Pasadena City College to UC Berkeley
Psychology Transfer Plan
Semester-by-semester courses, IGETC requirements, and major prerequisites — verified from real articulation data.
From
Pasadena City College
To
UC Berkeley
PsychologyGPA Reality Check
UC Berkeley's minimum GPA for transfer is 3.0, but admitted transfer students in 2024 landed between 3.61 and 3.96 at the mid-50th percentile — and Psychology is specifically called out as one of the more competitive majors within L&S. That gap between the floor and the reality is significant. Your PSYCH 1, BIOL 1, and MATH 336 grades carry the most weight because they are direct evidence of your readiness for upper-division Psychology work; a B in any of these hurts more than a B in an elective.
UC Community College Transfer Services (CCTS)
UC Berkeley does not participate in TAG — so there is no guaranteed admission path from PCC to Berkeley the way there is for UC Davis or UC Santa Barbara. What does exist is CCTS (Community College Transfer Services), a free UC Berkeley program open to all CCC students. Sign up through the CCTS intake form, complete the Transfer to Success webinar series each semester, and use the certification as a line item on your UC application to show demonstrated engagement with the Berkeley community before you even apply.
Major Requirements
Psychology (B.A.) — College of Letters and Science Major Preparation
Psychology (B.A.) — College of Letters and Science at UC Berkeley
Courses at Pasadena City College that satisfy UC Berkeley's Psychology major preparation, verified via ASSIST.org.
UC Berkeley also offers Cognitive Science (B.A.) in L&S, which blends psychology with linguistics, philosophy, and computer science — a popular choice for students interested in mind and behavior but drawn toward interdisciplinary or tech-adjacent careers. Social Welfare (B.A.) in the School of Social Welfare is sometimes confused with Psychology by students interested in counseling or social work; it is a separate college with its own transfer requirements. Neither of these programs has the same Tier I prerequisite structure as the Psychology B.A.
| Course at Pasadena City College | Satisfies at UC Berkeley | Units |
|---|---|---|
| PSYCH 1 — Introduction to Psychology | PSYCH 2 — General Psychology | 3 |
| BIOL 1 — General Biology | BIO 1A — Biological Science requirement | 4 |
| SOC 1 — Introduction to Sociology | SOC 3AC or equivalent — Social Science requirement | 3 |
| MATH 336 — Elementary Statistics | STAT 2 — Quantitative Reasoning (Statistics) | 4 |
| No equivalent at Pasadena City College | PSYCH 101 — Research Methods (second Quantitative Reasoning requirement — upper division, completed at UC Berkeley after transfer) | — |
Courses with no equivalent must be taken at UC Berkeley after transfer. Factor this into your first-year course plan.
General Education
Foundation GE at Pasadena City College
Complete these five courses at Pasadena City College to start your UC Berkeley 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 002
Animal Biology
CHEM 001A
General Chemistry and Chemical Analysis I
HIST 001A
History of European Civilization to 1715
ENGL C1000
Academic Reading and Writing
ENGL C1001
Critical Thinking and Writing
| Area | Course at Pasadena City College | Units |
|---|---|---|
Life Science | BIOL 002 — Animal Biology | 4 |
Physical Science | CHEM 001A — General Chemistry and Chemical Analysis I | 5 |
Humanities | HIST 001A — History of European Civilization to 1715 | 3 |
English CompositionCCN | ENGL C1000 — Academic Reading and Writing | 4 |
Critical ThinkingCCN | ENGL C1001 — Critical Thinking and Writing | 4 |
Statistics → Research Methods
MATH 336 (Elementary Statistics) at PCC must be completed before you transfer, because UC Berkeley's PSYCH 101 (Research Methods) — the upper-division course that completes your second Quantitative Reasoning requirement — assumes a solid statistics foundation. Showing up without Statistics on your transcript will flag your Tier I prerequisites as incomplete and compress your major declaration window dangerously.
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
IGETC No Longer Required for L&S Admission
Effective the Fall 2025 application cycle, UC Berkeley's College of Letters and Science stopped requiring IGETC or Cal-GETC for transfer admission — you now need the UC 7-course pattern instead. That said, completing full IGETC certification is still highly recommended because it satisfies L&S breadth and Essential Skills requirements once you're enrolled, saving you time on campus. If you started at PCC before Fall 2025 and have been following IGETC, keep going — it still works in your favor at Berkeley.
Psychology Is a High-Demand Major — Apply Early
At UC Berkeley, Psychology is a High Demand Major, which means once you arrive on campus you must formally apply and be admitted into the major through a holistic review — it is not automatic. Transfer students must declare before the start of their 2nd semester or before accumulating 80 units, whichever comes first. Make sure all five Tier I prerequisites (including PSYCH 1 and MATH 336 from PCC) are completed with letter grades before you transfer, so you can apply to declare the moment you arrive.
