the 3rd year of a foreign language in high school as a freshman in high school because the student took 2 years in middle school, does that fulfill LOTE?
CSU American History and Institutions
No questions, yet.
IGETC Form and Full Certification
Question 10 (11-11-08)
During the ETS conferences, the CCCs were asked to use the recommended IGETC form. The UC counselors expressed that it’s not enough to see “IGETC completed” or “Partial IGETC” on a transcript because they don’t know what's been used for IGETC purposes. Are CCCs required to complete the recommended form or any other IGETC form?
Question 11 (11-11-08)
A student receives partial certification and then matriculates to a UC or CSU campus, but was eligible for full certification prior to matriculation at the university, should the student return to the CCC campus for full certification?
Advanced Placement (AP) on IGETC
Question 4 (11-11-08)
When students present scores of 3, 4 or 5 on BOTH the AP English Language and an AP English Literature tests, could the AP English Language be placed in Area 1A, and AP English Literature be placed in Area 3B, assuming they met their full 60 units using only 8 quarter units of AP English towards UC transfer?
Question 5 (11-11-08)
A student presents an AP score of 3 in English Language and an AP score of 3 in English Literature. He/she does not complete a Critical Thinking course in Area 1B of IGETC. Has this student met the UC minimum eligibility admission requirement in English composition?
Question 12 (09/08/11)
Section 7.1 and 7.2 address Credit by Exam and reads: “Students who have earned credit from an AP/IB exam should
not take a comparable college course because transfer credit will not be granted for both.” Would the student receive
transfer credit for the course and elective unit credit AP exam as long as it is not articulated with a specific course at
the UC/CSU campus where the student is applying?
Question 13 (11-11-08)
Is the new IGETC AP chart (Section 7.1) for certification purposes only? When counselors are adding up total AP admission units to a UC campus, and there is no duplicate credit issue, should the chart in Quick Reference be used?
Question 14 (11-11-08)
A UC/CSU campus awards a student AP credit and subsequently allows the student to enroll in the comparable course. The student then comes to a CCC campus and follows can both the AP exam and the comparable course is toward satisfaction of IGETC requirements?
Question 15 (11-11-08)
Can the AP chart be added to ASSIST?
Non-CCC Courses on IGETC
Question 16 (11-11-08)
Since California Community Colleges may apply out-of-state and non-CCC courses to the IGETC if the course(s) meets the Standards, where do we get the out-of-state/non-CCC university course outlines/syllabi if needed?
Question 17 (09/08/11)
In section 5.2.1, #2 states that if the certifying CCC does not have a comparable course, but another CCC does, the course may be applied to the IGETC “as long as the course outlines are compared and scrutinized as to equivalency in content, prerequisites, texts, units and conformity to IGETC standards.” #3. If there is no comparable course at either the certifying CCC or another CCC, then the certifying CCC may use the non-CCC course on the IGETC provided that the non-CCC course conforms to the IGETC Area Standards. (See Section 10.0 for Standards) Are the articulation officers expected to provide an outline to the faculty member to approve these courses? Or, will a course description and a syllabus from the student suffice?
Question 18 (11-11-08)
When placing courses on IGETC (student is not returning to the same UC/CSU campus), does the CCC need to find a comparable course if the UC/CSU course met a GE/breadth requirement at the campus where it was taken?
Question 19 (11-11-08)
Section 5.2.1 states that non-CCC courses may be used for IGETC, even if they were completed prior to the CCC course’s IGETC effective date. If a course is discontinued on IGETC, could a non-CCC course completed after the discontinued date be used?
Question 20 (11-11-08)
If and when non-CCC courses are approved for use on IGETC, will a centralized database be available for input (similar to ASSIST or within ASSIST)?
Minimum Unit Value on IGETC
Question 1 (11-11-08)
The University of Oregon offers 3-quarter-unit courses. If we have a student that has taken two 3 quarter-unit English composition courses and our faculty deems the subjects covered in the two courses is comparable to our English 1A, may we use the two U of O courses to clear IGETC Area 1A?
Question 6 (11-11-08)
What is the minimum unit value a course must have to apply it to IGETC? What about 1-unit-lab courses that
correspond to a lecture course?
