Pasadena City College to UCLA
Biology Transfer Plan
Semester-by-semester courses, IGETC requirements, and major prerequisites — verified from real articulation data.
From
Pasadena City College
To
UCLA
BiologyGPA Reality Check
UCLA's minimum GPA to even apply as a transfer is 3.0, but the mid-50th percentile for admitted Biology students in Fall 2024 was 3.80–4.00. That gap is not a typo — Biology is one of the most competitive majors in Letters and Science, and readers pay close attention to your science GPA specifically. Your grades in CHEM 1A, CHEM 1B, BIOL 10A, and MATH 5A carry the most weight, so don't treat those as courses you can scrape by in.
Transfer Alliance Program (TAP)
PCC's Honors Program is a direct pipeline to UCLA through the Transfer Alliance Program (TAP). TAP-certified applicants get priority consideration for Biology admission in the College of Letters and Science — a real edge in a major where the admit rate is around 20%. To qualify, you need to complete the PCC Honors Program requirements and have your honors counselor submit your TAP certification before you submit your UC application in November.
Major Requirements
Biology (B.S.) — College of Letters and Science, Life Sciences Major Preparation
Biology (B.S.) — College of Letters and Science, Life Sciences at UCLA
Courses at Pasadena City College that satisfy UCLA's Biology major preparation, verified via ASSIST.org.
UCLA also offers Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology (MCDB B.S.) and Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution (EBE B.S.) — all under Life Sciences, all sharing the same lower-division prep. If you're drawn to genetics or cellular work, look at MCDB; if ecology and organismal biology is your thing, look at EBE. The lower-division prep courses at PCC are nearly identical across all three, so your first-year coursework isn't wasted if you switch tracks later.
| Course at Pasadena City College | Satisfies at UCLA | Units |
|---|---|---|
| BIOL 10A — Principles of Biology I | LS 7A — Molecules, Cells, and Development | 5 |
| BIOL 10B — Principles of Biology II | LS 7B — Biological Dynamics | 4 |
| BIOL 10C — Principles of Biology III | LS 7C — Evolution, Ecology, and Physiology | 4 |
| CHEM 1A — General Chemistry I | CHEM 20A — Chemical Structure | 5 |
| CHEM 1B — General Chemistry II | CHEM 20B — Chemical Energetics and Change | 5 |
| CHEM 8A — Organic Chemistry I | CHEM 30A — Organic Chemistry I | 5 |
| CHEM 8B — Organic Chemistry II | CHEM 30B — Organic Chemistry II | 5 |
| MATH 5A — Calculus I | MATH 31A — Differential Calculus | 5 |
| MATH 5B — Calculus II | MATH 31B — Integration and Infinite Series | 5 |
| PHYS 1B — Mechanics and Wave Motion | PHYS 1A — Physics for Scientists and Engineers: Mechanics | 4 |
| PHYS 1C — Electricity, Magnetism, and Optics | PHYS 1B — Physics for Scientists and Engineers: Oscillations, Waves, and Thermodynamics | 4 |
| No equivalent at Pasadena City College | LS 23L — Introduction to Laboratory and Scientific Methodology | — |
Courses with no equivalent must be taken at UCLA 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 UCLA 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 |
BIOL 10A → 10B → 10C: A Three-Semester Chain
The PCC biology series for majors is strictly sequential — BIOL 10A must come before 10B, which must come before 10C. If you don't start BIOL 10A in your very first semester at PCC, you will still have at least one course in this chain unfinished when you apply to transfer, which is a visible red flag in a major as competitive as Biology at UCLA.
PCC runs on semesters — UCLA runs on quarters
Your two semesters of coursework at PCC will compress into three quarters at UCLA, which means faster pacing, shorter deadlines, and less time to recover if a class goes sideways — plan to hit the ground running the moment you arrive.
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 Is Optional — But Timing Gets Tricky
Biology is a high-unit major, and PCC's own catalog flags it as one of the majors where you may exceed 60 units just from science and math prep. UCLA does accept IGETC certification for Biology, but trying to finish all of IGETC on top of BIOL 10A/10B/10C, two semesters of Gen Chem, two of Organic Chem, Calculus, and Physics is a brutal load. Prioritize your science sequence first, then layer in IGETC courses — Area 1 (English) and Area 2 (Math) are the easiest to double-count with your major prep.
