Santa Monica College to UCI
Nursing Transfer Plan
Semester-by-semester courses, IGETC requirements, and major prerequisites — verified from real articulation data.
From
Santa Monica College
To
UC Irvine
NursingGPA Reality Check
UCI's minimum to apply as a transfer is a 2.4, but the median GPA of admitted California community college transfers is 3.77 — and Nursing Science typically admits students with GPAs about 0.20 points above the campus average, putting the realistic target closer to 3.90 or above. The courses that matter most here are the non-science prerequisites you can complete at SMC: MATH 54, PSYCH 1, SOCIOL 1, and PHILOS 23. Anything below a B in those courses is a red flag, since UCI requires a grade of B or better in all non-science prerequisites taken at another institution.
Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG)
Nursing Science at UCI is explicitly excluded from the Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) program. UCI's own TAG documentation lists Nursing Science alongside Business Administration and all Computer Science majors as ineligible. That means there is no guaranteed admission pathway — you must apply through the regular UC transfer process and compete in the full applicant pool.
Major Requirements
Nursing Science, B.S. — Sue & Bill Gross School of Nursing Major Preparation
Nursing Science, B.S. — Sue & Bill Gross School of Nursing at UC Irvine
Courses at Santa Monica College that satisfy UC Irvine's Nursing major preparation, verified via ASSIST.org.
UCI also offers a Public Health Sciences B.S. and a Public Health Policy B.A. through the Program in Public Health — these are sometimes confused with Nursing Science because they share some prerequisite courses (like sociology and statistics), but they are entirely different degrees with different career outcomes. Public Health programs are not clinical nursing programs and will not lead to RN licensure.
| Course at Santa Monica College | Satisfies at UCI | Units |
|---|---|---|
| MATH 54 — Introduction to Statistics | STATS 7 or STATS 8 | 4 |
| PSYCH 1 — General Psychology | COGS 7A / PSCI 9 | 3 |
| SOCIOL 1 — Introduction to Sociology | SOCIOL 1 | 3 |
| PHILOS 23 — Ethics | PHILOS 4 or PHILOS 5 | 3 |
| No equivalent at Santa Monica College | PUBHLTH 1 — Introduction to Public Health | — |
| Must be taken at UCI — CHEM 1A/1B/1C (General Chemistry series) | CHEM 1A, CHEM 1B, CHEM 1C | — |
| Must be taken at UCI — BIO SCI 93 (Cells, Genes, and Inheritance) | BIO SCI 93 | — |
| Must be taken at UCI — BIO SCI 97 (Genetics) | BIO SCI 97 | — |
| Must be taken at UCI — PHRMSCI 120/120L (Human Physiology with Lab) | PHRMSCI 120 and PHRMSCI 120L | — |
| Must be taken at UCI — BIO SCI M115 (Microbiology with Lab) | BIO SCI M115 | — |
| Must be taken at UCI — BIO SCI D170 (Human Anatomy with Lab) | BIO SCI D170 | — |
Courses with no equivalent must be taken at UC Irvine 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 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 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 |
CHEM 1A → CHEM 1B → CHEM 1C (at UCI)
General chemistry must be taken as a locked three-quarter sequence at UCI — you cannot substitute SMC chemistry courses — and missing CHEM 1A in your first quarter at UCI delays your entire nursing science sequence, potentially pushing your clinical start back by a full year.
SMC runs on semesters — UCI runs on quarters
Adjust your study habits before transfer: UCI's 10-week quarters move about twice as fast as SMC's 18-week semesters, and you'll be walking straight into a chemistry sequence 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
Front-Load Your Science Prep — You Can't Do It Later
Every science prerequisite for UCI Nursing — general chemistry, biology, genetics, physiology, microbiology, and anatomy — must be completed at UCI after you transfer, not at SMC. That is a full two-year science sequence you need to map into your UCI Year 1 and Year 2 plan before you even submit your application. Use your two semesters at SMC to knock out MATH 54, PSYCH 1, SOCIOL 1, and PHILOS 23 with strong grades, so your first quarter at UCI can go straight into CHEM 1A without distraction.
TAG Will Not Help You Here — Plan Accordingly
Nursing Science is one of a small number of UCI majors specifically excluded from the Transfer Admission Guarantee. Unlike SMC students applying to most other UCI majors, you get no guaranteed spot — every seat is competitive and the program aims to graduate only about 50 students per year total across freshmen, transfers, and change-of-major admits. Start building your application story early: clinical volunteering, healthcare exposure, and a clear nursing narrative in your personal insight questions all carry weight.
