California General Education Transfer Curriculum (Cal-GETC) 2026–2027
Effective: Fall 2026 through Summer 2027
The California General Education Transfer Curriculum (Cal-GETC) is a series of courses that California community college (CCC) students may complete to satisfy the lower-division breadth/general education requirements before transferring to the California State University (CSU) or to the University of California (UC). CCC can certify completion of Cal-GETC, which is accepted by all the CSU campuses and many majors at all UC campuses.
Four Things to Know Before You Start
Course Approval
A course can only be certified if it was approved for Cal-GETC when it was taken. Courses on this list are approved for 2025–2026. Visit ASSIST.org for approval dates and transfer credit limitations.
Grading Requirements
All courses must be completed with a "C" or better, or a "Pass" on a P/NP basis equal to a C or higher. Many universities require letter grades for major coursework. Consult a counselor before selecting the P/NP option.
Getting Certified
Once you receive conditional admission, submit a GE Certification Request to the De Anza Admissions and Records Office. See a counselor about UC majors or professional schools that may not accept Cal-GETC.
Double Counting
Courses approved for more than one area can only be used to fulfil one requirement. No double counting is allowed on the Cal-GETC.
Cal-GETC Areas Overview
Complete all six areas for a total of 45–58 quarter units.
- Area 1
-
English Communication — 12–15 units. Select 1 course each from Groups 1A, 1B, and 1C.
- Area 2
-
Mathematical Concepts & Quantitative Reasoning — 4–5 units. Select 1 course.
- Area 3
-
Arts and Humanities — 8–10 units. Select 1 course from Arts (3A) and 1 from Humanities (3B).
- Area 4
-
Social and Behavioral Sciences — 8–11 units. Select at least 2 courses from at least 2 different disciplines.
- Area 5
-
Physical and Biological Sciences — 9–12 units. Select 1 course from the Physical Science (5A) section and 1 course from the Biological Science (5B) section ; at least 1 must include a lab approved for Area 5C.
- Area 6
-
Ethnic Studies — 4 units. Complete 1 course. No AP/IB credit accepted.
Approved Courses by Area
Expand each area to view approved De Anza courses. For UC AP and IB Exam Credit information, visit admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/admission-requirements/ap-exam-credits/
Area 1: English Communication (12–15 Quarter Units)
Select 3 courses total — one course from each group below.
Group 1A — English Composition
| Department | Approved Courses | AP/IB Credit |
|---|---|---|
| ENGL / ESL | Accepted |
Group 1B — Critical Thinking – English Composition
| Department | Approved Courses | AP/IB Credit |
|---|---|---|
| COMM |
9, 9H |
Not accepted |
| ENGL |
C1001, C1001H, C1003, C1003H |
Not accepted |
| PHIL |
3 |
Not accepted |
Group 1C — Oral Communication
| Department | Approved Courses | AP/IB Credit |
|---|---|---|
| COMM |
|
Not accepted |
Area 2: Mathematical Concepts & Quantitative Reasoning (4–5 Quarter Units)
Select 1 course from the list below. AP/IB Exam Credit accepted.
Area 3: Arts and Humanities (8–10 Quarter Units)
Select 2 courses — 1 from Arts (3A) and 1 from Humanities (3B). AP/IB Exam Credit accepted.
Group 3A — Arts
| Department | Approved Courses |
|---|---|
| ARTS |
1A, 1B, 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D, 2F 2G, 2H, 2J, 3TC, 3TE |
| ASAM |
40 |
| CETH |
13 |
| CHLX |
13 |
| DANC |
|
| E S |
|
| F/TV |
1, 1H, 2A(1), 2AH(1), 2AW(1), 2AWH(1), 2B(1), 2BH(1), 2BW(1), 2BWH(1), 2C(1), 2CH(1), 2CW(1), 2CWH(1), 3A, 4, 5 |
| HUMI |
|
| MUSI |
|
| NAIS |
|
| PHTG |
|
| THEA |
|
| WMST |
|
Group 3B — Humanities
| Department | Approved Courses |
|---|---|
| AFAM |
|
| ASAM |
|
| CHLX |
|
| ELIT |
|
| ESL |
|
| ENGL |
|
| F/TV |
2A(1), 2AH(1), 2AW(1), 2AWH(1), 2B(1), 2BH(1), 2BW(1), 2BWH(1), 2C(1), 2CH(1), 2CW(1), 2CWH(1), 3A |
| FREN |
|
| GERM |
|
| HIST |
|
| HNDI | 3 |
| HUMI |
|
| INTL |
|
| ITAL |
|
| JAPN |
|
| KORE |
|
| LING |
|
| MAND |
|
| NAIS |
|
| PHIL |
|
| READ |
|
| RUSS |
|
| SIGN |
|
| SPAN |
|
| VIET |
|
| WMST |
|
Area 4: Social and Behavioral Sciences (8–11 Quarter Units)
Select at least 2 courses from at least 2 different disciplines. AP/IB Exam Credit accepted.
