WGU & California Community Colleges Help You Earn A Degree

There are 114 community colleges in California, filled with millions of students who are working to further their education. You may be one of these students.

Community college can be a great place to further your education after high school education is done. Many students find it’s a great place to transition into college, an ideal option after taking time off of school to work, or a perfect place to get an associate’s degree.

But once you’re ready to transition to a university and get a bachelor’s degree, what are your options?

WGU in California is a perfect place for community college students to go and push their education even further. WGU and California community colleges have partnerships that help with tuition costs, generous transfer policies that ensure your coursework won’t go to waste, and bachelor’s degrees that are perfect for adults who are ready to propel their career.

Learn how WGU and California community colleges work together to help you achieve your educational dreams.

Community colleges are a great place for students to get a feel for college education, evaluate the kind of career they want, and earn general education credits. Many students find that once they have taken community college courses, or even graduated with an associate’s degree, they’re ready to take on more with a bachelor’s degree.

WGU works with all community colleges in California to create partnership opportunities, and easy transfers for these students. Ultimately the goal of WGU and California community colleges is the same; to help students further their education and get into their dream job.

Community college experience is easy to transfer to WGU. Your enrollment counselor will help evaluate each course on your transcript to see if it will clear any courses at WGU, and if you have a degree from a community college you can expect that most of your general education requirements will be automatically cleared.

At WGU, we want our students to succeed, and leave with the right degree. So we make sure that all of your community college coursework is cohesive with our programs, and will help propel you forward as a WGU student.

Because WGU and California community colleges have a partnership, community college graduates are able to get a tuition discount at WGU. This partnership and tuition discount began in 2017 as WGU and California community colleges realized that this was a great way to help students advance their education for a better future.

WGU has some of the lowest university tuition in the country, averaging $3,500 per six-month term. Affordability is a crucial element of WGU’s academic model, to help previously underserved populations have access to education. And with the agreed transfer pathways with California Community Colleges you’ll be able to get credit for courses you’ve already take meaning you can graduate faster, making your degree even more affordable.

California community college students are busy adults, and this partnership allows them to complete degrees affordably, and without disrupting their lives.

Whether you’ve just taken a few classes at your California community college, or have degree, you can transfer those credits to WGU. You just have to submit official transcripts and WGU can help evaluate what your transfer credits will be. The process begins with you starting your application.

Students with an Associate of Arts (A.A.) or Associate of Science (A.S.) degree usually qualify for an Upper-Division standing at WGU. This means that you can waive up to 40 WGU credit equivalents (also known as Competency Units or CU’s). That’s equal to 60 quarterly credit hours.

Depending on your degree program, you might be able to get additional requirements waived. If you have completed some community college coursework but didn’t earn a degree, WGU will conduct a transcript evaluation. Your experience may waive some of your requirements or courses depending on your degree program.

Enrollment counselors will evaluate your transcripts and give you a detailed degree plan based on the courses you’ve taken. You’ll know exactly what courses you’ve cleared and what is left to take.

California community colleges offer great educational opportunities for students, and their partnership with WGU allows those students to go even further with their education. If you’re ready to get a bachelor’s degree, consider transferring to WGU from your California community college today.