Semester-to-Quarter Shift Changes Your Study Rhythm
SMC runs on semesters, which means your courses at SMC last about 18 weeks. UCI runs on quarters — each term is roughly 10 weeks and moves significantly faster. When you land at UCI in the fall and start CHEM 1A, expect the pace to feel compressed compared to anything you took at SMC. Practice working under tighter deadlines and shorter feedback loops before you transfer, and do not let your SMC semester pace lull you into underestimating UCI's quarter speed.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use TAG to get into UCI Nursing Science from Santa Monica College?
No — Nursing Science is explicitly excluded from UCI's Transfer Admission Guarantee program. UCI's own TAG documentation lists Nursing Science alongside Business Administration and all Donald Bren ICS majors as ineligible. You must apply through the standard UC transfer application process by November 30.
What science courses do I need to take at Santa Monica College to prepare for UCI Nursing?
This is the biggest planning trap for SMC students: UCI requires that all science prerequisites — including general chemistry (CHEM 1A/1B/1C), biology (BIO SCI 93), genetics (BIO SCI 97), physiology, microbiology, and anatomy — be taken at UCI after transfer, not at the community college. The courses you can and should complete at SMC are the non-science prerequisites: MATH 54 (statistics), PSYCH 1 (psychology), SOCIOL 1 (sociology), and PHILOS 23 (ethics).
What GPA do I need to transfer from Santa Monica College to UCI Nursing?
The minimum UC transferable GPA is 2.4, but that number is not a real target for Nursing Science. The median GPA of admitted California community college transfers to UCI overall is 3.77, and UCI's own data notes that Nursing Science — alongside Computer Science and Business — typically admits students about 0.20 GPA points above the campus average. A realistic competitive GPA for this program is 3.90 or above, with B or better required in each non-science prerequisite completed outside UCI.
How competitive is UCI Nursing for transfer students?
It's among the most selective transfer pathways at UCI. The program's goal is to graduate approximately 50 students per year across all entry points — freshmen, transfers, and change-of-major admits — meaning the number of seats available for transfer students each year is very small. UCI's Sue & Bill Gross School of Nursing itself acknowledges the program is 'competitive and highly selective' due to limited clinical placement availability.
Does IGETC satisfy general education requirements for UCI Nursing Science?
Completing IGETC at SMC can satisfy UCI's lower-division general education requirements, and many nursing prerequisites like MATH 54 (statistics) and PSYCH 1 (psychology) double-count toward IGETC areas. However, IGETC alone does not satisfy the major's non-science prerequisites — you still need to specifically complete courses equivalent to SOCIOL 1, PHILOS 4/5, PUBHLTH 1, and the statistics and psychology requirements outlined by the Nursing Science major.
Explore More
Related Transfer Plans
Students at Santa Monica College (SMC) planning to transfer into the Nursing Science, B.S. program at UC Irvine (UCI) face one of the most competitive and strategically complex pathways in the California community college transfer system. Unlike most UCI majors, Nursing Science is excluded from the Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) program, which means every SMC applicant must compete in the open transfer pool — and with the program aiming to graduate only about 50 students per year, seats for transfer students are extremely limited. Careful transfer planning from day one is not optional; it's the difference between a two-year path to an RN license and a costly delay. One of the most important — and most misunderstood — aspects of this pathway is that all science prerequisites, including the full general chemistry sequence (equivalent to UCI's CHEM 1A, 1B, and 1C) as well as biology, genetics, physiology, microbiology, and anatomy, must be completed at UCI after transfer, not at SMC. That means your time at Santa Monica College should be focused on the non-science major prerequisites that do transfer: MATH 54 (Introduction to Statistics, which satisfies UCI's STATS 7 or 8 requirement), PSYCH 1 (General Psychology), SOCIOL 1 (Introduction to Sociology), and PHILOS 23 (Ethics). Completing these with grades of B or better is a firm UCI requirement for courses taken at an outside institution. The median GPA of admitted California community college transfers to UCI is 3.77, with Nursing Science admits typically landing about 0.20 points above that campus average. IGETC can ease your general education burden, but it does not replace the specific major prerequisites. Tools like Pipeline help students at Santa Monica College map out exactly which semesters to take which courses, flag the courses — like PUBHLTH 1 — that have no SMC equivalent, and build personalized transfer timelines that account for UCI's quarter-system pace.
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