Mt. San Antonio College to UCLA
Computer Science Transfer Plan
Semester-by-semester courses, IGETC requirements, and major prerequisites — verified from real articulation data.
From
Mt. San Antonio College
To
UCLA
GPA Reality Check
UCLA's published minimum GPA for UC transfer eligibility is 3.0, but for CS in the Samueli School of Engineering, admitted transfer students in Fall 2024 had a GPA range of 3.96–4.00. That's not a typo — the floor is effectively a near-perfect GPA. Your major prep courses — especially CSCI 110, CSCI 111, MATH 181, and MATH 182 — carry the most weight because readers want to see you can handle the technical workload at UCLA. A B in Calculus I when everyone else has an A is a real problem for this specific major.
Transfer Alliance Program (TAP)
Mt. SAC is a participating school in the UCLA Transfer Alliance Program (TAP), but there is a major catch for CS students: TAP priority consideration only applies to majors within UCLA's College of Letters and Science — and Computer Science (B.S.) is housed in the Samueli School of Engineering, which does not participate in TAP. If you are targeting CS, TAP will not give you the admission edge it gives to students in L&S majors. That said, completing the Mt. SAC Honors Program still strengthens your application and signals academic rigor to any reviewer.
Major Requirements
Computer Science (B.S.) — Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science Major Preparation
Computer Science (B.S.) — Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science at UCLA
Courses at Mt. San Antonio College that satisfy UCLA's Computer Science major preparation, verified via ASSIST.org.
Students sometimes confuse UCLA's Engineering CS (B.S., Samueli School) with the Cognitive Science or Linguistics & Computer Science majors in the College of Letters and Science. The Engineering B.S. is the pure CS degree and is among the most selective transfer pathways at UCLA. Linguistics & Computer Science (L&S B.A.) has a different prep path and a different admit rate — worth knowing if you want a fallback.
| Course at Mt. San Antonio College | Satisfies at UCLA | Units |
|---|---|---|
| CSCI 110 — Fundamentals of Computer Science | CS 31 — Introduction to Computer Science I | 3.5 |
| CSCI 111 — Computer Science I | CS 32 — Introduction to Computer Science II | 3.5 |
| CSCI 211 — Computer Science III | CS 33 — Introduction to Computer Organization | 4 |
| MATH 181 — Calculus I | MATH 31A — Differential Calculus | 4 |
| MATH 182 — Calculus II | MATH 31B — Integration and Infinite Series | 4 |
| MATH 280 — Calculus III | MATH 32A — Calculus of Several Variables | 4 |
| MATH 285 — Linear Algebra | MATH 33A — Linear Algebra and Applications | 4 |
| No equivalent at Mt. SAC | MATH 33B — Differential Equations | — |
| PHYS 4A — Physics for Scientists and Engineers I | PHYSICS 1A — Physics for Scientists and Engineers: Mechanics | 5 |
| PHYS 4B — Physics for Scientists and Engineers II | PHYSICS 1B — Physics for Scientists and Engineers: Oscillations, Waves, Electric and Magnetic Fields | 5 |
Courses with no equivalent must be taken at UCLA after transfer. Factor this into your first-year course plan.
General Education
GE Requirements at UCLA
IGETC is not accepted for this program
Because Computer Science at UCLA sits in the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, IGETC is not accepted. Engineering transfer students must satisfy the Samueli School's own lower-division GE requirements, which include technical communication (English composition), a social sciences or humanities course, and courses in the required Engineering major prep sequence. You should complete these GE courses alongside your major prep — consult ASSIST and your Mt. SAC counselor to map out which specific courses satisfy the Engineering GE breadth.
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
TAP Does Not Help CS Engineering Applicants
Many Mt. SAC students join the Honors Program expecting TAP certification to boost their CS application — but TAP priority only covers UCLA's College of Letters and Science. Computer Science (B.S.) lives in the Samueli School of Engineering, which explicitly does not participate in TAP. Honors coursework still looks great on your application, but go in with eyes open: TAP is not your golden ticket for this major.
IGETC Is Rejected by Engineering — Plan Accordingly
Unlike most UCLA majors, the Samueli School of Engineering does not accept IGETC for satisfying GE requirements. If you spend two semesters building out a full IGETC checklist, you may find that work doesn't translate the way you expected after transfer. Work with your Mt. SAC counselor to identify which GE courses satisfy both Engineering breadth requirements and are transferable — it's a narrower list, but it exists.
