While the stress of the fall 2017 transfer application season for California State University and University of California is upon Los Medanos College students, this month may provide a leg up for some of them.

September is UC Transfer Admission Guarantee Month and getting approved for a TAG secures admissions. Students have to fill out a free form online by the Sept. 30 deadline and meet the basic requirements.

“Why not? It’s not any extra work. Only good things can come from it,” said Los Medanos College Transfer Services and Transfer Academy Coordinator Rachel Anicetti, adding that the information students need to complete the application is the same for the regular UC application. She said it’s like getting a head start on the general admission process.

Six of the nine UC campuses — Davis, Irvine, Merced, Riverside, Santa Barbara and Santa Cruz — offer TAG agreements and the basic requirements include:

• 30 units completed before applying
• 60 units completed by the end of the spring 2017 semester
• Meet minimum GPA requirements, which fall between 2.8 and 3.4 depending on the university
• Must be a California community college student
• Must have a high school diploma or equivalent
• Have never attended a UC before
• Have never received a Bachelor’s, Graduate or professional degree
• Must apply to the UC they want to TAG with, declaring the same major on both applications

Anicetti did warn some colleges may have varying specifications within those guidelines, such as restricted majors, minimum GPA for not only UC transferable courses but a separate one for major courses as well, and deadlines for calculating GPA and completing certain math and English courses can also differ. Students should check for additional campus-specific requirements.

At a workshop held in the MESA Center Wednesday, Sept. 14, which was attended by about 17 students, Anicetti encouraged those who were present to submit an application even if they do not meet all of the TAG standards because she explained while some requirements are strict others are not.

“If your GPA is slightly under the minimum, but you really want to go to that school, you should still apply,” said Anicetti, also adding that there is no downside to the process — it’s free, some campuses give out early admissions decisions and the course requirements can sometimes be less intense.

But Anicetti also wanted to be clear that just because a student gets denied for TAG, doesn’t mean they will get denied in the general admissions and should still apply.

Students can checkout the LMC Transfer and Career Service’s calendar at http://www.losmedanos.edu/transfer/ to see when TAG and other transfer services are available or events are happening, such as workshops or drop-in counseling hours, which students like LMC biological science major Corrine Murphy have found valuable.

Murphy attended the Sept. 14 TAG workshop, and said she came to the information session wanting to know if the marine biology class she is taking at another college can be used along with her LMC coursework on the application.

“Knowing I can add it to my TAG was good to find out,” said Murphy, who is looking to TAG with Santa Cruz or Santa Barbara because both have agreements for marine biology.

LMC chemistry major Eboni Agee is looking to transfer to UC Davis or UC Merced and said she also found the information provided at the workshop helpful.

“It seems really simple after we went over it all,” said Agee.

Students can find additional information tips the TAG process and requirements, along with other transfer resources, on the LMC Transfer and Career Service’s website under “How to Apply,” or they can visit the Transfer Center on the top floor of Student Services building.

The Transfer Center has plenty of information to help get you to the UC or CSU of your choice, said Anicetti.