Mt. San Antonio College to UCI
Biology Transfer Plan
Semester-by-semester courses, IGETC requirements, and major prerequisites — verified from real articulation data.
From
Mt. San Antonio College
To
UC Irvine
BiologyGPA Reality Check
UCI requires a minimum 3.0 GPA for Biological Sciences admission — but the median GPA among admitted transfer students from California community colleges is 3.77, and competitive applicants typically land between 3.70 and 4.00. That gap is real. Your grades in CHEM 50 through CHEM 62 and both BIOL courses carry the most weight because they are the required prerequisites reviewers look at first. A B in organic chemistry is survivable; a pattern of C's across the science sequence is not.
Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG)
The UCI Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) is the single biggest advantage available to Mt. San Antonio College students going to UCI for Biological Sciences. It locks in your admission spot before the regular application cycle even closes. To qualify, you need a 3.4 cumulative UC-transferable GPA and must complete all required major prep courses. Submit your TAG application through UC TAP between September 1–30, and make sure the major you list there matches exactly what you put on your UC Application submitted October 1–December 1.
Major Requirements
Biological Sciences, B.S. — Charlie Dunlop School of Biological Sciences Major Preparation
Biological Sciences, B.S. — Charlie Dunlop School of Biological Sciences at UC Irvine
Courses at Mt. San Antonio College that satisfy UC Irvine's Biology major preparation, verified via ASSIST.org.
UCI's School of Biological Sciences houses several distinct majors — including Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Developmental and Cell Biology, Neurobiology, and Microbiology and Immunology — that share similar lower-division prep but lead to different degree tracks. You must declare a specific major at the time of application; there is no general 'Biology' undeclared track. Many of the specialized majors (like Developmental and Cell Biology and Neurobiology) are not available until after you enroll at UCI, so most transfer students apply to Biological Sciences, B.S. as the entry point.
| Course at Mt. San Antonio College | Satisfies at UCI | Units |
|---|---|---|
| BIOL 4 — General Biology | BIO SCI 93 | 4 |
| BIOL 5 — General Biology II | BIO SCI 94 | 4 |
| CHEM 50 — General Chemistry I | CHEM 1A | 4 |
| CHEM 51 — General Chemistry II | CHEM 1B | 4 |
| CHEM 52 — General Chemistry III | CHEM 1C | 4 |
| CHEM 60 — Organic Chemistry I | CHEM 51A | 4 |
| CHEM 61 — Organic Chemistry II | CHEM 51B | 4 |
| CHEM 62 — Organic Chemistry III | CHEM 51C | 4 |
| MATH 181 — Calculus 1 | MATH 2A (Mathematics Requirement — Calculus I) | 4 |
| MATH 182 — Calculus 2 | MATH 2B (Mathematics Requirement — Calculus II) | 4 |
General Education
Foundation GE at Mt. San Antonio College
Complete these five courses at Mt. San Antonio 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 1
General Biology
CHEM 10
Chemistry for Allied Health Majors
HIST 1
History of the United States
ENGL C1000
Academic Reading and Writing
ENGL C1001
Critical Thinking and Writing
| Area | Course at Mt. San Antonio College | Units |
|---|---|---|
Life Science | BIOL 1 — General Biology | 4 |
Physical Science | CHEM 10 — Chemistry for Allied Health Majors | 5 |
Humanities | HIST 1 — History of the United States | 3 |
English CompositionCCN | ENGL C1000 — Academic Reading and Writing | 4 |
Critical ThinkingCCN | ENGL C1001 — Critical Thinking and Writing | 4 |
CHEM 52 → CHEM 60 (Gen Chem Must Be Finished Before Orgo Counts)
UCI articulates the entire general chemistry year as a single block — meaning CHEM 50, 51, and 52 must all be complete before CHEM 60 satisfies the organic chemistry prerequisite. Start organic chemistry before finishing the gen chem sequence and you risk having UCI reject the articulation entirely.
Mt. SAC runs on semesters — UCI runs on quarters
One semester at Mt. SAC covers roughly the same material as one and a half quarters at UCI, so expect the pace of upper-division coursework to feel noticeably faster once you arrive on campus.
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
File Your TAG Before September 30 Deadline
The UCI TAG window opens September 1 and closes September 30 — no exceptions, no extensions. If you miss it, you're in the regular pool competing without the guarantee. Meet with a Mt. SAC Transfer Specialist in spring or summer before your application year to confirm your GPA has hit 3.4 and your major prep courses are on track. UCI allows your Mt. SAC counselor to review the TAG before UCI does, so use that advantage.
