Santa Monica College to UCLA
Biology Transfer Plan
Semester-by-semester courses, IGETC requirements, and major prerequisites — verified from real articulation data.
From
Santa Monica College
To
UCLA
BiologyGPA Reality Check
UCLA's minimum to apply as a transfer is a 2.4 GPA — but admitted Biology students in Fall 2024 came in with GPAs between 3.80 and 4.00. That's not a typo. The gap between the floor and the real bar is enormous. Your grades in the science prerequisites — especially the CHEM 11/12/21/22 sequence and the BIOL 21/22/23 series — matter most, because those are the courses UCLA's admissions readers evaluate most closely for Biology applicants. A B in Organic Chemistry isn't disqualifying, but a pattern of Bs across your major prep courses will make an already competitive application a lot harder to defend.
Transfer Alliance Program (TAP)
Santa Monica College is one of the original Transfer Alliance Program schools, and TAP gives you something no regular applicant gets: priority consideration for admission to Biology and other majors in the UCLA College. To earn TAP certification, you need to complete SMC's Scholars Program, which involves honors coursework, counseling, and meeting specific academic benchmarks — not just a high GPA. Start talking to an SMC Scholars Program counselor in your very first semester, because certification takes time to build and you cannot retroactively qualify.
Major Requirements
Biology (College of Letters and Science, B.S.) Major Preparation
Biology (College of Letters and Science, B.S.) at UCLA
Courses at Santa Monica College that satisfy UCLA's Biology major preparation, verified via ASSIST.org.
UCLA offers several life sciences majors that students often confuse with Biology: Molecular, Cell & Developmental Biology (MCDB) is more focused on cellular mechanisms, Biochemistry sits in the Chemistry department and is heavier on chemistry coursework, and Microbiology, Immunology & Molecular Genetics (MIMG) is a separate major entirely. The Biology B.S. in the College of Letters and Science is the most broadly based of the group — if you're undecided on your exact focus, it tends to be the most flexible entry point.
| Course at Santa Monica College | Satisfies at UCLA | Units |
|---|---|---|
| BIOL 21 — Cell Biology and Evolution | LS 7A — Life Sciences Core | 5 |
| BIOL 22 — Molecular Biology and Genetics | LS 7B — Life Sciences Core | 5 |
| BIOL 23 — Organismal Biology and Evolution | LS 7C — Life Sciences Core | 5 |
| CHEM 11 — General Chemistry I | CHEM 20A — Chemical Structure | 5 |
| CHEM 12 — General Chemistry II | CHEM 20B — Chemical Energetics and Change | 5 |
| CHEM 21 — Organic Chemistry I | CHEM 30A — Organic Chemistry I | 5 |
| CHEM 22 — Organic Chemistry II | CHEM 30B — Organic Chemistry II | 5 |
| MATH 7 — Calculus I | MATH 31A — Differential Calculus | 5 |
| MATH 8 — Calculus II | MATH 31B — Integration and Infinite Series | 5 |
| PHYSCS 21 — Physics with Calculus I | PHYSICS 1A — Mechanics | 5 |
| PHYSCS 22 — Physics with Calculus II | PHYSICS 1B — Oscillations, Waves, Electric and Magnetic Fields | 4 |
| No equivalent at Santa Monica College | LS 23L — Life Sciences Laboratory | — |
Courses with no equivalent must be taken at UCLA 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 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 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 21 → CHEM 22
General Chemistry I is the starting point for a four-course chemistry chain that runs straight through both Organic Chemistry courses — and none of these can be skipped or taken out of order. If you don't start CHEM 11 in your first semester at SMC, you almost certainly won't complete the full sequence before your transfer application, and UCLA Biology applicants are expected to have Organic Chemistry on their transcript.
SMC runs on semesters — UCLA runs on quarters
You're used to 18-week semesters at SMC, but at UCLA each quarter is only 10 weeks — the same amount of material moves about 80% faster, so hitting the ground running in your first quarter is genuinely critical.
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 Chemistry and Calculus Semester One
The Biology prep sequence at UCLA requires CHEM 11, CHEM 12, CHEM 21, CHEM 22, BIOL 21, BIOL 22, BIOL 23, and two semesters of calculus-based physics — and almost everything chains off General Chemistry I and Calculus I. If you don't start CHEM 11 and MATH 7 in your very first semester at SMC, it is mathematically very difficult to finish all the required lower-division prep before your junior transfer application. Map the full four-semester chain on day one, not after your first semester ends.
