Santa Monica College to UCSD
Nursing Transfer Plan
Semester-by-semester courses, IGETC requirements, and major prerequisites — verified from real articulation data.
From
Santa Monica College
To
UC San Diego
NursingGPA Reality Check
UCSD's minimum transfer GPA is 2.4, but admitted transfer students for Fall 2025 had GPAs ranging from 3.55 to 3.94. That gap is not a technicality — it's the difference between applying and getting in. For students aiming toward nursing, your science GPA matters most: courses like CHEM 11, BIOL 21, ANAT 1, and PHYSIO 1 are the ones evaluated most closely by both UCSD and any nursing program you apply to afterward. A C in any of these courses will not just hurt your GPA — it can disqualify you from competitive BSN programs entirely.
Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG)
UC San Diego does not participate in the UC Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) program. The six TAG-participating UC campuses are UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC Merced, UC Riverside, UC Santa Barbara, and UC Santa Cruz. If you're targeting UCSD, you'll apply through the standard UC application (October 1–December 1). However, SMC's Transfer Center can still help you use the UC Transfer Admission Planner (TAP) to map your coursework and get early feedback — meet with a counselor at SMC's General Counseling and Transfer Services office to start your TAP as early as your first semester.
Major Requirements
Pre-Nursing / Biology B.S. (UCSD does not offer an undergraduate Nursing major — students pursuing nursing careers from UCSD typically complete a Biology or Human Biology B.S. and apply to external BSN or graduate nursing programs post-graduation) Major Preparation
Pre-Nursing / Biology B.S. (UCSD does not offer an undergraduate Nursing major — students pursuing nursing careers from UCSD typically complete a Biology or Human Biology B.S. and apply to external BSN or graduate nursing programs post-graduation) at UC San Diego
Courses at Santa Monica College that satisfy UC San Diego's Nursing major preparation, verified via ASSIST.org.
Students often confuse a 'Nursing major' at UCSD with programs at nearby institutions. UC San Diego has no undergraduate BSN program. San Diego State University (SDSU) offers a highly competitive pre-licensure B.S. in Nursing. Students targeting a BSN should research SDSU Nursing, Samuel Merritt University, or Cal State San Marcos alongside UCSD's Biology or Human Biology pathways.
| Course at Santa Monica College | Satisfies at UCSD | Units |
|---|---|---|
| BIOL 21 — Cell Biology and Evolution | BILD 1 — The Cell | 4 |
| BIOL 22 — Organisms and Populations | BILD 2 — Multicellular Life | 4 |
| BIOL 23 — Ecology and Evolution | BILD 3 — Organismic and Evolutionary Biology | 4 |
| CHEM 11 — General Chemistry I | CHEM 6A — General Chemistry I | 5 |
| CHEM 12 — General Chemistry II | CHEM 6B — General Chemistry II | 5 |
| CHEM 13 — General Chemistry III | CHEM 6C — General Chemistry III | 5 |
| ANAT 1 — Human Anatomy | Anatomy and Physiology preparation (required for nursing school applications post-UCSD) | 4 |
| PHYSIO 1 — Human Physiology | Anatomy and Physiology preparation (required for nursing school applications post-UCSD) | 4 |
| MICRO 1 — General Microbiology | Microbiology preparation (required for most BSN programs post-UCSD) | 4 |
| MATH 54 — Elementary Statistics | Statistics requirement for health science and nursing program applications | 4 |
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 |
CHEM 11 → CHEM 12 → CHEM 13
General Chemistry at SMC is a locked three-semester sequence — you cannot skip or reorder any step. If you don't start CHEM 11 in your first semester, you risk arriving at UCSD or any nursing program without completing all three courses, which blocks admission to virtually every BSN program in California.
UCSD runs on quarters — SMC runs on semesters
UCSD's quarter system moves fast — 10-week terms replace your 18-week semesters, so expect a steeper pace and plan your first quarter schedule conservatively while you adjust.
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 Your Science Sequence Semester One
At SMC, the biology and chemistry sequences each span three full semesters — BIOL 21 → 22 → 23 and CHEM 11 → 12 → 13. That means if you don't start both in your very first semester, you mathematically cannot finish them before transfer in two years. Unlike quarter-system schools, where a misstep costs 10 weeks, a semester delay at SMC costs you five months and can push your transfer date back an entire year.
