Community College to UC · Popular Majors
Community College to UC Political Science:Campus Prerequisites
Political 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.
- UC Transfer Pathway
- Yes, recognized by all 9 campuses
- Pathway prerequisites
- Any three of four introductory political science courses
- Pathway recommended courses
- The fourth introductory course, statistics, one history or civilization course, one economics course; these can be taken after transfer
- TAG for fall 2027
- Open at all six TAG campuses, with GPA thresholds from 2.8 to 3.4
- UCLA fall 2025 Pre-Political Science transfer admit rate
- 34% (UCLA transfer profile)
Transfer Admission Data for Political Science at Each UC Campus (Fall 2025)
According to the University of California Information Center, admit rates for fall 2025 transfer applicants across the 12 campus majors in the table below range from 12.6% for UC Berkeley Political Science to 92.8% for UC Riverside Political Science. Of these, 1 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 | Political Science | 1,195 | 150 | 12.6% | 3.79 to 4.00 | |
| UCLA | Pre-Political Science | 1,517 | 512 | 33.8% | 3.83 to 4.00 | |
| UC San Diego | Political Science | 705 | 537 | 76.2% | 3.47 to 3.93 | |
| Political Science - International Relations | 139 | 100 | 71.9% | 3.43 to 3.91 | ||
| UC Irvine | Political Science | 1,023 | 645 | 63.0% | 3.63 to 3.94 | |
| International Studies | 205 | 163 | 79.5% | 3.47 to 3.89 | ||
| UC Davis | Political Science | 616 | 475 | 77.1% | 3.48 to 3.93 | |
| International Relations | 144 | 106 | 73.6% | 3.41 to 3.88 | ||
| UC Santa Barbara | Political Science | 1,060 | 758 | 71.5% | 3.47 to 3.92 | |
| UC Santa Cruz | Politics | 603 | 518 | 85.9% | 3.16 to 3.84 | |
| UC Riverside | Political Science | 471 | 437 | 92.8% | 3.18 to 3.82 | |
| UC Merced | Political Science | 407 | 369 | 90.7% | 3.25 to 3.82 |
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.
Political science is a popular social science major for community college transfer to UC. It is offered at all 9 undergraduate campuses, which share one UC Transfer Pathway. Compared with economics and business, political science requires fewer prerequisites and does not require calculus. Most campuses set no prerequisite grade minimum for political science. The difficulty lies in the large applicant pools at campuses such as UCLA and in the additional course requirements that individual campuses set. Community college students transferring to UC in political science can devote more terms to general education courses. The data section below lists transfer admission figures for this major at each campus.
Common Prerequisites
This section explains which courses the UC Transfer Pathway for political science requires. UC Transfer Pathways are unified prerequisite lists that UC has compiled for popular majors. Following the list satisfies the transfer coursework requirements for this major at the participating campuses.
| Course type | Requirement | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Introduction to American Government and Politics | Three of four | Core pathway course |
| Introduction to Political Theory | Three of four | Core pathway course |
| Introduction to Comparative Politics | Three of four | Core pathway course |
| Introduction to International Relations | Three of four | Core pathway course |
| Introduction to Statistics | 1 recommended | Can be taken after transfer |
| History or civilization | 1 recommended | For example, Western civilization, U.S. history or East Asian civilization |
| Microeconomics or macroeconomics | 1 recommended | Can be taken after transfer |
UC states that the recommended courses may count toward the major at some campuses and are good preparation at all campuses. Taking these courses after transfer does not affect admission competitiveness. The pathway applies to 9 degree programs, including the Politics major at UC Santa Cruz. Community college Introduction to Political Science and research methods courses do not count as any of the three core pathway courses.
Campus-by-Campus Differences
This section compares the transfer thresholds for political science at the 9 campuses. Specific course articulation can be verified course by course with the ASSIST guide.
| Campus | Major threshold | Grade requirement | Required or recommended courses |
|---|---|---|---|
| UC Berkeley | College of Letters and Science major; direct admission to the chosen major starting fall 2027 | College minimum transferable GPA 3.0 | Complete major preparation according to ASSIST |
| UCLA | Applicants exceed available space; students enter as Pre-Political Science | No published minimum | At least three introductory courses plus one approved statistics course |
| UC San Diego | Not on the screening major list | None set | Completing major preparation is encouraged |
| UC Irvine | School of Social Sciences major | Transferable GPA 2.7 | Admissions office lists no additional prerequisites |
| UC Davis | Not a selective major | Campus minimum 2.80 | Refer to ASSIST |
| UC Santa Barbara | Not a selective major | None set | Refer to ASSIST |
| UC Santa Cruz | No prerequisites required before transfer | None set | One or two political science courses recommended |
| UC Riverside | College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences major | Not listed separately on this page | Refer to ASSIST |
| UC Merced | No major prerequisites required during the pilot | Minimum 2.4; 2.8 for non-California residents | Refer to ASSIST |
The fall 2025 transfer profile published by UCLA shows a Pre-Political Science admit rate of 34%. The 25th to 75th percentile GPA of admitted students was 3.83 to 4.00. The UC Berkeley Department of Political Science currently lists completion of two of the introductory courses in American politics, comparative politics, political theory and international relations as the condition for declaring the major. The department states that the empirical methods course has no community college equivalent and must be taken at UC Berkeley. UC Merced states that this pilot began in fall 2025 and ends with the fall 2027 application cycle.
