De Anza College to UC Berkeley
Nursing Transfer Plan
Quarter-by-quarter courses, IGETC requirements, and major prerequisites — verified from real articulation data.
From
De Anza College
To
UC Berkeley
GPA Reality Check
UC Berkeley's minimum GPA to apply is 3.0, but the mid-50% of admitted transfers for Fall 2025 landed between 3.61 and 3.96 — and that's campus-wide. Nursing is a high-demand, clinically competitive program housed in its own school, which means the realistic bar is likely at the upper end of that range. Your grades in BIOL 6A, BIOL 6B, CHEM 1A, and CHEM 1B carry the most weight — these are the courses Berkeley evaluates most closely to judge whether you're ready for upper-division nursing coursework. A B in your IGETC courses matters less than an A in your major prep sciences.
UC Berkeley Pathways to Four-Year Universities
De Anza College is an official partner in UC Berkeley's Pathways to Four-Year Universities program, which brings Berkeley advisors directly to De Anza's campus. This is not a guaranteed admission agreement — Berkeley does not participate in TAG — but it is your best tool for getting accurate, Berkeley-specific advising while you're still at De Anza. Visit the De Anza Transfer Center to schedule a one-on-one session with a UC Berkeley advisor and get your course plan reviewed early, ideally in your first quarter.
Major Requirements
Nursing (School of Nursing B.S.) Major Preparation
Nursing (School of Nursing B.S.) at UC Berkeley
Courses at De Anza College that satisfy UC Berkeley's Nursing major preparation, verified via ASSIST.org.
Some students confuse the School of Nursing B.S. with UC Berkeley's Public Health B.S. or Integrative Biology B.A. — both of which share some science prerequisites but lead to very different careers. Nursing at Berkeley trains you for clinical and research-level nursing practice; Public Health is population-focused; Integrative Biology is pre-professional science without a clinical component. Make sure you're applying to the right school and major on your UC application.
| Course at De Anza College | Satisfies at UC Berkeley | Units |
|---|---|---|
| BIOL 6A — Form and Function in the Living World | Biology 1A — Introductory Biology (first semester of the two-semester sequence) | 5 |
| BIOL 6B — Cell and Molecular Biology | Biology 1B — Introductory Biology (second semester of the two-semester sequence) | 5 |
| CHEM 1A — General Chemistry | Chemistry 1A — General Chemistry | 5 |
| CHEM 1B — General Chemistry | Chemistry 1B — General Chemistry | 5 |
| PSYC 1 — General Psychology | Psychology 1 — General Psychology | 4 |
| MATH 10 — Elementary Statistics | Statistics lower-division requirement for the School of Nursing | 5 |
| BIOL 26 — Introductory Microbiology | Microbiology — lower-division preparation for Nursing clinical sciences | 6 |
General Education
IGETC at De Anza College
Complete IGETC at De Anza College to satisfy UC Berkeley's lower-division GE requirements before transferring.
EWRT 1A (Composition and Reading) or EWRT 1AH (Honors)
5 unitsEWRT 1C (Critical Thinking, Reading, and Writing) or PHIL 1 (Introduction to Philosophy)
5 unitsMATH 10 (Elementary Statistics) or MATH 11 (Statistics)
5 unitsMUSI 1A (Music Fundamentals) or PHTG 7 (History of Photography) or THEA 1 (Introduction to Theatre Arts)
3 unitsPHIL 2 (Ethics) or ELIT 8 (Introduction to Literature) or HUMI 5 (World Cultures and Ideas)
3 unitsPSYC 1 (General Psychology) or SOCI 1 (Introduction to Sociology) or ECON 1 (Macroeconomics)
3 unitsCHEM 1A (General Chemistry) or PHYS 2A (Physics) or ASTR 4 (General Astronomy)
4-5 unitsBIOL 6A (Form and Function in the Living World) or BIOL 6B (Cell and Molecular Biology) or BIOL 26 (Introductory Microbiology)
4-6 unitsSPAN 2, MAND 2, JAPN 2, FREN 2, KORE 2, VIET 2, or equivalent second-quarter/second-semester language course
4-5 units| Area | Course options at De Anza College | Units |
|---|---|---|
| 1A: English Composition | EWRT 1A (Composition and Reading) or EWRT 1AH (Honors) | 5 |
| 1B: Critical Thinking and Composition | EWRT 1C (Critical Thinking, Reading, and Writing) or PHIL 1 (Introduction to Philosophy) | 5 |
| 2: Mathematical Concepts and Quantitative Reasoning | MATH 10 (Elementary Statistics) or MATH 11 (Statistics) | 5 |
| 3A: Arts | MUSI 1A (Music Fundamentals) or PHTG 7 (History of Photography) or THEA 1 (Introduction to Theatre Arts) | 3 |
| 3B: Humanities | PHIL 2 (Ethics) or ELIT 8 (Introduction to Literature) or HUMI 5 (World Cultures and Ideas) | 3 |
| 4: Social and Behavioral Sciences | PSYC 1 (General Psychology) or SOCI 1 (Introduction to Sociology) or ECON 1 (Macroeconomics) | 3 |
| 5A: Physical Sciences | CHEM 1A (General Chemistry) or PHYS 2A (Physics) or ASTR 4 (General Astronomy) | 4-5 |
| 5B: Biological Sciences | BIOL 6A (Form and Function in the Living World) or BIOL 6B (Cell and Molecular Biology) or BIOL 26 (Introductory Microbiology) | 4-6 |
| 6: Languages Other Than English | SPAN 2, MAND 2, JAPN 2, FREN 2, KORE 2, VIET 2, or equivalent second-quarter/second-semester language course | 4-5 |
CHEM 1A → BIOL 6B (and the full 6A → 6B → 6C chain)
De Anza enforces a strict prerequisite sequence: you need CHEM 1A before BIOL 6B, and you need BIOL 6A before BIOL 6B before BIOL 6C. Getting even one grade below a C resets your position in the chain and can push your transfer date back by a full year — because this three-course biology series takes three consecutive quarters to complete.
