De Anza College to UCI
Psychology Transfer Plan
Quarter-by-quarter courses, IGETC requirements, and major prerequisites — verified from real articulation data.
From
De Anza College
To
UC Irvine
PsychologyGPA Reality Check
The UC minimum GPA to transfer is 2.4 for California residents, but the median GPA of admitted transfers at UCI is 3.77 — and that's across all majors. For a research-intensive program like Psychology B.S., your grades in PSYC 1, PSYC 24, and PSYC 15 are the ones that matter most, since they directly map to UCI's lower-division prep requirements and form the core of your TAG eligibility. A 3.0 GPA in those courses gets you in the door for TAG consideration, but a 3.5 or higher is what makes you competitive in the general applicant pool.
Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG)
The UCI Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) is one of the most powerful tools available to De Anza students — it literally guarantees your admission if you meet all the requirements. For Psychology B.S., that means completing PSYC 1, PSYC 4 or PSYC 8, and PSYC 24, plus four courses from the designated math and science list, all with at least a 3.0 GPA. Submit your TAG application to UCI by September 30 during the fall quarter of your second year at De Anza — not when you apply through UC, but as a separate step through the UCI admissions portal.
Major Requirements
Psychology (B.S.) — School of Social Sciences Major Preparation
Psychology (B.S.) — School of Social Sciences at UC Irvine
Courses at De Anza College that satisfy UC Irvine's Psychology major preparation, verified via ASSIST.org.
UCI also offers a Cognitive Sciences B.S. and a B.A. in Social Psychology through different departments. The Psychology B.S. in the School of Social Sciences is the standard science-focused path for most transfer students, with a heavier research and biology component than the B.A. options. Make sure you're looking at the right major on ASSIST — they have different prep requirements.
| Course at De Anza College | Satisfies at UCI | Units |
|---|---|---|
| PSYC 1 — General Psychology | PSYCH 9A — Introduction to Psychology | 4 |
| PSYC 8 — Introduction to Social Psychology | PSYCH 9B — Social Bases of Behavior (choose PSYC 4 or PSYC 8) | 4 |
| PSYC 24 — Introduction to Psychobiology | PSYCH 9C — Biological Bases of Behavior | 4 |
| PSYC 15 — Basic Statistics and Research Methods in Psychology | PSYCH 10B — Quantitative Methods in Psychology (elective group — statistics) | 5 |
| MATH 1A — Calculus | MATH 2A — Single-Variable Calculus I (elective group — select from math/science) | 5 |
| BIOL 6A — Cellular and Molecular Biology | BIO SCI 93 — Cell and Molecular Biology (elective group — select from math/science) | 5 |
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 |
PSYC 1 → PSYC 24 & PSYC 8
Both PSYC 24 (Introduction to Psychobiology) and PSYC 8 (Introduction to Social Psychology) require PSYC 1 as a prerequisite — and all three must be done before your TAG application in September of your second year. If PSYC 1 slips to Spring quarter of your first year, you're left trying to finish two required TAG courses in two back-to-back quarters with no buffer.
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
De Anza Has No Articulated Stats Lab Course
UCI's Psychology B.S. benefits from a combined lecture-and-lab statistics course, but PSYC 15 at De Anza — 'Basic Statistics and Research Methods in Psychology' — covers both in a single 5-unit course with no separate lab section. This is actually a strength, but it also means PSYC 15 is a heavier course than it looks on paper. Plan for a real time commitment and do not stack it with PSYC 24 in the same quarter if you can avoid it.
Don't Wait on PSYC 1 — It Unlocks Everything
PSYC 1 (General Psychology) is a prerequisite for both PSYC 8 and PSYC 24, which are two of the three required TAG courses for Psychology B.S. If you push PSYC 1 to Winter or Spring quarter of your first year, you may only have one chance to complete the downstream courses before your September TAG deadline. Take PSYC 1 in your very first Fall quarter at De Anza.
