Statewide articulation programs in U.S. higher education

An articulation program is a binding agreement between a state's community-college and four-year systems that specifies how credits transfer. Following the right one is the difference between a clean two-year bachelor's pathway and the national average — losing roughly 40% of community college credit at the transfer step.

Below are the 25 major statewide articulation programs DegreeMapper tracks. Each entry links to a full profile with the program's guarantee, the minimum GPA, the participating colleges and universities, and a step-by-step plan for using it.

ProgramStateAuthorityMin GPA
California Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT) California California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office 2
UC Transfer Admission Guarantee (UC TAG) California University of California Office of the President 3.2
Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) California California Intersegmental Articulation Council 2
Texas Fields of Study Texas Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board 2
Texas Common Course Numbering System (TCCNS) Texas Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board 2
Florida Statewide Articulation Agreement Florida Florida Department of Education 2
SUNY Seamless Transfer New York State University of New York 2
CUNY Pathways New York City University of New York 2
Illinois Articulation Initiative (IAI) Illinois Illinois Board of Higher Education 2
North Carolina Comprehensive Articulation Agreement North Carolina North Carolina Community College System 2
Ohio Transfer Assurance Guides (TAG) Ohio Ohio Department of Higher Education 2
Washington Direct Transfer Agreement (DTA) Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges 2
Virginia Guaranteed Admission Agreements (GAA) Virginia Virginia Community College System 2.5
MassTransfer (Massachusetts) Massachusetts Massachusetts Department of Higher Education 2.5
New Jersey Lampitt Law / Comprehensive Statewide Transfer Agreement New Jersey New Jersey Office of the Secretary of Higher Education 2
Oregon Degree Partnership Program (DPP) Oregon Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission 2
Maryland ARTSYS / General Education Transfer Maryland University System of Maryland 2
Georgia Core IMPACTS Georgia University System of Georgia 2
Arizona General Education Curriculum (AGEC) Arizona Arizona Board of Regents 2
Colorado Guaranteed Transfer (gtPathways) Colorado Colorado Department of Higher Education 2
Minnesota Transfer Curriculum (MnTC) Minnesota Minnesota State 2
Tennessee Transfer Pathways Tennessee Tennessee Higher Education Commission 2
Kentucky General Education Transfer Component Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education 2
Nevada Common Core Curriculum Nevada Nevada System of Higher Education 2
New Mexico Common Core / Transfer Module New Mexico New Mexico Higher Education Department 2

How to read an articulation program profile

Open any profile to see four things: what the program guarantees (admission, course transfer, junior standing, or some combination), the floor GPA you must maintain at the community college level, the list of participating institutions on both sides of the agreement, and the step-by-step plan for using it from your first semester to your bachelor's-degree application.

If your state isn't listed, transfer credit there is governed institution-by-institution rather than system-wide. In that case, follow each receiving university's transfer-credit guide directly, and consider applying to multiple receiving institutions to keep options open.

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