De Anza College to UCSD
Nursing Transfer Plan
Quarter-by-quarter courses, IGETC requirements, and major prerequisites — verified from real articulation data.
From
De Anza College
To
UC San Diego
NursingGPA Reality Check
UCSD's middle-50% transfer GPA range is 3.55 to 3.94 across all majors — and pre-nursing is one of the most science-heavy, competitive paths on campus. The UC system's published minimum is 3.0, but applicants hovering near that floor have essentially no shot at a nursing-track placement. Your BIOL 6A/6B/6C series and your A&P sequence (BIOL 40A/40B) matter most — admissions committees and nursing programs alike scrutinize your science GPA separately from your overall GPA. Aim for a 3.7 or higher in every lab science you take.
Major Requirements
Pre-Nursing (Undergraduate Science Preparation, B.S. path) Major Preparation
Pre-Nursing (Undergraduate Science Preparation, B.S. path) at UC San Diego
Courses at De Anza College that satisfy UC San Diego's Nursing major preparation, verified via ASSIST.org.
UCSD does not offer a standalone undergraduate BSN (Bachelor of Science in Nursing) degree. Students pursue a biology or human biology major as pre-nursing preparation, then apply to graduate or accelerated nursing programs (such as UCSF or SDSU's School of Nursing) after completing their undergraduate degree. Don't confuse this with SDSU's direct-admit BSN program, which is a different school and a completely different application process.
| Course at De Anza College | Satisfies at UCSD | Units |
|---|---|---|
| BIOL 6A — Form and Function in the Biological World | BILD 1 — The Cell | 5 |
| BIOL 6B — Cell and Molecular Biology | BILD 2 — Multicellular Life | 5 |
| BIOL 6C — Ecology and Evolution | BILD 3 — Organismic and Evolutionary Biology | 5 |
| BIOL 40A — Human Anatomy and Physiology | Anatomy and Physiology preparation (pre-nursing requirement) | 5 |
| BIOL 40B — Human Anatomy and Physiology | Anatomy and Physiology preparation (pre-nursing requirement, continued) | 5 |
| BIOL 26 — Introduction to Microbiology | Microbiology preparation (pre-nursing requirement) | 5 |
| CHEM 30A — Introduction to General, Organic and Biochemistry I | CHEM 6A — General Chemistry I (pre-nursing chemistry requirement) | 5 |
| CHEM 30B — Introduction to General, Organic and Biochemistry II | CHEM 6B — General Chemistry II (pre-nursing chemistry requirement) | 5 |
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
This three-course biology series must be taken in order — each course is a prerequisite for the next. If you don't start BIOL 6A in your first quarter at De Anza, you risk arriving at UCSD without completing the full sequence, which is a dealbreaker for any competitive nursing school application.
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's A&P Series Doesn't Fully Articulate
De Anza's BIOL 40A and BIOL 40B satisfy anatomy and physiology as pre-nursing prerequisites, but they do not have a direct course-to-course articulation to a named UCSD upper-division course the way BIOL 6A maps to BILD 1. That means UCSD (and the nursing schools you'll eventually apply to) will count them as prerequisite fulfillment — but you won't get UCSD course credit for them. Verify with your De Anza counselor each year that these courses still appear on ASSIST before registering.
UCSD Has No Undergraduate BSN — Plan Accordingly
Many students apply to UCSD thinking they'll graduate with a nursing license. UCSD does not offer a pre-licensure BSN program for undergraduates. You will complete a biology-based major at UCSD and then apply separately to a graduate-level nursing or accelerated BSN program, such as UCSF or SDSU's School of Nursing. This is a two-step path — factor that timeline into your planning from day one at De Anza.
TAG Does Not Cover UCSD — Don't Count On It
The UC Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) only applies to six UC campuses: Davis, Irvine, Merced, Riverside, Santa Barbara, and Santa Cruz. UC San Diego is not a TAG campus. There is no guaranteed admission contract available for this pathway, which means your GPA, completed coursework, and application essays carry full weight. Start treating your De Anza transcript like your nursing school application from your first quarter.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Does UC San Diego have a nursing major for transfer students from De Anza College?
UCSD does not offer a traditional undergraduate pre-licensure BSN program. Transfer students from De Anza College typically pursue a biology or human biology major at UCSD and then apply to a separate graduate-level or accelerated BSN program afterward. This is an important distinction — don't assume transferring to UCSD will lead directly to an RN license.
What courses do I take at De Anza College to prepare for a nursing path at UCSD?
The core science prep courses are BIOL 6A (Form and Function in the Biological World), BIOL 6B, and BIOL 6C, which articulate to UCSD's BILD 1, 2, and 3. You'll also need BIOL 40A and BIOL 40B (Human Anatomy and Physiology), BIOL 26 (Introduction to Microbiology), and CHEM 30A and CHEM 30B. Start BIOL 6A and CHEM 30A in your very first quarter — these are the foundation for everything else.
What GPA do I need to transfer from De Anza College to UCSD?
UCSD's middle-50% GPA range for admitted transfer students is 3.55 to 3.94 across all majors, based on Fall 2025 data. For a science-intensive path like pre-nursing, you should realistically target a 3.7 or higher, especially in lab sciences like BIOL 6A through 6C and CHEM 30A through 30B. The UC minimum of 3.0 is not competitive for this pathway.
Does De Anza College have a TAG agreement with UC San Diego?
No — UC San Diego does not participate in the UC Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) program. TAG is only available at six UC campuses: Davis, Irvine, Merced, Riverside, Santa Barbara, and Santa Cruz. De Anza students applying to UCSD go through the standard UC application process, which means your GPA and completed coursework are evaluated competitively with no guarantee of admission.
What is the transfer acceptance rate at UC San Diego from De Anza College?
UCSD's overall transfer acceptance rate for Fall 2025 was 52.7%, with 12,355 students admitted out of 23,441 applicants. That campus-wide rate is more accessible than UCSD's freshman admit rate of 28.4%, but it doesn't reflect the additional competitiveness of health science paths. De Anza College sent 156 students to UCSD in 2023–24, making it one of the top three feeder schools to the campus.
Explore More
Related Transfer Plans
Students at De Anza College planning a nursing career and eyeing UC San Diego as their transfer destination are navigating one of the most science-dense pathways in the California community college transfer system. UCSD does not offer a traditional undergraduate pre-licensure BSN program — instead, transfer planning at De Anza means building an airtight science foundation that prepares you for a biology or human biology major at UCSD, followed by a separate application to a graduate or accelerated nursing program. That makes major prerequisites non-negotiable from day one. Courses like BIOL 6A (Form and Function in the Biological World), BIOL 40A and BIOL 40B (Human Anatomy and Physiology), BIOL 26 (Introduction to Microbiology), and CHEM 30A form the backbone of the pre-nursing prep sequence at De Anza College. UCSD's overall transfer acceptance rate for Fall 2025 was 52.7%, with admitted transfer students posting a middle-50% GPA range of 3.55 to 3.94 — and competitive science-track applicants typically sit at the higher end of that range. IGETC is accepted at UCSD for most colleges and can help De Anza students knock out lower-division general education requirements before transferring, freeing up time to focus on upper-division science coursework at UCSD. Unlike some UC campuses, UC San Diego does not participate in the TAG program, so every De Anza applicant competes in the standard process. Tools like Pipeline help students map out the full sequence — from BIOL 6A all the way through the UCSD application — so no course gets missed and no prerequisite chain gets broken. Given that De Anza College sent 156 students to UCSD in 2023–24, making it one of the campus's top three community college feeders, students who plan early and execute cleanly have a real shot at this path.
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