What is the best community college to transfer to UCLA?

By admit rate, Los Angeles Pierce College. 36.1% of its UCLA applicants got in for fall 2025, against 26.3% for community college applicants overall. Santa Monica College sends the most students by far, with 627 admits.

Which community college sends the most students to UC Berkeley?

Santa Monica College (331 admits for fall 2025) and De Anza College (329). By admit rate among bigger feeders, Berkeley City College leads at 35.9%.

Is it easier to get into UC San Diego from a San Diego community college?

Not really. Most San Diego community colleges sit at or below UCSD's 56.9% average for community college applicants. MiraCosta is the exception at 62.2%. Diablo Valley, Santa Monica and Pasadena City all did better.

Should I switch community colleges to raise my odds?

Usually no. These rates mix every major and every kind of applicant. Finishing your major prep with a strong GPA moves your odds far more than the name of your college, and switching can cost you a semester.

Best Community Colleges to Transfer to UCLA and Other UCs

The same few community colleges get into UCLA at a higher rate every year. Here's the real fall 2025 data, college by college.

Best community colleges for UCLA transfer, ranks 1 to 5: Pierce 36%, Santa Monica 34%, Mt. San Antonio 34%, Moorpark 32%, Irvine Valley 31%

Best community colleges for UCLA transfer, ranks 6 to 9: El Camino 31%, Glendale 31%, Pasadena City 30%, East Los Angeles 29%

If you're picking the best community college to transfer to UCLA, these are the numbers. And if you're already enrolled somewhere, it matters less than you'd think. On our platform, just put in your community college and your transfer university, and you get the exact classes you need to get there.

The best community college to transfer to UCLA

#	Community college	Applied	Admitted	UCLA admit rate
1	Los Angeles Pierce College	654	236	36.1%
2	Mt. San Antonio College	787	266	33.8%
3	Santa Monica College	1,861	627	33.7%
4	Moorpark College	499	157	31.5%
5	Irvine Valley College	1,023	319	31.2%
6	El Camino College	620	191	30.8%
7	Glendale Community College	530	163	30.8%
8	Pasadena City College	1,368	407	29.8%
9	East Los Angeles College	303	89	29.4%
10	Saddleback College	517	147	28.4%

Fall 2025 UCLA transfer admits, community colleges with 300+ UCLA applicants. Source: UC Information Center, Admissions by Source School.

26.3%

UCLA's admit rate for all community college applicants, fall 2025. Every college above beats it.

Pierce wins on rate. Santa Monica wins on volume: 627 admits, more than Pasadena City and Irvine Valley combined. If you want the biggest UCLA pipeline in the state, it's still SMC.

The best community colleges to transfer to UC Berkeley

Community college	Applied	Admitted	Berkeley admit rate
Berkeley City College	340	122	35.9%
Santa Rosa Junior College	228	70	30.7%
Pasadena City College	924	281	30.4%
Orange Coast College	393	119	30.3%
Los Angeles Valley College	151	45	29.8%
Chabot College	207	60	29.0%
East Los Angeles College	186	53	28.5%
De Anza College	1,161	329	28.3%

Fall 2025, top 8 by admit rate among community colleges with 150+ Berkeley applicants. Berkeley's community college average: 24.9%.

Berkeley City College is the quiet winner, right in downtown Berkeley. For sheer volume it's Santa Monica (331 admits) and De Anza (329). Smaller schools like Cabrillo (37.7%) and Laney (36.7%) post higher rates on about 130 applicants each, which swings a lot year to year. College of Marin went from 44% to 28% in two years.

The best community colleges to transfer to UC Irvine

Community college	Applied	Admitted	UCI admit rate
Irvine Valley College	1,360	793	58.3%
Glendale Community College	490	250	51.0%
Golden West College	245	125	51.0%
Los Angeles Pierce College	473	239	50.5%
Mt. San Antonio College	826	412	49.9%
Saddleback College	639	316	49.5%
Moorpark College	375	184	49.1%
Pasadena City College	1,268	617	48.7%
Santa Monica College	1,301	633	48.7%

Fall 2025, top admit rates among community colleges with 150+ UCI applicants. UCI's community college average: 43.5%.

Irvine Valley is the one case where local really does mean better. It sends more students to UCI than any community college in the state, at the highest rate. UC Irvine also offers TAG, so a guaranteed seat is on the table if you file in September.

The best community colleges to transfer to UC San Diego

Community college	Applied	Admitted	UCSD admit rate
Diablo Valley College	624	427	68.4%
Santa Monica College	1,316	865	65.7%
Pasadena City College	1,024	668	65.2%
Los Angeles Pierce College	470	301	64.0%
Berkeley City College	184	117	63.6%
Los Angeles Valley College	156	97	62.2%
MiraCosta College	378	235	62.2%
Ohlone College	229	142	62.0%

Fall 2025, top 8 by admit rate among community colleges with 150+ UCSD applicants. UCSD's community college average: 56.9%.

Here's the myth buster. Going to a San Diego community college does not raise your UCSD odds. Miramar (58.0%) sits right at average, and Palomar (55.1%), San Diego City (53.7%), Southwestern (53.5%), Mesa (53.2%) and Grossmont (47.5%) all land below it. MiraCosta is the exception. The top of the list is all Bay Area and LA.

The pattern nobody mentions

Santa Monica and Pasadena City beat the average at all four campuses. That's not a magic logo on your transcript. Those colleges have huge transfer centers, full major-prep course lineups, and a culture where everyone around you is running the same two-year play.

“Your college sets the tailwind. Your classes decide if you get in.”

These rates mix every major, so they can't tell you your odds in computer science or nursing. What actually moves you is finishing the right prep with a strong GPA. Switching colleges for a few points usually costs a semester you can't get back. Pull up the exact classes your major needs at your college instead, or let a website like Transfermatic line them up term by term for you.

Already at a community college? Good.

Put in your college and your dream UC. You get the classes that get you there.

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Bottom line

Pierce is the best community college to transfer to UCLA by rate, Santa Monica by volume. Berkeley City leads for Berkeley, Irvine Valley for UC Irvine, and Diablo Valley for UC San Diego. But the ranking is a tiebreaker. The student who finishes their prep on time beats the one who picked the "right" college and drifted.