Pasadena City College to UCI
Biology Transfer Plan
Semester-by-semester courses, IGETC requirements, and major prerequisites — verified from real articulation data.
From
Pasadena City College
To
UC Irvine
BiologyGPA Reality Check
UCI's published minimum GPA for Biology is 3.0, but the median GPA of admitted transfer students from California community colleges is 3.77 — that's a big gap. For TAG, you need at least a 3.4, but even that doesn't make you competitive in the regular applicant pool. Your grades in the science prerequisite courses — especially General Chemistry (CHEM 1A, 1B, 1C) and Organic Chemistry (CHEM 12A, 12B) — carry the most weight, since those are the required courses UCI admissions looks at directly.
Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG)
UCI's Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) is one of the most concrete advantages available to PCC students targeting Biology — it eliminates the uncertainty of regular admissions if you hit the bar. You need a 3.4 cumulative UC-transferable GPA and all Biology major prerequisites completed with C's or better. Submit your TAG application through UC TAP in September, then your full UC application in October or November — both must list the same major.
Major Requirements
Biological Sciences (B.S.) — School of Biological Sciences Major Preparation
Biological Sciences (B.S.) — School of Biological Sciences at UC Irvine
Courses at Pasadena City College that satisfy UC Irvine's Biology major preparation, verified via ASSIST.org.
UCI's School of Biological Sciences also offers Neurobiology and Ecology & Evolutionary Biology as separate B.S. degrees — each has its own prerequisites and TAG eligibility. The general 'Biological Sciences B.S.' is the broadest entry point, but if you already know you want to focus on the nervous system or ecosystems, check those specific major prep requirements on ASSIST before you start your science sequence.
| Course at Pasadena City College | Satisfies at UCI | Units |
|---|---|---|
| BIOL 11 — General Biology I | BIO SCI 93 — Cell and Molecular Biology | 4 |
| BIOL 12 — General Biology II | BIO SCI 94 — Organismal Biology | 4 |
| CHEM 1A — General Chemistry I | CHEM 1A — General Chemistry | 5 |
| CHEM 1B — General Chemistry II | CHEM 1B — General Chemistry | 5 |
| CHEM 1C — General Chemistry III | CHEM 1C — General Chemistry | 5 |
| CHEM 12A — Organic Chemistry I | CHEM 51A — Organic Chemistry | 5 |
| CHEM 12B — Organic Chemistry II | CHEM 51B — Organic Chemistry | 5 |
| MATH 5A — Calculus with Analytic Geometry I | MATH 2A — Single-Variable Calculus | 5 |
| MATH 5B — Calculus with Analytic Geometry II | MATH 2B — Single-Variable Calculus | 5 |
General Education
Foundation GE at Pasadena City College
Complete these five courses at Pasadena City College to start your UCI 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 |
CHEM 1A → CHEM 1B → CHEM 1C → CHEM 12A → CHEM 12B
General Chemistry (CHEM 1A, 1B, 1C) and Organic Chemistry (CHEM 12A, 12B) form a strict five-semester chain at PCC — you cannot skip ahead, and UCI will not accept partial completion. If you don't start CHEM 1A in your first semester, you will almost certainly need more than two years to finish all the prerequisites before you can transfer.
PCC runs on semesters — UCI runs on quarters
Once you transfer to UCI, your courses will move faster — UCI's quarter system covers material in roughly 10 weeks instead of PCC's 18-week semesters, so hit the ground running and don't wait until week three to start studying.
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 Can Backfire for Biology Majors
It's tempting to knock out IGETC to 'finish' your GE before transferring, but Biology is explicitly flagged as a high-unit major at PCC — the science sequence alone (CHEM 1A through CHEM 12B, plus BIOL 11 and 12) spans multiple semesters. If you prioritize IGETC completion over finishing your chemistry sequence, you may transfer without the prerequisites UCI requires — and that can cost you admission entirely. Focus on science prep first; talk to a counselor about which IGETC courses overlap with your required science sequence so you're not doubling your load.
General Chemistry Must Be Completed as a Full Year
UCI's ASSIST page includes a specific warning: 'Articulation of General Chemistry is based on the completion of the entire year.' That means completing only CHEM 1A and CHEM 1B at PCC — without CHEM 1C — does not satisfy the general chemistry requirement for UCI Biology, even if those two courses individually show up as transferable. You need all three semesters finished before you apply.
