Community College to UC · Popular Majors
Community College to UC Data Science:Prerequisites by Campus
The 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.
- UC Transfer Pathway
- Yes, for 9 degree programs at 8 campuses; UC Santa Cruz is not included
- Pathway prerequisites
- Introductory data science or statistics, one year of calculus, multivariable calculus, linear algebra, two programming courses
- Fall 2027 TAG
- Not available at UC Davis or UC Irvine; UC Riverside Data Science requires 3.0
- UC Berkeley Data Science
- Calculus I, Calculus II, and linear algebra must be completed before transfer
- UC Davis Data Science
- Prerequisite group GPA of 3.20; TAG not available
Transfer Admission Data for Data Science at Each UC Campus (Fall 2025)
According to the University of California Information Center, admit rates for fall 2025 transfer applicants across the 7 campus majors in the table below range from 14.0% for UC Berkeley Data Science to 87.0% for UC Santa Barbara Statistics and Data Science. Of these, 4 fall below the overall transfer admit rate of their campus.
Major names follow the official UC wording; "Pre-" in UCLA major names indicates admission in pre-major status. An admit rate reflects how competitive a major is and does not represent the chance of admission for any individual student.
Admit rate for this majorOverall transfer admit rate of the campus
| Campus | Major (Official UC Name) | Applicants | Admits | Admit Rate | Admit GPA (Middle 50%) | 2016 to 2025 Admit Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UC Berkeley | Data Science | 752 | 105 | 14.0% | 3.80 to 4.00 | |
| UCLA | Pre-Statistics and Data Science | 780 | 180 | 23.1% | 3.94 to 4.00 | |
| UC San Diego | Data Science | 658 | 378 | 57.4% | 3.64 to 4.00 | |
| UC Irvine | Data Science | 526 | 120 | 22.8% | 3.82 to 4.00 | |
| UC Davis | Data Science | 414 | 171 | 41.3% | 3.71 to 3.96 | |
| UC Santa Barbara | Statistics and Data Science | 969 | 843 | 87.0% | 3.54 to 3.94 | |
| UC Riverside | Data Science | 230 | 128 | 55.7% | 3.43 to 3.88 |
Fall admission data. UC does not publish categories with fewer than 5 applicants or with fewer than 3 admits or enrollees; these appear as "—". GPA is the self-reported transfer GPA of applicants, and the range covers the middle 50 percent of admitted students. The trend charts use a fixed vertical axis from 0 to 100% for easier comparison; a line breaks in years when the major was renamed. The UC Information Center campus summary table does not yet list UCLA data for fall 2025, so the UCLA rows have no campus-wide admit rate marker. Campus names link to the corresponding transfer guide. Source: UC Infocenter · Transfers by major (visualizedata.ucop.edu, Transfersbymajor workbook, fall admission), retrieved September 27, 2026.
Data Science is a STEM major for community college students transferring to UC, and its coursework combines mathematics, statistics, and programming. UC has set up a single transfer pathway for it that covers 8 campuses; UC Santa Cruz is not included. The difficulty is that Data Science sits in different colleges at different campuses, with different names and thresholds. UC Berkeley places it in the College of Computing, Data Science, and Society; the UCLA counterpart is Data Theory; UC Santa Barbara offers Statistics and Data Science. Data Science at UC Davis and UC Irvine is not open to TAG. For a comparison with Computer Science, see the Computer Science major page. The data section below lists transfer admission outcomes for this major at each campus.
Common Prerequisites
This section explains which courses the UC Transfer Pathway for Data Science requires. UC Transfer Pathways are unified prerequisite lists that UC has compiled for popular majors. The UC website states that completing the courses on the list satisfies all transfer course requirements for the majors listed.
| Course type | Courses | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Introductory Data Science / Statistics | 1 course | Pathway requirement |
| Single Variable Calculus | Full sequence | Version for STEM majors |
| Multivariable Calculus | 1 course | One-semester course |
| Linear Algebra | 1 course | Pathway requirement |
| Computer Programming | 2 courses | Pathway requirement |
The pathway applies to 9 degree programs: the BA in Data Science at UC Berkeley, the BS in Data Science at UC Davis and UC Irvine, and the BS in Data Theory at UCLA. UC Merced has two programs: the BA in Data Science and Analytics and the BS in Data Science and Computing. UC Riverside and UC San Diego offer the BS in Data Science, and UC Santa Barbara offers the BS in Statistics and Data Science. The UC website notes that a complete sequence takes two to four semesters or quarters. Course articulation should be verified course by course in the system described in the ASSIST guide.
