Santa Monica College to UCSD
Computer Science Transfer Plan
Semester-by-semester courses, IGETC requirements, and major prerequisites — verified from real articulation data.
From
Santa Monica College
To
UC San Diego
Computer ScienceGPA Reality Check
UCSD's published minimum transfer GPA is 2.4 for California residents, but admitted students in Fall 2025 had GPAs ranging from 3.55 to 3.94. Computer Science is one of UCSD's most selective engineering majors — that overall range skews even higher for CS admits. The courses that matter most for your major prep GPA are your math sequence (MATH 7, 8, 11) and your programming courses (CS 17 and CS 20) — these are the exact courses UCSD's screening process weighs most heavily. A B in one of those courses isn't fatal, but a pattern of Bs across the sequence is a real risk.
Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG)
UCSD participates in the UC Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) program — you apply at uctag.universityofcalifornia.edu between September 1 and September 30, the year before you plan to transfer. TAG can guarantee your admission to UCSD as a university, which gives you a confirmed destination before the November application window even opens. The critical catch: Computer Science is a selective, impacted major, and TAG admission is to the university — not to CS specifically. You still need a rock-solid major prep record to land in the major.
Major Requirements
Computer Science B.S. — Jacobs School of Engineering (Department of Computer Science and Engineering) Major Preparation
Computer Science B.S. — Jacobs School of Engineering (Department of Computer Science and Engineering) at UC San Diego
Courses at Santa Monica College that satisfy UC San Diego's Computer Science major preparation, verified via ASSIST.org.
UCSD offers several programs that sound similar but are housed in different schools: Cognitive Science with a Specialization in Machine Learning and Neural Computation (in the School of Social Sciences), Data Science B.S. (its own division), and Computer Engineering B.S. (also in Jacobs, CSE department). CS B.S. is the core engineering-track degree with the deepest theory and systems focus. Cognitive Science is a social-science degree — do not confuse the two if your goal is software engineering or CS grad school.
| Course at Santa Monica College | Satisfies at UCSD | Units |
|---|---|---|
| MATH 7 — Calculus 1 | MATH 20A — Calculus for Science and Engineering | 5 |
| MATH 8 — Calculus 2 | MATH 20B — Calculus for Science and Engineering | 5 |
| MATH 11 — Multivariable Calculus | MATH 20C — Calculus and Analytic Geometry for Science and Engineering | 5 |
| MATH 2 — Discrete Mathematics and Its Applications | CSE 20 — Discrete Mathematics | 3 |
| CS 17 — Programming in Python | CSE 8A — Introduction to Programming and Computational Problem Solving I | 3 |
| CS 20 — Data Structures with Java | CSE 11 — Introduction to Programming and Computational Problem Solving: Accelerated Pace | 4 |
| No equivalent at Santa Monica College | CSE 12 — Basic Data Structures and Object-Oriented Design | — |
| PHYS 21 — Mechanics and Heat | PHYS 2A — Mechanics (General Science Elective requirement) | 4 |
Courses with no equivalent must be taken at UC San Diego 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 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 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 |
MATH 7 → MATH 8 → MATH 11 Chain
The three-semester calculus chain at SMC (MATH 7, then MATH 8, then MATH 11) must start your very first semester — delay it by one term and MATH 11 won't be complete before UCSD evaluates your transfer application, which is a critical gap in CS major prep.
SMC runs on semesters — UCSD runs on quarters
You're used to 16-week semesters at SMC, but at UCSD each quarter is only 10 weeks — courses cover the same material faster, so lean on UCSD's Triton Transfer Hub during your first quarter to adjust before the pace catches you off guard.
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
Start MATH 7 in your very first semester
The SMC math sequence for UCSD CS runs three full semesters: MATH 7 → MATH 8 → MATH 11. If you delay Calculus 1 even one semester, you'll likely arrive at UCSD without Multivariable Calculus completed — and that's one of the courses UCSD uses to screen CS transfer applicants. Map your entire two-year plan around this chain on day one.
SMC has no articulated course for CSE 12
UCSD's CSE 12 (Basic Data Structures and Object-Oriented Design) has no direct equivalent in SMC's course catalog — this is a gap specific to Santa Monica College's articulation with UCSD CS. That means even after completing CS 17 and CS 20 at SMC, you'll enter UCSD needing to fit CSE 12 into your first-quarter schedule alongside upper-division coursework. Talk to a UCSD CSE advisor during Welcome Week about sequencing this efficiently.