Question 30 (11-22-11)
Can a prerequisite for a course, such as Intermediate Algebra for College Algebra, be divided into one unit segments?
IGETC Partial Certification
Question 2 (11-11-08)
For partial IGETC certification can any two courses be missing, including Area 1A and Area 2, though not advised for admission purposes?
Question 7 (11-11-08)
In IGETC Area 5, does the lab requirement count as a missing course when considering partial certification? For example, a student is seeking partial certification missing all of Area 5. Is missing area 5A & 5B considered completing all but two courses or does the lab make it three missing courses?
Question 9 (11-11-08)
When calculating the two courses allowed to be missing for partial certification, does Area 6A count as one course or two?
Question 11 (11-11-08)
A student receives partial certification and then matriculates to a UC or CSU campus, but was eligible for full certification prior to matriculation at the university, should the student return to the CCC campus for full certification?
Question 21 (11-11-08)
A student requests and is granted partial certification upon acceptance to a UC or CSU campus. If the student then completes the missing courses in the summer prior to matriculation at the UC or CSU campus, should the CCC campus complete the full certification?
Question 22 (11-11-08)
A student gets partially certified then matriculates to the UC or CSU. They complete the coursework the following summer at the community college. Who is responsible for certifying completion of IGETC?
Question 23 (11-11-08)
Is a partially certified student held to the UC or CSU campus-specific general education requirements for the missing subject area/s?
Question 27 (1-22-2009)
The new IGETC Standards allow students to present a partial or full certification at any time during their matriculation at the 4-year campus. Does this mean that senior level students will be requesting partial certification?
Question 28 (1-22-2009)
Are students who are granted partial certification after matriculation required to complete the missing requirements within a specific timeline?
Language Other Than English on IGETC
Question 8 (11-11-08)
Can a faculty member from a college or university outside of the CCC system validate language proficiency? Would a letter on CSU or UC letterhead, or some other accredited college or university, validating proficiency equal to 2 years of high school be acceptable?
Question 9 (11-11-08)
When calculating the two courses allowed to be missing for partial certification, does Area 6A count as one course or two?
Question 26 (1-15-2009)
If a student takes the 3rd year of a foreign language in high school as a freshman in high school because the student took 2 years in middle school, does that fulfill LOTE?
Critical Thinking on IGETC
Question 3 (11-11-08)
Can a CSU course meet IGETC Area 1B?
Double Counting on IGETC
Question 24 (11-11-08)
Where can information on double- counting courses in a major and in IGETC are found?
Questions with the Answer
Question 1 (9/8/11)
The University of Oregon offers 3-quarter-unit courses. If we have a student that has taken two 3 quarter-unit English
composition courses and our faculty the subjects covered in the two courses is comparable to our English 1A, may we
use the two U of O courses to clear IGETC Area 1A?
Answer
Yes. In IGETC Standards Version 1.2 ICAS determined that 3 quarter unit sequence courses in English and Math may be
used to clear 1A/2. This policy can be found in IGETC Standards Section 8.1.
Note: For UC, if the student completes the year composition sequence at U of O (three 3-quarter-unit English
composition courses) the student would meet the UC-E requirement of two English composition courses needed
for admission. However, the student has not met the IGETC minimum unit requirement for courses in Area 1. In
addition, the student has not met the Critical Thinking component of IGETC Area 1B. This student could apply
for partial IGETC because of the missing requirement in area 1.
For CSU, if the student completes the year composition sequence at U of O (three 3-quarter-unit English composition
courses) the student would not meet the admission requirement for critical thinking.
For partial IGETC certification can any two courses be missing, including Area 1A and Area 2, though not advised for admission purposes?
Answer
The bottom line is that the Standards do not limit any areas that may be missing for partial certification.
Example: A transfer student could have been eligible out of high school, therefore it is possible that a student could be admitted missing courses in Areas 1 and/or 2, depending on the criteria used by the receiving institution during the admissions cycle.
Example: A UC-bound student who has completed 2 composition courses at a non-CCC. This student would be admissible; however, they would be missing Area 1B (Composition and Critical Thinking).
