Santa Monica College to UC Berkeley
Psychology Transfer Plan
Semester-by-semester courses, IGETC requirements, and major prerequisites — verified from real articulation data.
From
Santa Monica College
To
UC Berkeley
PsychologyGPA Reality Check
UC Berkeley's stated minimum GPA for transfer is 3.0, but admitted transfer students in 2025 had a mid-50th percentile GPA range of 3.61–3.96. Psychology is called out specifically as one of the more competitive majors within the College of Letters and Science — so treat 3.61 as a floor, not a target. The courses that matter most are your Tier I prerequisites: PSYC C1000, STAT C1000, BIO 21, and SOCIOL C1500. These are the exact courses Berkeley reviewers scrutinize when they evaluate your 'preparation for the major' — B's in those courses will hurt you more than B's in an IGETC elective.
Major Requirements
Psychology (Letters & Science B.A.) Major Preparation
Psychology (Letters & Science B.A.) at UC Berkeley
Courses at Santa Monica College that satisfy UC Berkeley's Psychology major preparation, verified via ASSIST.org.
UC Berkeley also offers Cognitive Science (a separate B.A. in L&S that blends psychology, linguistics, computer science, and philosophy) and a Neuroscience track within the Molecular & Cell Biology major. If your interest leans heavily toward the brain, behavior, or AI, double-check which degree actually fits your goals — they have different prerequisite chains and post-transfer course requirements.
| Course at Santa Monica College | Satisfies at UC Berkeley | Units |
|---|---|---|
| PSYC C1000 — General Psychology | PSYCH 1 — General Psychology | 3 |
| STAT C1000 — Introduction to Statistics | STAT 2 — Introduction to Statistics (Quantitative Reasoning requirement) | 4 |
| BIO 21 — General Biology I | BIO 1A — General Biology (Biological Science prerequisite) | 4 |
| SOCIOL C1500 — Introduction to Sociology | SOCIOL 1 — Introduction to Sociology (Social Science prerequisite) | 3 |
| No equivalent at Santa Monica College | PSYCH 101 — Research Methods (Quantitative Reasoning / second Quantitative requirement — upper-division course taken 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 Santa Monica College
Complete these five courses at Santa Monica 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 10
Applied Ecology and Conservation Biology
CHEM 10
Introductory General Chemistry
ENGL C1001
Critical Thinking and Writing
ENGL C1000
Academic Reading and Writing
COMM C1000
Introduction to Public Speaking
| Area | Course at Santa Monica College | Units |
|---|---|---|
Life Science | BIOL 10 — Applied Ecology and Conservation Biology | 4 |
Physical Science | CHEM 10 — Introductory General Chemistry | 5 |
HumanitiesCCN | ENGL C1001 — Critical Thinking and Writing | 3 |
English CompositionCCN | ENGL C1000 — Academic Reading and Writing | 3 |
Oral CommunicationCCN | COMM C1000 — Introduction to Public Speaking | 3 |
Stats → Research Methods
STAT C1000 (Introduction to Statistics) at SMC feeds directly into PSYCH 101 (Research Methods) at Berkeley, which is a required Tier I prerequisite you must complete on campus after transfer. If you haven't finished STAT C1000 before you arrive at Berkeley, you can't enroll in PSYCH 101 your first semester — and that single delay can push back your entire major declaration timeline.
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
Take Stats and Bio in Your First Semester
STAT C1000 and BIO 21 are both required Tier I prerequisites for Berkeley's Psychology major, and neither has SMC-level prerequisites that would stop you from starting them in your very first semester. If you wait until your second year to start these, you may not finish all five Tier I requirements before you apply — and Berkeley evaluators look for completed or near-completed prep. Start both in semester one, even if it feels like a heavy load alongside PSYC C1000.
PSYCH 101 Cannot Be Done at SMC — Plan Around It
Berkeley's second Quantitative Reasoning requirement for the Psychology major is PSYCH 101 (Research Methods), an upper-division course that has no articulated equivalent at Santa Monica College — it must be taken at Berkeley after you transfer. This is unique to the Berkeley pathway: some other UC campuses allow CC students to satisfy a research methods requirement before transfer, but Berkeley does not. The practical consequence is that your first semester at Berkeley needs to include PSYCH 101, so make sure STAT C1000 is done before you arrive or you won't be eligible to enroll in it immediately.
