Mt. San Antonio College to UCSD
Nursing 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
NursingGPA Reality Check
UCSD's minimum transfer GPA is 2.4 for California residents, but admitted students in Fall 2025 had a mid-50% GPA range of 3.55–3.94. For Nursing specifically — a selective, capacity-limited major — expect the competitive floor to sit even higher than that campus-wide range. Your science courses (BIOL 6, BIOL 7, BIOL 8, CHEM 40, and CHEM 41) carry the most weight, because these are the courses reviewers look at hardest when evaluating Nursing applicants. A B in General Chemistry won't disqualify you, but a pattern of Bs across the science sequence likely will.
Major Requirements
Nursing (B.S.) Major Preparation
Nursing (B.S.) at UC San Diego
Courses at Mt. San Antonio College that satisfy UC San Diego's Nursing major preparation, verified via ASSIST.org.
UCSD offers several health-adjacent majors that students sometimes confuse with Nursing, including Human Biology (B.S.) and Public Health (B.S.). Human Biology is a broad pre-med track without clinical licensure preparation; Public Health focuses on population-level health systems rather than bedside care. Only the Nursing B.S. leads directly toward RN licensure at UCSD.
| Course at Mt. San Antonio College | Satisfies at UCSD | Units |
|---|---|---|
| BIOL 6 — Human Anatomy | Human Anatomy — Nursing lower-division prep | 4 |
| BIOL 7 — Human Physiology | Human Physiology — Nursing lower-division prep | 4 |
| BIOL 8 — Microbiology | Microbiology — Nursing lower-division prep | 4 |
| CHEM 40 — General Chemistry I | General Chemistry I — Nursing lower-division prep | 5 |
| CHEM 41 — General Chemistry II | General Chemistry II — Nursing lower-division prep | 5 |
| MATH 110 — Elementary Statistics | Statistics — Nursing lower-division prep | 4 |
| ENGL 1A — Reading and Composition | English Composition — IGETC Area 1A / Nursing prep | 4 |
| PSYC 1A — General Psychology | Introductory Psychology — Nursing lower-division prep | 3 |
General Education
Foundation GE at Mt. San Antonio College
Complete these five courses at Mt. San Antonio 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.
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 |
BIOL 6 → BIOL 7 and CHEM 40 → CHEM 41
Both the Biology and Chemistry sequences are strictly ordered at Mt. SAC: you cannot enroll in BIOL 7 (Human Physiology) without completing BIOL 6 (Human Anatomy), and CHEM 41 requires CHEM 40 as a prerequisite. Getting either sequence wrong by even one semester can knock your entire transfer timeline back a full year.
Mt. SAC runs on semesters — UCSD runs on quarters
When you transfer to UCSD you'll go from two 18-week semesters per year to three 10-week quarters, so expect the academic pace to feel noticeably faster and plan to stay on top of coursework from week one.
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
UCSD Does Not Offer TAG — Plan Accordingly
Unlike UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC Merced, UC Riverside, UC Santa Barbara, and UC Santa Cruz, UC San Diego does not participate in the UC Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) program. That means there is no guaranteed admission pathway from Mt. SAC to UCSD — your application competes in the regular transfer pool. Use the UC Transfer Admission Planner (TAP) on the UC website to track your coursework and get early feedback on your preparation, even though it won't lock in an admission offer.
BIOL 6 Before BIOL 7 — No Exceptions
Mt. SAC requires BIOL 6 (Human Anatomy) before you can enroll in BIOL 7 (Human Physiology), and both courses are required for UCSD Nursing transfer prep. If you wait until your second semester at Mt. SAC to start BIOL 6, you'll push BIOL 7 into your third semester — cutting your available time to complete the full science sequence before your fall transfer application. Start BIOL 6 in your very first semester.
IGETC Saves You Time at UCSD — Certify It
UCSD accepts IGETC certification to satisfy lower-division general education requirements at seven of its eight undergraduate colleges (all except Revelle). Completing IGETC at Mt. SAC before you transfer means you arrive at UCSD focused entirely on upper-division Nursing coursework, instead of burning quarters on GE courses you could have finished for much less money at Mt. SAC. Make sure Mt. SAC sends your official IGETC certification to UCSD Admissions — it does not transfer automatically.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
How hard is it to transfer from Mt. San Antonio College to UC San Diego for Nursing?