The students in these examples must be granted partial certification. Regarding Partial Certification, this is the warning in 11.4 of IGETC Standards:
"Warning: Students need to meet minimum UC/CSU transfer admission requirements. Therefore, partial certification that acknowledges a deficiency in IGETC Area 1 and/or 2 may also indicate a student does not meet minimum transfer requirements. Community colleges should make every effort to notify students of this potential problem.”
CCC campuses should exercise caution and make sure students meet minimum admission requirements if you are going to certify them missing critical thinking. We can't imagine someone getting partial certification missing Math, but who knows, maybe it could happen.
Can a CSU course meet IGETC Area 1B?
Answer
Yes. However, as stated in IGETC Standards Section 10.1.2b, since it is unlikely that institutions other than California Community Colleges will have a combined course in Critical Thinking/English Composition; certification of coursework from other institutions to satisfy this requirement is not common. However, there are some courses outside the CCC system that have been found to meet this requirement. Care should be taken when evaluating the course to ensure that it meets the course requirements.
Here are two examples
Example 1: SDSU RWS 200 Rhetoric of Written Arguments in Context, can be used to clear IGETC 1B since it clears the intermediate composition and critical thinking requirement at SDSU and it is a combination composition/critical thinking course as outlined in Section 10.1.2b of The IGETC Standards.
Example 2: CSUN CHS 202, Race, Racism and Critical Thinking does not clear IGETC 1B. While it meets the critical thinking requirement at CSUN it does not meet the analytical reading and expository writing requirement for CSUN. In other words it is not, a “combined course in Critical Thinking/English Composition” which is required per the IGETC Standards.
When students present scores of 3, 4 or 5 on BOTH the AP English Language and AP English Literature tests, could the AP English Language be placed in Area 1A, and AP English Literature be placed in Area 3B, assuming they met their full 60 units using only 8 quarter units of AP English towards UC transfer?
Answer
The certifying campus can use AP exams, one for Area 1A and the other for Area 3B. For IGETC certification purposes, each exam will equate to 3 semester or 4 quarter units. Regarding UC AP credit for admissions purposes, the student would receive a maximum of 8 quarter units for both exams. Use “Quick Reference for Counselors” for AP test credit. http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/admissions/counselors/ap-credits/index.html
At the CSU, the student would receive 12 semester units for both exams. The CSU also has a system wide AP policy. It can be found at http://www.calstate.edu/app/general_education.shtml
A student presents an AP score of 3 in English Language and an AP score of 3 in English Literature. He/she does not complete a Critical Thinking course in Area 1B of IGETC. Has this student met the UC minimum eligibility admission requirement in English composition?
Answer
Students cannot use the two English AP exams to satisfy the UC/CSU transfer eligibility requirement in English Composition. For UC and CSU admission: Students who take both English AP exams will receive credit for one English composition requirement.
For IGETC: Students will receive IGETC Area 1A and Area 3B credit.
Note: UC and CSU admission requirements and IGETC requirements are separate.
What is the minimum unit value a course must have to apply it to IGETC? What about 1-unit-lab courses that correspond to a lecture course?
Answer
Section 8.1 clearly states that a course used on IGETC must be a minimum 3 semester or 4 quarter units. Exceptions are
made for laboratory courses that correspond to a lecture course and 3 quarter units sequence courses in math and
English.
8.1 Minimum Unit Value:
A course must have a minimum unit value of 3 semester or 4 quarter units to meet the requirements for IGETC.
(Laboratory courses intended to accompany lecture courses are an exception to this guideline, see Section 10.5.3). It
is not acceptable to take three 1 unit courses to fulfill a 3 unit requirement, because as a rule three 1 unit courses will
not together provide the depth or rigor of a single 3-unit course.
Exception: 3-quarter unit Math and English courses that satisfy IGETC Area/s 1A or 2 may be applied if they are a part of a
sequence, and at least two of the 3-quarter unit sequence courses have each been completed with “C” grade (2.0 on
a 4.0 scale) or higher. The course sequence must meet the rigor of IGETC Standards. (See Section/s 10.1.1 and/or
10.2)
Example A: Student takes English 101, 102, and 103 (3-quarter units each). The CCC certifying college may apply any
combination of 101, 102 or 103 that have been completed with a “C” grade (2.0 on a 4.0 scale) or higher, for a total of
six quarter units, to clear Area 1A. The combination of courses must meet the rigor of the IGETC Standards. (See
Section 10.1.1.)
