Diablo Valley College to UCSD
Nursing Transfer Plan
Semester-by-semester courses, IGETC requirements, and major prerequisites — verified from real articulation data.
From
Diablo Valley College
To
UC San Diego
NursingGPA Reality Check
The UC minimum GPA to apply is 3.0, but the middle 50% of admitted UCSD transfer students for Fall 2025 had GPAs between 3.55 and 3.94 — and that's across all majors, not just the most competitive ones. Pre-nursing applicants are competing in a pool that skews heavily science-focused, and your grades in CHEM 120, CHEM 121, BIOL 119, and BIOL 120 will be scrutinized most closely. A 3.0 gets you in the door of the application system; you need closer to a 3.7 or above to be genuinely competitive.
Major Requirements
Pre-Nursing Pathway (Human Biology B.S. or Public Health B.S.) — UCSD has no undergraduate Nursing major; students pursue a life-science major and apply separately to nursing school Major Preparation
Pre-Nursing Pathway (Human Biology B.S. or Public Health B.S.) — UCSD has no undergraduate Nursing major; students pursue a life-science major and apply separately to nursing school at UC San Diego
Courses at Diablo Valley College that satisfy UC San Diego's Nursing major preparation, verified via ASSIST.org.
Students frequently confuse 'transferring to study nursing at UCSD' with SDSU's Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN). SDSU — not UCSD — offers the flagship San Diego-area BSN transfer program. UCSD does have a Human Biology B.S. and a Public Health B.S., both of which serve as strong pre-nursing foundations, but neither leads directly to RN licensure. If your goal is an undergraduate BSN in the San Diego area, SDSU is likely your primary target.
| Course at Diablo Valley College | Satisfies at UCSD | Units |
|---|---|---|
| BIOL 119 — General Biology I | BILD 1 — The Cell | 4 |
| BIOL 120 — General Biology II | BILD 2 — Multicellular Life | 4 |
| CHEM 120 — General Chemistry I | CHEM 6A — General Chemistry I | 5 |
| CHEM 121 — General Chemistry II | CHEM 6B — General Chemistry II | 5 |
| CHEM 122 — General Chemistry III | CHEM 6C — General Chemistry III | 5 |
| BIOL 122 — Human Anatomy | Anatomy — pre-nursing requirement (no direct UCSD undergrad equiv; satisfies nursing school prerequisite) | 4 |
| BIOL 123 — Human Physiology | Physiology — pre-nursing requirement (no direct UCSD undergrad equiv; satisfies nursing school prerequisite) | 4 |
| MATH 120 — Introductory Statistics | MATH 11 — Calculus-Based Introductory Statistics (or equivalent stats requirement) | 4 |
| PSYC 100 — Introduction to Psychology | PSYC 1 — Psychology | 3 |
| ENGL 122 — Analytical Reading and Writing | WCWP 10A — Writing 10A (English Composition) | 4 |
General Education
Foundation GE at Diablo Valley College
Complete these five courses at Diablo Valley 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.
ANTHR 115
Primate Evolution and Adaptation
CHEM 107
Integrated Inorganic, Organic, and Biological Chemistry
HIST 120
History of the United States before 1865
ENGL C1000
Academic Reading and Writing
ENGL C1001
Critical Thinking and Writing
| Area | Course at Diablo Valley College | Units |
|---|---|---|
Life Science | ANTHR 115 — Primate Evolution and Adaptation | 3 |
Physical Science | CHEM 107 — Integrated Inorganic, Organic, and Biological Chemistry | 5 |
Humanities | HIST 120 — History of the United States before 1865 | 3 |
English CompositionCCN | ENGL C1000 — Academic Reading and Writing | 3 |
Critical ThinkingCCN | ENGL C1001 — Critical Thinking and Writing | 3 |
CHEM 120 → CHEM 121 → CHEM 122
General Chemistry at DVC is a three-semester sequence where each course is a prerequisite for the next. If you don't start in your first semester, you won't finish before you apply — and an incomplete chemistry series is one of the most common reasons pre-nursing applicants get screened out.
UCSD runs on quarters — Diablo Valley College runs on semesters
Each UCSD quarter moves significantly faster than a DVC semester, so the pacing of upper-division science courses after transfer will feel compressed — build strong study habits and time management skills before you arrive.
Preview
Your First Semester
A preview of what Pipeline generates — exact courses, in the right order, every semester.
Watch Out
Common Mistakes for This Transfer Path
Start Your Chemistry Sequence in Semester One
CHEM 120, 121, and 122 is a three-semester chain — and every link has to be done in order. If you don't start CHEM 120 your very first semester at Diablo Valley College, you mathematically cannot finish all three before your UC application window closes. Unlike some CCs that offer a two-semester general chemistry series, DVC's sequence spans three full semesters, so the clock starts immediately.