IGETC Works Here — But Don't Skip Your Major Prep for It
IGETC is accepted for the Psychology B.A. at Berkeley and it's absolutely worth completing at SMC — it clears your lower-division general education in one shot. The trap students fall into is prioritizing IGETC electives over major prep courses like BIO 21 or SOCIOL C1500, then arriving at Berkeley with a clean GE slate but missing Tier I prerequisites. Do both in parallel: pair IGETC area courses with your major prep each semester so neither falls behind.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What GPA do I need to transfer from Santa Monica College to UC Berkeley for Psychology?
The official UC minimum is 3.0, but that won't get you in. Admitted transfer students at UC Berkeley for Fall 2025 had a mid-50th percentile GPA of 3.61–3.96, and Psychology is one of the more competitive majors within the College of Letters and Science. Focus especially on earning strong grades in your Tier I prep courses at SMC — PSYC C1000, STAT C1000, BIO 21, and SOCIOL C1500 — since Berkeley reviewers specifically evaluate your preparation for the major.
What courses do I need to take at Santa Monica College to prepare for the Psychology major at UC Berkeley?
Berkeley's Psychology major has five Tier I prerequisites, four of which you can complete at SMC: PSYC C1000 (General Psychology), STAT C1000 (Introduction to Statistics), BIO 21 (General Biology I), and SOCIOL C1500 (Introduction to Sociology). The fifth — PSYCH 101, Research Methods — is an upper-division course with no SMC equivalent that you'll take at Berkeley after transfer. All four SMC courses must be taken for a letter grade.
Does UC Berkeley have a Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) for Santa Monica College students?
No — UC Berkeley does not participate in the TAG program. TAG is available at six other UC campuses (Davis, Irvine, Merced, Riverside, Santa Barbara, and Santa Cruz), but Berkeley and UCLA are explicitly excluded. SMC does offer TAG pathways to those six campuses if Berkeley remains out of reach, and the SMC Transfer Center can help you map out a backup plan.
Should I complete IGETC at Santa Monica College before transferring to UC Berkeley for Psychology?
Yes — IGETC is accepted for the Psychology B.A. at UC Berkeley, and completing it at SMC before you transfer is the most efficient way to clear your lower-division general education requirements. The key is not to let IGETC crowd out your major prep: courses like STAT C1000 and BIO 21 count toward both IGETC area requirements and Berkeley's Psychology Tier I prerequisites, so plan your schedule to double-count wherever possible.
How many Santa Monica College students transfer to UC Berkeley each year?
According to 2023–2024 UC Information Center data, SMC sent 133 students to UC Berkeley in that academic year, making Berkeley the second most popular UC destination for SMC transfers after UCLA. SMC has been the #1 community college for UC transfers for 34 consecutive years, so you're coming from a school with a strong track record — but Psychology is a competitive major, so your individual prep still matters enormously.
Explore More
Related Transfer Plans
Planning to transfer from Santa Monica College (SMC) to UC Berkeley as a Psychology major is one of the most ambitious — and achievable — routes in the California community college system. UC Berkeley's Psychology program is housed in the College of Letters and Science and leads to a B.A. degree, and it draws a highly competitive applicant pool: for Fall 2025, Berkeley admitted about 24% of the roughly 23,000 transfer applicants campus-wide, with admitted students typically showing GPAs between 3.61 and 3.96. Psychology is specifically noted as a high-demand major within L&S, so the realistic bar sits at the upper end of that range. Transfer planning for this pathway starts with the four lower-division Tier I prerequisites you can complete at SMC before you arrive at Berkeley: PSYC C1000 (General Psychology), STAT C1000 (Introduction to Statistics), BIO 21 (General Biology I), and SOCIOL C1500 (Introduction to Sociology). A fifth prerequisite — PSYCH 101, Research Methods — has no equivalent at Santa Monica College and must be taken at Berkeley after transfer, which makes finishing STAT C1000 early especially important since it feeds directly into that course. IGETC is accepted for this major, and SMC students are well-positioned to complete it, but it should be layered in alongside major prerequisites rather than treated as a separate track. UC Berkeley does not participate in the TAG program, so there is no guaranteed admission pathway for SMC students here — every application is competitive. Tools like Pipeline can help SMC students build a personalized semester-by-semester plan that sequences major prerequisites correctly, identifies IGETC double-counting opportunities, and keeps the application timeline on track for a competitive fall transfer application.
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