Example B: Student takes Math 121, Calculus A (3 quarter units) and Math 122, Calculus B (3 quarter units) and completes each
course with a “C” grade (2.0 on a 4.0 scale) or higher. [Calculus 121 and 122 are the same as Calculus 120, Calculus (6
quarter units)]. The certifying CCC campus may apply Math 121 and 122, for a total of 6 quarter units, to IGETC Area 2
as long as the courses meet the rigor of the IGETC Standards. (See section 10.2)
Example C: A student takes a 3-quarter-unit physical science lecture course, but does not take the corresponding lab. The
lecture course cannot be used on IGETC because it does not meet the minimum 4-quarter-unit course requirement.
However, if the student took the 3-quarter-unit physical science lecture course and the 1-quarter unit corresponding
physical science lab course, the combination could then be used on IGETC.
Example:
1 physical science lecture: 3 quarter units
1 physical science lab that corresponds to the physical science lecture:
1 quarter unit
1 biological science: 3 semester units
1 physical science: 4 quarter units
Conclusion: Total units completed 12.5 quarter units/ 8.3 semester* units. Area 5 satisfied.
* Remember! Convert to all quarter or all semester units to best serve the student (see Section 8.2).
Question 7 (9/8/11)
In IGETC Area 5, does the lab requirement count as a missing course when considering partial certification? For
example, a student is seeking partial certification missing all of Area 5. Is missing areas 5A, 5B & 5C considered
completing all but two courses or does he lab make it three missing courses?
Answer
A student missing area 5 is eligible for partial IGETC as long as they have completed all other areas of IGETC. The
laboratory requirement is included in the 2 courses as indicated in the IGETC Standards copied below.
10.5 Subject Area 5 A/B/C: Physical and Biological Sciences
(At least 2 courses: 7-9 semester, 9-12 quarter units); A minimum of one course in each area is required, and at least
one must include a laboratory. The Physical and Biological Sciences requirement shall be fulfilled by completion of at
least two courses, one of which is in Physical Science (Area 5A) and one in Biological Science (Area 5B), at least one of
which incorporates a laboratory (area 5C).
Other Examples:
A) Student completes one 3-semester-unit biological science without lab and one 3- semester-unit physical science
course without lab.
Conclusion: The student is missing 1 course in area 5.
B) Student completes one 3-semester-unit biological science with lab and one 3-semester-unit physical science course
without lab.
Conclusion: The student is missing 1 unit and is also considered to be missing one course in Area 5. Student in this situation
can either take a 1- unit-lab course that corresponds to the physical science lecture course or take a 3-semester or
4-quarter unit biological or physical science course to fulfil the Area.
Can a faculty member from a college or university outside of the CCC system validate language proficiency? Would a letter on CSU or UC letterhead, or some other accredited college or university, validating proficiency equal to 2 years of high school be acceptable?
Answer
A CCC, CSU or UC faculty member may verify proficiency for satisfaction of Area 6: LOTE. A letter on letterhead from a CCC, CSU or UC faculty member verifying that they have confirmed proficiency equivalent to 2 years of high school foreign language must be acquired. The certifying CCC campus does not need to send documentation verifying proficiency to the receiving institution. However, the CCC campus should keep the letter on file for reference.
A sample document used by Chabot to validate proficiency can be found on http://www.ccctransfer.org
Click on IGETC Forms, Addresses, Sample Letters.
When calculating the two courses allowed to be missing for partial certification, does Area 6A count as one course or two?
Answer
UC considers LOTE a proficiency level and it therefore counts as one missing area rather than two courses. A partial certification could be deficient in Area 6A and an additional course.
During the ETS conferences, the CCCs were asked to use the recommended IGETC form. The UC counselors expressed that it’s not enough to see “IGETC completed” or “Partial IGETC” on a transcript because they don’t know what's been used for IGETC purposes. Are CCCs required to complete the recommended form or any other IGETC form?
Answer
The CCCs are required to provide the information stated on the form by:
A) Using the suggested form (Section 11.5) or
B) Including all of the information on their own form or transcript
A student receives partial certification and then matriculates to a UC or CSU campus, but was eligible for full certification prior to matriculation at the university, should the student return to the CCC campus for full certification?
