Community College to UC · Popular Majors
Popular Majors for CC to UC Transfer:Admit Rates by Campus
The choice of major often determines transfer difficulty more than the choice of campus. The table below compares fall 2025 transfer admit rates for 10 popular majors at the nine UC undergraduate campuses; darker cells indicate lower admit rates. Select a major name to see preparatory course requirements at each campus, TAG eligibility, a two-year course plan, and ten years of data.
Fall 2025 Transfer Admit Rates: Major by Campus
| Major | Berkeley | UCLA | San Diego | Irvine | Davis | Santa Barbara | Santa Cruz | Riverside | Merced |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Science | 11% | 5% | 17% | 24% | 19% | 16% | 51% | 37% | 50% |
| Data Science | 14% | 23% | 57% | 23% | 41% | 87% | · | 56% | · |
| Economics | 15% | 16% | 57% | 33% | 67% | 64% | 78% | 87% | 71% |
| Business Administration | 5% | 10% | 43% | 15% | 68% | · | 65% | 83% | 61% |
| Mathematics and Statistics | 26% | 31% | 63% | 69% | 71% | 76% | 77% | 78% | 52% |
| Engineering | 13% | 12% | 20% | 32% | 35% | 24% | 59% | 38% | 63% |
| Biological Sciences | 31% | 17% | 47% | 37% | 48% | 33% | 51% | 61% | 63% |
| Psychology | 9% | 21% | 66% | 52% | 51% | 66% | 98% | 50% | 89% |
| Communication and Media Studies | 24% | 13% | 67% | · | 71% | 69% | · | 84% | · |
| Political Science | 13% | 34% | 76% | 63% | 77% | 72% | 86% | 93% | 91% |
Each cell shows the admit rate for the corresponding major at that campus (admits ÷ applicants). When a campus has several corresponding majors, the first one is shown; full details appear on each major page. "·" means the campus has no corresponding major, and "—" means UC did not publish the figure because the count was too small. Source: UC Infocenter · Transfers by major (visualizedata.ucop.edu, Transfersbymajor workbook, fall admission), retrieved September 27, 2026.
Major Profiles
- Computer ScienceComputer science shares one Transfer Pathway across nine UC campuses, with many math and programming prerequisites. Requirements differ by campus, and TAG is available only at UC Merced, UC Riverside, and UC Santa Cruz.
- Data ScienceThe UC Transfer Pathway for Data Science covers eight campuses and centers on calculus, linear algebra, statistics, and two programming courses. Colleges and thresholds differ by campus, and UC Davis and UC Irvine do not accept TAG for the major.
- EconomicsEconomics shares one Transfer Pathway across nine UC campuses, and the core prerequisites are microeconomics, macroeconomics, and one year of calculus. Grade thresholds differ by campus, and UC Irvine will close economics to TAG beginning in fall 2028.
- Business AdministrationBusiness pathway prerequisites include economics, calculus, statistics, introduction to business, and two accounting courses. UC Berkeley Haas requires a supplemental application, and business at UC Irvine and UC Davis is not open to TAG.
- Mathematics and StatisticsMathematics and Statistics each have a UC Transfer Pathway, and both center on calculus, linear algebra, and differential equations. Mathematics is open to TAG at all six TAG campuses, but some campuses set separate grade thresholds for prerequisites.
- EngineeringEngineering prerequisites in math, physics, chemistry, and programming must be completed before transfer. The minimum GPA is 3.5 for the UC Berkeley College of Engineering and 3.4 for UCLA, and engineering at UC Santa Barbara is not open to TAG.
- Biological SciencesBiological Sciences shares one UC Transfer Pathway across nine campuses, with four prerequisite sequences: biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry, and calculus. Most campuses screen applicants on prerequisites, and UC Irvine will no longer offer TAG for these majors starting in fall 2028.
- PsychologyThe psychology transfer pathway covers seven UC campuses, and its prerequisites center on introductory psychology, statistics, calculus and science courses. Screening rules differ widely by campus, and UC Irvine closes psychology to TAG starting in fall 2028.
- Communication and Media StudiesThe communication transfer pathway covers only four UC campuses, and its prerequisites center on statistics, introductory communication and social science. UCLA sets a minimum GPA of 3.7, and UC Santa Barbara first admits students as pre-majors.
- Political SciencePolitical science shares one transfer pathway across all nine UC campuses and requires only three of four introductory courses. Most campuses set no prerequisite grade minimum, UCLA also requires a statistics course, and all six TAG campuses are open.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which majors are hardest to get into when transferring from a community college to UC?
According to fall 2025 data from the University of California Information Center, the lowest admit rates among the majors compared on this page (counting only majors with 50 or more applicants) are UCLA Computer Science (5%), UC Berkeley Business Administration (5%), UC Berkeley Psychology (9%). Computer science, data science, business, and economics majors at the most popular campuses generally have admit rates well below the overall campus rate.
How much do admit rates for the same major differ across UC campuses?
The differences can be large. Each major page shows the number of applicants, the admit rate, and the GPA range of admitted students at all nine campuses, along with admit rate trends over the past ten years.
Where do these major admission data come from?
The data come from the Transfers by major dashboard published by the University of California Information Center (UC Infocenter), which reports fall applicants, admits, and enrollees by campus and by major. GPA is the self-reported transfer GPA of applicants, and the range covers the middle 50 percent of admitted students. UC does not publish categories with very small counts.
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