Transfer Preparation
Transfer Students: Transfer Preparation
In addition to the courses required for admission, we strongly recommend transfer students complete equivalents of the following courses prior to transfer:
- MATH 11A, Calculus with Applications*
- MATH 11B, Calculus with Applications
- BIOE 20C, Ecology & Evolution (not a requirement for Human Bio majors)
- CHEM 8A/L, Organic Chemistry with Lab*
*Math 11A and CHEM 8A will be required for all incoming transfer students starting in Fall 2022.
To be fully prepared, these additional courses can be completed prior to transfer:
- CHEM 8B/M, Organic Chemistry with Lab
- PHYS 6A/L, Introductory Physics I
- PHYS 6C, Introductory Physics III
- STAT 5, Statistics
Global and Community Health, BS - Biomedical Concentration majors:
- Spanish Language Proficiency or courses bringing you as near to proficiency as possible prior to transfer.
Students planning to transfer from a California Community College should reference assist.org to determine equivalents for these required courses.
Students transferring from other institutions - other universities, out-of-state or international - should contact Admissions for assistance.
Entering with these preparatory courses complete allows you more time to take advantage of the excellence our programs offer: specialized upper-division coursework tailored to your interests, lab and field courses that teach research techniques that can help you both start a career or continue your education, and opportunities to participate in community internships, and faculty-mentored independent research.
Students who do NOT complete these preparatory courses prior to transfer...
- May take longer to complete their intended degree.
Many of our degrees have a large number of requirements. Transfer students are expected to complete their degree in two years, or six quarters, and are not allowed to enroll beyond three years or nine quarters. Entering under-prepared may preclude your ability to complete one of our requirement-intensive majors, such as Human Biology, which includes a language and internship requirement. - May have difficulty enrolling in these introductory courses here at UCSC.
At UCSC, enrollment in these introductory courses is targeted at freshmen and sophomores - seats are not reserved for transfer students. We do, however, reserve space in our upper-division courses for adequately-prepared transfer students. That being said, some of the preparatory courses listed, such as CHEM 8A/L, are a prerequisite to upper-division courses like BIOL 100. - May pay significantly more for their education.
An additional year to complete these preparatory courses will cost significantly more in tuition at UCSC. Students considering entering without their preparatory courses completed may have to pay additional tuition. Students receiving financial support should check with Financial Aid to be sure their support can be extended beyond the standard six quarters as aid packages are often reduced when students extend beyond normative time. We encourage students to compare the cost of completing coursework at a community college with the cost of attending UCSC.
We are eager to help you succeed and entering prepared for our programs is the best way to assure your success.
