Transferring from Saddleback College

Saddleback College is in Mission Viejo, Orange County, part of the South Orange County Community College District. These are the transfer programs and priorities its students can use.

Checked against the California Community Colleges list, UC and CSU sources in October 2026.

At a glance

UC campuses with TAG: 6
UCLA TAP member: Yes
CSU local priorities or guarantees: 1
Extra UC programs: 0

UC programs open to you

Program	Here	What it gives
Transfer Admission Guarantee	Yes	Guaranteed admission to one of six UC campuses if you meet its conditions. Open to every California community college.
UCLA Transfer Alliance Program	Yes	Priority consideration for majors in the UCLA College, plus a second review under an alternate major, which other applicants don’t get. It is not a guarantee.
UCLA ADT pilot	No	Limited to ten partner colleges.
UC San Diego UniversityLink	No	Limited to nine San Diego and Imperial County colleges.

CSU local areas and guarantees

Most CSU campuses treat all of California as local for transfers. Some give students from certain colleges or areas an advantage, or a guarantee.

Campus	Applies here	Rule
Cal State Fullerton	Yes	CSU’s September 2026 chart gives Cal State Fullerton’s transfer local area as the Orange County community colleges.
CSULB	Through your high school	Since fall 2025, transfers count as local if they earned most units at Long Beach City, Cerritos, Golden West, Coastline or Orange Coast College as their last school, graduated from a high school in CSULB’s local area, or are veterans.
Cal Poly SLO	Through your high school	Cal Poly gives local preference by high school: graduates of high schools in San Luis Obispo County, northern Santa Barbara County and southern Monterey County. It defines no community college area for transfers.

Campuses with a college-based rule that doesn’t cover Saddleback College: SDSU, SJSU, Sacramento State, Cal State LA, Cal State Fullerton, Fresno State, SF State, Cal State San Marcos, Sonoma State.

Every CSU campus, with admit rates and impaction

Private university options

University	What it offers
La Verne	La Verne’s Transfer Admission Guarantee names this college among its partners. It needs a 2.7 GPA, 28 transferable units and college-level English, and you apply while still enrolled here.
Saint Mary's	Saint Mary’s gives every California community college transfer a $5,000 Community College Pathway Grant, renewable for up to three years.
Whittier	Whittier’s CCC Advantage sets tuition at $28,000 a year for students with 30 transferable units and a 2.9 GPA.
APU, Cal Baptist, La Verne, Saint Mary's, Whittier	These universities state on their own pages that they guarantee admission to students with an Associate Degree for Transfer, on their terms.

Every private university, with admit rates and deadlines

Other colleges in Orange County

Plan your courses

ASSIST shows which Saddleback College courses count at each UC and CSU campus.
UC requirements by major list the courses UC campuses expect before you transfer.
The UC calculator compares your GPA with all nine campuses.

Questions

Is Saddleback College a UCLA TAP school?

Yes. Saddleback College is on UCLA’s list of Transfer Alliance Program member colleges. TAP gives honors students priority consideration at UCLA, not a guarantee.

Can Saddleback College students use a UC TAG?

Yes. Every California community college student can file a TAG at Davis, Irvine, Merced, Riverside, Santa Barbara or Santa Cruz, one per cycle, in September.

Which CSU campuses give Saddleback College students priority?

Cal State Fullerton. Most other CSU campuses treat all of California as local for transfers.