| Department | Approved Courses |
|---|---|
| ADMJ |
|
| AFAM |
|
| ANTH |
|
| ARTS |
|
| ASAM |
|
| CETH |
|
| CHLX |
|
| C D |
10G, 10H, 12 |
| COMM |
|
| ECON |
|
| E S |
|
| F/TV |
|
| GEO |
|
| HIST |
|
| HUMA |
|
| ICS |
|
| INTL |
|
| JOUR |
|
| KNES |
|
| NAIS |
|
| POLI |
2, 3, 5, 15, 16, 17, 17H |
| POLS |
C1000, C1000H |
| PSYC |
|
| SOC |
|
| WMST |
|
Area 5: Physical and Biological Sciences (9–12 Quarter Units)
Select at least 2 courses — 1 from Physical Science (5A) and 1 from Biological Science (5B). At least 1 must include a laboratory. AP/IB Exam Credit accepted; however, the IB Exam does not fulfill the laboratory requirement.
Group 5A — Physical Sciences
Courses and course groupings including a laboratory component satisfy the Area 5C laboratory requirement. The lab requirement must be paired with a 5A or 5B lecture course and cannot be taken standalone. IB Exams do not fulfill the laboratory requirement.
| Department | Approved Courses |
|---|---|
| ASTR | |
| CHEM |
1A(2), 1AH(2), 1B(2), 1BH(2), 1C(2), 1CH(2), 10(1)(2), 25(1)(2), 30A(1)(2), 30B(2) |
| GEO |
|
| GEOL | |
| MET | |
| PHYS |
Group 5B — Biological Sciences
Courses and course groupings including a laboratory component satisfy the Area 5C laboratory requirement. The lab requirement must be paired with a 5A or 5B lecture course and cannot be taken standalone. IB Exams do not fulfill the laboratory requirement.
| Department | Approved Courses |
|---|---|
| ANTH | |
| BIOL |
6A(2), 6AH(2), 6B(2), 6C(2), 6CH(2), 10(1)(2), 10H(1)(2), 11(1)(2), 13(2), 15(2), 26(2), 40C(2) |
| ESCI |
Group 5C — Laboratory
All students are required to complete 1 laboratory requirement corresponding to a lecture course in Area 5A or 5B. Classes fulfilling this requirement are denoted above with a superscript 2. Laboratory courses cannot fulfill the requirement unless paired with a lecture course approved for Area 5A: Physical Sciences or Area 5B: Biological Sciences.
Area 6: Ethnic Studies (4 Quarter Units)
Complete 1 course. No AP/IB Exam Credit accepted for Area 6.
| Department | Approved Courses |
|---|---|
| ADMJ |
|
| AFAM |
|
| ASAM |
|
| CETH |
|
| CHLX |
|
| NAIS |
|
1 Transfer credit may be limited
2 Contains a lab that satisfies Area 5C
Additional Graduation Requirements
The following are not part of Cal-GETC but may be completed at De Anza before you transfer.
CSU Requirement: U.S. History, Constitution, and American Ideals (9 Quarter Units)
Not part of Cal-GETC, but may be completed prior to transfer. Complete US-1, US-2, and US-3.
| Requirement | Select One Course |
|---|---|
| US-1 |
|
| US-2 / US-3 |
|
Courses taken to satisfy this requirement may also satisfy Cal-GETC Area 3 and/or Area 4 at the discretion of the receiving campus. Check with the Admissions Office at your receiving CSU to confirm double-counting allowance.
UC Requirement: Language Other Than English (LOTE)
Not part of Cal-GETC, but may be completed prior to transfer. Requires proficiency in a language other than English equivalent to two years of high school study. Can be met with the following De Anza courses:
| Language | Courses |
|---|---|
| French | FREN 2, 3 |
| German | GERM 2, 3, 4 |
| Hindi | HNDI 2, 3 |
| Italian | ITAL 2, 3 |
| Japanese | JAPN 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 |
| Korean | KORE 2, 3, 4 |
| Mandarin | MAND 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 |
| Russian | RUSS 2, 3 |
| Sign Language | SIGN 2, 3 |
| Spanish | SPAN 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 |
| Vietnamese | VIET 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 |
Ready to Complete Cal-GETC?
Meet with a counselor to plan your coursework, confirm your transfer pathway, and submit your GE Certification Request when you are ready to transfer.