TAG Availability
This section explains the status of political science at the six TAG campuses. TAG is the Transfer Admission Guarantee; the full rules are in Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG). UC Berkeley, UCLA and UC San Diego do not participate in TAG.
| Campus | Fall 2027 | TAG minimum GPA | GPA calculation deadline |
|---|---|---|---|
| UC Davis | Open | College of Letters and Science 3.2 | End of summer 2026 |
| UC Irvine | Open | 3.4 | End of fall 2026 |
| UC Merced | Open | School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts 2.8 | End of summer 2026 |
| UC Riverside | Open | College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences 2.8 | End of summer 2026 |
| UC Santa Barbara | Open | 3.4 | End of fall 2026 |
| UC Santa Cruz | Open | 3.0 | End of summer 2026 |
The list of majors newly excluded from TAG that UC Irvine published for fall 2028 does not include political science. For students transferring in fall 2028, political science can still use TAG at UC Irvine, while economics cannot.
Sample Two-Year Course Plan
This section gives a sample plan for a community college on the semester system, assuming the student enters in fall 2026 and transfers in fall 2028.
| Term | Major prerequisites | General education and core courses |
|---|---|---|
| Fall 2026 | Introduction to American Government and Politics | English composition I; mathematics or statistics |
| Spring 2027 | Introduction to Comparative Politics | English composition II; general education course |
| Fall 2027 | Introduction to International Relations or Introduction to Political Theory | Two to three general education courses |
| Spring 2028 | Fourth introductory course; economics or history | Remaining general education courses |
A community college on the quarter system divides the academic year into three quarters, so the pace is faster, and students should check ASSIST quarter by quarter. For fall 2027 admission, for example, TAG requires one UC-M mathematics course to be completed by the end of fall 2026. If the local statistics course carries the UC-M code, students whose targets include UCLA can use it to satisfy both requirements. Because political science has few prerequisites, it is well suited to completing Cal-GETC general education certification at the same time. The UC Berkeley College of Letters and Science strongly recommends completing it, and UC Merced also recommends it for students in the School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts; see Cal-GETC general education.
EDUBUS advice: Political science prerequisites are light, and all six TAG campuses are open for fall 2027. Students should use TAG to secure one campus while preparing regular applications according to the UCLA and UC Berkeley requirements. Students whose targets include UCLA should place one UCLA-approved statistics course in the first academic year. UC Irvine excludes several social science majors starting in fall 2028, but political science is not among them, so it remains one TAG option.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which courses does a community college student need to transfer to UC in political science?
The UC Transfer Pathway requires three of four introductory courses: American government and politics, political theory, comparative politics and international relations. The fourth introductory course, statistics, history and economics are recommended courses. UC states that taking these recommended courses after transfer does not affect admission competitiveness.
What does UCLA require for transfer admission in political science?
UCLA requires at least three introductory political science courses plus one statistics course approved through ASSIST. UCLA notes that the number of applicants to this major exceeds available space. The fall 2025 UCLA transfer profile shows a Pre-Political Science admit rate of 34%.
Can TAG be used for political science?
Yes. For the fall 2027 admission cycle, political science is open at all six TAG campuses. Thresholds range from 2.8 at UC Merced and UC Riverside to 3.4 at UC Irvine and UC Santa Barbara. The list of majors newly excluded from TAG that UC Irvine published for fall 2028 does not include political science.
Which major should a student choose to study international relations?
The UC Transfer Pathway lists Introduction to International Relations as one of the four introductory political science courses. Political science at UC Merced offers an international relations emphasis. UC Irvine also offers International Studies, with a minimum transferable GPA of 2.7.
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: Political Science (UC Admissions)admission.universityofcalifornia.edu
- UC TAG Matrix, fall 2027 and spring 2028 cycles (June 9, 2026 version)admission.universityofcalifornia.edu
- Transfer admission information by college (UC Berkeley Office of Undergraduate Admissions)admissions.berkeley.edu
- Declaring the Political Science Major (UC Berkeley Political Science)polisci.berkeley.edu
- Transfer Preparation Requirements: Political Science (UCLA Undergraduate Admission)admission.ucla.edu
- Transfer Profile by Major, Fall 2025 (UCLA Undergraduate Admission)admission.ucla.edu
- Transfer Major Preparation (UC San Diego Undergraduate Admissions)admissions.ucsd.edu
- Transfer Requirements by School (UC Irvine Office of Undergraduate Admissions)admissions.uci.edu
- Major requirements for the College of Letters and Science (UC Davis Undergraduate Admissions)ucdavis.edu
- Selective Majors for Transfer (UC Santa Barbara Undergraduate Admissions)admissions.sa.ucsb.edu
- Politics B.A. (UC Santa Cruz General Catalog)catalog.ucsc.edu
- Major Preparation (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.