Answer
Yes, if a student is partially certified, matriculates to a UC or CSU, but was, in actuality, fully certified prior to matriculation, then the CCC is responsible for fully certifying the student. However, the university may use the partial certification along with the other student records to clear full certification.
Example: Student transfers to a UC campus with partial IGETC certification, missing Area 6: LOTE. At the UC campus, the student’s counselor notices that this requirement was completed in high school. The student should return to the CCC for full certification and the CCC is obligated to fully certify. However, the university may use the partial certification along with the student’s high school transcript to clear full certification.
Question 12 (9/8/11)
Section 7.1 and 7.2 address Credit by Exam and reads: “Students who have earned credit from an AP/IB exam should
not take a comparable college course because transfer credit will not be granted for both.” Would the student receive
transfer credit for the course and elective unit credit AP exam as long as it is not articulated with a specific course at
the UC/CSU campus where the student is applying?
Answer
The CCC in this example is applying the policy correctly.
Example: A student takes a CCC U.S. History course that is comparable to the AP U.S. History exam. The student is planning
to attend UCLA as a Political Science major. Quick Reference shows the AP U.S. History exam is not articulated with a
particular course at UCLA. The student would therefore receive unit credit for the AP exam and the CCC course.
However, for IGETC purposes this is considered duplication of coursework. Therefore, only the course or the AP exam
may be applied to IGETC.
Is the new IGETC AP chart (Section 7.1) for certification purposes only? When counselors are adding up total AP admission units to a UC campus, and there is no duplicate credit issue, should the chart in Quick Reference be used?
Answer
Yes, counselors should continue to use the UC Quick Reference AP chart to determine unit designation for admission purposes. http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/admissions/counselors/ap-credits/index.html. CSU also has a system wide AP policy as outlined in E.O. 1036, Section 1.2.4. This list is posted at: www.calstate.edu/app/general_education.shtml
A UC/CSU campus awards a student AP credit and subsequently allows the student to enroll in the comparable course. The student then comes to a CCC campus and follows IGETC. Can both the AP exam and the comparable course be used toward satisfaction of IGETC requirements?
Answer
For IGETC purposes, this would be considered duplication of coursework.
Example: UC Davis awards AP Psychology units but only grants course credit with a score of 4 or 5. A student with a score of 3 is allowed to enroll in Psych 1, a general psychology course. This student then enrolls at a CCC campus and follows IGETC because he/she is not returning to UC Davis.
The student can apply either the AP Psychology exam or the psychology course to IGETC Area 4, not both.
Can the AP chart be added to ASSIST?
Answer
Policy information is not housed in ASSIST. The combined UC/CSU AP chart for IGETC can be found in the IGETC Standards Section 7.1 and accessed at http://ccctransfer.org/igetc/main-page.
Since California Community Colleges may apply out-of-state and non-CCC courses to the IGETC if the course(s) meets the Standards, where do we get the out-of-state/non-CCC university course outlines/syllabi if needed?
Answer
It is the responsibility of the student to provide the course outline/syllabus they would like a non-CCC course considered for IGETC applicability.
Question 17 (11-11-08)
In section 5.2.1, #2 states that if the certifying CCC does not have a comparable course, but another CCC does, the
course may be applied to the IGETC “as long as the course outlines are compared and scrutinized as to equivalency in
content, prerequisites, texts, units and conformity to IGETC standards.” #3. If there is no comparable course at either
the certifying CCC or another CCC, then the certifying CCC may use the non-CCC course on the IGETC provided that
the non-CCC course conforms to the IGETC Area Standards. (See Section 10.0 for Standards)Are the articulation
officers expected to provide an outline to the faculty member to approve these courses? Or, will a course description
and a syllabus from the student suffice?
Answer
Faculty involvement is not necessary if the course description from the non-CCC course matches the course
description from another CCC. In this case, the faculty designee can apply the course to the appropriate IGETC area.
If it is not clear, the student will need to provide a course outline or syllabus and the appropriate faculty or faculty
designee will then determine if the course is applicable to IGETC.
