Mt. San Antonio College to UCSD
Biology Transfer Plan
Semester-by-semester courses, IGETC requirements, and major prerequisites — verified from real articulation data.
From
Mt. San Antonio College
To
UC San Diego
GPA Reality Check
UCSD sets a 3.0 minimum GPA for transfer eligibility, but the middle 50% of students who actually enrolled came in with GPAs between 3.45 and 3.92 — and Biology is explicitly listed as one of UCSD's most selective schools, meaning the real bar is even higher than the campus average. The courses that matter most are BIOL 1, 2, 3 and the CHEM 50/51/52 sequence — these are what admissions screens first for the Biology major. A B in one of those courses won't kill you, but a pattern of B's across the whole sequence almost certainly will.
Major Requirements
Biology (Division of Biological Sciences B.S.) Major Preparation
Biology (Division of Biological Sciences B.S.) at UC San Diego
Courses at Mt. San Antonio College that satisfy UC San Diego's Biology major preparation, verified via ASSIST.org.
UCSD offers several related degrees that students confuse with Biology: Human Biology (more pre-med/social science integrated), Bioinformatics (heavy computer science), and Biochemistry/Chemistry (under a different school). Biology sits in the Division of Biological Sciences and has its own specialized tracks — pick your track carefully before you apply, as the major prep is the same entry point for all of them.
| Course at Mt. San Antonio College | Satisfies at UCSD | Units |
|---|---|---|
| BIOL 1 — Principles of Biology I | BILD 1 — The Cell | 4 |
| BIOL 2 — Principles of Biology II | BILD 2 — Multicellular Life | 4 |
| BIOL 3 — Principles of Biology III | BILD 3 — Organismal and Evolutionary Biology | 4 |
| CHEM 50 — General Chemistry I | CHEM 6A — Chemical Bonding and Structure | 5 |
| CHEM 51 — General Chemistry II | CHEM 6B — Chemical Energetics and Modern Chemistry | 5 |
| CHEM 52 — General Chemistry III | CHEM 6C — Equilibria, Acid-Base Chemistry, and Kinetics | 5 |
| MATH 7 — Calculus 1 | MATH 20A — Calculus for Science and Engineering | 5 |
| MATH 8 — Calculus 2 | MATH 20B — Calculus for Science and Engineering | 5 |
General Education
IGETC at Mt. San Antonio College
Complete IGETC at Mt. San Antonio College to satisfy UC San Diego's lower-division GE requirements before transferring.
ENGL 1A — Reading and Composition
3 unitsENGL 1C — Critical Thinking and Writing, or PHIL 6 — Introduction to Logic
3 unitsMATH 7 (Calculus 1) also satisfies this area, or MATH 71 — Statistics
3-5 unitsART 101 — Art History: Prehistoric to Gothic, or MUS 20 — Music Appreciation
3 unitsENGL 5 — Introduction to Literature, or HIST 1 — History of Western Civilization I
3 unitsPSYCH 1A — General Psychology, or SOC 1 — Introduction to Sociology, or ECON 1 — Principles of Macroeconomics
3 unitsCHEM 50 — General Chemistry I (with lab satisfies 5A + 5C)
4-5 unitsBIOL 1 — Principles of Biology I (with lab satisfies 5B + 5C)
4 unitsSPAN 1 — Elementary Spanish I (two semesters required if no prior proficiency), or demonstrated proficiency via placement exam
3-5 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 Writing, or PHIL 6 — Introduction to Logic | 3 |
| 2: Mathematical Concepts and Quantitative Reasoning | MATH 7 (Calculus 1) also satisfies this area, or MATH 71 — Statistics | 3-5 |
| 3A: Arts | ART 101 — Art History: Prehistoric to Gothic, or MUS 20 — Music Appreciation | 3 |
| 3B: Humanities | ENGL 5 — Introduction to Literature, or HIST 1 — History of Western Civilization I | 3 |
| 4: Social and Behavioral Sciences | PSYCH 1A — General Psychology, or SOC 1 — Introduction to Sociology, or ECON 1 — Principles of Macroeconomics | 3 |
| 5A: Physical Sciences | CHEM 50 — General Chemistry I (with lab satisfies 5A + 5C) | 4-5 |
| 5B: Biological Sciences | BIOL 1 — Principles of Biology I (with lab satisfies 5B + 5C) | 4 |
| 6: Language Other Than English | SPAN 1 — Elementary Spanish I (two semesters required if no prior proficiency), or demonstrated proficiency via placement exam | 3-5 |
BIOL 1 → BIOL 2 → BIOL 3 (All Three Required Before Transfer)
Each course in the biology intro sequence is a prerequisite for the next, and all three must be complete by the end of your final spring semester at Mt. SAC. Miss BIOL 3 and you become ineligible for direct admission to the Biology major — UCSD may not admit you at all, or may place you in pre-major limbo with no guarantee of getting into the full major later.
