Pasadena City College to UCSD
Nursing Transfer Plan
Semester-by-semester courses, IGETC requirements, and major prerequisites — verified from real articulation data.
From
Pasadena City College
To
UC San Diego
NursingGPA Reality Check
UCSD's minimum transfer GPA is 2.4, but admitted transfers for Fall 2025 had a middle-50% GPA range of 3.55–3.94 — and that's across all majors. Pre-nursing students are aiming for graduate nursing programs after UCSD, where the bar is even higher. The courses nursing programs scrutinize hardest are the science prerequisites: Human Anatomy (ANAT 25), Human Physiology (PHYSIO 1), Microbiology (BIOL 3), and General Chemistry (CHEM 1A/1B). A 3.7+ in those courses is not overkill — it's table stakes for competitive nursing school applications.
Major Requirements
Pre-Nursing (B.S. pathway — UCSD does not offer a standalone undergraduate nursing major; students complete nursing prerequisites at the undergraduate level and apply to graduate-entry nursing programs such as UCSF's MEPN or other BSN/MSN programs post-graduation) Major Preparation
Pre-Nursing (B.S. pathway — UCSD does not offer a standalone undergraduate nursing major; students complete nursing prerequisites at the undergraduate level and apply to graduate-entry nursing programs such as UCSF's MEPN or other BSN/MSN programs post-graduation) at UC San Diego
Courses at Pasadena City College that satisfy UC San Diego's Nursing major preparation, verified via ASSIST.org.
Students often confuse 'pre-nursing' with a declared undergraduate nursing major — UCSD has neither a BSN nor a traditional nursing B.S. Instead, nursing-bound students typically declare a related science major (such as Human Biology or Public Health) and complete nursing prerequisites alongside their major. Global Health (B.S.) is another path some pre-nursing students pursue. Make sure the major you declare at UCSD keeps you on track for nursing school prerequisites.
| Course at Pasadena City College | Satisfies at UCSD | Units |
|---|---|---|
| ANAT 25 — Human Anatomy | Anatomy prerequisite for nursing programs (equivalent to BIPN 100 series concepts) | 4 |
| PHYSIO 1 — Human Physiology | Physiology prerequisite for nursing programs (equivalent to BIPN 100/102 concepts) | 4 |
| BIOL 3 — General Microbiology | Microbiology prerequisite for nursing programs (equivalent to BIMM 120 concepts) | 4 |
| CHEM 1A — General Chemistry I | CHEM 6A — General Chemistry I | 5 |
| CHEM 1B — General Chemistry II | CHEM 6B — General Chemistry II | 5 |
| STAT 50 — Elementary Statistics | PSYC 60 — Statistics for the Social Sciences (statistics prerequisite for nursing programs) | 4 |
| PSYCH 1A — Introductory Psychology | PSYC 1 — Psychology (psychology prerequisite for nursing programs) | 3 |
| SOCIOL 1 — Introduction to Sociology | SOCI 1 — Introduction to Sociology (sociology prerequisite for nursing programs) | 3 |
General Education
Foundation GE at Pasadena City College
Complete these five courses at Pasadena City 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 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
General Chemistry I (CHEM 1A) is a hard prerequisite for General Chemistry II (CHEM 1B) — you must pass CHEM 1A before enrolling in CHEM 1B. Trying to rush through both in the same semester isn't possible, and falling behind in this sequence can delay your entire transfer timeline by a semester or more.
UCSD runs on quarters — PCC runs on semesters
Semester courses at PCC are longer and go deeper than a single UCSD quarter course, so your science prerequisite pacing at PCC will feel different from UCSD's faster quarter rhythm — budget extra time in your first quarter at UCSD to adjust to the accelerated pace.
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 Helps — But Science Overlap Is Tricky
UCSD accepts IGETC for most of its residential colleges, and completing it at Pasadena City College before you transfer means fewer GE hoops after you arrive. The catch for pre-nursing students: your heavy science load (CHEM 1A, CHEM 1B, ANAT 25, PHYSIO 1, BIOL 3) can overlap with IGETC Area 5 (Physical and Biological Sciences), but not all of these courses will count toward IGETC if they're not on PCC's certified IGETC list. Confirm with a PCC counselor which science prereqs are IGETC-certifiable so you're not doubling up on units unnecessarily.
UCSD Has No Undergraduate Nursing Major — Plan Your Declared Major Carefully
This trips up a surprising number of students: you cannot transfer to UCSD as a 'Nursing' major because the major doesn't exist at the undergraduate level. You'll need to declare something like Human Biology, Public Health, or another science major on your UC application while completing nursing prerequisites on the side. Talk to a PCC counselor before you apply so your declared major at UCSD still allows you to finish ANAT 25 and PHYSIO 1 equivalents and get into a graduate nursing program afterward.
