Mt. San Antonio College to UCI
Business Administration Transfer Plan
Semester-by-semester courses, IGETC requirements, and major prerequisites — verified from real articulation data.
From
Mt. San Antonio College
To
UC Irvine
Business AdministrationGPA Reality Check
UCI sets a 3.0 minimum GPA for Business Administration transfers, but the actual admitted class in a recent data year showed a 25th–75th percentile range of 3.74–3.98 — meaning most admits had nearly straight A's. Your grades in MATH 181, MATH 160, ECON 1, and ECON 2 carry the most weight because these are the courses UCI evaluates as direct evidence you can handle upper-division business coursework. A 3.5 might get you a second look; a 3.8+ in your major prep courses is what makes your application competitive.
Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG)
Here's something you absolutely need to know: Business Administration is one of the majors explicitly excluded from UC Irvine's Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) program. TAG is real and available at UCI for most majors — but not this one. That means every Mt. SAC student applying to UCI Business Administration goes through the standard competitive review process with no guaranteed admission, regardless of GPA. Your best move is to apply through the regular UC application window (October 1–December 1), keep your major prep GPA as close to a 4.0 as possible, and treat your Personal Insight Questions as seriously as your coursework.
Major Requirements
Business Administration — Paul Merage School of Business (B.S.) Major Preparation
Business Administration — Paul Merage School of Business (B.S.) at UC Irvine
Courses at Mt. San Antonio College that satisfy UC Irvine's Business Administration major preparation, verified via ASSIST.org.
UCI offers a separate Business Information Management (BIM) degree through the Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences — it's tech-heavy and has different prerequisites entirely. Business Economics and Economics (through the School of Social Sciences) are also commonly confused with Business Administration but lead to a B.A., not a B.S., and have no Merage School affiliation. Make sure you're applying to the right one.
| Course at Mt. San Antonio College | Satisfies at UCI | Units |
|---|---|---|
| MATH 181 — Calculus and Analytic Geometry | MATH 2A — Single Variable Calculus | 5 |
| MATH 160 — Introduction to Statistics | MGMT 7 — Statistics for Business Decision Making | 4 |
| ECON 1 — Principles of Economics-Micro | ECON 20A — Microeconomics | 3 |
| ECON 2 — Principles of Economics-Macro | ECON 20B — Macroeconomics | 3 |
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 |
ECON 1 → ECON 2
ECON 1 (Microeconomics) is a prerequisite for ECON 2 (Macroeconomics) at Mt. SAC, and UCI requires both for Business Administration admission. If you try to take them out of order — or run out of semesters before finishing ECON 2 — you'll transfer with an incomplete major prep record, which can result in a rescinded offer or a delayed degree.
Mt. SAC runs semesters — UCI runs quarters
Your 16-week Mt. SAC semesters become 10-week UCI quarters after transfer, so get as deep as possible in your major prep courses now — the pace at UCI leaves almost no time to catch up.
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
TAG Does Not Cover Business Administration at UCI
Many Mt. SAC students assume UCI's Transfer Admission Guarantee applies to all majors — it doesn't. Business Administration is one of a small list of majors explicitly excluded from TAG at UCI, which means you have no guaranteed admission pathway for this specific program. Don't waste your September TAG application window on a major that won't accept it; instead, use that time to polish your UC application essays and finalize your IGETC certification.
Take ECON 1 Before ECON 2 — There Is No Shortcut
At Mt. SAC, ECON 1 (Principles of Economics-Micro) is a prerequisite for ECON 2 (Principles of Economics-Macro), and UCI requires both for Business Administration admission. Students who try to rush the sequence or take them simultaneously often find themselves stuck — both courses need to be completed with a C or better before you apply. Map out these two courses in your first three semesters at Mt. SAC to avoid a delay.
