Psychology Transfer Pathway

Taking the following courses will meet all of the transfer admission course requirements for the participating majors listed below.

Course expectations

  • Introduction to psychology
  • Statistics
  • Calculus 1 (life sciences version or above)
  • Biology 1 (STEM version)
  • 1 additional science course (biology, chemistry, or physics)
  • 2 social science courses, from among:
    • Social/cultural anthropology
    • Linguistic anthropology
    • Logic
    • Introduction to sociology
    • Modern philosophy

Use ASSIST to find the specific classes offered at your community college that will satisfy the expected coursework at a particular UC campus. In addition to the coursework above, you will need to fulfill minimum requirements expected of all transfer applicants to UC.

If you're working on an Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT) in psychology at your community college, there's a lot of overlap with UC Transfer Pathway coursework. When you have options, try to select courses for your ADT that meet both the ADT and UC requirements. The difference between what UC expects and what some ADTs require is one additional science course and two social science classes; also, some ADTs require research methods. Additional courses required for an ADT may be eligible for UC credit at some campuses. Check ASSIST for details.

Applicable majors

The Psychology Pathway applies to the degree programs listed below. More degree programs may be added in the future so you should check back periodically to see if your major has joined this list. 

  • Psychology, A.B. and B.S. at Davis
  • Psychology, B.A. at Berkeley
  • Psychology, B.A. at Los Angeles
  • Psychology, B.A. at Merced
  • Psychology, B.A. at Riverside
  • Psychology, B.A. and B.S. at San Diego
  • Psychology, B.A. at Santa Cruz

Campus GPA requirements

Admission to different UC campuses and majors varies in competitiveness depending on how many students apply and how many slots are available. As a result, the minimum GPA and grade requirements for particular courses may vary from campus to campus. Make sure to look on the campus admissions websites to find minimum expected grade point averages for the major you are interested in.

Tools to help you prepare

Use ASSIST to ensure that your courses are accepted by each campus as part of major preparation.

Use the Transfer Admission Planner to track and plan your coursework.