Honors Transfer Certification

Special recognition is awarded to transferring or graduating students who meet the following requirements:

• Certification for Honors transfer status requires students to be enrolled in the Honors Program by August 31 of the year in which they intend to submit transfer applications to UCLA or UCI. Once enrolled, students must maintain uninterrupted OCC enrollment unless a written notification of a leave of absence was submitted and acknowledged.

• Certification for Honors transfer status also requires that students first meet the general education requirements for transfer to the university, and be on target to complete their major prerequisites as well as the requirements for alternate majors identified on the original application for transfer.

• Completion of the Honors Program requires letter grades in at least 15 Honors units distributed over at least three different subject areas. 

• Certification requires that students complete at least 12* of the 15 total honors units BEFORE the start of the final spring semester at OCC.

• Show evidence that any remaining honors coursework required for certification is in progress during the final semester at OCC. Students are welcome to go over the minimum honors unit requirement or take more than the remaining required units in their final semester (certification for honors transfer priority consideration depends on at least 12 honors units being complete before the start of the final semester with any remaining units "in progress" -- that is, confirmed enrollment in those classes)

• Earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.50 in all transferable coursework, including courses taken at other institutions. (This requirement must be met immediately prior to beginning the final spring semester at OCC for certification.)

• Show a "line out" or "exclusion" for any course with a D, F, or NC/NP (no credit/no pass); this may be accomplished with course repetition for a passing grade and a petition filed with the OCC Records Office to request the exclusion of a substandard grade OR through Academic Renewal, which is addressed with the help of a counselor)

• Possess a transcript free of Incomplete grades that carry the potential of disqualification for certification or recognition of completion, including IB, IC, ID, IF, INP)

• Submit "Intent to Transfer to UCLA/UCI documentation in the same fall as transfer applications are submitted.

• Submit "Student Agreement" for records access before certification appointments are made in January/February

• Meet with an honors counselor to review eligibility for certification and submit final paperwork for  by the annual deadline (usually early to mid-February)

• Resolve any issues identified by the Honors Counselor prior to certification and follow up with the same Honors Counselor once those issues have been resolved.

• Resolve any incidents of academic dishonesty or violations of campus conduct policies prior to requesting certification or transcript notation for the completion of the Honors Program. Disciplinary action must have been resolved without temporary or permanent dismissal from the college. Students must be in good standing with the OCC Dean of Students' Office.

*In some cases, students may be granted certification with more than three units of Honors coursework in progress during the final spring semester prior to transfer. Approval through an appeals process is required.  The final decision to certify a student will be made by the Honors Counselors and may take up to three weeks. It is critical to petition early to allow enough time between an appeal approval and the required appointment with an Honors Counselor to finalize the certification process.  To obtain the petition form, please contact the office:   hpro@occ.cccd.edu

Credit for Honors coursework completed at other institutions:

A maximum of one-half the required UC-transferable semester honors units for certification/completion may be earned at another community college toward completion of the Honors Program at OCC. Check with an Honors Counselor before registering for courses that you may wish to apply to your OCC Honors Program completion.