Requirements by Campus
This section compares transfer thresholds for Data Science majors at 8 campuses. Most campuses require prerequisites to be completed by the end of the spring term before transfer.
| Campus | Major and college | Grade threshold | Required prerequisites |
|---|---|---|---|
| UC Berkeley | Data Science, CDSS | Transferable GPA 3.0 | Calculus I, II, and linear algebra; computer science courses may be completed after enrollment |
| UCLA | Data Theory, pre-major at entry | No published minimum | One and a half years of calculus through multivariable calculus, linear algebra or differential equations, one introductory statistics course |
| UC Davis | Data Science, College of Letters and Science, selective major | Campus minimum 2.80; prerequisite group 3.20 | Programming and data structures, three calculus courses, linear algebra, one statistics course |
| UC Irvine | Data Science, School of Information and Computer Sciences | Transferable GPA 3.0; B or higher in prerequisites | Two semesters of calculus, one statistics course, one year of object-oriented programming, plus one designated course |
| UC San Diego | Data Science, screened major | C or higher in each course | Three calculus courses, linear algebra, at least one programming course in Java, C, C++, or Python |
| UC Santa Barbara | Statistics and Data Science, pre-major at entry | Prerequisite GPA 2.75; C or higher in each course | Calculus I, II, linear algebra, multivariable calculus, one programming course |
| UC Riverside | Data Science, College of Engineering or College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences | Transferable GPA 2.8 or 2.7; calculus series 2.7 | Three calculus courses, Computer Science 10A and 10B, plus three courses chosen from a designated list |
| UC Merced | Data Science and Computing; Data Science and Analytics | California residents 2.4; nonresidents 2.8 | Calculus sequence; Data Science and Analytics also requires 1 of 3 designated ECON or PHIL courses |
At UC Riverside, Data Science is offered jointly by two colleges, and the student chooses a college on the UC application. The College of Engineering requires a transferable GPA of 2.8, and the College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences requires 2.7. UCLA also offers a Statistics and Data Science major, which is highly selective; its requirements appear on the Mathematics and Statistics major page. UC Berkeley states that transfer students admitted to Data Science cannot change to or add a Computer Science major after accepting the offer.
Can TAG Be Used
This section explains the status of Data Science at the six TAG campuses. TAG stands for Transfer Admission Guarantee; for the full rules, see Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG). UC Berkeley, UCLA, and UC San Diego do not participate in TAG.
| Campus | TAG for Data Science | Threshold and notes |
|---|---|---|
| UC Davis | No | Data Science is listed as an excluded major |
| UC Irvine | No | All majors in the School of Information and Computer Sciences are excluded |
| UC Merced | Yes | Open to all majors; thresholds range from 2.8 to 3.0 by school |
| UC Riverside | Yes | Data Science 3.0 |
| UC Santa Barbara | Yes, pre-major only | 3.4; statistics majors carry an additional prerequisite GPA requirement |
| UC Santa Cruz | Not in pathway | Not part of the Data Science Transfer Pathway; not compared on this page |
For College of Letters and Science majors with a pre-major, UC Santa Barbara’s TAG guarantees pre-major status only. After transferring, the student must complete additional requirements on campus before entering the full major.
