UC Merced TAG requirements

A Transfer Admission Guarantee secures admission to UC Merced if you meet its conditions. These are the rules for fall 2027 entry from UC’s TAG matrix. Filing closed September 30, 2026, and decisions come on or after November 15.

Checked against official UC and campus sources in October 2026.

At a glance

GPA line, most majors: 2.80
Highest major line: 3.00
Record pre-review: Yes
Major groups not covered: None

UC Merced counts your GPA through the end of summer 2026. Merced reviews your record and also offers a spring TAG window, May 1 to 31.

Check your TAG

UC-transferable GPA3.40

Intended major

Meets the GPA line

Psychology needs a 3.00 at UC Merced. You’re 0.40 above it. Prep courses and the other TAG conditions still have to be met.

Checks the GPA line and the majors list only. A TAG also needs the units, courses and timing below.

GPA lines by major

Every major covered by UC Merced’s TAG needs at least a 2.80 UC-transferable GPA.

Majors with a higher line	GPA line
Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, Earth Science / Geology, Environmental Science, Statistics	2.90
Aerospace Engineering, Bioengineering, Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science, Psychology	3.00

Engineering and Psychology 3.0, Natural Sciences 2.9, other schools 2.8.

Majors TAG doesn’t cover

None. Every UC Merced major is open to TAG.

Timeline for fall 2027

When	Step
Sep 1–30, 2026	File the TAG in UC Transfer Admission Planner. Closed for fall 2027.
Oct 1 – Nov 30, 2026	Submit the UC application with UC Merced and the same major as your TAG.
On or after Nov 15, 2026	TAG decision. It can’t be appealed.
Jan 31, 2027	Transfer Academic Update, required to keep the TAG.
By spring 2027	Finish 60 semester units and the 7-course pattern with the grades the TAG lists.

Merced also has a spring TAG window, May 1 to 31. Check UC’s TAG matrix for the term it covers.

What every TAG requires

30 UC-transferable semester units done when you file the TAG, 60 by the end of the spring before entry.
One UC-transferable English and one math done by the fall you file; the rest of the 7-course pattern by spring.
Your last school in a regular term must be a California community college, with 30+ semester units completed there.
2.0+ GPA in UC-transferable courses in your final year, with no grade below C.

Compare all six TAG campuses

What UC Merced says

TAG minimum GPAs are 3.0 for Engineering, 2.9 for Natural Sciences and 2.8 for Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts (3.0 for Psychology and Public Health). Merced offers a fall TAG filed September 1-30 and a spring TAG filed May 1-31. Source

Other TAG campuses

Questions

What GPA do you need for a UC Merced TAG?

At least a 2.80 UC-transferable GPA by the end of summer 2026. Some majors need up to a 3.00.

Which majors can’t use a UC Merced TAG?

None. Every UC Merced major accepts TAG.

Can I still file a TAG for fall 2027?

No. The window was September 1–30, 2026. You can still apply to UC Merced through regular review by November 30, 2026, and the next TAG window, for fall 2028, is September 2027.

Can I file more than one TAG?

No. You can file a TAG at one campus per cycle, and your UC application must list that campus and major.