PCC Has No Equivalent for UCLA's LS 23L
UCLA's Life Sciences core requires LS 23L, a lab-based course in scientific methodology — and Pasadena City College has no articulated equivalent for it. This is not a reason to panic, but you should know going in that you will need to complete LS 23L after you arrive on campus. It adds to your lower-division workload in your first quarter at UCLA, so factor it into your first-year plan.
The Chemistry Sequence Starts With A Diagnostic
PCC offers a Chemistry diagnostic exam to determine whether you are ready for CHEM 1A or need to start with CHEM 22 (Introductory Chemistry) first. If you land in CHEM 22, that adds a full semester before you can start CHEM 1A — which compresses your entire organic chemistry timeline. Take the diagnostic seriously and do your prep work over the summer if needed so you enter CHEM 1A in your very first semester.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What GPA do I need to transfer from Pasadena City College to UCLA Biology?
The minimum GPA to apply to any UC is 3.0, but the mid-50th percentile GPA range for students admitted to UCLA Biology in Fall 2024 was 3.80–4.00. Your science GPA in courses like CHEM 1A, BIOL 10A, and MATH 5A matters most to the admissions readers. Aim for as close to a 4.0 as possible in your major prep — anything below a 3.7 puts you at a real disadvantage.
Does the UCLA Transfer Alliance Program (TAP) help PCC students get into Biology?
Yes — TAP gives certified applicants priority consideration for Biology admission in UCLA's College of Letters and Science, which is worth pursuing seriously given Biology's ~20% admit rate. You get certified by completing PCC's Honors Program and having your honors counselor submit your TAP paperwork before the November application deadline. One important note: Biology is a restricted alternate major under TAP, meaning it cannot be listed as a backup if you apply to a different first-choice major.
Which PCC courses count toward UCLA Biology major prep?
The core lower-division prep includes BIOL 10A, 10B, and 10C (the Biology major series), CHEM 1A and 1B (General Chemistry), CHEM 8A and 8B (Organic Chemistry), MATH 5A and 5B (Calculus I and II), and PHYS 1B and 1C (calculus-based Physics). There is no PCC equivalent for UCLA's LS 23L, so you will complete that course after you arrive on campus. Always verify the current articulation at ASSIST.org since agreements can change.
How many applicants does UCLA Biology get from PCC each year?
In Fall 2023, approximately 1,043 PCC students applied to UCLA across all majors, with about 365 admitted — an overall admit rate of roughly 35% from PCC to UCLA. Biology-specific applicants from PCC are a subset of that pool, and Biology campus-wide had a 20% admit rate in Fall 2024. That means Biology is considerably more competitive than the average PCC→UCLA pathway.
Can I complete IGETC at PCC and use it for the UCLA Biology transfer?
UCLA does accept IGETC certification for the Biology major, which means a completed IGETC at PCC can satisfy most of your lower-division general education requirements at UCLA. However, Biology is a high-unit major — PCC's own catalog warns that majors like Biology can push you well past 60 units just from science and math prep. Your smartest move is to prioritize the BIOL 10A/10B/10C series and chemistry sequence first, and fold in IGETC courses like ENGL 1A where they fit naturally into your schedule.
Explore More
Related Transfer Plans
Transferring from Pasadena City College to UCLA as a Biology major is one of the most academically demanding paths in the California community college transfer system — and also one of the most well-supported. Pasadena City College, known locally as PCC, has a long-standing relationship with the University of California, Los Angeles through the Transfer Alliance Program (TAP), which gives students who complete PCC's Honors Program priority consideration for Biology admission in UCLA's College of Letters and Science. That matters because UCLA Biology had a 20% transfer admit rate in Fall 2024, with admitted students carrying GPAs in the 3.80–4.00 range. Successful transfer planning for this pathway means starting major prerequisites immediately — BIOL 10A, CHEM 1A, and MATH 5A should all be on your schedule in your first semester. The articulation agreements on ASSIST.org map out exactly how PCC courses like CHEM 8A and CHEM 8B satisfy UCLA's Organic Chemistry requirements, but students need to know that one lower-division requirement — UCLA's LS 23L, a lab methodology course — has no PCC equivalent and must be completed after arriving on campus. IGETC is accepted for this major, which means a certified IGETC from Pasadena City College can cover most lower-division general education at UCLA, but Biology's heavy science load means you may not have room to complete every IGETC area before transfer. Tools like Pipeline help PCC students build semester-by-semester plans that sequence major prerequisites correctly, flag courses with no articulated equivalent, and visualize how IGETC fits alongside demanding science coursework — so you're not piecing together a transfer plan from three different websites at 11pm the semester before you apply.
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