Minimum Cumulative Progress (MCP)

What is Minimum Cumulative Progress and why is it important?

The MCP policy was designed to provide important guideposts for academic progress. By meeting MCP guidelines, students graduate on-time and open up UCSB’s admissions slots for new freshmen and transfers. In addition, UCSB receives funds for undergraduate education based on the number of units our students take.

Satisfying the MCP guidelines

In short, MCP provides guidelines about how many units you should complete during each quarter you spend at UCSB. The chart below shows the full MCP expectations for a student who has entered as a freshman.

Guidelines for Minimum Cumulative Progress (MCP)

Number of MCP Quarters Units Completed
1 12
2 27
3 42
4 56
5 71
6 86
7 101
8 116
9 132
10 148
11 164
12 180

It is important to note that units earned before registering at UCSB (e.g. Advanced Placement Exam units, International Baccalaureate credit, or enrollment in college courses while in high school) count towards graduation but do not count for MCP. MCP is based only on units taken after you become a UCSB student.

Information for transfer students:

If you are entering UCSB with 90 to 105 units, your first quarter at UCSB is considered to be Quarter 7 for the purpose of MCP calculations (see table above). All units transferred to UCSB will count toward your MCP total.

If you are entering UCSB with less than 90 units or more than 105 units, you will begin at MCP Quarter 1 (see table above). Only units completed after your enrollment at UCSB will count towards MCP.

Which units count towards my MCP unit total?

General Unit Guidelines for MCP
The following types of units count for MCP credit:

  • Units from all credit-bearing courses completed with a passing grade at UCSB
  • Units from in-progress courses (IP)
  • Incomplete units; these are counted in the quarter during which the course was originally taken once a grade is assigned
  • All UCSB summer session units earned after admission and prior to enrollment in your first regular quarter
  • All transferable units earned in summer after your first quarter at UCSB

MCP Credit for Repeats

MCP credit is allowed for your first 16 units of letter-graded repeats.

Units Completed Prior to UCSB

College credit earned prior to high school graduations will not count toward MCP.