Transfer Major Preparation

Important Note:

Transfer students must be admitted to a biology major at time of admission to UC San Diego, and continuously remain a declared Biology major, in order to pursue a major within the School of Biological Sciences. Transfer students admitted to UC San Diego in a non-Biology major are not eligible to declare a biology major as a primary or secondary (double) major after matriculation to UC San Diego.

Transfer students interested in admission to UC San Diego as a Biology major must complete Transfer Major Preparation coursework, or the equivalent of the courses listed, to be considered for admission into any of the biology majors offered by the School of Biological Sciences at UC San Diego.

BILD 1 and 3
CHEM 6A, 6B, 6C, and 7L
MATH 10A or MATH 20A and MATH 10B or MATH 20B
Complete all Transfer Major Preparation coursework listed above with a letter grade of “C-“ or higher
Earn a minimum 2.5 GPA in the Transfer Major Preparation courses
Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), or A-Level credit may count toward fulfillment of Transfer Major Preparation coursework but will not be factored into the Transfer Major Preparation GPA

The UC San Diego Office of Admissions and Relations with Schools conducts an initial review of Transfer Major Preparation courses for the purpose of admission into a Biology major. All course equivalencies will be determined and evaluated (if needed) by the respective UC San Diego departments after a student has accepted an offer of admission. If after evaluation, course equivalent credit is not granted, the student will be required to complete the deficient coursework to satisfy major requirements.

Transfer Major Preparation coursework may differ from the lower division requirements for each major. All Transfer Major Preparation coursework must be complete for consideration of admission into a biology major offered by the School, whether the coursework is required for the major or not. If admitted to a biology major, students are responsible for completing all lower division major requirements for their individual biology major. When possible, it is recommended that prospective transfer students complete all lower division requirements for their preferred biology major prior to matriculation to UC San Diego in order to assist with time to degree.

If you have questions about Transfer Major Preparation, please carefully review frequently asked questions.

For further information regarding admission to UC San Diego, please see Transfer Admission.