El Camino College to UCLA
Biology Transfer Plan
El Camino covers 11 of the 12 courses on UCLA's Biology prep list, missing only CHEM 153A, which you'd finish after transfer. Stick to either the regular or honors biology track throughout, since UCLA won't accept a mix of the two.
From
El Camino College
To
UCLA
BiologyUCLA Transfer Alliance Program (TAP)
El Camino's Honors Transfer Program is a certified route into UCLA's TAP, which covers Letters and Science majors like Biology. Certification brings priority consideration and a look at an alternate major if you're not admitted outright. It's not guaranteed.
Major Requirements
Biology Major Preparation
Courses at El Camino College that satisfy UCLA's Biology major preparation, mapped and verified by Transfermatic's transfer engine.
| Course at El Camino College | Satisfies at UCLA | Units |
|---|---|---|
| CHEM 1B + CHEM 1A — General Chemistry II + General Chemistry I | CHEM 20A, CHEM 20B, CHEM 20L, CHEM 30AL | 10 |
| CHEM 7B + CHEM 7A — Organic Chemistry II + Organic Chemistry I | CHEM 30A, CHEM 30B | 10 |
| MATH 190 — Single Variable Calculus and Analytic Geometry I | MATH 31A — Differential and Integral Calculus | 5 |
| MATH 191 — Single Variable Calculus and Analytic Geometry II | MATH 31B — Integration and Infinite Series | 5 |
| MATH 220 — Multi-Variable Calculus | MATH 32A — Calculus of Several Variables | 5 |
| STAT C1000 — Introduction to Statistics | STATS 13 — Introduction to Statistical Methods for Life and Health Sciences (choose 1) | 4 |
| BIOL 110 or BIOL 110H — Cell and Molecular Biology | LIFESCI 7A — Cell and Molecular Biology | 5 |
| (BIOL 110 and BIOL 120) or (BIOL 110H and BIOL 120H) — Cell and Molecular Biology | LIFESCI 7B — Genetics, Evolution, and Ecology | 5 |
| BIOL 120 or BIOL 120H — Ecology Evolution, Diversity, and Physiology | LIFESCI 7C — Physiology and Human Biology | 5 |
| BIOL 110 or BIOL 110H — Cell and Molecular Biology | LIFESCI 7L — Introduction to Laboratory and Scientific Methodology | 5 |
| PHYS 3A + PHYS 3B — General Physics with Calculus + General Physics with Calculus | PHYSICS 5A, PHYSICS 5B, PHYSICS 5C (choose 1) | 10 |
| PHYS 1D + PHYS 1C + PHYS 1A — Optics and Modern Physics + Electricity and Magnetism + Mechanics of Solids | PHYSICS 1A, PHYSICS 1B, PHYSICS 1C, PHYSICS 4AL, PHYSICS 4BL (choose 1) | 12 |
| No El Camino match | CHEM 153A — Biochemistry: Introduction to Structure, Enzymes, and Metabolism | — |
Courses with no equivalent must be taken at UCLA after transfer. Factor this into your first-year course plan.
General Education
Foundation GE at El Camino College
Complete these five courses at El Camino College to start your UCLA 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 10
Fundamentals of Biology
CHEM 1A
General Chemistry I
HIST 101
United States History to 1877
ENGL C1000
Academic Reading and Writing
ENGL C1001
Critical Thinking and Writing
| Area | Course at El Camino College | Units |
|---|---|---|
Life Science | BIOL 10 — Fundamentals of Biology | 4 |
Physical Science | CHEM 1A — General Chemistry I | 5 |
Humanities | HIST 101 — United States History to 1877 | 3 |
English CompositionCCN | ENGL C1000 — Academic Reading and Writing | 4 |
Critical ThinkingCCN | ENGL C1001 — Critical Thinking and Writing | 4 |
Five semesters for the chemistry chain
CHEM 4 leads to CHEM 1A, then CHEM 1B, CHEM 7A and CHEM 7B: five semesters minimum. Start general chemistry your first term so organic chemistry finishes before spring.
El Camino semesters, UCLA quarters
UCLA teaches chemistry by the quarter, so El Camino's semester pair covers more per class. CHEM 1A and CHEM 1B together satisfy all four of UCLA's general chemistry quarter courses.
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
Don't mix honors and regular biology
LIFESCI 7B needs BIOL 110 and BIOL 120 together, or BIOL 110H and BIOL 120H together. UCLA won't accept one regular and one honors course paired against each other.
Two physics courses beat three
PHYS 3A and PHYS 3B together match UCLA's PHYSICS 5A-5C series in two El Camino courses. The PHYSICS 1A series takes three instead: PHYS 1A, PHYS 1C and PHYS 1D. Physics is strongly recommended, not required for admission.
CHEM 153A stays for after transfer
El Camino has no match for CHEM 153A, UCLA's upper-division biochemistry course. UCLA's notes say it isn't required for admission, so you'd take it at UCLA after you enroll.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What El Camino classes do I need for UCLA biology?
CHEM 1A and CHEM 1B for general chemistry, CHEM 7A and CHEM 7B for organic, MATH 190, MATH 191 and MATH 220 for calculus, STAT C1000 for statistics, BIOL 110 and BIOL 120 (or their honors versions) for biology, and either PHYS 3A and PHYS 3B or PHYS 1A, PHYS 1C and PHYS 1D for physics.
What doesn't El Camino cover for UCLA biology?
Only CHEM 153A, UCLA's upper-division biochemistry course, has no El Camino match. It isn't required for admission, so it doesn't block your application; you'd take it at UCLA.
What is the UCLA biology transfer admit rate?
17%. That's UCLA's 2025 admit rate for every transfer applicant to Biology, not a number specific to El Camino students. Demand is high and switching majors after admission isn't allowed, so apply to Biology from the outset.
Can I mix regular and honors biology courses at El Camino?
No. LIFESCI 7B requires BIOL 110 and BIOL 120 together, or BIOL 110H and BIOL 120H together, not one of each. Pick a track for cell and molecular biology and stay on it.
Explore More
Related Transfer Plans
El Camino College students heading into the Biology B.S. at UCLA can complete nearly all of the lower-division preparation before they leave. General chemistry runs CHEM 1A and CHEM 1B, organic chemistry adds CHEM 7A and CHEM 7B, and the life-science core comes from BIOL 110 and BIOL 120. Only CHEM 153A stays open until after transfer. Because the chemistry chain runs five semesters, Transfermatic builds El Camino's schedule so organic chemistry wraps up before UCLA's spring deadline.
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