Prepare for success at a University of California campus
The Global Academic Pathway Program helps international students strengthen their English and academic skills while earning transferable college credit and preparing to transfer to UC Davis, another UC campus or a leading U.S. university.
Program Overview
Developed in partnership with Hearn Education, Diablo Valley College (DVC) and other colleges, the Global Academic Pathway Program (GAPP) is an intensive two-year program designed to provide international students with high-quality academic preparation to successfully transfer to four-year university.
During the fall and winter quarters (1st and 2nd academic terms), students enter a unique preparatory academic training program)—Academic Engagement Track (AET)—and will take two college/community college courses online per quarter. The four (4) on-campus AET courses will be offered at the UC Davis International Center and the four (4) college courses, fall and winter quarters, will be taken online. *Well qualified students may take an additional UC Davis course in the winter quarter. Qualification determination shall be made under the discretion of the GAPP staff.
Starting from the spring quarter, and every quarter thereafter, students will take AET, College/Community College courses, and a UC Davis course.
After successfully completing the program, GAPP students can apply to transfer to four-year universities if they fulfill the transfer requirements.
- Successful program completion
- Successful major and pathway courses completion
- Maintain a GPA of 3.2 or above
Program Highlights
- GAPP offers students the opportunity to immediately gain access and enroll in university-level, transferable courses.
- Students will have personalized plans to complete at least 30 transferable credits (or 45 transferable units) before the start of the second GAPP year and at least 60 transferable credits (or 90 transferable units) before completion of the program.
- Students will receive academic and non-academic support from UC Davis CPE staff and Hearn Education staff. Academic support includes tutoring and mentoring. Non-academic support includes housing and living assistance (troubleshooting).
- After the students fulfill transfer requirements, they will apply to a UC campus or another U.S. university.
Student Success
100% of participants have been admitted to a UC school, including: UCLA, UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC San Diego and UC Santa Barbara
Program Requirements
Eligibility
- High school transcript required
- All secondary education transcripts required (if applicable)
- Students must be 18 years old and a high school graduate by the start of the program
- English proficiency score (iBT TOEFL, IELTS or other) must be reported before the start of the program. Test scores are for placement and planning purposes.
Program Expectations
- Students must maintain a GPA at or above 3.2 (in all coursework) to remain in the program.
- Additional courses:
- Students must retake or make up community college courses as additional courses if they received a grade of D, F or W.
- Some majors, such as engineering, require additional courses.
- Students may choose to take additional courses to accelerate in their major requirement fulfillment and/or boost their transfer application competitiveness.
- Additional courses are not allowed during the 1st year fall quarter at UC Davis International Center.
- Additional courses must be taken during the winter or spring terms or during the summer session between year 1 and year 2. These additional academic terms are not included in the program, so students will incur an additional cost.
- Additional fees apply for all additional courses.
Minimum English Eligibility Requirement
The minimum English language requirement for the Global Academic Pathway Program is CEFR level B2 or higher. This is equivalent to:
- TOEFL IBT: 4 (new scale as of January 2026, previously 72/120)
- TOEFL PBT: 540
- IELTS: 5.5-6.0
- Duolingo: 100
- For more information, including the program fee, please contact us by email at [email protected] with a subject line GAPP.