CCC campuses have different models regarding review of non-CCC courses. It is understood that each individual
community college creates practices that best serve their campus. It is important that the CCC practice adheres to the
intent of the Standards.
When placing courses on IGETC (student is not returning to the same UC/CSU campus), does the CCC need to find a comparable course if the UC/CSU course met a GE/breadth requirement at the campus where it was taken?
Answer
If a UC/CSU GE/breadth course satisfies a breadth area that has a comparable IGETC Area, there does not need to be a comparable CCC course. However, courses that satisfy English composition or quantitative reasoning should be scrutinized.
Example 1: UC Irvine’s Women's Studies 60A meets a UCI breadth requirement in Social and Behavioral Sciences. It could be used toward satisfaction of IGETC Area 4, even if the CCC does not offer a comparable course. It would not be necessary to check if another CCC offered a similar course.
Example 2: UC Irvine’s ASIANAM 142 course meets the campus’s Multicultural Studies and International/Global Issues breadth requirement. There is no comparable IGETC area and no comparable CCC course. Therefore, this course could not be used on IGETC even though it meets a UC breadth.
Example 3: Student takes Philosophy 2, Logic and Humanities 1A/B/C, the Humanities Core at UCI. Philosophy 2 meets the quantitative reasoning GE requirement and Humanities 1A/B/C meets the composition requirement at UCI. These courses cannot be used on IGETC as they do not meet the IGETC Standards for these areas. The student should be advised to request partial IGETC certification missing Areas 1A and 2.
Section 5.2.1 states that non-CCC courses may be used for IGETC, even if they were completed prior to the CCC course’s IGETC effective date. If a course is discontinued on IGETC, could a non-CCC course completed after the discontinued date be used?
Answer
There was unanimous agreement by the IGETC committee that the content of the course should be considered rather than the date of acceptance. Courses are removed for a variety of reasons and generally at the discretion of the CCC. As long as the course content is a match to a once-approved IGETC course, it may be used.
As a reminder, all CCC courses and their approval dates must be applied to IGETC as indicated on the official IGETC agreements posted on ASSIST.
If and when non-CCC courses are approved for use on IGETC, will a centralized database be available for input (similar to ASSIST or within ASSIST)?
Answer
No. ASSIST is funded and maintained as an agency of the State of California, and is intended only to facilitate transfer among the state’s three segments of public postsecondary education.
A student requests and is granted partial certification upon acceptance to a UC or CSU campus. If the student then completes the missing courses in the summer prior to matriculation at the UC or CSU campus, should the CCC campus complete the full certification?
Answer
Yes, if a student is partially certified and then completes the coursework necessary for full certification prior to matriculation to the university, the CCC must fully certify.
Example: A student requests IGETC certification in spring semester prior to fall transfer to a UC campus. The CCC campus partially certifies the student missing one course in Area 3B. During the summer session, prior to fall transfer, the student completes a course that satisfies Area 3B. As a result, the CCC campus must fully IGETC certify the student.
A student gets partially certified then matriculates to the UC or CSU. They complete the coursework the following summer at the community college. Who is responsible for certifying completion of IGETC?
Answer
When a student requests full certification from the CCC after matriculating to the UC or CSU, it not the CCC’s responsibility to certify the completion of IGETC. It is the university’s responsibility to clear full certification.
Is a partially certified student held to the UC or CSU campus-specific general education requirements for the missing subject area/s?
Answer
No. The student is required to complete the missing course/s by following the parameters of the IGETC Standards rather than being obligated to complete the university campus specific general education requirements. (See Section 11.4).
Example: Student arrives on a UC campus partially certified missing Area 6, LOTE. The student clears this deficiency by completing a course equivalent to 2 years of high school study. The student’s IGETC is now complete.
Where can information on double- counting courses in a major and in IGETC are found?
Answer
For UC, IGETC information can be found on the University of California website: www.universityofcalifornia.edu/admissions/igetc under the “Applying Courses” section: “Courses may be used only once to satisfy one IGETC subject area, even if they are listed in the course agreement under more than one subject area. Courses may be used to satisfy both IGETC and major requirements.”
For CSU, double-counting courses for IGETC and major requirements are determined campus by campus and department by department. Refer to the CSU document “Campus-Specific Practices for Transfer Admission” for guidelines.
