De Anza College to UCSD
Biology Transfer Plan
Quarter-by-quarter courses, IGETC requirements, and major prerequisites — verified from real articulation data.
From
De Anza College
To
UC San Diego
BiologyGPA Reality Check
The UC minimum to apply is a 3.0, but admitted UCSD Biology transfer students average closer to a 3.46–3.92 range — and Biology is explicitly listed as one of UCSD's most selective majors. Your grades in the BIOL 6A/6B/6C series and the CHEM 1A/1B/1C series carry the most weight, since those are the courses UCSD's admissions team is evaluating directly. A 3.0 gets your application read; something in the high 3s is what actually gets you in.
UC Transfer Admission Planner (UC TAP)
UC TAP (Transfer Admission Planner) isn't a guaranteed admission contract, but it's the closest thing UCSD has to a formal planning partnership. You enter your completed and in-progress courses, and every UC campus — including San Diego — can review your academic record when you apply. Set yours up at the start of your first quarter at De Anza and update it each term so there are no surprises when the November application window opens.
Major Requirements
Biology, B.S. — School of Biological Sciences Major Preparation
Biology, B.S. — School of Biological Sciences at UC San Diego
Courses at De Anza College that satisfy UC San Diego's Biology major preparation, verified via ASSIST.org.
UCSD's School of Biological Sciences houses over a dozen distinct biology majors — Biochemistry/Cell Biology, Ecology Behavior & Evolution, Microbiology, Molecular Biology, Bioinformatics, Human Biology, and more. Each has its own upper-division requirements and some have slightly different lower-division prep. If you're unsure which track fits you, Biology (general) is the broadest entry point, but check UCSD's major pages carefully — applying to the wrong track can cost you a full quarter catching up.
| Course at De Anza College | Satisfies at UCSD | Units |
|---|---|---|
| BIOL 6A — Cell Biology and Evolution | BILD 1 — The Cell | 5 |
| BIOL 6B — Genetics, Cell Division, and Molecular Biology | BILD 2 — Multicellular Life | 5 |
| BIOL 6C — Ecology, Evolution, Behavior, and Physiology | BILD 3 — Organismic Biology | 5 |
| CHEM 1A — General Chemistry I | CHEM 6A — General Chemistry I | 5 |
| CHEM 1B — General Chemistry II | CHEM 6B — General Chemistry II | 5 |
| CHEM 1C — General Chemistry III | CHEM 6C — General Chemistry III | 5 |
| No equivalent at De Anza College | CHEM 7L — General Chemistry Laboratory | — |
| MATH 1A — Calculus | MATH 20A — Calculus for Science and Engineering | 5 |
| MATH 1B — Calculus | MATH 20B — Calculus for Science and Engineering | 5 |
| PHYS 4A — General Physics I | PHYS 2A — Mechanics (recommended prep) | 5 |
| PHYS 4B — General Physics II | PHYS 2B — Electricity and Magnetism (recommended prep) | 5 |
Courses with no equivalent must be taken at UC San Diego 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 UCSD 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 |
BIOL 6A → BIOL 6B → BIOL 6C (All Three Required)
These three courses must be completed in order — and all three must be finished at De Anza for UCSD to award any articulated credit. Completing only two of the three means UCSD gives you zero credit for the partial sequence, effectively forcing you to retake the material after you transfer.
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 Equivalent for CHEM 7L
UCSD requires CHEM 7L — a standalone General Chemistry lab — as part of Biology transfer prep, and De Anza College has no directly articulated equivalent for it. Unlike some other community colleges that have a separate lab course mapping to CHEM 7L, De Anza integrates lab work into CHEM 1A, 1B, and 1C. Talk to a UCSD Biology advisor before transfer about whether your embedded lab units satisfy this requirement or whether you'll need to complete CHEM 7L after arriving on campus.
Partial BILD Sequence Earns Zero Credit at UCSD
UCSD's articulation for the BILD 1/2/3 biology series is an all-or-nothing deal — if you complete only BIOL 6A and BIOL 6B at De Anza but not BIOL 6C, UCSD awards you no credit for any of the three courses. Start BIOL 6A in your very first quarter and treat the full sequence as non-negotiable. Missing even one course in the chain means retaking the equivalent at UCSD on your own dime and time.
