About 80 percent of them work. At UC Davis, most transfer students, like freshman students, are young-predominately 25 and younger. About 20 percent are older re-entry students. They also must have at least 60 units of transferable credit, enough to come in as a junior. Tudor said it is not uncommon for students to take three to five years to complete their UC entrance requirements.
Some students end up choosing to pursue a trade rather than seek a bachelor's degree.
Mary Ellingwood spent five years taking classes at Sacramento City College's Davis center while working full time before transferring as a junior to UC Davis in fall 1996. I didn't even think it was possible. She said she soon learned to navigate her way around campus. Adjusting from the community college's semester system to UC Davis' quarters was tough and her grades dropped. But Ellingwood said faculty and staff members were supportive, and she quickly adapted.