Start MATH 181 Semester One, No Exceptions
The math sequence — MATH 181 → MATH 182 → MATH 280 → MATH 285 — takes a minimum of four semesters if you take one course at a time. Waiting until your second semester to start Calculus I means you may apply to UCLA without Multivariable Calculus or Linear Algebra on your record, which is a visible gap for an Engineering CS applicant. Every semester you delay MATH 181 is a semester you delay every course that comes after it.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
How hard is it to transfer from Mt. San Antonio College to UCLA for Computer Science?
Very hard — CS in UCLA's Samueli School of Engineering had a transfer admit rate of approximately 3% in Fall 2024, with admitted students showing a GPA range of 3.96–4.00. That means near-perfect grades in courses like CSCI 110, CSCI 111, MATH 181, and MATH 182 are essentially the baseline, not a differentiator. It is one of the most competitive transfer pathways in the entire UC system.
Does TAP help Mt. SAC students transfer to UCLA for Computer Science?
Not directly. The UCLA Transfer Alliance Program (TAP) grants priority consideration only for majors in UCLA's College of Letters and Science — and Computer Science (B.S.) sits in the Samueli School of Engineering, which does not participate in TAP. Mt. SAC students can still get TAP-certified by completing 15 Honors units with a 3.2+ GPA, and that academic rigor helps, but it won't give you the formal priority boost that TAP provides for L&S majors.
Can I use IGETC to satisfy general education requirements when transferring to UCLA as a Computer Science major?
No — the Samueli School of Engineering at UCLA does not accept IGETC. You'll need to satisfy Engineering-specific GE breadth requirements instead. Talk to a Mt. SAC counselor about which transferable courses fulfill those requirements, because planning your GE around IGETC and then finding out it doesn't apply is a common and costly mistake.
What math courses do I need to take at Mt. SAC to transfer to UCLA for Computer Science?
You need to complete the full calculus sequence: MATH 181 (Calculus I), MATH 182 (Calculus II), and MATH 280 (Calculus III), plus MATH 285 (Linear Algebra). These four courses articulate to UCLA's MATH 31A, 31B, 32A, and 33A. Note that UCLA also requires MATH 33B (Differential Equations), for which Mt. SAC currently has no direct equivalent, so you may need to take it after transfer.
What computer science courses should I take at Mt. SAC before transferring to UCLA?
The core CS prep sequence at Mt. SAC is CSCI 110 (Fundamentals of Computer Science), CSCI 111 (Computer Science I), and CSCI 211 (Computer Science III), which articulate to UCLA's CS 31, CS 32, and CS 33 respectively. These courses are strictly sequential — you must pass each one before enrolling in the next — so start CSCI 110 in your very first semester to keep the chain on schedule.
Explore More
Related Transfer Plans
Transferring from Mt. San Antonio College (Mt. SAC) to UCLA as a Computer Science major is one of the most competitive paths in the California community college transfer system. The Computer Science B.S. at UCLA is housed in the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science — not the College of Letters and Science — and that distinction shapes almost every part of your transfer planning. In Fall 2024, the CS transfer admit rate was approximately 3%, with admitted students carrying a GPA range of 3.96–4.00, which means your grades in major prerequisites like MATH 181 (Calculus I) and CSCI 110 (Fundamentals of Computer Science) need to be as close to perfect as possible. One thing that catches Mt. SAC students off guard: IGETC is not accepted by the Samueli School of Engineering, so the standard IGETC checklist that works for most UCLA transfers simply does not apply here. You'll need to work with your Mt. SAC counselor to satisfy Engineering-specific GE breadth requirements while simultaneously completing a demanding four-course math sequence — MATH 181, MATH 182, MATH 280, and MATH 285 — plus calculus-based physics and the CS course sequence. The UCLA Transfer Alliance Program (TAP) is available through Mt. SAC's Honors Program, but because TAP only covers College of Letters and Science majors, it does not provide priority consideration for Engineering CS admits. Careful, semester-by-semester transfer planning is non-negotiable for this pathway, and tools like Pipeline help students at Mt. San Antonio College map out a personalized, realistic course sequence so that every prerequisite, every GE requirement, and every application deadline lines up exactly right.
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