De Anza College to UCI
Nursing Transfer Plan
Quarter-by-quarter courses, IGETC requirements, and major prerequisites — verified from real articulation data.
From
De Anza College
To
UC Irvine
NursingGPA Reality Check
UCI's minimum for Nursing Science transfer applicants is 3.0 overall, but 3.4 is required for the TAG guarantee — and admitted students typically cluster well above that floor given the program's extremely competitive admit rate of under 10%. Your science prerequisite GPA matters most: grades in CHEM 1A, 1B, 1C, BIOL 26, BIOL 40A, and BIOL 40B carry the most weight because they directly signal whether you can handle UCI's upper-division nursing curriculum. A B or better is required in every prerequisite course — a C in any science class is not just a GPA problem, it can disqualify your application.
Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG)
The UCI Transfer Admission Guarantee is one of the few ways to get a binding commitment from a UC campus before you even submit your main application. For Nursing Science, you need a 3.4 UC-transferable GPA and completed major prep to qualify — higher than UCI's general TAG minimum. Submit your TAG application in September of the year before you plan to transfer, then file the standard UC application in November as a backup.
Major Requirements
Nursing Science (Sue & Bill Gross School of Nursing, B.S.) Major Preparation
Nursing Science (Sue & Bill Gross School of Nursing, B.S.) at UC Irvine
Courses at De Anza College that satisfy UC Irvine's Nursing major preparation, verified via ASSIST.org.
UCI also offers a Public Health Sciences B.S. and a Human Biology B.S., which share some prerequisites with Nursing Science but lead to very different careers. Neither of those programs trains you for direct patient care or RN licensure — only the Nursing Science B.S. does that. Don't accidentally prep for the wrong major.
| Course at De Anza College | Satisfies at UCI | Units |
|---|---|---|
| CHEM 1A — General Chemistry I | CHEM 1A — General Chemistry | 5 |
| CHEM 1B — General Chemistry II | CHEM 1B — General Chemistry | 5 |
| CHEM 1C — General Chemistry III | CHEM 1C — General Chemistry | 5 |
| BIOL 6A — Introductory Biology | BIO SCI 93 — Introductory Biology | 5 |
| BIOL 40A — Human Anatomy | BIO SCI D170 — Human Anatomy with lab | 5 |
| BIOL 40B — Human Physiology | PHRMSCI 120/120L — Human Physiology with lab | 5 |
| BIOL 26 — General Microbiology | BIO SCI M115 — Microbiology with lab | 5 |
| No equivalent at De Anza College | BIO SCI 97 — Genetics (required for admission; no De Anza articulation) | — |
| STAT C1000 — Elementary Statistics | STATS 7 or STATS 8 — Statistics | 5 |
| PSYC 1 — General Psychology | COGS 7A / PSCI 9 — Introduction to Psychology | 5 |
| SOC 1 — Introduction to Sociology | SOCIOL 1 — Introduction to Sociology | 5 |
| PHIL 12 — Ethics | PHILOS 4 or PHILOS 5 — Philosophy/Ethics | 5 |
| No equivalent at De Anza College | PUBHLTH 1 — Introduction to Public Health | — |
Courses with no equivalent must be taken at UC Irvine after transfer. Factor this into your first-year course plan.
General Education
Foundation GE at De Anza College
Complete these five courses at De Anza College to start your UCI GE pattern. Finishing full IGETC/Cal-GETC at the CC is ideal — these five give you the broadest head start, and CCN-tagged courses stay portable if you switch community colleges.
BIOL 10
Introductory Biology
CHEM 10
Introductory Chemistry
HIST 17A
History of the United States to Early National Era
ENGL C1000
Academic Reading and Writing
ENGL C1001
Critical Thinking and Writing
| Area | Course at De Anza College | Units |
|---|---|---|
Life Science | BIOL 10 — Introductory Biology | 5 |
Physical Science | CHEM 10 — Introductory Chemistry | 5 |
Humanities | HIST 17A — History of the United States to Early National Era | 4 |
English CompositionCCN | ENGL C1000 — Academic Reading and Writing | 5 |
Critical ThinkingCCN | ENGL C1001 — Critical Thinking and Writing | 5 |
CHEM 1A → CHEM 1B → CHEM 1C
The three-quarter general chemistry sequence must be completed in order, and UCI requires all three courses to satisfy the prerequisite — a partial sequence won't count. If you delay starting CHEM 1A, you'll almost certainly be applying to transfer with an incomplete science record.
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
BIO SCI 97 Has No De Anza Equivalent
UCI requires one quarter of genetics equivalent to BIO SCI 97 as a transfer admission prerequisite for Nursing Science — and De Anza College has no articulated course for it. This is explicitly flagged in De Anza's own UCI TAG guide as 'required for admission but not offered at De Anza.' You'll need to take this course at a neighboring college (like Foothill or Mission) that has an articulated equivalent, or plan to address it with UCI's admissions office before applying.