Pick your alternate major carefully on the UC app
UCSD requires CS applicants to list an alternate major — and if you're not admitted directly to CS, you'll be placed in that alternate, provided it isn't also selective. Choosing another impacted major as your alternate is a real mistake that could leave you admitted to UCSD with no major. Pick something open and genuinely interesting to you as a backup, like Cognitive Science or a humanities field.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What GPA do I need to transfer from Santa Monica College to UCSD for Computer Science?
The official minimum transfer GPA for UCSD is 2.4 for California residents, but the middle 50% of admitted transfer students in Fall 2025 had GPAs between 3.55 and 3.94 — and CS is one of UCSD's most selective engineering majors, so you should aim for the top of that range. Your grades in major prep courses like MATH 7, MATH 8, and CS 20 at SMC carry the most weight in UCSD's screening process.
Which SMC courses satisfy the UCSD Computer Science major prep requirements?
The core lower-division prep courses at SMC are MATH 7 (Calculus 1), MATH 8 (Calculus 2), MATH 11 (Multivariable Calculus), MATH 2 (Discrete Mathematics), CS 17 (Programming in Python), and CS 20 (Data Structures with Java). Note that UCSD's CSE 12 has no articulated equivalent at SMC — you'll need to take that course after you arrive at UCSD. Always verify current articulations at assist.org before registering.
Does UCSD Computer Science participate in the UC TAG program for SMC students?
UCSD does participate in the UC TAG program, and SMC students can apply between September 1–30 at uctag.universityofcalifornia.edu. TAG can guarantee admission to UCSD as a university, but Computer Science is a selective, impacted major — TAG does not guarantee placement into the CS major itself. Your major prep GPA and course completion are still the deciding factors.
Can I use IGETC to satisfy general education requirements when transferring from SMC to UCSD for CS?
Yes — IGETC is accepted by UCSD for most of its colleges (Muir, Marshall, Warren, Roosevelt, Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth). Completing IGETC at SMC means you can focus entirely on CS upper-division coursework after you arrive, rather than juggling GE requirements. If you're assigned to Revelle College, be aware that additional math and science requirements apply even with IGETC.
How many SMC students transfer to UC San Diego each year?
According to 2024–2025 data from the UC Information Center, 162 SMC students transferred to UC San Diego, making UCSD the second most popular UC destination for SMC students after UCLA. SMC has been California's number-one transfer college to the UC system for 35 consecutive years, sending 995 students to UC campuses total in that cycle.
Explore More
Related Transfer Plans
Students at Santa Monica College (SMC) pursuing a transfer to UC San Diego (UCSD) for Computer Science are targeting one of the most competitive engineering pathways in California. The Computer Science B.S. program lives in the Jacobs School of Engineering's Department of Computer Science and Engineering — a selective, impacted major that screens transfer applicants on both the completeness and quality of their lower-division preparation. Transfer planning for this path needs to start on day one at SMC, because the calculus sequence alone spans three full semesters: MATH 7 (Calculus 1), MATH 8 (Calculus 2), and MATH 11 (Multivariable Calculus), all of which must be completed before UCSD reviews your application. Add Discrete Mathematics (MATH 2), Programming in Python (CS 17), and Data Structures with Java (CS 20) to your plan, and you're looking at a densely packed two-year schedule. The middle 50% of UCSD's admitted transfer students in Fall 2025 had GPAs between 3.55 and 3.94 — and for CS, you should aim at the top of that window. UCSD's overall transfer acceptance rate was 52.7% across 23,441 applicants, but that figure is campus-wide; CS admits face considerably tighter odds as a selective major. IGETC is accepted at UCSD (except Revelle College, which has additional requirements), so completing your general education transfer curriculum at SMC can free up bandwidth for major prerequisites. One quirk specific to SMC: there is currently no articulated equivalent for UCSD's CSE 12, meaning that course must be taken after transfer. Tools like Pipeline help SMC students map all of these moving parts — major prerequisites, IGETC completion, and the TAG application timeline — into a single personalized plan, so nothing falls through the cracks in an already demanding transfer process.
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