UCSD Does Not Have an Undergraduate Nursing Major
This is the single most important thing to understand before you plan. UC San Diego has no BSN or pre-licensure nursing degree — if your goal is an undergraduate nursing degree in the San Diego area, San Diego State University's School of Nursing runs the program you're actually looking for. Students who transfer to UCSD for a pre-nursing path typically declare Human Biology or Public Health and then apply to nursing school after graduation.
TAG Is Not Available at UC San Diego
The Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) program operates at six UC campuses — but UC San Diego, UCLA, and UC Berkeley do not participate. No matter how strong your GPA is, there is no guaranteed admission pathway from DVC to UCSD. Plan to apply competitively through the standard UC application, and strongly consider applying to SDSU's nursing program as your primary target if you want a direct path to RN licensure.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Does UC San Diego have a nursing major for transfer students from Diablo Valley College?
UC San Diego does not offer an undergraduate Nursing major or a pre-licensure BSN degree. Students interested in nursing at UCSD typically transfer into Human Biology or Public Health, then apply to graduate-level nursing programs afterward. If you want an undergraduate BSN in the area, SDSU's School of Nursing is the more direct path — and DVC's BIOL 122 (Human Anatomy) and BIOL 123 (Human Physiology) are prerequisites for both pathways.
What GPA do I need to transfer from Diablo Valley College to UC San Diego?
The UC minimum is a 3.0, but the middle 50% of admitted UCSD transfer students for Fall 2025 had GPAs between 3.55 and 3.94. For a science-heavy pre-nursing path, your grades in courses like CHEM 120 and BIOL 119 carry the most weight. Aim for a 3.7 or above to be genuinely competitive.
Does TAG (Transfer Admission Guarantee) work for DVC students applying to UC San Diego?
No — UC San Diego does not participate in the TAG program. TAG is available from DVC to six other UC campuses, but UCSD, UCLA, and UC Berkeley are explicitly excluded. There is no guaranteed admission pathway from Diablo Valley College to UC San Diego, regardless of your GPA.
What science courses should I take at DVC to prepare for a nursing career before transferring?
Start CHEM 120 (General Chemistry I) your first semester, since the three-course chemistry sequence spans all three semesters. You should also complete BIOL 119 (General Biology I) and BIOL 120 (General Biology II), as well as BIOL 122 (Human Anatomy) and BIOL 123 (Human Physiology), which are prerequisites for virtually every nursing school application. MATH 120 (Introductory Statistics) rounds out the core science-math foundation.
Does IGETC apply if I transfer from Diablo Valley College to UC San Diego?
Yes, IGETC is accepted at UC San Diego for most of its undergraduate colleges — completing it at DVC means you arrive at UCSD with lower-division GE requirements largely satisfied and can focus on your major. The one exception is Revelle College, which requires additional math and natural science coursework even with IGETC. Complete ENGL 122 (Analytical Reading and Writing) at DVC to satisfy the IGETC Area 1A English Composition requirement.
Explore More
Related Transfer Plans
Students at Diablo Valley College (DVC) who are planning a transfer toward a nursing career need to understand one critical fact upfront: UC San Diego (UCSD) does not offer an undergraduate Nursing major or a pre-licensure Bachelor of Science in Nursing. The pathway for DVC students aiming for UCSD is to transfer into a related life-science degree — most commonly Human Biology B.S. or Public Health B.S. — and then apply to nursing school after completing their undergraduate degree. Transfer planning for this path is rigorous. UCSD's overall transfer admit rate for Fall 2025 was 52.7%, but the middle 50% of admitted students had GPAs between 3.55 and 3.94, and science-heavy applicants face the additional pressure of completing demanding major prerequisites like CHEM 120 (General Chemistry I), the full three-semester DVC chemistry sequence, and both BIOL 122 (Human Anatomy) and BIOL 123 (Human Physiology). Unlike some UC campuses, UCSD does not participate in the Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) program, so DVC students must apply competitively through the standard UC application. IGETC is accepted at UCSD and completing it at Diablo Valley College allows transfer students to focus on upper-division major coursework once they arrive on campus. Students who want a direct undergraduate path to RN licensure in the San Diego area are more commonly served by San Diego State University's School of Nursing. Tools like Pipeline help students at DVC build personalized, term-by-term transfer plans that sequence major prerequisites correctly — especially important given DVC's three-semester general chemistry chain, which must begin in the first semester to finish on time for UC application deadlines.
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