American River College to UCSB
Psychological and Brain Sciences Transfer Plan
ARC has a match for 9 of UCSB's 11 Psychological and Brain Sciences prep courses. PSY 10A and PSY 10B have no ARC match, so plan for them before you apply.
From
American River College
To
UC Santa Barbara
Psychological and Brain SciencesUC Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG)
UCSB offers TAG for Psychological and Brain Sciences for fall 2027 applicants, with a minimum 3.4 GPA. File during the TAG window the fall before you transfer, and check UCSB's TAG page, since its list of eligible majors changes.
Major Requirements
Psychological and Brain Sciences Major Preparation
Courses at American River College that satisfy UC Santa Barbara's Psychological and Brain Sciences major preparation, mapped and verified by Transfermatic's transfer engine.
| Course at American River College | Satisfies at UCSB | Units |
|---|---|---|
| PSYC C1000 or PSYC C1000H — Introduction to Psychology | PSY 1 — Introduction to Psychology | 3 |
| MATH 309 or MATH 340 or MATH 341 or MATH 355 — Calculus Concepts for non-STEM Majors | MATH 34A — Calculus for Social and Life Sciences (choose 1) | 3 |
| MATH 400 — Calculus I | MATH 3A — Calculus with Applications, First Course (choose 1) | 5 |
| ECON 310 (or another listed option) — Statistics for Business and Economics | PSTAT 5A — Understanding Data | 3 |
| No ARC match | PSY 10A — Research Methods in Psychological & Brain Sciences | — |
| No ARC match | PSY 10B — Statistical Methods in Psychological & Brain Sciences | — |
| CHEM 400 + CHEM 401 — General Chemistry I + General Chemistry II | CHEM 1A, CHEM 1B | 10 |
| BIOL 400 + BIOL 410 + BIOL 420 — Principles of Biology + Principles of Botany + Principles of Zoology | MCDB 1A, EEMB 2 (choose 1) | 15 |
| ANTH 310 or ANTH 481 — Cultural Anthropology | ANTH 2 — Introductory Cultural Anthropology (choose 4) | 3 |
| ANTH 300 or ANTH 480 — Biological Anthropology | ANTH 5 — Introductory Biological Anthropology (choose 4) | 3 |
| CHEM 400 + CHEM 401 — General Chemistry I + General Chemistry II | CHEM 1C — General Chemistry (choose 4) | 10 |
| CISP 300 or CISP 360 or CISP 480 — Algorithm Design/Problem Solving | CMPSC 16 — Problem Solving with Computers I (choose 4) | 3 |
| GEOL 300 + GEOL 301 — Physical Geology + Physical Geology Laboratory | EARTH 2 — Principles of Physical Geology (choose 4) | 4 |
| GEOL 310 + GEOL 311 — Historical Geology + Historical Geology Laboratory | EARTH 3 — Principles of Historical Geology (choose 4) | 4 |
Courses with no equivalent must be taken at UC Santa Barbara after transfer. Factor this into your first-year course plan.
General Education
Foundation GE at American River College
Complete these five courses at American River College to start your UCSB GE pattern. Finishing full IGETC/Cal-GETC at the CC is ideal — these five give you the broadest head start, and CCN-tagged courses stay portable if you switch community colleges.
BIOL 300
The Foundations of Biology
CHEM 305
Introduction to Chemistry
HIST 300
History of Europe and the Mediterranean to 1500
ENGL C1000
Academic Reading and Writing
ENGL C1001
Critical Thinking and Writing
| Area | Course at American River College | Units |
|---|---|---|
Life Science | BIOL 300 — The Foundations of Biology | 3 |
Physical Science | CHEM 305 — Introduction to Chemistry | 5 |
Humanities | HIST 300 — History of Europe and the Mediterranean to 1500 | 3 |
English CompositionCCN | ENGL C1000 — Academic Reading and Writing | 3 |
Critical ThinkingCCN | ENGL C1001 — Critical Thinking and Writing | 3 |
4 semesters minimum for CHEM 310 onward
CHEM 310 through BIOL 410: 4 courses, each needing the one before, so 4 semesters minimum. Start CHEM 310 in your first semester. Placing higher shortens it.
ARC semesters, UCSB quarters
ARC runs on semesters and UCSB on quarters. Your units convert when you transfer, one semester unit to 1.5 quarter units, and anything left runs on UCSB's quicker quarter schedule.
Preview
Your First Semester
A preview of what Transfermatic generates — exact courses, in the right order, every semester.
Watch Out
Common Mistakes for This Transfer Path
2 UCSB requirements have no ARC match
ARC lists no course for PSY 10A and PSY 10B. Check UCSB's Psychological and Brain Sciences page for whether they have to be done before you transfer, and plan where you'll cover them.
Start with CHEM 310 and PSYC C1000
CHEM 310 and PSYC C1000 sit at the start of their sequences for this route, so they fit your first semester, next to ENGL C1000 for English composition.
More than one way to cover PSY 1
For UCSB PSY 1, ARC accepts PSYC C1000 or PSYC C1000H. You need only one of them, so pick whichever fits your schedule.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What classes should I take at ARC for UCSB Psychological and Brain Sciences?
PSYC C1000 or PSYC C1000H, MATH 309, MATH 400, ECON 310, CHEM 400, CHEM 401 and BIOL 400, plus the rest in the table above. Together they match 9 of the 11 prep courses UCSB lists for Psychological and Brain Sciences.
What doesn't ARC cover for UCSB Psychological and Brain Sciences?
PSY 10A and PSY 10B. ARC lists no course for them, so check UCSB's Psychological and Brain Sciences page for whether they have to be finished before you transfer.
Does ARC MATH 400 transfer to UCSB?
Yes, for Psychological and Brain Sciences. ARC MATH 400 (Calculus I) is the match for UCSB MATH 3A (Calculus with Applications, First Course) in the transfer agreement.
What is UCSB's transfer admit rate for Psychological and Brain Sciences?
72% of all transfer applicants to UCSB Psychological and Brain Sciences were admitted in 2025. That figure covers applicants from every college, so it isn't specific to ARC.
Explore More
Related Transfer Plans
American River College students transferring to UC Santa Barbara for Psychological and Brain Sciences can match 9 of 11 lower-division prep courses at ARC, including PSYC C1000 or PSYC C1000H and MATH 309. PSY 10A and PSY 10B have no American River College equivalent in the 2025-2026 agreement. CHEM 310 and PSYC C1000 are good first-semester picks. On Transfermatic, put in American River College and UC Santa Barbara, and you get the classes you need for Psychological and Brain Sciences, semester by semester.
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