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
GPA Reality Check
UCI's minimum to apply is a 2.4 GPA, but the median GPA for admitted transfer students from California community colleges is 3.77 — and the mid-range for admitted students runs from 3.57 to 3.93. That's a massive gap. For Psychology specifically, the courses that will make or break your prep GPA are PSYC 1, PSYC 15, and whichever science courses you choose from the four-course breadth requirement — admissions will scrutinize all of them. If you're eyeing the TAG guarantee, the bar goes higher: you need a 3.4 minimum, and you need B or better in your major prep courses.
Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG)
The UCI Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) is the most powerful tool available to De Anza students on this path — it's a binding contract that locks in your admission before you even submit a regular application. For Psychology B.S., you'll need at least a 3.4 cumulative UC-transferable GPA and must complete your major prep courses (including PSYC 1 and PSYC 15) with B's or better. Submit your TAG through UC TAP between September 1–30 of the fall you plan to transfer, then follow up with your UC application by November 30.
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 has three psychology-adjacent programs that students frequently mix up. The Psychology B.S. (School of Social Sciences, Dept. of Cognitive Sciences) is the research-focused degree covered here. The Psychological Science B.A. (School of Social Ecology) has a more applied, human-services orientation. The Neurobiology B.S. (School of Biological Sciences) is a hard-science degree for pre-med or neuroscience research tracks. Make sure you're checking requirements for the right one on ASSIST.
| Course at De Anza College | Satisfies at UCI | Units |
|---|---|---|
| PSYC 1 — Introductory Psychology | PSYCH 9A — Introduction to Psychology (Part A) | 5 |
| PSYC 15 — Elementary Statistics for Behavioral and Social Sciences | Statistics requirement (PSYCH 9C equivalent — quantitative methods component) | 5 |
| CHEM 1A — General Chemistry | CHEM 1A — science breadth requirement (1 of 4 required science/math courses) | 5 |
| BIOL 6A — Cell and Molecular Biology | BIO SCI 93 — science breadth requirement (1 of 4 required science/math courses) | 5 |
| MATH 1A — Calculus | MATH 2A — calculus breadth requirement (1 of 4 required science/math courses) | 5 |
General Education
IGETC at De Anza College
Complete IGETC at De Anza College to satisfy UC Irvine's lower-division GE requirements before transferring.
ENGL C1000 or ENGL C1000H (formerly EWRT 1A/1AH)
5 unitsENGL C1001 or ENGL C1001H (formerly EWRT 2/2H)
5 unitsSTAT C1000 or STAT C1000H (formerly MATH 10/10H); PSYC 15; MATH 1A/1AH
5 unitsARTS 2 (Art History Survey), MUSI 2 (Music Theory), DANC 9 (Dance Appreciation)
4-5 unitsELIT C1000 (Introduction to Literature), ENGL 10 (Intro to Literary Analysis), HUMI 5 (Humanities: Ancient World)
4-5 unitsPSYC 1 (Introductory Psychology), SOCI 1 (Introduction to Sociology), POLI 1 (Introduction to Political Science), HIST 17A (US History)
4-5 unitsCHEM 1A (General Chemistry), PHYS 4A (General Physics), ASTRO 10 (Stars and Galaxies)
4-5 unitsBIOL 6A (Cell and Molecular Biology), BIOL 10 (Biological Perspectives)
4-5 unitsSPAN 2, JAPN 2, MAND 2, FREN 2, KORE 2 (second-semester language courses)
5 units| Area | Course options at De Anza College | Units |
|---|---|---|
| 1A: English Composition | ENGL C1000 or ENGL C1000H (formerly EWRT 1A/1AH) | 5 |
| 1B: Critical Thinking and Composition | ENGL C1001 or ENGL C1001H (formerly EWRT 2/2H) | 5 |
| 2: Mathematical Concepts and Quantitative Reasoning | STAT C1000 or STAT C1000H (formerly MATH 10/10H); PSYC 15; MATH 1A/1AH | 5 |
| 3A: Arts | ARTS 2 (Art History Survey), MUSI 2 (Music Theory), DANC 9 (Dance Appreciation) | 4-5 |
| 3B: Humanities | ELIT C1000 (Introduction to Literature), ENGL 10 (Intro to Literary Analysis), HUMI 5 (Humanities: Ancient World) | 4-5 |
| 4: Social and Behavioral Sciences | PSYC 1 (Introductory Psychology), SOCI 1 (Introduction to Sociology), POLI 1 (Introduction to Political Science), HIST 17A (US History) | 4-5 |
| 5A: Physical Sciences | CHEM 1A (General Chemistry), PHYS 4A (General Physics), ASTRO 10 (Stars and Galaxies) | 4-5 |
| 5B: Biological Sciences | BIOL 6A (Cell and Molecular Biology), BIOL 10 (Biological Perspectives) | 4-5 |
| 6: Language Other Than English | SPAN 2, JAPN 2, MAND 2, FREN 2, KORE 2 (second-semester language courses) | 5 |
PSYC 1 → PSYC 15 (Statistics)
PSYC 1 is a prerequisite for PSYC 15 at De Anza — you cannot take them simultaneously. If you wait to take PSYC 1 until Winter or Spring quarter, you could end up without your statistics requirement completed by the time you transfer, which blocks you from UCI's upper-division Research Methods sequence on day one.