SMC Has No Articulated Equivalent for LS 23L
UCLA's Life Sciences Laboratory course (LS 23L) has no articulated equivalent at Santa Monica College — meaning you cannot fulfill that specific lab requirement before you transfer. This is a known gap unique to SMC's articulation, so don't panic and don't waste time looking for a workaround course. You'll complete LS 23L on campus at UCLA after you enroll. What matters is that you nail the rest of the lab-integrated courses in the BIOL 21/22/23 series at SMC.
TAP Certification Is Not Automatic — Start Early
Being enrolled at SMC doesn't make you a TAP student. TAP certification runs through SMC's Scholars Program, which requires active enrollment in the program, completion of honors coursework, and sign-off from a Scholars counselor before you submit your UC application. Students who discover TAP in their second year often can't complete all the requirements in time. Visit the Scholars Program office before the end of your first semester and ask what the earliest possible certification timeline looks like for your specific schedule.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the transfer acceptance rate from Santa Monica College to UCLA for Biology?
The overall admit rate from Santa Monica College to UCLA was 32% across all majors in 2024, with 1,715 SMC students applying. For Biology specifically across all transfer applicants, UCLA admitted about 20% in Fall 2024 with a GPA range of 3.80–4.00 for admitted students. Biology is more competitive than UCLA's overall transfer average, so your science prerequisite grades — especially in CHEM 21 and CHEM 22 — carry a lot of weight.
What courses do I need to take at Santa Monica College to transfer to UCLA as a Biology major?
The core lower-division prep requires three semesters of biology (BIOL 21, 22, 23), two semesters of general chemistry (CHEM 11, 12), two semesters of organic chemistry (CHEM 21, 22), two semesters of calculus (MATH 7, 8), and two semesters of calculus-based physics (PHYSCS 21, 22). Note that UCLA's LS 23L laboratory course has no equivalent at SMC, so that one gets completed after you arrive at UCLA. That's a lot of units — start mapping the sequence immediately.
Does the Transfer Alliance Program (TAP) help for Biology at UCLA?
Yes — Biology is a major in the UCLA College (Letters and Science), and TAP gives certified students priority consideration for College majors. At SMC, TAP certification goes through the Scholars Program; in Fall 2023, 91% of SMC Scholars Program students who applied to UCLA were admitted. You need to enroll in the Scholars Program early and complete its honors and counseling requirements — TAP status is earned, not automatic.
Can I use IGETC when transferring to UCLA for Biology?
Yes, IGETC is accepted for the UCLA Biology B.S. in the College of Letters and Science. Completing IGETC at SMC satisfies most of your lower-division general education requirements so you don't have to knock them out after transfer. That said, your major prep courses in biology, chemistry, math, and physics take priority — don't sacrifice a science class to fit in an IGETC course. ENGL 1 at SMC satisfies IGETC Area 1A and has no science prerequisites, making it a smart pairing with major prep in your first semester.
How long does it take to transfer from Santa Monica College to UCLA for Biology?
Most students complete the preparation in two full academic years (four semesters) at SMC, but that requires starting CHEM 11 (General Chemistry I) and MATH 7 (Calculus I) in your very first semester. The BIOL 21 → 22 → 23 sequence alone spans three semesters, and the chemistry chain is four courses long. If you delay starting either chain, you may need a third year at SMC to complete all the major prep before applying.
Explore More
Related Transfer Plans
Planning a transfer from Santa Monica College (SMC) to UCLA as a Biology major is one of the most well-worn transfer pathways in California — and one of the most demanding. SMC has sent more students to the UC system than any other California community college for 35 consecutive years, and UCLA is the single most popular destination, accepting 437 SMC students in the most recent transfer cycle. Still, Biology is a competitive major: transfer admit rates for Biology at UCLA came in at around 20% in Fall 2024, with admitted students showing a GPA range of 3.80–4.00. Serious transfer planning means understanding which courses matter most before you ever set foot at UCLA. The lower-division major prerequisites include the complete BIOL 21/22/23 life sciences series, four semesters of chemistry capped by Organic Chemistry II (CHEM 22), two semesters of calculus-based physics, and two semesters of calculus. These courses all appear on the ASSIST.org articulation agreement between Santa Monica College and UCLA and represent the backbone of your application. Completing IGETC at SMC is accepted for this program and helps clear general education requirements before you arrive on the quarter-system campus. Biology majors at UCLA earn a B.S. through the College of Letters and Science, and students should be careful not to confuse it with related but distinct programs like Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology (MCDB) or Biochemistry. SMC students pursuing this path also have access to the Transfer Alliance Program (TAP) through the college's Scholars Program, which provides priority consideration for admission to UCLA College majors — a meaningful advantage in a competitive pool. Tools like Pipeline help students build a personalized, semester-by-semester transfer plan that accounts for prerequisite chains, IGETC completion, and TAP certification timelines all at once, so nothing falls through the cracks.
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