TAG Does Not Apply to UC San Diego
PCC participates in the UC Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) program — but UC San Diego is not one of the participating campuses. UC Berkeley and UCLA also don't participate. If you're counting on TAG, you'll need to redirect that energy toward a TAG-eligible UC (like UC Davis or UC Santa Barbara) or focus on strengthening your application for UCSD through strong grades and completed prerequisites. Don't assume TAG coverage extends to UCSD just because PCC has a strong transfer reputation.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I transfer from Pasadena City College to UC San Diego as a nursing major?
Not directly — UCSD does not have a standalone undergraduate nursing major (B.S. or otherwise). Pre-nursing students at PCC typically transfer into a related science major such as Human Biology and complete nursing prerequisites like ANAT 25 (Human Anatomy) and PHYSIO 1 (Human Physiology) at PCC before applying to graduate nursing programs after earning their bachelor's degree. Talk to a PCC counselor to build an education plan that covers both your transfer major and your nursing school prerequisites.
Does Pasadena City College have a TAG agreement with UC San Diego for nursing?
No — and this is a common misconception. PCC participates in the UC Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) program, but UC San Diego does not offer TAG to any students from any community college. The UC campuses that do participate in TAG are UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC Merced, UC Riverside, UC Santa Barbara, and UC Santa Cruz. If guaranteed admission is important to you, those six campuses are your TAG options.
What GPA do I need to transfer from PCC to UC San Diego for pre-nursing?
UCSD's hard minimum GPA for transfer admission is 2.4, but admitted transfer students for Fall 2025 had a middle-50% GPA range of 3.55–3.94 across all majors. For pre-nursing specifically, nursing schools you'll apply to after UCSD often require a 3.5+ in science prerequisites. Aim for nothing lower than a B+ in courses like CHEM 1A, ANAT 25, and PHYSIO 1 at PCC.
Should I complete IGETC at Pasadena City College before transferring to UCSD?
For most UCSD colleges, yes — completing IGETC at PCC before you transfer means you can focus on your major and nursing prerequisites after you arrive. The important caveat: if you plan to live in Revelle College at UCSD, IGETC alone isn't enough — Revelle has additional math and science requirements beyond the standard IGETC pattern. Confirm your IGETC-certifiable courses with a PCC counselor, since not every science prerequisite automatically counts toward certification.
How many units do I need to transfer from PCC to UC San Diego?
You need a minimum of 60 UC-transferable semester units completed by the end of spring before fall enrollment at UCSD. Pre-nursing students at PCC often exceed 60 units because the prerequisite load — CHEM 1A, CHEM 1B, ANAT 25, PHYSIO 1, BIOL 3, STAT 50, PSYCH 1A, and SOCIOL 1 — adds up quickly on top of IGETC or Cal-GETC courses. Plan your semesters carefully to hit 60 units without going so far over that you risk senior-standing status.
Explore More
Related Transfer Plans
Planning a transfer from Pasadena City College (PCC) to UC San Diego (UCSD) along a pre-nursing pathway takes serious upfront planning — and a clear understanding of what UCSD's program actually looks like at the undergraduate level. Unlike many other universities, UC San Diego does not offer a traditional undergraduate nursing major (BSN or B.S. in Nursing). Instead, nursing-bound students transfer into a related science major and complete nursing prerequisites — courses like Human Anatomy (ANAT 25), Human Physiology (PHYSIO 1), General Microbiology (BIOL 3), and the General Chemistry sequence (CHEM 1A and CHEM 1B) — before applying to graduate nursing programs after earning their bachelor's degree. For Fall 2025, UCSD admitted 52.7% of the roughly 23,441 transfer applicants across all majors, with admitted students showing a middle-50% GPA range of 3.55–3.94. Those numbers reflect a competitive but achievable bar — if your science prerequisite GPA is strong. IGETC, the intersegmental general education curriculum that Pasadena City College students can complete before transfer, is accepted at most UCSD residential colleges and can streamline your path once you arrive on campus, letting you focus on upper-division science and nursing prep coursework in your junior year. Major prerequisites like STAT 50 (Elementary Statistics) and PSYCH 1A (Introductory Psychology) also double as nursing school requirements for many graduate programs. Tools like Pipeline help PCC students map all of this — major prerequisites, transfer GE requirements, prerequisite chains, and timing — into a single personalized plan so nothing falls through the cracks. If you're using Pasadena City College as your launch point toward a nursing career through UCSD, starting your transfer planning in your first semester is not optional — it's how you actually get there.
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