Three Semesters of Organic Chemistry Is a Real Commitment
Mt. SAC's organic chemistry sequence runs three full semesters — CHEM 60, CHEM 61, and CHEM 62 — to satisfy UCI's full-year organic chemistry requirement. That means if you don't start CHEM 60 by your third semester at Mt. SAC, you almost certainly won't finish the sequence before your transfer application deadline. Map out your chemistry sequence in semester one so organic chemistry starts no later than semester three.
Complete IGETC Before You Transfer — Not After
Once you enroll at UCI as a Biological Sciences major, the School of Biological Sciences requires that all School and Major requirements be fulfilled with UCI courses only. IGETC is one of the few things you can knock out entirely at Mt. SAC, and doing so before transfer means you arrive at UCI focused purely on upper-division bio coursework. Students who transfer without IGETC complete suddenly have general education obligations competing with demanding science courses.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What GPA do I need to transfer from Mt. San Antonio College to UC Irvine for Biology?
UCI requires a minimum 3.0 cumulative UC-transferable GPA for Biological Sciences admission, but the median GPA among admitted California community college transfers is 3.77. If you're aiming for the TAG guarantee, you'll need at least a 3.4. Your grades in CHEM 50 through CHEM 62 and BIOL 4 and BIOL 5 carry the most weight.
Does Mt. San Antonio College have a TAG agreement with UC Irvine for Biology?
Yes — Biological Sciences is a TAG-eligible major at UCI, and all California community college students including those at Mt. SAC can apply. You need a 3.4 cumulative UC-transferable GPA and must complete your required major prep courses. Submit the TAG application through UC TAP between September 1–30, before your regular UC Application.
What biology and chemistry courses do I take at Mt. SAC for UC Irvine Biological Sciences?
The required lower-division prep covers two semesters of biology (BIOL 4 and BIOL 5), three semesters of general chemistry (CHEM 50, 51, and 52), and three semesters of organic chemistry (CHEM 60, 61, and 62). You'll also want to complete MATH 181 and MATH 182 to satisfy UCI's mathematics requirement before you enroll.
Is IGETC accepted for UC Irvine Biological Sciences transfers from Mt. SAC?
Yes, IGETC is accepted for Biological Sciences at UCI, and completing it at Mt. SAC before transfer is strongly recommended. Once you enroll, the School of Biological Sciences requires all School and Major requirements to be completed with UCI courses — so finishing IGETC at Mt. SAC means you arrive with general education already done.
How competitive is the UC Irvine Biology transfer from Mt. San Antonio College?
Biology (Biological Sciences) at UCI has a transfer admit rate of approximately 44%, making it one of the more accessible STEM majors at the campus. UCI received 25,094 total transfer applications for Fall 2024. Your best shot is completing all six chemistry courses and both biology courses with strong grades, and locking in admission early through the TAG program.
Explore More
Related Transfer Plans
Students at Mt. San Antonio College (Mt. SAC) planning to transfer to UC Irvine for Biological Sciences are navigating one of the most course-intensive STEM pathways in the California community college system. Transfer planning for this path means understanding that UCI's Charlie Dunlop School of Biological Sciences requires completion of six lower-division science courses before you even arrive on campus — three semesters of general chemistry (CHEM 50, 51, and 52) and three semesters of organic chemistry (CHEM 60, 61, and 62), plus two semesters of biology (BIOL 4 and BIOL 5). That's a lot to sequence carefully across just four semesters, especially since UCI treats the entire general chemistry year as a single articulation block. On top of major prerequisites, students benefit from completing IGETC at Mt. SAC before transfer, since the School of Biological Sciences restricts major requirement coursework to UCI courses post-enrollment. The Biology transfer admit rate at UCI runs around 44%, but admitted students typically carry GPAs between 3.70 and 4.00 — well above the stated 3.0 minimum. The good news for Mt. SAC students is that UCI's Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) program is open to Biological Sciences applicants, offering a guaranteed admission path for students who hit a 3.4 GPA and finish required prep by the September 30 application deadline. Tools like Pipeline help Mt. SAC students build personalized semester-by-semester plans that account for these prerequisite chains, IGETC completion, and TAG eligibility — so nothing gets missed and no semester gets wasted.
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