Attending a community college for 2 years then transferring to a 4 year university is a great way to explore different majors, get your general education requirements done and save money!
Many colleges and universities offer GUARANTEED admission if you apply as a transfer. You must follow all the guidelines, take the right classes and maintain a GPA.
Associate degrees for transfer- Associate Degrees for Transfer (ADT) – also known as Associate in Arts for Transfer (AA-T) and Associate in Science for Transfer (AS-T ) degrees – are intended primarily for students who plan to transfer into a similar baccalaureate major at a CSU campus. Students who earn an ADT and meet certain CSU admission requirements are guaranteed priority admission to a CSU campus, though not necessarily to a specific campus or major.
Transfer admission guarantee (UC Campuses)- Six of the nine UC campuses (excluding Berkeley, Los Angeles and San Diego) offer the Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) program for California community college students who meet specific requirements.
Articulation agreements- Articulation refers to the process of evaluating courses, or a sequence of courses, to determine whether coursework offered at a "sending" institution (e.g. De Anza College) will meet specific course requirements at a "receiving" institution (e.g. CSU, UC, or private college or university) for the purposes of admission, general education (GE), lower-division major preparation and/or elective credit
Transfer admission guarantee (non-UC campuses)- A Transfer Admission Guarantee(TAG) is a contractual agreement that provides students guaranteed admission to a participating transfer college or university. A TAG may not be available for all majors, impacted programs, and colleges or schools at a participating TAG college or university. Students interested in completing a TAG must satisfy specified admission and course requirements in a timely manner in order to be guaranteed admission to a participating TAG college or university.
Definitions above provided by: www.deanza.edu/articulation