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
GPA Reality Check
UCI requires a minimum 3.0 GPA to be considered, but Business Administration is one of the most competitive programs on campus — the middle 50% of admitted transfers posted GPAs between 3.74 and 3.98. That gap between 3.0 and 3.74 is where most applicants get filtered out. Your grades in ACCT 1, ACCT 2, ECON 1, and ECON 2 carry the most weight because they're direct signals of your readiness for upper-division business coursework — treat those as your non-negotiable A courses.
Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG)
UCI's Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) is the clearest path to a guaranteed offer — but it requires a 3.4 GPA, not just the 3.0 minimum. You apply for TAG through the UC Transfer Admission Planner (UC TAP) by September 30, a full month before the regular November 30 deadline. Complete your major prep and get that GPA above 3.4 before your sophomore year at Mt. SAC — that's the version of this plan that removes uncertainty from the equation.
Major Requirements
Business Administration (B.A.) — Paul Merage School of Business Major Preparation
Business Administration (B.A.) — Paul Merage School of Business at UC Irvine
Courses at Mt. San Antonio College that satisfy UC Irvine's Business Administration major preparation, verified via ASSIST.org.
Students sometimes confuse this with the B.S. in Business Information Management, which is jointly administered by the Merage School and the Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences (ICS). That program requires a year of object-oriented programming (Python, Java, or C++) and does not participate in TAG. If you're not planning to code, the B.A. in Business Administration is the right target.
| Course at Mt. San Antonio College | Satisfies at UCI | Units |
|---|---|---|
| ACCT 1 — Financial Accounting | MGMT 30A — Financial Accounting | 4 |
| ACCT 2 — Managerial Accounting | MGMT 30B — Managerial Accounting | 4 |
| ECON 1 — Principles of Microeconomics | ECON 20A — Microeconomics | 3 |
| ECON 2 — Principles of Macroeconomics | ECON 20B — Macroeconomics | 3 |
| MATH 181 — Calculus and Analytic Geometry I | MATH 2A — Single-Variable Calculus I | 5 |
| BUS 15 — Business Statistics | STATS/Quantitative Methods requirement | 3 |
General Education
IGETC at Mt. San Antonio College
Complete IGETC at Mt. San Antonio College to satisfy UC Irvine's lower-division GE requirements before transferring.
ENGL 1A (Reading and Composition)
3 unitsENGL 1C (Critical Thinking and English Composition)
3 unitsMATH 160 (Introduction to Statistics), MATH 181 (Calculus and Analytic Geometry I)
3–5 unitsART 101 (Art Appreciation), MUS 20 (Music Appreciation), THEA 100 (Introduction to Theatre)
3 unitsENGL 5 (Introduction to Literature), HUM 1 (Introduction to Humanities), PHIL 1 (Introduction to Philosophy)
3 unitsPSYC 1A (General Psychology), SOC 1 (Introduction to Sociology), ECON 1 (Principles of Microeconomics — double-counts with major prep)
3 unitsCHEM 50 (Introductory Chemistry), PHYS 2A (General Physics)
3–4 unitsBIOL 1 (Biological Principles), BIOL 3 (Fundamentals of Biology — with lab fulfills 5B+5C)
3–4 unitsSPAN 1 (Elementary Spanish I), SPAN 2 (Elementary Spanish II) — must complete through 2nd semester of same language
4–5 units| Area | Course options at Mt. San Antonio College | Units |
|---|---|---|
| 1A: English Composition | ENGL 1A (Reading and Composition) | 3 |
| 1B: Critical Thinking and Composition | ENGL 1C (Critical Thinking and English Composition) | 3 |
| 2: Mathematical Concepts and Quantitative Reasoning | MATH 160 (Introduction to Statistics), MATH 181 (Calculus and Analytic Geometry I) | 3–5 |
| 3A: Arts | ART 101 (Art Appreciation), MUS 20 (Music Appreciation), THEA 100 (Introduction to Theatre) | 3 |
| 3B: Humanities | ENGL 5 (Introduction to Literature), HUM 1 (Introduction to Humanities), PHIL 1 (Introduction to Philosophy) | 3 |
| 4: Social and Behavioral Sciences | PSYC 1A (General Psychology), SOC 1 (Introduction to Sociology), ECON 1 (Principles of Microeconomics — double-counts with major prep) | 3 |
| 5A: Physical Sciences | CHEM 50 (Introductory Chemistry), PHYS 2A (General Physics) | 3–4 |
| 5B: Biological Sciences | BIOL 1 (Biological Principles), BIOL 3 (Fundamentals of Biology — with lab fulfills 5B+5C) | 3–4 |
| 6: Language Other Than English | SPAN 1 (Elementary Spanish I), SPAN 2 (Elementary Spanish II) — must complete through 2nd semester of same language | 4–5 |
ACCT 1 → ACCT 2: Don't Try to Rush Both
ACCT 2 (Managerial Accounting) requires ACCT 1 (Financial Accounting) as a prerequisite, so they must be taken in separate semesters — if you delay starting the accounting sequence, you risk arriving at transfer with only half of UCI's MGMT 30A–30B requirement completed.