UCSD's overall transfer acceptance rate for Fall 2025 was 52.7% across all majors, but Nursing is a selective, capacity-limited major at UCSD, meaning the bar is considerably higher than the campus average. Competitive applicants typically have GPAs well above 3.5, with strong performance in science prerequisites like BIOL 6 (Human Anatomy) and BIOL 7 (Human Physiology). There is no TAG guarantee for UCSD, so every applicant competes in the regular transfer pool.
What GPA do I need to transfer from Mt. SAC to UCSD Nursing?
The minimum UC transfer GPA is 2.4 for California residents, but the middle 50% of all admitted UCSD transfers for Fall 2025 had GPAs between 3.55 and 3.94. For Nursing specifically — a selective major — you should realistically target a 3.7 or higher, with no grades below a B in your science prerequisites. Your performance in CHEM 40 and CHEM 41 (General Chemistry) will be especially scrutinized.
Does UC San Diego have a TAG program for Mt. San Antonio College students?
No — UC San Diego does not participate in the UC Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) program. The six UC campuses that offer TAG are UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC Merced, UC Riverside, UC Santa Barbara, and UC Santa Cruz. Mt. SAC students applying to UCSD Nursing should use the UC Transfer Admission Planner (TAP) at uctap.universityofcalifornia.edu to map out their coursework and signal their intent, even though it does not guarantee admission.
What courses do I need to take at Mt. SAC to prepare for UCSD Nursing?
The core lower-division prep for UCSD Nursing includes Human Anatomy (BIOL 6), Human Physiology (BIOL 7), Microbiology (BIOL 8), General Chemistry I and II (CHEM 40 and CHEM 41), Elementary Statistics (MATH 110), Reading and Composition (ENGL 1A), and General Psychology (PSYC 1A). Always verify the current articulation for your specific transfer year on ASSIST.org, since course equivalencies can change.
Can I use IGETC when transferring from Mt. SAC to UCSD for Nursing?
Yes — UCSD accepts IGETC certification to satisfy lower-division general education requirements at seven of its eight undergraduate colleges. Completing IGETC at Mt. SAC is strongly recommended because it lets you arrive at UCSD focused on upper-division Nursing coursework rather than backfilling GE requirements. Just make sure Mt. SAC sends your official IGETC certification directly to UCSD Admissions when you apply.
Explore More
Related Transfer Plans
Students at Mt. San Antonio College (Mt. SAC) pursuing a path to UC San Diego's competitive Nursing B.S. program face one of the more demanding transfer planning challenges in the California community college system. Transfer planning for this pathway requires careful coordination of science prerequisites, IGETC completion, and a GPA that clears the campus-wide admitted mid-50% range of 3.55–3.94 — and likely higher for a selective major like Nursing. Unlike the six UC campuses that offer a Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG), UC San Diego does not participate in TAG, which means Mt. SAC students apply in a fully competitive pool where UCSD's overall transfer acceptance rate of 52.7% reflects all majors, not the more restricted capacity of the Nursing program specifically. Major prerequisites completed at Mt. SAC — including Human Anatomy (BIOL 6), Human Physiology (BIOL 7), Microbiology (BIOL 8), and the General Chemistry sequence (CHEM 40 and CHEM 41) — must be confirmed through ASSIST.org to ensure proper articulation. Students are also strongly advised to complete IGETC certification before transferring, as it satisfies lower-division general education requirements at most UCSD colleges and frees up precious quarters for upper-division Nursing coursework after transfer. Because Mt. SAC operates on a semester calendar and UCSD runs on quarters, students should expect a faster academic pace upon arrival. Tools like Pipeline help students build semester-by-semester academic plans that account for prerequisite chains, IGETC timelines, and transfer application deadlines — all in one place — making the road from Mt. SAC to UC San Diego's Nursing program clearer and more manageable.
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