Pasadena City College to UCLA
Psychology Transfer Plan
Semester-by-semester courses, IGETC requirements, and major prerequisites — verified from real articulation data.
From
Pasadena City College
To
UCLA
PsychologyGPA Reality Check
UCLA's published minimum GPA to apply as a transfer is 3.0, but admitted Psychology students in Fall 2024 landed in the 3.81–4.00 range — and the university itself flags Psychology as a highly selective major where completing all prep before you apply is strongly recommended. Your grades in PSYC 001, STAT 001, and PSYC 005 carry the most weight because they're the courses directly on UCLA's prep checklist. A B in any of those courses won't disqualify you, but the competition means you want to aim for straight A's across your major prep.
Transfer Alliance Program (TAP)
PCC participates in the UCLA Transfer Alliance Program (TAP), which gives you priority consideration for admission to College of Letters and Science majors — Psychology included. To get certified, you enroll in PCC's Honors Program and complete it with your honors counselor's sign-off before you submit your UC application in November. TAP also unlocks an alternate major review: if UCLA can't admit you to Psychology, they'll look at a second major you listed, which is an option non-TAP applicants don't get.
Major Requirements
Psychology (College of Letters and Science, B.A.) Major Preparation
Psychology (College of Letters and Science, B.A.) at UCLA
Courses at Pasadena City College that satisfy UCLA's Psychology major preparation, verified via ASSIST.org.
UCLA also offers a Cognitive Science B.S. (in L&S) and a Psychobiology B.S. (also in L&S). Cognitive Science leans heavily into linguistics, philosophy, and computer science — it's a different animal from Psychology. Psychobiology is the biology-heavy path and has its own separate lower-division prep requirements (think chemistry and biology sequences). Make sure you're looking at the Psychology B.A. prep on ASSIST, not Psychobiology.
| Course at Pasadena City College | Satisfies at UCLA | Units |
|---|---|---|
| PSYC 001 — Introduction to Psychology | PSYCH 10 | 3 |
| STAT 001 — Elementary Statistics | STATS 10 | 4 |
| PSYC 005 — Research Methods in Psychology | PSYCH 20B | 3 |
| No equivalent at Pasadena City College | PSYCH 20A — Introductory Biopsychology | — |
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 |
STAT 001 → PSYC 005 (Statistics Before Research Methods)
STAT 001 (Elementary Statistics) is a prerequisite for PSYC 005 (Research Methods in Psychology), which means these two courses must be taken in separate semesters — you can't knock them out at the same time. If you don't take Statistics in your very first semester at PCC, the whole prep chain gets pushed back and you may arrive at your application date with Research Methods still unfinished, which hurts your competitiveness for a highly selective major.
UCLA runs on quarters — PCC runs on semesters
When you transfer to UCLA, your semester-length courses will map onto a faster-paced 10-week quarter system, so expect the content to feel more compressed — start building strong study habits and time management skills now at PCC.
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 Alone Won't Save a Weak Prep
A lot of PCC students assume that finishing IGETC certification puts them in good shape for UCLA Psychology — but IGETC only covers general education. Psychology is flagged by UCLA as a highly selective major, and the Transfer Admission Guide explicitly says you should complete all major prep (PSYC 001, STAT 001, and PSYC 005) before you apply. Students who finish IGETC but skip Research Methods before applying are at a serious disadvantage compared to those who have the full prep done.
PCC's Course Numbers Are Changing — Don't Get Confused
Starting Fall 2025, PCC is rolling out a new Common Course Numbering system, and some PSYC course codes are being renumbered. If you're searching ASSIST or talking to a counselor, make sure the course code you're looking at matches the term you plan to enroll — an older ASSIST agreement may still show the legacy number. When in doubt, cross-check the course description on PCC's own catalog page to confirm you have the right class.
