Initiatives focused on expanding the UC’s transfer admission guarantee program in the 2023-2024 state budget are under discussion amongst California lawmakers.

Currently, UC Berkeley is one of three UC campuses that fail to offer the Transfer Admission Guarantee, or TAG, program, accompanied by UCLA and UC San Diego.

The idea of a new admission guarantee program comes to the excitement of campus senior transfer student Emiliano Silva and others, who feel as though it is a step in the right direction.

“Transfers are a very unique community that represents perseverance and represents what can be done through hard work no matter what the odds are against you,” Silva said. “Community college gave me a second chance.”

Gov. Gavin Newsom introduced the issue in his January budget, where he proposed that UCLA join the TAG and Associate Degree for Transfer, or ADT, program. ADT currently allows guaranteed admission to California State Universities if certain requirements are met.

Assemblymember Kevin McCarty addressed this proposal in the Assembly’s budget subcommittee on education finance last Tuesday but suggested that a transfer admission guarantee program be applied to all UCs, as first reported by Cap Radio.

Ryan King, associate director of media relations for the UC Office of the President, or UCOP, emphasized the university’s commitment to strengthening the pathway between community college students and the UC. These efforts include plans to target outreach towards 69 additional California community colleges with high low-income student populations, King added.

“The University of California shares Governor Newsom’s and the California Legislature’s commitment to ensuring California community college students have the necessary support and resources they need to transfer to and thrive on our campuses,” King said in an email.

King also noted the UC has a population of nearly 45,000 transfer students and accepts 75 percent of California community college applicants to the UC.

Silva noted the importance of implementing an admission guarantee program with care so prospective transfer students have enough time to adjust to the application process.

“If it’s with time done by interviewing transfer students, by interviewing counselors, and by interviewing people that work with other institutions, I think that it can definitely be a beautiful thing,” Silva said.

For campus senior Jacob Couch, transferring was a difficult process that depended on an “overworked and underfunded” California Community College system. Couch added that he supports the expansion of the TAG and ADT programs to increase access and dismantle barriers for community college students.

In response to these initiatives, King also noted the value of the transfer community at the UC and a commitment to supporting prospective transfer students.

“We will continue to work with state leaders to further expand the pipeline of strong transfer applicants and ensure that students continue to see a University of California degree as a valuable asset for their long-term career and personal growth,” King said in an email.