PCC's Semester Calendar Means Fewer Chemistry Attempts Before Applying
UCI runs on quarters, which means UCI students cover general chemistry across three quarters — but at PCC you're on semesters, so the same material is spread across three full semesters. The calendar difference actually works in your favor for depth, but it also means your chemistry and biology sequences take longer to complete than they would at a quarter-system CC. Start CHEM 1A and BIOL 11 in your very first semester at PCC — any delay cascades through the rest of the sequence and can push your transfer date back by a full year.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What GPA do I need to transfer from Pasadena City College to UC Irvine for Biology?
UCI's published minimum GPA for Biology is 3.0, but the median GPA of admitted transfer students from California community colleges is 3.77 — so treat 3.0 as the floor, not the target. If you want to use the TAG program to guarantee your admission, you'll need a 3.4 cumulative UC-transferable GPA, which means your grades in courses like CHEM 1A and BIOL 11 really matter.
Does UCI Biology participate in the TAG program for Pasadena City College students?
Yes — Biological Sciences B.S. at UCI is eligible for TAG, unlike some programs such as Nursing Science or anything in the Donald Bren School of ICS. PCC students can submit a TAG application through UC Transfer Admission Planner (UC TAP) between September 1 and 30, and must have a minimum 3.4 cumulative UC-transferable GPA along with all Biology prerequisites completed.
What courses do I need to take at Pasadena City College to prepare for the Biology major at UC Irvine?
The required lower-division prep includes: one year of biology (BIOL 11 and BIOL 12), one full year of general chemistry with lab (CHEM 1A, CHEM 1B, and CHEM 1C), and one year of organic chemistry with lab (CHEM 12A and CHEM 12B). You'll also want to satisfy UCI's math requirement with either MATH 5A and MATH 5B (two semesters of calculus) or MATH 5A plus a statistics course.
Should I complete IGETC at Pasadena City College before transferring to UCI for Biology?
IGETC is accepted for UCI Biology, but completing the full IGETC pattern while also finishing all the science prerequisites is very difficult to do in two years — Biology is a high-unit major. Many science courses (like BIOL 11, BIOL 12, CHEM 1A) double-count toward IGETC Area 5, so focus on your science sequence first and let those courses cover your IGETC science requirement rather than trying to finish IGETC independently.
How competitive is transfer admission to UC Irvine Biology from Pasadena City College?
Biology at UCI has an estimated transfer admit rate of around 44%, which is more accessible than impacted majors like Computer Science (around 21%), but that number reflects all CCC applicants — not just PCC students. With a median admitted GPA of 3.77 and a required prerequisite list that includes organic chemistry, the students who get in have genuinely done the hard science coursework and earned strong grades in it.
Explore More
Related Transfer Plans
Students planning to transfer from Pasadena City College (PCC) to UC Irvine (UCI) as Biology majors are pursuing one of the more achievable — but rigorously science-heavy — transfer pathways in the California Community College system. Transfer planning for this pathway starts early, because the lower-division major prerequisites for UCI's Biological Sciences B.S. (housed in UCI's School of Biological Sciences) span five semesters of chemistry alone: General Chemistry I, II, and III at PCC (CHEM 1A, 1B, and 1C) plus two semesters of Organic Chemistry (CHEM 12A and 12B). On top of that, students need to complete a full year of introductory biology — BIOL 11 and BIOL 12 — and satisfy UCI's math requirement, typically through MATH 5A and MATH 5B at PCC. According to UC Irvine admissions data, the median transfer GPA from California community colleges is 3.77, while Biology specifically has an estimated transfer admit rate of around 44%. One of the most important tools in transfer planning for this pathway is ASSIST.org, which shows the official articulation between PCC and UCI so students can confirm exactly which PCC course codes map to each UCI requirement. PCC students who began college before Fall 2025 may also complete IGETC to satisfy UCI's lower-division general education requirements — but because Biology is a high-unit major, strategic overlap between science prerequisites and IGETC Area 5 is critical to staying on schedule. The UCI Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) program offers eligible students a guaranteed seat if they meet the 3.4 GPA threshold and complete all major prerequisites. Tools like Pipeline help students map out each semester at PCC in the right sequence — so the chemistry chain, biology sequence, and GE requirements all fit together without pushing the transfer date back an unnecessary year.
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