IGETC Still Helps Even For a B.S. Program
Some students assume IGETC isn't worth completing for a science-heavy B.S. like Psychology, but UCI accepts IGETC for the Psychology B.S. and it can satisfy many lower-division GE requirements after you transfer. Use courses like ENGL C1000 and your social science electives to knock out IGETC breadth while you build your major prep — you're doing the work anyway, so make it count toward certification.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What GPA do I need to transfer from De Anza College to UCI Psychology?
The TAG minimum for Psychology B.S. is a 3.0 GPA in your required prep courses, including PSYC 1, PSYC 24, and either PSYC 4 or PSYC 8. In practice, the median GPA of admitted UCI transfers across all majors is 3.77, so a stronger record puts you well above the minimum and competitive even outside of the TAG guarantee.
Does De Anza College have a TAG agreement with UC Irvine for Psychology?
Yes — De Anza participates in the UCI Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) program, and Psychology B.S. is an eligible major. You need to complete PSYC 1, PSYC 4 or PSYC 8, and PSYC 24 plus four designated math or science courses, all with at least a 3.0 GPA, and submit your TAG by September 30 of the fall before you plan to transfer.
What courses do I need to take at De Anza to prepare for UCI Psychology?
The core lower-division prep courses are PSYC 1 (General Psychology), PSYC 8 (Introduction to Social Psychology) or PSYC 4, PSYC 24 (Introduction to Psychobiology), and PSYC 15 (Basic Statistics and Research Methods in Psychology). You'll also need to complete four courses from a math and science elective list — MATH 1A (Calculus) and BIOL 6A (Cellular and Molecular Biology) are strong choices from that group.
Is IGETC accepted for Psychology at UC Irvine?
Yes, UCI accepts IGETC certification for the Psychology B.S. in the School of Social Sciences. Completing IGETC at De Anza before you transfer — starting with ENGL C1000 for Area 1A — can clear a large portion of your lower-division general education requirements, freeing you to take upper-division Psychology coursework sooner after arriving at UCI.
How many applicants transfer to UC Irvine each year and how competitive is it?
For fall 2024, UCI received 25,103 transfer applications and admitted 10,023 students, for an overall transfer admit rate of about 39.9%. Psychology is listed as one of UCI's top transfer majors by volume, which means there's real competition for spots — completing the TAG from De Anza is a significant advantage because it removes the uncertainty of the general applicant pool entirely.
Explore More
Related Transfer Plans
Students at De Anza College planning to pursue a Psychology degree at UC Irvine (UCI) are navigating one of the most well-supported transfer pathways in the California community college system. With an overall UCI transfer admit rate of approximately 39.9% across 25,103 applicants in 2024 and a median admitted GPA of 3.77, transfer planning from De Anza to UCI requires careful attention to both timing and course selection. The Psychology B.S. in UCI's School of Social Sciences is a research-focused degree that demands specific lower-division major prerequisites, including PSYC 1 (General Psychology), PSYC 24 (Introduction to Psychobiology), and PSYC 15 (Basic Statistics and Research Methods in Psychology) — all available at De Anza College. One major advantage for De Anza students is access to the UCI Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG), a contractual program that guarantees admission to eligible students who complete the required major prerequisites with a minimum 3.0 GPA and submit the TAG by September 30. Completing IGETC at De Anza is also accepted for the Psychology B.S., providing a clear general education framework that transfers cleanly to UCI. The ASSIST articulation agreement between De Anza College and UC Irvine maps exactly which De Anza courses satisfy UCI's lower-division requirements, and students should review it carefully — particularly to understand that PSYC 1 is a prerequisite for both PSYC 8 and PSYC 24, meaning sequence matters as much as course selection. Tools like Pipeline help students build personalized quarter-by-quarter plans that account for these prerequisite chains, TAG deadlines, and IGETC certification milestones — turning what can feel like an overwhelming process into a clear, manageable roadmap from De Anza all the way to UCI.
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