No Biopsychology Equivalent Means One Course Isn't Done at PCC
UCLA requires PSYCH 20A (Introductory Biopsychology) as part of Psychology prep, and PCC currently has no articulated equivalent for it on ASSIST — you will not be able to satisfy this requirement before you transfer. This is not a dealbreaker, but know going in that you'll take it after you arrive at UCLA. Focus your energy on completing PSYC 001, STAT 001, and PSYC 005 with strong grades so the missing bio course isn't a red flag in your application.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the major prep courses I need to take at Pasadena City College to transfer to UCLA Psychology?
UCLA requires three lower-division prep courses you can complete at PCC: PSYC 001 (Introduction to Psychology), STAT 001 (Elementary Statistics), and PSYC 005 (Research Methods in Psychology). There is also a fourth requirement — PSYCH 20A, Introductory Biopsychology — but PCC has no articulated equivalent, so you'll complete that one after you arrive at UCLA.
How competitive is the UCLA Psychology transfer from Pasadena City College?
Psychology is one of UCLA's highly selective majors, with a 22% transfer admit rate in Fall 2024 and admitted students earning GPAs between 3.81 and 4.00. UCLA's own Transfer Admission Guide singles out Psychology as a major where completing all prep courses before applying is strongly recommended — so both your GPA and your course completion matter.
Does the UCLA Transfer Alliance Program (TAP) help PCC students applying to Psychology?
Yes — PCC participates in UCLA TAP through its Honors Program, and Psychology is a College of Letters and Science major, which means TAP-certified students receive priority consideration. You get certified by completing PCC's Honors Program and having your honors counselor sign off before your November application deadline. TAP also gives you an alternate major review if Psychology is full, something non-TAP applicants don't receive.
Can I use IGETC to satisfy UCLA's general education requirements when transferring from PCC for Psychology?
Yes, IGETC is accepted for the Psychology B.A. in UCLA's College of Letters and Science. Students who started at PCC before Fall 2025 are eligible to follow the IGETC pattern — check with a PCC counselor to confirm your catalog rights. Keep in mind that completing IGETC is separate from your major prep requirements; you need both.
Is there a guaranteed admission program from PCC to UCLA for Psychology?
UCLA does not offer a Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) — that program exists at UC Davis, UC Irvine, and other UCs, but not UCLA. What PCC students do have access to is the Transfer Alliance Program (TAP), which is a priority consideration program, not a guarantee. To maximize your odds, complete PSYC 001, STAT 001, and PSYC 005 with strong grades and pursue TAP certification through PCC's Honors Program.
Explore More
Related Transfer Plans
Planning to transfer from Pasadena City College to UCLA as a Psychology major is one of the most structured — and competitive — transfer pathways in the California community college system. PCC students heading to UCLA for Psychology are navigating a major that the university itself flags as highly selective, with a 22% transfer admit rate in Fall 2024 and admitted students clustered in the 3.81–4.00 GPA range. Solid transfer planning starts early: the lower-division major prerequisites you need to complete at Pasadena City College include PSYC 001 (Introduction to Psychology), STAT 001 (Elementary Statistics), and PSYC 005 (Research Methods in Psychology). Because Statistics is a prerequisite for Research Methods, you need to map out that two-semester chain from your very first term at PCC — missing that sequence means arriving at your application date with major prep incomplete. IGETC certification is accepted for Psychology in UCLA's College of Letters and Science, and completing it alongside your major prerequisites makes you a much stronger applicant. PCC students have a distinct edge through the UCLA Transfer Alliance Program (TAP), which grants priority consideration to Honors Program completers applying to College of Letters and Science majors. One prep gap worth knowing about: UCLA's Introductory Biopsychology course (PSYCH 20A) has no articulated equivalent at Pasadena City College, so you'll take that requirement after you transfer. Tools like Pipeline help students map out all of this — course sequences, IGETC tracking, TAP requirements, and prerequisite chains — into a personalized semester-by-semester plan so nothing falls through the cracks between PCC and UCLA.
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