De Anza College to UC Berkeley
Psychology 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 for transfer admission is 3.0, but admitted students in 2025 had a mid-50% GPA range of 3.61–3.96 — and Psychology is one of L&S's most popular and competitive majors, which means the realistic bar is toward the top of that range. The courses that matter most for your major prep GPA are PSYC 1, PSYC 15, and your biological science — these are the exact courses Berkeley reviewers scrutinize to judge whether you're ready for upper-division work. A B in PSYC 15 won't end your application, but a pattern of weak grades in your major prep courses will.
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 means you can meet with UC Berkeley advisers directly on campus — not just at open house events. These advisers will help you map out exactly which courses satisfy Berkeley's transfer requirements for your specific major and can flag whether a UC Berkeley Summer Sessions course makes sense for your timeline. Take advantage of this early — don't wait until you're in your final year at De Anza to make your first Pathways appointment.
Major Requirements
Psychology (Letters & Science B.A.) Major Preparation
Psychology (Letters & Science B.A.) at UC Berkeley
Courses at De Anza College that satisfy UC Berkeley's Psychology major preparation, verified via ASSIST.org.
UC Berkeley also offers a Cognitive Science B.A. (also in L&S), which blends psychology, neuroscience, linguistics, and computer science. Students drawn to brain and behavior topics sometimes apply to the wrong program — Cognitive Science suits students interested in computational or neuroscience angles, while Psychology B.A. is the right fit for those aiming toward clinical, social, or research psychology careers.
| Course at De Anza College | Satisfies at UC Berkeley | Units |
|---|---|---|
| PSYC 1 — General Psychology | PSYCH 1 — General Psychology (General Psychology prerequisite area) | 5 |
| PSYC 15 — Statistics for the Behavioral and Social Sciences | Quantitative Reasoning prerequisite area (Statistics) | 5 |
| PSYC 2 — Developmental Psychology | Social Science prerequisite area | 5 |
| BIOL 6A — Cellular and Molecular Biology | Biological Science prerequisite area | 6 |
| No equivalent at De Anza College | PSYCH 101 — Research Methods (second Quantitative Reasoning prerequisite; taken at UC Berkeley) | — |
Courses with no equivalent must be taken at UC Berkeley after transfer. Factor this into your first-year course plan.
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
5 unitsEWRT 1B, EWRT 2, PHIL 1
5 unitsPSYC 15, STAT C1000 (formerly MATH 10), MATH 1A
5 unitsARTS 1, MUS 1, THEA 1
5 unitsHUMA 1, HIST 4, PHIL 3
5 unitsPSYC 1, SOC 1, ECON 1, ANTH 1, POLI 1
5 unitsCHEM 1A, PHYS 1, ASTR 4
5 unitsBIOL 6A, BIOL 10, BIOL 6B
5–6 unitsSPAN 1, FREN 1, JAPN 1
5 units| Area | Course options at De Anza College | Units |
|---|---|---|
| 1A: English Composition | EWRT 1A | 5 |
| 1B: Critical Thinking and Composition | EWRT 1B, EWRT 2, PHIL 1 | 5 |
| 2: Mathematical Concepts and Quantitative Reasoning | PSYC 15, STAT C1000 (formerly MATH 10), MATH 1A | 5 |
| 3A: Arts | ARTS 1, MUS 1, THEA 1 | 5 |
| 3B: Humanities | HUMA 1, HIST 4, PHIL 3 | 5 |
| 4: Social and Behavioral Sciences | PSYC 1, SOC 1, ECON 1, ANTH 1, POLI 1 | 5 |
| 5A: Physical Sciences | CHEM 1A, PHYS 1, ASTR 4 | 5 |
| 5B: Biological Sciences | BIOL 6A, BIOL 10, BIOL 6B | 5–6 |
| 6: Language Other Than English | SPAN 1, FREN 1, JAPN 1 | 5 |
PSYC 15 → PSYCH 101 (Berkeley)
You must complete PSYC 15 (Statistics for the Behavioral and Social Sciences) at De Anza before you can effectively take PSYCH 101 (Research Methods) at Berkeley — the second required Quantitative Reasoning prerequisite for the major. Arriving without PSYC 15 done compresses your first semester and can push back your major declaration deadline, which Berkeley enforces strictly for transfer students.
De Anza runs on quarters — UC Berkeley runs on semesters
You'll have three quarters per year at De Anza to complete your prep work, but Berkeley moves on a two-semester calendar, so your pacing and course planning will shift significantly once you transfer — build your De Anza schedule around finishing all five major prerequisites and full IGETC before your final spring quarter.
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
Skipping PSYC 15 Before You Transfer
PSYC 15 (Statistics for the Behavioral and Social Sciences) is one of the five required lower-division prerequisites for Berkeley's Psychology major, and it's the one students most often push off. If you arrive at Berkeley without it, you can't enroll in PSYCH 101 (Research Methods) early, which directly delays your ability to declare the major — and Berkeley requires transfer students to declare before the start of their second semester.