UCI runs on quarters — Mt. SAC runs on semesters
You're used to 18-week semesters at Mt. SAC, but UCI's quarter system moves at roughly twice the pace — 10 weeks per term — so expect the workload to feel compressed when you arrive, especially in your first fall quarter.
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
Don't Skip ACCT 2 Before You Apply
A lot of students finish ACCT 1 (Financial Accounting) and assume they can take ACCT 2 (Managerial Accounting) concurrently or after applying. UCI wants both courses completed or in progress by the time you apply in November. If ACCT 2 isn't done or clearly in progress by the fall semester before transfer, your major prep looks incomplete and your application gets hurt.
TAG Deadline Is September 30 — Not November 30
The regular UC application opens October 1 and closes November 30, but the TAG application through UC TAP is due September 30 — a full month earlier. Missing the TAG window means you lose the guarantee and compete in the general pool, where Business Administration admits roughly 1 in 6 applicants. Set a calendar reminder for September 1 so you're not scrambling.
IGETC Certification Must Happen Before Classes Start at UCI
The Paul Merage School confirms that IGETC certification must be obtained prior to your first day at UCI — if it's not certified by your community college before you enroll, you lose the GE waiver and suddenly owe several additional GE courses on top of your full upper-division business load. Request your IGETC certification from Mt. SAC's Records office as soon as you're admitted, not after you arrive in Irvine.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
How hard is it to transfer from Mt. San Antonio College to UC Irvine for Business Administration?
Business Administration at UCI's Paul Merage School is one of the more competitive transfer majors on campus — historical data shows roughly 411 students admitted out of approximately 2,589 applicants, putting the major-specific admit rate around 16%. The middle 50% of admitted students had GPAs between 3.74 and 3.98, so aiming for a 3.8 or higher in your major prep courses like ACCT 1 and ECON 1 gives you a realistic shot.
Can I get a TAG to UC Irvine for Business Administration from Mt. SAC?
Yes — UCI participates in the Transfer Admission Guarantee program and Business Administration (the B.A. at Merage) is TAG-eligible, unlike the jointly-offered B.S. in Business Information Management. You need at least a 3.4 cumulative GPA in UC-transferable coursework and must apply through UC TAP by September 30. Mt. SAC's Transfer Center can help you get certified.
Does UC Irvine Merage School accept IGETC from Mt. SAC students?
Yes, and it's a major advantage. The Paul Merage School of Business explicitly states that transfer students who arrive with a full UC IGETC certification do not need to complete any GE requirements at UCI beyond upper-division writing (satisfied by MGMT 191W, a required core course anyway). Complete IGETC at Mt. SAC — including ENGL 1A and ENGL 1C — and request certification from Mt. SAC's Records office before your first quarter at UCI.
What courses do I need to take at Mt. SAC to prepare for Business Administration at UCI?
The core lower-division prep you need to complete at Mt. SAC includes ACCT 1 (Financial Accounting), ACCT 2 (Managerial Accounting), ECON 1 (Principles of Microeconomics), ECON 2 (Principles of Macroeconomics), MATH 181 (Calculus and Analytic Geometry I), and BUS 15 (Business Statistics). These articulate to UCI's required MGMT 30A–30B, ECON 20A–20B, and MATH 2A sequences. Grades of C or better are required in all of them.
What GPA do I need to transfer from Mt. SAC to UC Irvine for Business?
The absolute minimum is a 3.0 GPA in UC-transferable coursework, but that minimum is misleading — admitted students typically show GPAs in the 3.74–3.98 range for the Business Administration major. For TAG, you need at least a 3.4. Your grades in accounting and economics courses matter most, so prioritize those over classes you can afford to be more flexible in.
Explore More
Related Transfer Plans
Students planning to transfer from Mt. San Antonio College (Mt. SAC) to the University of California, Irvine to study Business Administration are entering one of the more competitive pathways in the California community college transfer system. The B.A. in Business Administration is housed at UCI's Paul Merage School of Business, and historical data shows the major admits roughly 16% of transfer applicants — well below UCI's overall transfer accept rate of approximately 40% for Fall 2024. Successful applicants typically carry GPAs in the 3.74–3.98 range, making transfer planning and course selection critically important from day one at Mt. SAC. Lower-division major prerequisites include ACCT 1 (Financial Accounting), ACCT 2 (Managerial Accounting), ECON 1 and ECON 2 (Principles of Microeconomics and Macroeconomics), MATH 181 (Calculus and Analytic Geometry I), and BUS 15 (Business Statistics) — all of which articulate directly to UCI's MGMT 30A–30B, ECON 20A–20B, and MATH 2A sequences per ASSIST.org. On the IGETC front, Merage explicitly accepts a full UC IGETC certification from Mt. SAC students, eliminating all lower-division GE requirements at UCI except for upper-division writing. Mt. SAC students also have access to UCI's Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) program, which locks in admission for students who meet a 3.4 GPA threshold and apply through UC TAP by September 30. Navigating all of these moving pieces — prerequisite chains, IGETC completion, TAG deadlines, and unit requirements — is exactly where a tool like Pipeline helps, by letting students build a personalized semester-by-semester plan that accounts for their specific major prerequisites, IGETC progress, and TAG timeline all in one place.
Build your Mt. San Antonio College → UCI plan
Personalized, semester-by-semester. Free to start.
Get My Transfer Plan