IGETC Works — But Revelle College Is the Exception
IGETC is accepted for UCSD Biology and will satisfy lower-division GE requirements at six of UCSD's eight residential colleges. The exception is Revelle College, which requires students to complete additional math and natural science courses beyond what IGETC covers. If you list Revelle as your first-choice college on the UC application, you'll need to plan extra coursework — or reconsider your college ranking.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What GPA do I need to transfer from De Anza College to UC San Diego for Biology?
The UC system minimum is 3.0, but UCSD Biology is one of the campus's most selective majors — admitted transfer students typically fall in the 3.46–3.92 GPA range. Your grades in major prep courses like BIOL 6A, BIOL 6B, BIOL 6C, and the CHEM 1A/1B/1C series carry the most weight in the review. Aim for the high 3s across all your science coursework to be genuinely competitive.
What courses do I need to take at De Anza College to transfer to UCSD as a Biology major?
You need to complete the full BIOL 6A/6B/6C biology series, the CHEM 1A/1B/1C chemistry series, and at least MATH 1A and MATH 1B (Calculus I and II). Physics (PHYS 4A and 4B) is strongly recommended on top of these. One important catch: UCSD only awards credit for the BILD 1/2/3 equivalency if you complete all three BIOL courses — partial completion earns zero articulated credit.
Does UCSD Biology accept IGETC from De Anza College?
Yes — IGETC from De Anza College is accepted and satisfies lower-division general education requirements at most of UCSD's residential colleges. The one exception is Revelle College, which requires additional mathematics and natural science coursework beyond the IGETC pattern. If Revelle is your top college choice, meet with a De Anza counselor early to map out those additional requirements.
Is there a TAG or guaranteed admission program from De Anza College to UC San Diego?
No — UCSD does not participate in the UC Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) program. TAG is only available at UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC Merced, UC Riverside, UC Santa Barbara, and UC Santa Cruz. What UCSD does use is UC TAP (Transfer Admission Planner), a free planning tool that helps you track your major prep progress and makes your coursework visible to UCSD admissions — but it does not guarantee admission.
How competitive is UCSD Biology for transfer students from community colleges?
Biology is explicitly listed by UCSD as one of its most selective capped majors. In 2019, roughly 900 transfer students applied to Biology at UCSD, and only about 237 were admitted — an admit rate around 26%. The overall UCSD transfer rate across all majors is much higher (around 52%), so Biology applicants face a significantly harder path. Completing all required prep courses — including the full BIOL 6A/6B/6C sequence at De Anza — and earning strong grades is essential.
Explore More
Related Transfer Plans
Students at De Anza College in Cupertino who want to transfer to UC San Diego as Biology majors are pursuing one of the most rigorous and rewarding pathways in the California community college transfer system. Transfer planning for this path starts early — UCSD's School of Biological Sciences is one of the campus's most selective departments, with Biology transfer applicants facing an admit rate closer to 26% compared to the broader UCSD transfer rate of roughly 52%. Successful applicants typically earn GPAs in the 3.46–3.92 range and arrive with all major prerequisites complete. At De Anza, that means finishing BIOL 6A (Cell Biology and Evolution), BIOL 6B (Genetics, Cell Division, and Molecular Biology), and BIOL 6C (Ecology, Evolution, Behavior, and Physiology) — the full sequence that articulates to UCSD's BILD 1/2/3 series. It also means completing CHEM 1A, 1B, and 1C for the General Chemistry series, along with MATH 1A and MATH 1B for the calculus requirement. One articulation gap unique to De Anza is UCSD's standalone CHEM 7L lab, which has no direct equivalent at De Anza — students should confirm with a UCSD Biology advisor how this requirement will be handled after transfer. Completing IGETC through De Anza is accepted at UCSD and covers lower-division general education at most residential colleges, letting you focus your energy on major prerequisites. Tools like Pipeline help De Anza students build personalized term-by-term transfer plans that account for these prerequisite chains, the CHEM 7L gap, and the November UC application deadline — so nothing falls through the cracks on the way to UC San Diego.
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