Community College to UC Biology:Prerequisites by Campus

For community college students transferring to UC in Biological Sciences, all nine undergraduate campuses offer biology majors open to applicants. The difficulty of this major is that its prerequisites are several long sequences, and chemistry, biology, and calculus must each be completed as a full set. Most campuses list it as a screening major, meaning applicants are first screened on prerequisite completion and grades. Concentrations such as molecular and cell biology, neuroscience, and microbiology use the same set of prerequisites; this page covers them only for comparison. The data section below lists transfer admission outcomes for this major at each campus.

Common Prerequisites

This section explains the biology prerequisites listed in the UC Transfer Pathway. UC Transfer Pathways are prerequisite lists that UC has compiled for popular majors. UC states that completing the courses on the list satisfies all transfer course requirements for participating majors. Starting in fall 2027, the Biological Sciences pathway merges the four former biology pathways, with no change in course requirements. It applies to biology majors at nine campuses, including molecular and cell biology, microbiology, and neuroscience.

Course type	Requirement	Notes
General Biology	Full introductory sequence	With labs
General Chemistry	One-year sequence	With labs
Calculus for STEM	One-year sequence	Not liberal arts or business calculus
Organic Chemistry	One-year sequence	With labs

Some biology majors also require one year of calculus-based physics, or one statistics course, before graduation. The same page states that organic chemistry and calculus-based physics can be completed after transfer without affecting admission competitiveness. This statement does not match the required-course rules at some campuses, which the next section lists separately. Verify the matching course numbers at the student’s community college one by one, following the ASSIST guide.

Requirements by Campus

This section compares admission requirements for biology majors at nine campuses. The table lists only what each campus admissions office or department page states.

Campus	Screening	Minimum GPA	Required prerequisites
UC Berkeley	Admitted by the College of Letters and Science	3.0	Major preparation courses marked as required in ASSIST
UCLA	Demand far exceeds space; direct admission required	No published major minimum	One year of biology, one year of calculus, one year of general chemistry, one semester of organic chemistry
UC San Diego	Screening major	Prerequisite GPA 2.5	Two biology courses, three general chemistry courses plus lab, two calculus courses, C- or higher in each
UC Davis	All 11 majors are selective majors	Admission minimum 2.80; 2.50 in each sequence	Biology, chemistry, and mathematics sequences, C or higher in each course
UC Irvine	Thresholds set by school	3.0	One year of general chemistry, one year of organic chemistry, one year of biology, C or higher in each course
UC Santa Barbara	Screening major	Prerequisite GPA 2.7	General chemistry, general biology, two calculus courses, one year of organic chemistry, C or higher in each course
UC Santa Cruz	Screening major	No major minimum stated	One year of general chemistry, first term of organic chemistry, two introductory biology courses, one calculus course
UC Riverside	Thresholds set by college	2.7	Two calculus courses, one year of general chemistry, plus one sequence in biology, organic chemistry, or physics
UC Merced	Major preparation required	2.4; nonresidents 2.8	BS requires two biology and two chemistry courses (all with labs) and two mathematics courses

UCLA states that students cannot switch into a life sciences major from a non-life sciences major after enrollment. The UCLA transfer profile shows that in fall 2025, Biology received 1,162 applications with a 17% admit rate. UC Davis states that courses taken in the summer before transfer do not count toward admission requirements. UC Santa Barbara requires the first term of organic chemistry and calculus to be completed in the fall of the year before transfer. Students at UC Santa Barbara also cannot switch into a biology major after enrollment. At UC Irvine, seven majors, including Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Neurobiology, can only be chosen after enrollment. Starting in fall 2027, the UC Berkeley College of Letters and Science admits transfer students directly into their chosen major.

Can TAG Be Used

This section explains whether TAG applies to biology majors. TAG stands for Transfer Admission Guarantee. UC Berkeley, UCLA, and UC San Diego do not participate in TAG. The table below is based on the June 9, 2026 version of the TAG matrix and applies to Fall 2027 admission.

Campus	TAG minimum GPA	Additional conditions for biology majors
UC Davis	3.2 (College of Biological Sciences)	Complete the course sequences and sequence GPA for selective majors
UC Irvine	3.4	Complete major prerequisites; no longer open starting fall 2028
UC Merced	2.9 (School of Natural Sciences)	Complete minimum major prerequisites
UC Riverside	2.8 (College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences)	All majors in the college require completion of major preparation courses
UC Santa Barbara	3.4	Biology majors carry an additional prerequisite GPA requirement
UC Santa Cruz	3.0	Screening majors require completion of prerequisites; some also carry a prerequisite GPA requirement

Starting with Fall 2028 admission, three biology majors at UC Irvine will no longer be open to TAG: Biological Sciences, Biology/Education, and Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. Students who enter community college in fall 2026 and transfer two years later will be affected. For the full rules, see Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG).

How to Plan Two Years of Courses

This section provides a sample plan for a semester-system community college. General chemistry is the prerequisite for organic chemistry, so the chemistry sequence should start first.

Term	Major prerequisites	General education and core courses
First year, fall	General Chemistry I, Calculus I	English composition
First year, spring	General Chemistry II, Calculus II, General Biology I	Second English composition course
Second year, fall	Organic Chemistry I, General Biology II	One social science course
Second year, spring	Organic Chemistry II, plus physics if time allows	One humanities course

At quarter-system community colleges, a sequence usually spans three quarters, so a full sequence needs to start earlier. The UC pathway page notes that a complete sequence takes two to four semesters or quarters. There are trade-offs between prerequisites and general education courses. The UC Riverside College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences does not accept Cal-GETC as satisfying its college general education requirements, and the college recommends prioritizing major courses. The UC Merced School of Natural Sciences accepts Cal-GETC but also recommends completing major preparation first. For general education planning, see the Cal-GETC guide.

EDUBUS advice: UC Santa Barbara requires the first term of organic chemistry to be completed in the fall of the year before transfer. UC Davis does not count courses taken in the summer before transfer. EDUBUS recommends that the student begin general chemistry and calculus in the first semester and start organic chemistry in the fall of the second year. UC Davis and UC San Diego both calculate a separate prerequisite GPA, so EDUBUS recommends making prerequisite grades the priority; for the calculation method, see How the Transfer GPA Is Calculated. Students planning to transfer in fall 2028 cannot use TAG at UC Irvine for these majors. These students may consider TAG at campuses such as UC Davis and UC Santa Cruz.