I posted an early version of this here a while ago — since then it got a full rebuild, so here's an update.

I'm a CCC student and I got sick of keeping 10 ASSIST tabs open trying to figure out which of my classes actually count for which UC. So I kept building.

It's called TransferOS. Free, no account, works offline, open source (MIT). You pick your community college and major, paste in the classes you've taken, pick your target UCs (UCLA, UC Berkeley, UC San Diego), and it gives you:

• how much of each UC's requirements you've covered, side by side
• the classes you're still missing, ranked by which ones count for the most UCs — so you don't burn a semester on a class only one school wants
• a Reach / Target / Safety breakdown: rough admit-chance estimate for UCLA based on their official transfer profile (admit rate, GPA 25th–75th, impacted or not), plus whether your GPA clears TAG at all 6 TAG schools as a safety net. For Berkeley and UCSD it'll just say "no data" because those schools don't publish per-major numbers — I'd rather show nothing than make something up
• Cal-GETC progress, if you're tracking GE

You can also save multiple plans and diff them against each other, and there's a course search so you don't need to memorize course codes — type "accounting" and it'll find ACCT 1B for you.

Data-wise it covers 20 community colleges, around 1,160 ASSIST articulation reports. Mostly 2026-27 agreements, except UCLA hasn't published theirs yet (the tool labels which year each card is from).

Honest limitations: it's only as good as ASSIST data, so always double-check your specific case on assist.org. Course search is English-only for now. And the chance estimate is a rough guide, not a prediction — UCs do comprehensive review, essays and ECs aren't in the model.

If you try it and something looks off for your CC/major combo, that's genuinely the most useful feedback I could get.

Try it: https://szzxli.github.io/transfer-os/mobile/www/compare.html

My daughter is currently a freshman at a mid-tier in state large R1 public university. Last year, she applied to several Philadelphia-area liberal arts colleges (LACs) and threw in her current school as a safety. She originally looked at a mix of big and small elite schools (like Penn and UChicago) but ultimately decided against finishing those applications. She came from a large Title 1 high school where she did exceptionally well.
She got into every LAC she applied to, but even with financial aid, the total cost would have been about $200k. Meanwhile, her safety school offered a full-tuition ride with extra perks. Since our college savings can only cover one degree, going to the public university meant she could preserve those savings for law school, which she'll have to fund herself.
On paper, she’s thriving. She’s already in mock trial, student government, applying for spring research, traveling for summer study abroad, and about to start volunteering at the city courts. However, she feels completely out of place. The school feels too big, and she hasn't found her people yet. Now, she's talking about transferring to one of the LACs she rejected. I want her to give it a real chance to protect her financial future—graduating law school debt-free would be life-changing—but I also don't want to minimize how lonely she feels right now. How do I balance validating her feelings with the long-term financial reality? We did not have this issue with our older one so I am struggling.

Hi everyone! I’m a first-year at USF. I was admitted to UF for Fall 2026 but had to withdraw over the summer for financial reasons. Things are better now, and I really want to get back to UF.

I’m currently a Biomedical Sciences major and plan to switch to Biomedical Engineering at USF while I finish UF’s transfer prerequisites. I asked UF Admissions about appealing for Spring 2027, since I’d only be one semester away, but they said no. So I’m going through the transfer process. I’ll have 60 credits by the end of Spring 2027 (most are IB credit), so credits aren’t my problem. The prerequisites are. UF BME requires 10 courses plus labs, and I’ve only finished Bio I. I’m hoping for Fall 2027 but realistically expect Spring or Fall 2028.

My questions:

1. Prerequisites: if you transferred into UF engineering, how did you get through calc, physics, chem, and orgo quickly? Did 8-week or summer courses at state colleges work for you, and how did your GPA hold up?
2. BME vs. MechE: I’ve seen advice to major in MechE (since it’s broader) and do biomedical research on the side. I really want to stay in the biomedical side of engineering. For someone who wants medical devices or biomaterials, which would you choose and why?
3. UF BME opportunities: what makes UF BME special? Labs, research programs, clubs, or anything unique you’d recommend I learn about? I’m especially interested in biomaterials and nerve regeneration.
4. Advisor meeting: I have a meeting coming up with the UF BME undergraduate advisor. I’ll ask about requirements and whether there’s any flexibility for someone who’s only a year out (I know it’s probably a no). Any tips for making a good impression and building a relationship?
5. General advice: I’m honestly really nervous about transferring. I tried hard to avoid it because of the uncertainty. If you transferred into UF, what do you wish you’d known?

TL;DR: I was admitted to UF, withdrew, and I’m now at USF trying to transfer into BME ASAP with almost no prerequisites done. Looking for advice on speeding up prerequisites, BME vs. MechE, and UF BME opportunities to talk about with the advisor.

Hey everyone. I'm currently attending Virginia Tech for Industrial and Systems Engineering, and my goal is to graduate in three years using the transfer credits I earned at community college. However, I've been considering transferring to Western Carolina University because I think I might prefer a smaller learning environment with more one-on-one interaction with professors, and I also want to stay in North Carolina. My main concern with VT is whether I'll get the help and support I need to succeed in my engineering classes, especially when the material gets difficult. VT has a much higher engineering ranking and a more established Industrial Engineering program, but I'm trying to figure out if that difference is worth staying somewhere I might not learn as well. also, it is way cheaper and my girlfriend goes to western Carolina. I’m not saying that’s a big part but it de holds weight. what should I do?

So I am moving states and planning to transfer to another state school there . This college is already kind of a reach for me as from what I understand transferring (esp out of state) is a lot more competitive. For context my current school is ranked at least 30 spots below in the US news ranking, this school is ranked in the 90-100 range. The school I am targeting is University of Illinois Chicago.

I started my current college in the spring sem (spring 26), and while my GPA is a 3.8 I withdrew from two courses. This sem I am really struggling in a class and I am wondering if I should just withdraw or take the L bc im not sure what would look better. I know multiple withdrawals (esp one semester after the other) is bad but I am not sure if it would be worse to get a bad grade (C-D range). I am decently confident I'll get at least a B in all the rest of my courses this semester. If I withdraw I would have 3 total withdrawals, two in my first semester and one in the second.

For some more context I am going to be applying to the History major, and I fulfilled all the course requirements for transferring. All the classes I am withdrew from or would be withdrawing from are not requirements for my major. My HS gpa was 3.3 unweighted 4.1 weighted. Apart from joining a few clubs I don't have any substantial ECS. I know this is kind of a mess but any help would be greatly appreciated.

TL;DR What would look worse on transfer applications a bad grade or successive withdrawals

Hello everyone, I currently have admission in China and I’m already studying here. However, after a few months, I’ve realized that the situation here is becoming inconvenient for me, so I’m considering transferring to another country.
The two countries I’m most interested in are Canada and Australia I’m looking for someone who can genuinely assist me with the admission process and student visa application.
My highest level of education is a high school diploma. If you have experience helping students with admission and visa processes for Canada or Australia, please reach out to me. I would really appreciate any guidance or recommendations.