UCSD Has No Undergraduate Nursing Major — Plan Accordingly
This is the most common planning mistake for SMC students targeting nursing at UCSD: there is no BSN program at UC San Diego. Students pursuing nursing careers through UCSD complete a Biology or Human Biology B.S. and then apply to graduate or post-baccalaureate nursing programs. If your goal is a direct BSN, SDSU's School of Nursing or Cal State San Marcos are the programs to research — and SMC has strong articulation with both.
Don't Skip IGETC Certification Before You Leave SMC
IGETC certification from SMC clears your lower-division general education requirements at UCSD, so you can hit the ground running with upper-division courses after transfer. Make sure SMC sends your official IGETC certification to UCSD — it doesn't happen automatically. Visit the Counseling and Transfer Services office to initiate the certification process before your final semester ends.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Does UC San Diego have a nursing major for transfer students from Santa Monica College?
No — UC San Diego does not offer an undergraduate Nursing (BSN) degree. SMC students pursuing nursing typically transfer to UCSD as Biology or Human Biology majors and apply to external or graduate nursing programs afterward. If a direct BSN is the goal, SDSU's School of Nursing is the most common target for SMC students, and you'll want to confirm prerequisites including ANAT 1, PHYSIO 1, and MICRO 1 at SMC.
What GPA do I need to transfer from Santa Monica College to UC San Diego?
The UC minimum is a 2.4 GPA for California residents, but admitted UCSD transfer students for Fall 2025 had a mid-50th percentile GPA range of 3.55–3.94. For health science and pre-nursing pathways, admissions is even more competitive. At SMC, your grades in courses like CHEM 11, BIOL 21, ANAT 1, and PHYSIO 1 carry the most weight for both UCSD and any nursing program you apply to after graduation.
Can I use the TAG program from Santa Monica College to get into UC San Diego?
No — UC San Diego does not participate in the UC Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) program. TAG is available only at UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC Merced, UC Riverside, UC Santa Barbara, and UC Santa Cruz. SMC students can still apply to UCSD during the standard UC application window (October 1–December 1), and should use the UC Transfer Admission Planner (TAP) to track their progress.
What courses should I take at Santa Monica College to prepare for a nursing career through UCSD?
Focus on completing the full biology sequence (BIOL 21, BIOL 22, BIOL 23), the full general chemistry sequence (CHEM 11, CHEM 12, CHEM 13), and the core health science prerequisites: ANAT 1 (Human Anatomy), PHYSIO 1 (Human Physiology), MICRO 1 (General Microbiology), and MATH 54 (Elementary Statistics). These courses satisfy UCSD's Biology lower-division prep and are also required by most BSN programs in California.
How many transfer students does UC San Diego admit each year from Santa Monica College?
For Fall 2025, UCSD received approximately 23,441 total transfer applications and admitted 12,355 students, for an overall transfer admit rate of 52.7%. SMC consistently ranks among the top community colleges transferring students to the UC system, but major-specific admit rates for health-related pathways are significantly more competitive than the campus-wide figure suggests.
Explore More
Related Transfer Plans
Planning to transfer from Santa Monica College (SMC) to UC San Diego (UCSD) on a path toward nursing is an ambitious goal — and it requires honest transfer planning from day one. One of the most important things to know upfront: UC San Diego does not offer an undergraduate Nursing (BSN) degree. Students pursuing nursing careers through UCSD typically complete a Biology or Human Biology B.S., using courses like BIOL 21 (Cell Biology and Evolution) and CHEM 11 (General Chemistry I) as part of their lower-division major prerequisites, and then apply to post-baccalaureate or graduate nursing programs after graduation. For the Fall 2025 cycle, UCSD admitted 12,355 of 23,441 transfer applicants campus-wide, with a mid-50th percentile GPA range of 3.55–3.94 among admitted transfers — far above the 2.4 minimum. Completing IGETC before you leave SMC clears your lower-division general education requirements and lets you focus exclusively on upper-division coursework once you arrive on campus. The UC TAG program is not available at UCSD, but SMC students can leverage the UC Transfer Admission Planner to map their coursework and receive early feedback. If a direct BSN is your goal, SDSU and Cal State San Marcos offer pre-licensure nursing programs with strong articulation from SMC, and the same science prerequisites — ANAT 1, PHYSIO 1, MICRO 1 — apply across both pathways. Tools like Pipeline help students build personalized semester-by-semester plans that account for these prerequisite chains, calendar differences between SMC's semester system and UCSD's quarter system, and the specific course sequencing required to stay on track for transfer.
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