Start CHEM 1A Your Very First Quarter
The full general chemistry sequence — CHEM 1A, 1B, and 1C — takes three consecutive quarters at minimum. If you push CHEM 1A to Winter or Spring of your first year, you almost certainly won't finish all the science prerequisites before your application deadline. Students who try to 'catch up' on chemistry while also completing anatomy, physiology, and microbiology end up overloaded and their grades suffer — exactly the opposite of what this program needs from you.
Every Prerequisite Grade Must Be a B or Better
UCI Nursing Science requires a B or better in all major prerequisite courses — not just a passing grade. If you earn a C in BIOL 26 (General Microbiology) or BIOL 40B (Human Physiology), that course won't satisfy the admission requirement even though you passed it. Retaking a course at De Anza to replace a C is always better than applying with an incomplete or substandard prerequisite record.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I get a TAG to UC Irvine Nursing Science from De Anza College?
Yes — Nursing Science is listed as a TAG-eligible major at UCI for De Anza students. You need a minimum 3.4 cumulative UC-transferable GPA (higher than UCI's general TAG minimum of 3.0) and must complete the required major prep courses including CHEM 1A-1B-1C and the biology prerequisites. Submit your TAG application in September, one year before your intended transfer date.
What GPA do I need to transfer from De Anza to UCI Nursing?
UCI sets a 3.0 minimum UC-transferable GPA for transfer admission to Nursing Science, but the TAG guarantee requires a 3.4. Given that the program's overall admit rate is under 10% and the program aims to graduate only about 50 students per year, competitive applicants typically aim well above the minimum. Your science course GPA — especially in CHEM 1A, 1B, 1C and the biology sequence — carries the most weight.
What courses do I need at De Anza College to transfer to UCI Nursing Science?
You need to complete (with B or better): the full CHEM 1A-1B-1C general chemistry series, BIOL 6A (Introductory Biology), BIOL 40A (Human Anatomy), BIOL 40B (Human Physiology), BIOL 26 (General Microbiology), STAT C1000 (Statistics), PSYC 1 (General Psychology), SOC 1 (Introduction to Sociology), and PHIL 12 (Ethics). A genetics course equivalent to UCI's BIO SCI 97 is also required but has no articulated equivalent at De Anza — you'll need to take it elsewhere.
Does De Anza College have a genetics course that transfers to UC Irvine Nursing?
No — this is a critical gap unique to De Anza. UCI's BIO SCI 97 (Genetics) is a required transfer prerequisite for Nursing Science, but the De Anza TAG guide explicitly states it is 'required for admission but not offered at De Anza.' You should consult with a De Anza counselor about taking genetics at Foothill College or another institution that has an articulated equivalent, and verify the articulation on ASSIST.org.
Is IGETC accepted for Nursing Science at UC Irvine?
Yes. UCI's own Nursing Science course planner confirms that 'incoming transfer students may satisfy all GE requirements with full IGETC certification.' Completing IGETC at De Anza — which includes courses like ENGL C1000 and ENGL C1001 — is the most efficient way to clear GE requirements before transfer so you can focus entirely on nursing upper-division coursework at UCI.
Explore More
Related Transfer Plans
Students planning to transfer from De Anza College to UC Irvine's Nursing Science program are navigating one of the most selective pathways in the California community college transfer system. UCI's Sue & Bill Gross School of Nursing admits transfer students directly into the B.S. in Nursing Science program, and the overall admit rate for the program sits well under 10% — making careful transfer planning not optional but essential. De Anza College, consistently ranked among the top community colleges in the state for UC transfers, sends hundreds of students to UCI each year, but the nursing pathway requires specific lower-division major prerequisites that go far beyond general education. Students need to complete a full year of general chemistry (CHEM 1A, 1B, and 1C), along with human anatomy, human physiology, general microbiology, statistics, and several social science courses — all with grades of B or better. One major articulation issue specific to De Anza: UCI requires a genetics course equivalent to BIO SCI 97, and De Anza has no articulated equivalent, meaning students must take that course elsewhere before applying. IGETC is accepted for this major, which gives De Anza students an efficient path to clearing GE requirements. De Anza students may also qualify for UCI's Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG), which locks in admission provided a 3.4 GPA and all prerequisite conditions are met — the TAG application window opens each September. Tools like Pipeline help students at De Anza College build personalized quarter-by-quarter plans for UCI Nursing Science, mapping out which courses to take, in what order, and flagging gaps like the genetics prerequisite before they derail an application.
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