PCC Has No Articulated Logic Course for Berkeley's Second QR Slot
The UC Berkeley Psychology B.A. requires two Quantitative Reasoning prerequisites — Statistics (satisfied by PCC's MATH 336) and a second course, often fulfilled by a logic or research design course. PCC does not have a course that directly articulates to Berkeley's second lower-division QR option the way some other CCs do, meaning that slot is completed through PSYCH 101 (Research Methods) after you transfer. Don't waste a semester searching for a PCC course to fill it — confirm with a PCC counselor and focus your energy on nailing MATH 336 instead.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What courses do I need to take at Pasadena City College to transfer to UC Berkeley as a Psychology major?
UC Berkeley's Psychology B.A. requires five lower-division Tier I prerequisites. At PCC, the most important ones are PSYCH 1 (Introduction to Psychology), BIOL 1 (General Biology), SOC 1 (Introduction to Sociology), and MATH 336 (Elementary Statistics) — all of which articulate to Berkeley's requirements per ASSIST. The fifth slot (a second Quantitative Reasoning course) has no direct PCC equivalent and is completed via PSYCH 101 at Berkeley after transfer.
Is there a TAG or guaranteed admission program from Pasadena City College to UC Berkeley for Psychology?
No — UC Berkeley does not participate in the UC Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) program. TAG is only available at six other UC campuses: UC Davis, Irvine, Merced, Riverside, Santa Barbara, and Santa Cruz. PCC students targeting Berkeley should look into CCTS (Community College Transfer Services), a free Berkeley program that provides mentoring and transfer webinar certifications you can include on your UC application.
What GPA do I need to transfer from Pasadena City College to UC Berkeley for Psychology?
The UC system minimum is 3.0, but that is the floor, not the target. Students admitted to UC Berkeley as transfers in 2024 had a mid-50th percentile GPA range of 3.61–3.96. Psychology is among the more competitive L&S majors, so you should realistically aim for a 3.7 or above — especially in your PSYCH 1, BIOL 1, and MATH 336 courses at PCC, which Berkeley reviewers will scrutinize most closely.
Does completing IGETC at Pasadena City College help my transfer application to UC Berkeley Psychology?
IGETC is no longer required for UC Berkeley L&S admission as of the Fall 2025 application cycle — Berkeley now uses the UC 7-course pattern for admission eligibility instead. However, completing full IGETC certification is still strongly recommended because it satisfies Berkeley's L&S breadth and Essential Skills requirements once you enroll, freeing up your semester schedule for upper-division Psychology coursework. If you started at PCC before Fall 2025 and are already following IGETC, finishing certification remains a smart move.
How competitive is UC Berkeley Psychology for transfer students from community college?
UC Berkeley admitted about 24% of all transfer applicants for Fall 2025 (roughly 5,641 out of 23,377), but Psychology is specifically noted as one of the higher-demand, more selective majors within the College of Letters and Science. Beyond admission, Psychology at Berkeley is a High Demand Major that requires a separate department application after you enroll — so even admitted students must be proactive. Having all five Tier I prerequisites including MATH 336 completed before arriving gives you the best shot at both admission and timely major declaration.
Explore More
Related Transfer Plans
Students planning to transfer from Pasadena City College (PCC) to UC Berkeley as Psychology majors are navigating one of the most competitive pathways in the California community college transfer system. The UC Berkeley Psychology B.A., housed in the College of Letters and Science, admitted roughly 24% of all transfer applicants in Fall 2025, with admitted students carrying a mid-50th percentile GPA between 3.61 and 3.96 — well above the UC system's 3.0 minimum. Transfer planning for this pathway centers on completing five Tier I lower-division prerequisites before arrival, including PSYCH 1 (Introduction to Psychology) and MATH 336 (Elementary Statistics) at Pasadena City College, both of which articulate directly to Berkeley requirements per ASSIST.org. The major also requires a Biological Science course — satisfied by PCC's BIOL 1 (General Biology) — and a Social Science course such as SOC 1. One important nuance: the second Quantitative Reasoning requirement (PSYCH 101, Research Methods) has no direct PCC equivalent and must be completed at Berkeley after transfer. On the general education side, IGETC is no longer required for L&S admission as of the Fall 2025 cycle, though completing IGETC certification at PCC still satisfies major prerequisites and L&S breadth requirements on campus, making it worth finishing for most students. Because Psychology is a High Demand Major at Berkeley, admitted transfer students must also formally apply for major declaration within their first semester — making it critical that all ASSIST-verified major prerequisites are completed with letter grades before leaving PCC. Tools like Pipeline help students build personalized semester-by-semester plans that account for prerequisite chains, IGETC completion, and the 60-unit transfer minimum, so nothing falls through the cracks on the road from Pasadena City College to UC Berkeley.
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