UCSD runs on quarters — Mt. SAC runs on semesters
One Mt. SAC semester is roughly the equivalent of 1.5 UCSD quarters, so the pace of courses speeds up noticeably after you transfer — plan to adjust your study habits 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
Don't Wait to Start BIOL 1
BIOL 1, BIOL 2, and BIOL 3 must all be completed before you transfer — that's three consecutive semesters if taken one at a time. If you start BIOL 1 in your second semester at Mt. SAC instead of your first, you mathematically cannot finish the sequence before applying. Start BIOL 1 in your very first fall semester.
UCSD Does Not Offer TAG — Plan Accordingly
A common misconception is that TAG (Transfer Admission Guarantee) applies to all UCs. It does not — Berkeley, UCLA, and UCSD are all excluded from TAG. There is no guaranteed admission path to UCSD Biology, which means your GPA and completed major prep do all the heavy lifting. Don't plan your transfer strategy around a guarantee that doesn't exist here.
Revelle College Has Extra IGETC Requirements
IGETC works smoothly for most UCSD colleges, but if you select Revelle College, you must also complete 3 math courses and 4 natural science courses — above and beyond standard IGETC. If you're not planning on Revelle, IGETC will clear your GE requirements cleanly. Just make sure your college ranking on the UC application reflects that choice.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What GPA do I need to transfer from Mt. San Antonio College to UC San Diego for Biology?
The official minimum is 3.0, but the middle 50% of admitted transfer students at UCSD had GPAs between 3.45 and 3.92 — and Biology is one of UCSD's most selective schools. Your major prep GPA in courses like BIOL 1, BIOL 2, and CHEM 50 must be at least 2.5, but you'll need well above that to be competitive.
What courses do I need to take at Mt. SAC to prepare for Biology at UC San Diego?
You need to complete BIOL 1, BIOL 2, and BIOL 3 (the intro biology sequence), CHEM 50, CHEM 51, and CHEM 52 (the full general chemistry series), plus MATH 7 (Calculus 1) and ideally MATH 8 (Calculus 2). All of these must be done with a C- or better and completed before the end of your final spring semester.
Does Mt. San Antonio College have a TAG agreement with UC San Diego?
No — UC San Diego does not participate in the Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) program. TAG is only available at UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC Merced, UC Riverside, UC Santa Barbara, and UC Santa Cruz. For UCSD Biology, you compete through regular admission with no guaranteed pathway, so your GPA and completed coursework are everything.
Can I use IGETC to satisfy general education requirements for Biology at UC San Diego?
Yes, IGETC is accepted at seven of UCSD's eight residential colleges — Muir, Marshall, Warren, Roosevelt, Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth. The one exception is Revelle College, which requires additional math and natural science courses beyond IGETC. If you complete IGETC at Mt. SAC and avoid ranking Revelle first, you'll arrive at UCSD with your lower-division GE requirements fully cleared.
How many applicants transfer from community colleges to UC San Diego Biology each year?
UCSD received 23,411 total transfer applications for Fall 2025 across all majors, with an overall admit rate of 52.7%. Biology is one of UCSD's explicitly designated selective majors, meaning demand exceeds capacity and the Biology-specific admit rate is lower than the campus-wide number. UCSD notes that students admitted into Biology pre-major status must separately apply for acceptance into the full major after enrolling.
Explore More
Related Transfer Plans
Students at Mt. San Antonio College (Mt. SAC) who want to transfer to UC San Diego as Biology majors are navigating one of the most carefully sequenced pathways in the California community college transfer system. Transfer planning for this route requires finishing three semesters of introductory biology — BIOL 1, BIOL 2, and BIOL 3 — plus the full three-semester general chemistry series (CHEM 50, CHEM 51, CHEM 52) and at least one semester of calculus, all before submitting your application. That's a heavy front-loaded course load that punishes any delay in your first semester. The Biology program at UC San Diego sits within the Division of Biological Sciences and is formally designated as a selective major, meaning admission is screened by major completion and GPA — not just overall units. UCSD's transfer admit rate was 52.7% overall for Fall 2025, but Biological Sciences is among the school's most competitive divisions, so that number doesn't reflect what Biology applicants actually face. IGETC is accepted for most UCSD colleges, making it a practical tool for Mt. SAC students who want to complete their major prerequisites and general education simultaneously — though students considering Revelle College should know it carries extra math and science requirements on top of IGETC. Major prerequisites like BIOL 1 and CHEM 50 can double as IGETC science requirements, which is one of the smarter ways to compress your two-year course plan. Tools like Pipeline help Mt. SAC Biology students build a personalized semester-by-semester plan that maps every required course — IGETC area, major prep, and transfer unit target — into a single coherent timeline, so nothing falls through the cracks and no semester gets wasted.
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