Confusing IGETC Completion With Major Prep
Finishing IGETC does not mean your major prerequisites are done — they are two completely separate checklists. A student who completes all nine IGETC areas but never takes BIOL 6A or PSYC 15 will arrive at Berkeley with general education cleared but still ineligible to declare the Psychology major. Work both lists at the same time from your very first quarter.
Applying Without Meeting With a Pathways Adviser
De Anza is a UC Berkeley Pathways partner campus, which means Berkeley advisers come to you — but only if you schedule the appointment. Many students figure out their plan from websites alone and miss critical updates, like Berkeley's recent change making IGETC no longer required for L&S admission eligibility (the UC 7-course pattern now suffices for the application). An in-person Pathways meeting catches exactly these kinds of policy shifts before they derail your plan.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
How hard is it to transfer from De Anza College to UC Berkeley for Psychology?
UC Berkeley's overall transfer admit rate was 24% for Fall 2025, and Psychology is one of L&S's most competitive majors — so realistically you should target a GPA in the upper portion of the admitted mid-50% range of 3.61–3.96. Beyond GPA, Berkeley wants to see all five lower-division prerequisites completed, including PSYC 1 and PSYC 15 at De Anza, before you apply.
What courses do I need to take at De Anza College to prepare for UC Berkeley Psychology?
Berkeley's Psychology major has five lower-division Tier I prerequisites: General Psychology, Biological Science, Social Science, and two Quantitative Reasoning courses. At De Anza, that maps to PSYC 1 (General Psychology), PSYC 15 (Statistics for the Behavioral and Social Sciences), PSYC 2 (Developmental Psychology), and BIOL 6A (Cellular and Molecular Biology) — plus PSYCH 101 (Research Methods), which is completed at Berkeley after transfer.
Does IGETC work for Psychology at UC Berkeley?
Yes — full UC IGETC certification satisfies all of Berkeley's College of Letters & Science Essential Skills and Seven-Course Breadth requirements, and Psychology B.A. is an L&S major. Note that as of the Fall 2025 application cycle, IGETC is no longer required for L&S admission eligibility, but completing it still saves you from taking lower-division GE courses after transfer. De Anza's PSYC 1 can double-count toward both IGETC Area 4 and your major's General Psychology prerequisite.
Is there a transfer guarantee or TAG program from De Anza to UC Berkeley?
UC Berkeley does not participate in the UC Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) program, so there is no guaranteed admission path. However, De Anza is an official partner in Berkeley's Pathways to Four-Year Universities program, which gives De Anza students access to on-campus advising sessions with actual UC Berkeley advisers — a valuable resource for building your course plan and staying current on admissions requirements.
How many De Anza students actually transfer to UC Berkeley each year?
In 2023–24, Berkeley was De Anza College's single top UC destination, with 177 De Anza students enrolling at Berkeley — more than UC Davis (167) or UC San Diego (156) that same year. De Anza is consistently one of the strongest community college feeders to UC Berkeley in California, which reflects both strong advising infrastructure and the depth of its transferable course offerings.
Explore More
Related Transfer Plans
Planning to transfer from De Anza College to UC Berkeley for Psychology is one of the most well-trodden community college transfer pathways in California — and one of the most competitive. UC Berkeley's overall transfer admit rate for Fall 2025 was 24%, with admitted students showing a mid-50% GPA range of 3.61–3.96, and Psychology sits among the most popular majors in the College of Letters and Science. Successful transfer planning from De Anza to UC Berkeley requires working two parallel tracks at once: completing major prerequisites and satisfying IGETC. The Psychology B.A. in L&S has five lower-division Tier I prerequisites — General Psychology, Biological Science, Social Science, and two Quantitative Reasoning courses — which De Anza students can satisfy through courses like PSYC 1 (General Psychology), PSYC 15 (Statistics for the Behavioral and Social Sciences), PSYC 2 (Developmental Psychology), and BIOL 6A (Cellular and Molecular Biology). Full UC IGETC certification, which De Anza offers across all nine required areas, continues to satisfy Berkeley L&S's breadth and essential skills requirements after transfer. De Anza is also an official partner in UC Berkeley's Pathways to Four-Year Universities program, giving students access to Berkeley advisers directly on campus — a resource that makes a real difference when policies shift, like Berkeley's 2025 change removing IGETC as a required admission eligibility component. Because De Anza operates on a quarter calendar and Berkeley runs on semesters, students need to think carefully about how to sequence courses like PSYC 15 before arriving on campus. Tools like Pipeline help students build personalized, quarter-by-quarter transfer plans that map major prerequisites and IGETC requirements side by side — so nothing falls through the cracks on the way from De Anza College to UC Berkeley.
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