How to Plan Two Years of Courses
This section provides a sample schedule for a semester-system community college. The core of Data Science is the calculus sequence, and EDUBUS recommends starting it in the first semester.
| Term | Major prerequisites (sample) | Other courses |
|---|---|---|
| First year, fall | Calculus I, introductory statistics | English Composition I |
| First year, spring | Calculus II, Programming I | English Composition II, 1 general education course |
| Second year, fall | Multivariable calculus, Programming II | 2 general education courses |
| Second year, spring | Linear algebra | 2 general education courses, make-up courses as needed |
At quarter-system community colleges, calculus is usually divided into three parts, so the same sequence takes more terms. UC Berkeley requires linear algebra before transfer and UC Davis requires one statistics course, so neither should be left to the end. Cal-GETC is the general education pattern of the California Community Colleges. UC Berkeley CDSS recommends balancing the 7-course pattern and Cal-GETC when selecting courses. Grade thresholds are mostly calculated on the prerequisite group; for the GPA calculation method, see How the Transfer GPA Is Calculated.
EDUBUS advice: UC Davis requires a prerequisite group GPA of 3.20, UC Irvine requires a B or higher in prerequisites, and UC Santa Barbara requires 2.75. EDUBUS recommends that the student treat calculus, statistics, and programming as the most important grades of the two years. Because UC Davis and UC Irvine do not accept TAG for this major, EDUBUS recommends using UC Riverside or UC Merced as the TAG option while also preparing regular applications. UC Berkeley requires linear algebra to be completed before transfer, so students targeting UC Berkeley should finish it before the spring of the second year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which courses does a community college student need to transfer to UC in Data Science?
The UC Transfer Pathway lists 5 course types: introductory data science or statistics, one year of single variable calculus, one multivariable calculus course, one linear algebra course, and two programming courses. Completing this set satisfies the transfer course requirements for the majors listed in the pathway. The matching community college courses must be verified one by one in ASSIST.
What are the requirements to transfer to UC Berkeley in Data Science?
Data Science belongs to the UC Berkeley College of Computing, Data Science, and Society (CDSS), and the minimum transferable GPA is 3.0. Calculus I, Calculus II, and linear algebra must be completed before transfer. Introductory data science and two computer science courses are strongly recommended before transfer, and they may also be completed in the first semester after enrollment.
Can a UC Berkeley Data Science transfer student switch to Computer Science after enrolling?
No. UC Berkeley states that transfer students admitted to Data Science who accept the offer cannot change to or add a Computer Science major, although they may add a Computer Science minor. The prerequisites for the two majors differ, so the student should settle on a primary direction before applying.
Can a community college student use TAG for Data Science at UC?
Data Science at UC Davis and UC Irvine is not open to TAG. The TAG threshold for Data Science at UC Riverside is 3.0. UC Merced opens TAG to all majors. Statistics and Data Science at UC Santa Barbara accepts TAG, but only guarantees pre-major status.
Sources and Verification Date13 official sources · last verified September 27, 2026
- Transfers by major, fall 2025 and earlier years (UC Infocenter, retrieved September 27, 2026)universityofcalifornia.edu
- UC Transfer Pathways: Data Science (UC Admissions)admission.universityofcalifornia.edu
- UC TAG Matrix, Fall 2027 and Spring 2028 cycle (June 9, 2026 version)admission.universityofcalifornia.edu
- Transfer admission information by college (UC Berkeley Office of Undergraduate Admissions)admissions.berkeley.edu
- Information for Prospective Transfer Students (UC Berkeley CDSS Data Science)cdss.berkeley.edu
- Major requirements for the College of Letters and Science (UC Davis Undergraduate Admissions)ucdavis.edu
- Transfer Requirements by School (UC Irvine Office of Undergraduate Admissions)admissions.uci.edu
- Transfer Preparation Requirements: Data Theory (UCLA Undergraduate Admission)admission.ucla.edu
- Major Preparation in the College (UCLA Undergraduate Admission)admission.ucla.edu
- Transfer Major Preparation (UC San Diego Undergraduate Admissions)admissions.ucsd.edu
- Selective Majors for Transfer (UC Santa Barbara Undergraduate Admissions)admissions.sa.ucsb.edu
- Majors Preparation Guide (UC Riverside Undergraduate Admissions)admissions.ucr.edu
- Major Preparation Requirements and Transfer Selection (UC Merced Undergraduate Admissions)admissions.ucmerced.edu
Major requirements, TAG conditions, and admission data change every year. Before applying, confirm the figures published by UC and each campus for the current year.