Mt. SAC's Semester Calendar Gives You More Time Per Course — Use It
Mt. SAC runs on semesters, so you have roughly 16 weeks per course compared to the 10-week quarters you'll face at UCI. MATH 181 (Calculus and Analytic Geometry) and MATH 160 (Introduction to Statistics) are significantly more demanding on a quarter schedule, so take advantage of your longer semesters now to build a deep foundation — not just a passing grade. Students who only scraped by in calculus at their CC often struggle hard in UCI's upper-division quantitative business courses.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Is TAG available for Business Administration at UC Irvine for Mt. SAC students?
No — and this surprises a lot of students. Business Administration is one of the majors explicitly excluded from UCI's Transfer Admission Guarantee program, confirmed in UCI's official TAG documentation. Mt. SAC students targeting UCI Business Administration must go through the standard competitive review process, with no guaranteed admission, so your ECON 1, ECON 2, MATH 181, and MATH 160 grades need to be as strong as possible.
What GPA do I need to transfer from Mt. SAC to UCI Business Administration?
UCI sets a 3.0 minimum GPA for Business Administration, but the actual admitted class has historically ranged from 3.74 to 3.98 at the 25th–75th percentile — a significant gap from the floor. Your grade in required prep courses like MATH 181 and ECON 1 are the ones UCI scrutinizes most closely. Aim for a 3.8 or above in every major prep course if you want to be genuinely competitive.
What courses do I take at Mt. SAC to prepare for UCI Business Administration?
The core lower-division prep courses are MATH 181 (Calculus and Analytic Geometry), MATH 160 (Introduction to Statistics), ECON 1 (Principles of Economics-Micro), and ECON 2 (Principles of Economics-Macro). All four need to be completed with a C or better before transfer. ECON 1 must come before ECON 2, so plan your two-semester economics sequence early.
Does IGETC work for UCI Business Administration transfers from Mt. SAC?
Yes — completing IGETC at Mt. SAC is accepted and strongly recommended for Business Administration transfers to UCI. The Merage School's own advising materials confirm that transfer students with a full UC IGETC certification do not need to complete most GE requirements at UCI, freeing up your schedule for business upper-division coursework. Just make sure your Mt. SAC counselor certifies your IGETC before you leave.
What is the difference between Business Administration and Business Information Management at UC Irvine?
These are two completely separate programs at UCI and they're easy to confuse. Business Administration is housed in the Paul Merage School of Business and leads to a B.S. in business. Business Information Management (BIM) lives in the Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences and is far more focused on technology and information systems — and unlike Business Administration, BIM also excludes students from TAG. Make sure your UC application lists the correct major, because submitting the wrong one cannot be corrected after the December deadline.
Explore More
Related Transfer Plans
Students at Mt. San Antonio College (Mt. SAC) who are targeting the Business Administration program at UC Irvine are stepping into one of the more selective transfer pathways in the UC system. The B.S. in Business Administration at UCI's Paul Merage School of Business admitted students with a GPA range of approximately 3.74 to 3.98 at the 25th to 75th percentiles in recent data — far above the 3.0 minimum listed in the requirements. Effective transfer planning at Mt. SAC means understanding exactly which lower-division courses matter most: MATH 181 (Calculus and Analytic Geometry), MATH 160 (Introduction to Statistics), ECON 1 (Principles of Economics-Micro), and ECON 2 (Principles of Economics-Macro) are the four pillars of UCI's major prerequisites for this program. Because Mt. SAC operates on a semester calendar while UCI runs on quarters, students have more time per course to build real mastery — which pays off when the pace accelerates after transfer. One critical piece of transfer planning that catches many Mt. SAC students off guard: Business Administration is explicitly excluded from UCI's Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) program, meaning no guaranteed admission exists for this major regardless of GPA. Every applicant goes through the standard competitive review, so IGETC certification — which Mt. SAC students can complete and which the Merage School fully accepts — becomes an important way to streamline your path to degree completion once you arrive on campus. For students navigating all of this, Pipeline is a tool that helps you build a personalized semester-by-semester plan mapping Mt. SAC courses to UCI's exact requirements, so you never accidentally take the wrong course or miss a prerequisite chain before your application deadline.
Build your Mt. San Antonio College → UCI plan
Personalized, semester-by-semester. Free to start.
Get My Transfer Plan