De Anza runs on quarters — UC Berkeley runs on semesters
When you arrive at Berkeley, your coursework will be organized into 15-week semesters instead of 11-week quarters, so expect slower-paced but deeper course coverage — give yourself the first semester to adjust to the different rhythm before overloading your schedule.
Preview
Your First Quarter
A preview of what Pipeline generates — exact courses, in the right order, every quarter.
Watch Out
Common Mistakes for This Transfer Path
Don't Skip CHEM 1A Before Starting Bio
BIOL 6B at De Anza requires CHEM 1A (or equivalent) as a prerequisite — and if you try to enroll without it, you'll be blocked from registration. Students who try to start the biology sequence in Fall quarter without CHEM 1A under their belt end up pushing their entire major prep timeline back by a quarter or more. Take CHEM 1A in your first quarter if you have any placement that allows it.
IGETC Is Required — Not Just Accepted
For UC Berkeley's School of Nursing, IGETC (or Cal-GETC) is explicitly required — not just recommended. That means you need full certification, not a partial one; L&S and the School of Nursing do not accept partial IGETC. Plan your IGETC courses strategically so you can complete both the full certification and your science prerequisites before you apply.
Nursing Experience Matters as Much as GPA
UC Berkeley's nursing program expects applicants to demonstrate real engagement with the field — not just good grades in BIOL 6A and CHEM 1A. Volunteer or paid clinical experience (CNA work, hospital volunteering, home health aide, EMT) is a meaningful differentiator in a competitive applicant pool. Start logging hours during your first year at De Anza, not the semester before you apply.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
How competitive is it to transfer from De Anza College to UC Berkeley for Nursing?
Berkeley's overall transfer admit rate was 24% for Fall 2025 — but the School of Nursing is a specialized, high-demand program that tends to be more selective than the campus average. Admitted transfers campus-wide had a mid-50% GPA of 3.61–3.96, and your grades in courses like BIOL 6A, BIOL 6B, and CHEM 1A are the ones Berkeley will scrutinize most closely. Nursing experience outside the classroom is also a meaningful part of a competitive application.
Does De Anza College have a TAG or transfer guarantee to UC Berkeley for Nursing?
No — UC Berkeley does not participate in the Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) program for any major, including Nursing. However, De Anza is an official partner in Berkeley's Pathways to Four-Year Universities program, which means you can meet with UC Berkeley advisors on De Anza's campus to map out your courses. Visit the De Anza Transfer Center to schedule an appointment.
Do I need to complete IGETC to transfer to UC Berkeley Nursing from De Anza?
Yes — for UC Berkeley's School of Nursing, IGETC (or Cal-GETC) is explicitly required, not just recommended. You need to complete and certify the full IGETC before you transfer; partial certification is not accepted. BIOL 6A and CHEM 1A can double-count toward both IGETC area 5 and your nursing major prep, so plan your schedule to make those courses do double duty.
What classes should I take at De Anza first to prepare for the UC Berkeley Nursing major?
Start with CHEM 1A (General Chemistry) as early as possible, because it unlocks BIOL 6B — and the full BIOL 6A → 6B → 6C sequence takes three consecutive quarters to complete. Alongside the biology and chemistry series, you'll need MATH 10 (Elementary Statistics), PSYC 1 (General Psychology), and BIOL 26 (Introductory Microbiology). Planning this sequence in your first quarter at De Anza is the single most important step you can take.
What GPA do I need to transfer from De Anza to UC Berkeley for Nursing?
The university-wide minimum is 3.0, but admitted transfer students for Fall 2025 had a mid-50% GPA range of 3.61–3.96 across all majors. For a competitive health-science program like Nursing, you should realistically be aiming for the upper end of that range — especially in your science prerequisites like BIOL 6A, BIOL 6B, and CHEM 1A, where Berkeley advisors will look most closely.
Explore More
Related Transfer Plans
Transferring from De Anza College to UC Berkeley for Nursing is one of the most demanding — and most rewarding — transfer pathways a California community college student can pursue. De Anza, located in Cupertino in the heart of Silicon Valley, has one of the highest UC transfer rates in the state, and Berkeley's School of Nursing B.S. is a nationally recognized program that prepares graduates for both clinical practice and research-level roles. For Fall 2025, UC Berkeley's overall transfer admit rate was 24%, with admitted students posting a mid-50% GPA range of 3.61 to 3.96 — and the School of Nursing typically draws from the competitive end of that pool. Careful transfer planning starts with understanding two things: your major prerequisites and your IGETC requirements. Unlike many impacted majors where IGETC is just recommended, Berkeley's School of Nursing explicitly requires full IGETC (or Cal-GETC) certification before transfer. At De Anza, your IGETC-eligible science courses — including BIOL 6A (Form and Function in the Living World) and CHEM 1A (General Chemistry) — can do double duty, satisfying both IGETC area 5 and your nursing major prerequisites at the same time. The biology sequence at De Anza (BIOL 6A → 6B → 6C) is strictly sequential, spans three quarters, and requires CHEM 1A as a co-prerequisite for BIOL 6B, so your very first quarter matters more than most students realize. De Anza is also an official partner in Berkeley's Pathways to Four-Year Universities program, giving students access to UC Berkeley advisors on campus. Tools like Pipeline help students build personalized, quarter-by-quarter plans that sequence major prerequisites correctly, layer in IGETC courses strategically, and keep your application timeline on track — so you're not left scrambling in your final quarter before applying.
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