UC Irvine has officially updated its Transfer Admission Guarantee page, confirming significant UC Irvine TAG changes that will affect which majors qualify for guaranteed admission. If you’re a transfer student with UC Irvine on your list, this is worth understanding now, especially if your application timeline extends into 2027 or 2028.
The changes roll out in two phases. Some exclusions take effect for fall 2027 admission, and a much larger set takes effect for fall 2028 admission. Where your student lands in this timeline will determine which majors remain TAG-eligible.
Majors Excluded From TAG for Fall 2027 Admission
For students applying this coming fall for fall 2027 admission, UC Irvine’s current TAG exclusion list remains the same as in prior cycles. The following majors are not TAG-eligible for fall 2027:
Art, Business Administration, Dance, Music B.Mus, Nursing Science, and all majors within the Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences.
If your student’s intended major isn’t on this list and their application timeline is fall 2027, this update does not change anything for you.
Majors Excluded From TAG for Fall 2028 Admission
For students applying in fall 2027 for fall 2028 admission, the TAG exclusion list expands considerably. UC Irvine has organized the fall 2028 exclusions by school:
- Charlie Dunlop School of Biological Sciences: Biological Sciences, Biology/Education, and Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
- Claire Trevor School of the Arts: Art, Dance, and Music B.Mus
- Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences: All majors
- Henry Samueli School of Engineering: Aerospace Engineering, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering
- Paul Merage School of Business: Business Administration
- Sue and Bill Gross School of Nursing: Nursing Science
- School of Social Ecology: Psychology, B.A.
- School of Social Sciences: Business Economics, Cognitive Sciences, Economics, Psychology B.S., and Quantitative Economics
This is a substantial expansion. Several of UC Irvine’s most popular transfer majors, including Biological Sciences, all four Engineering disciplines, both Psychology degree tracks, and the Economics-related majors in Social Sciences, will no longer carry a TAG guarantee starting with the fall 2028 cycle.
Who This Affects, and Who It Doesn't
If your student is applying this coming fall for fall 2027 admission, only the fall 2027 exclusion list applies. The expanded fall 2028 list does not affect this cycle.
If your student’s projected transfer timeline points toward fall 2028, meaning they’d be applying in fall 2027, the expanded exclusion list applies to them. This is most relevant for students who are earlier in their community college pathway, such as current freshmen or students who anticipate needing additional time before transferring.
Why This Matters for Your Planning
TAG provides a meaningful advantage. Students who meet the program’s GPA and coursework requirements receive guaranteed admission, which removes much of the uncertainty from the transfer process. Losing TAG eligibility for a major doesn’t mean a student can’t be admitted into that major at UC Irvine. It means the application instead goes through UC Irvine’s regular comprehensive review process, the same process used for every other applicant.
For families building a transfer roadmap, a few things are worth considering.
First, if your student’s intended major falls under the fall 2028 exclusions and their timeline points toward that cycle, it’s worth discussing backup planning with a counselor. This could include identifying which other TAG campuses, such as UC Davis, UC Riverside, UC Santa Barbara, or UC Santa Cruz, still offer TAG for that major.
Second, if a student can realistically accelerate their timeline to apply this fall for fall 2027 admission instead of waiting for fall 2028, doing so would preserve TAG eligibility under the current fall 2027 rules for most of the majors newly excluded for 2028. This isn’t the right move for every student, since rushing major preparation coursework can hurt the GPA and course completion factors that matter most in UC’s comprehensive review. But for students who are close to being ready, it’s a conversation worth having early.
Third, even without TAG, none of these majors are becoming unavailable to transfer students. UC Irvine will still admit students into Biological Sciences, Engineering, Psychology, Economics, Cognitive Sciences, and every other major listed above through its standard transfer admission process. What changes is the certainty TAG provides, not the door itself.
What We'd Recommend Right Now
Since this is now confirmed directly on UC Irvine’s official TAG page, families can plan around it with confidence. We’d suggest the following steps:
Review your student’s intended major against both the fall 2027 and fall 2028 exclusion lists above, since the right list depends entirely on application timeline.
Talk with your community college’s transfer center or counseling office about whether accelerating to a fall 2027 application is realistic and advisable for your student’s situation.
If your student’s major falls under the fall 2028 exclusions and accelerating isn’t the right fit, start exploring TAG availability at the other TAG campuses, UC Davis, UC Merced, UC Riverside, UC Santa Barbara, and UC Santa Cruz, for that major.
Continue focusing on the fundamentals. GPA and major preparation coursework matter regardless of TAG status, and strengthening these areas keeps every option open.
Get Help Navigating Your UC Transfer Timeline
Changes like this are a good reminder that UC transfer policy can shift while a student is still mid-pathway, sometimes in ways that affect major selection, timeline decisions, and which TAG campuses make sense as backups. If your student’s intended major is on either exclusion list above, or if you’re trying to figure out whether accelerating to a fall 2027 application makes sense for their situation, we offer a free consultation to see how we can help. Feel free to reach out.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is TAG?
TAG stands for Transfer Admission Guarantee. It’s a program offered by six UC campuses, UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC Merced, UC Riverside, UC Santa Barbara, and UC Santa Cruz, that guarantees admission to California community college students who meet specific GPA and coursework requirements by set deadlines. TAG is optional. Students who don’t qualify for or pursue TAG can still apply to any UC campus through the regular admission process.
Do I have to use TAG to transfer to UC Irvine?
No. TAG is one pathway among several. Many students transfer to UC Irvine successfully without a TAG agreement. TAG simply offers added certainty for students who meet its requirements well in advance of applying.
Does losing TAG eligibility mean a major is harder to get into?
Not necessarily in terms of admission standards, but it does remove the guarantee. Without TAG, your application is evaluated through UC Irvine’s comprehensive review process, the same process used for all other applicants to that major. Strong GPA and completed major preparation remain the most important factors either way.
Does this affect students applying for fall 2027 admission?
Only if your student’s intended major is on UC Irvine’s fall 2027 exclusion list (Art, Business Administration, Dance, Music B.Mus, Nursing Science, and all Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences majors). The expanded exclusions, including Biological Sciences, Engineering, Psychology, and Economics-related majors, take effect for fall 2028 admission, meaning students applying in fall 2027.
Where can I find the official list of TAG-excluded majors?
UC Irvine maintains this information on its official Transfer Admission Guarantee page, which lists exclusions separately for fall 2027 and fall 2028 admission.