UC college and/or department counselors expressed frustration that sometimes the IGETC documents aren't official or they need the student to request the IGETC immediately. Is it possible to get all community colleges to supply IGETC certifications on demand?
Answer
Students who complete IGETC before transfer but fail to request certification will be directed back to the sending institution to obtain a completed form. Sending institutions will respond as quickly as possible but may not be able to accommodate these requests immediately, such as during peak workload periods. Students should be advised to allow sufficient time for processing. IGETC certification timelines are at the discretion of the individual CCC.
If a student takes the 3rd year of a foreign language in high school as an in high school because the student took 2 years in middle school, does that fulfill LOTE?
Answer
Same scenario as above, but the student takes 3rd year as freshman because the student was placed into it without having taken middle school foreign language or took only one year in middle school?
The student above must complete at least the first semester of Spanish 3 with a C- or better, then in both cases, the student has met the LOTE proficiency for IGTEC. By completing the first semester of the third year of a foreign language with a C- or better, it is assumed that the student has acquired knowledge of the first two years at C- or better, either by formal instruction or exposure to the language in the home.
Technically, a student need only show a C- or higher at the end of the second semester of the second year of a high school foreign language to satisfy the LOTE for IGETC.
The new IGETC Standards allow students to present a partial or full certification at any time during their matriculation at the 4-year campus. Does this mean that senior level students will be requesting partial certification?
Answer
As indicated on page 26 of the IGETC Standards a student may request full or partial IGETC certification at any time before or after matriculation. Although it could be possible that a student presents a partial IGETC in their senior year, students shouldbe encouraged to complete and submit IGETC certification upon or prior to matriculation to the university.
Are students who are granted partial certification after matriculation required to complete the missing requirements within a specific timeline?
Answer
Once a student’s partial IGETC is certified and sent to UC, the UC Academic Senate Regulation 478 B.2.d. applies. It states: “The IGETC must be completed within one academic year (two semesters or three quarters plus any summer that might intervene) of the student’s transfer to UC.” And (per 11.4 of the IGETC Rules) each UC or CSU campus will inform a student that has submitted a partial certified IGETC of the specific timelines and courses needed to complete the IGETC.
It is assumed that a student who had nine years of education in a Spanish-speaking country could not use a SPAN 3 course taken
at a community college to clear IGETC Humanities. Is that a correct assumption?
Answer
No, this is not a correct assumption. The course would clear humanities and earn unit credit on IGETC so that the
subject and area unit credit for IGETC are fulfilled. It is important to separate admission criteria from the IGETC
Standards. The Standards do not include a native language restriction regarding awarding units/credit for IGETC, that
is a UC policy In addition, if the student were to go to CSU, he/she would be awarded the units in transfer for the
Spanish 3 course. The student has demonstrated competency in humanities through a course, even if upon
transferring to a UC, unit/GPA credit will not be awarded.
The revised UC policy on “Language Credit in the Native Language” states: This regulation refers to students whose
re-collegiate education was largely completed in a single language other than English and describes the conditions
under which they may receive transfer credit for courses in that language. It applies to students whose language of
instruction was not English and who completed at least nine full years of education conducted in that language that
included a full year of course work equivalent to a year within grades 9-12 of the U.S. curriculum. These students may
not receive credit for lower division language courses in that language unless it is determined that the primary course
focus was the study of literature rather than language acquisition. College credit for literature in the native language is
allowed for courses taken in native institutions of college grade, or for upper division and graduate courses actually
taken at the University of California or at another English-speaking institution of approved standing.
Can a prerequisite for a course, such as Intermediate Algebra for College Algebra, be divided into one unit segments?
Answer
Yes, a prerequisite can be taught in broken up segments, such as one unit over four terms, as long as the entire
sequence is stated as equivalent to the standard prerequisite course in the catalog. Particularly in math, students may
test into any portion of the sequence in order to complete the prerequisite requirement. In other words, depending
on a student's placement score they may not need to take every one unit segment. Example: Math 10, College Algebra
(prerequisite Math 2, Intermediate Algebra 4 units or Math 1A, B, C, D 1 unit each. Math 1A,B,C,D is equivalent to
Math 2).