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 the Four-Course Science Requirement
The Psychology B.S. at UCI requires you to complete at least four lower-division science or math courses from a specific list — calculus (equivalent to MATH 2A/2B), biology (BIO SCI 93/94), chemistry (CHEM 1A/1B/1C with labs), or physics — before you transfer. Many students focus only on PSYC 1 and PSYC 15 and show up to UCI missing this breadth requirement entirely. Pick your four courses early — something like CHEM 1A + BIOL 6A + MATH 1A + one more from the list — and work them into your schedule starting in your first year at De Anza.
PSYC 1 Must Come Before PSYC 15 — Period
PSYC 1 (Introductory Psychology) is a hard prerequisite for PSYC 15 (Elementary Statistics for Behavioral and Social Sciences) at De Anza. Students who don't realize this try to take both in the same quarter and can't enroll in PSYC 15, pushing their stats course back a full quarter. Take PSYC 1 in your very first Fall quarter so PSYC 15 is available to you by Winter or Spring.
Check ASSIST for the Right Psychology Program
UCI has three different psychology-related degrees, and they have completely different prep requirements on ASSIST. The Psychology B.S. (School of Social Sciences) has a heavy science component; the Psychological Science B.A. (School of Social Ecology) does not. Make sure you're pulling up the correct ASSIST agreement for your target major — choosing the wrong one means your prep courses may not match what UCI actually expects.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What GPA do I need to transfer from De Anza College to UC Irvine for Psychology?
The absolute minimum UC-transferable GPA to apply is 2.4, but the median GPA for admitted transfer students from California community colleges is 3.77. If you want the TAG guarantee for the Psychology B.S., you need at least a 3.4 and must earn B's or better in your major prep courses like PSYC 1 and PSYC 15. Realistically, aim for a 3.6 or higher to be genuinely competitive.
Does UC Irvine Psychology accept IGETC from De Anza College?
Yes — UCI's School of Social Sciences specifically recommends that Psychology transfer students complete IGETC before transferring. De Anza's IGETC sheet for 2024-2025 lists the exact courses you can use; ENGL C1000 covers Area 1A, STAT C1000 or PSYC 15 covers Area 2, and so on. Get IGETC certified by De Anza's Admissions and Records Office once you've enrolled in your final required course.
What courses do I need to take at De Anza to prepare for UCI's Psychology B.S.?
Per the 2024-2025 ASSIST agreement, you need courses equivalent to UCI's PSYCH 9A and PSYCH 9C — at De Anza, PSYC 1 covers this. You also need at least four lower-division science or math courses from an approved list that includes calculus (MATH 1A for MATH 2A), biology (BIOL 6A for BIO SCI 93), and chemistry (CHEM 1A for CHEM 1A). PSYC 9B is completed at UCI, not at De Anza.
How does the UCI TAG work for De Anza College students applying to Psychology?
The TAG (Transfer Admission Guarantee) is a contract between you and UCI that locks in your admission if you meet all requirements. For Psychology B.S., you need a minimum 3.4 UC-transferable GPA and must complete your major prep with B's or better. You submit the TAG through UC TAP between September 1–30, before the regular UC application opens October 1. Meet with a De Anza counselor before September to confirm you're on track.
What is the difference between Psychology B.S. and Psychological Science B.A. at UC Irvine?
The Psychology B.S. lives in UCI's School of Social Sciences under the Dept. of Cognitive Sciences and is a research-intensive degree requiring significant science coursework (chemistry, biology, or calculus) before transfer. The Psychological Science B.A. is offered by the School of Social Ecology and has a more applied, human-behavior focus with a lighter science load. They have different ASSIST agreements, different prep courses, and different TAG eligibility rules — make sure you're planning for the right one.
Explore More
Related Transfer Plans
Students planning a transfer from De Anza College to UC Irvine for Psychology have one of the more structured pathways in the California community college system — but only if you understand the details early enough to act on them. The UCI Psychology B.S., housed in the School of Social Sciences, admitted transfer students with a median GPA of 3.77 from California community colleges in a recent cycle, out of over 25,000 applicants campus-wide. Transfer planning for this pathway means two things: completing IGETC and completing the major prerequisites, and those are not the same list. De Anza College students can use IGETC to satisfy UCI's lower-division general education requirement — the School of Social Sciences actively recommends it — while simultaneously knocking out major prep courses like PSYC 1 (Introductory Psychology) and PSYC 15 (Elementary Statistics for Behavioral and Social Sciences). The ASSIST articulation agreement for De Anza to UCI shows that the Psychology B.S. also requires at least four lower-division science or math courses from an approved list covering calculus, biology, and chemistry, which surprises a lot of students who assumed psychology prep was just intro psych and stats. De Anza students also have access to the Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) program with UCI, which provides a binding admission guarantee for students who hit a 3.4 GPA and complete their major prerequisites with B's or better. Timing matters too: PSYC 1 is a prerequisite for PSYC 15 at De Anza, so students who don't sequence these courses correctly in their first year can fall a full quarter behind on the stats requirement. Tools like Pipeline help students build a personalized quarter-by-quarter plan that maps their De Anza coursework to UCI's specific major requirements, so nothing falls through the cracks between IGETC, major prep, and the TAG application deadline.
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