Irvine Valley College to UCLA
Psychology Transfer Plan
IVC has a match for all five of UCLA's Psychology prep areas: PSYC C1000, one biology, one chemistry or physics, one philosophy and one quantitative course. The hard part is admission, not coverage: UCLA admitted 21% of 2025 transfer applicants to the major, and you can't switch in later.
From
Irvine Valley College
To
UCLA
PsychologyUCLA TAP via IVC's Honors Program
Certified graduates of IVC's Honors Program get priority consideration for UCLA Psychology, part of the College of Letters and Science. If Psychology turns you down, TAP gets you reviewed for an alternate major, which non-TAP applicants don't get. It's not a guarantee, and one-year students can't be certified.
Major Requirements
Psychology Major Preparation
Courses at Irvine Valley College that satisfy UCLA's Psychology major preparation, mapped and verified by Transfermatic's transfer engine.
| Course at Irvine Valley College | Satisfies at UCLA | Units |
|---|---|---|
| PSYC C1000 or PSYC C1000H — Introduction to Psychology | PSYCH 10 — Introductory Psychology | 3 |
| BIO 80 (or another listed option) — Integrated Biology: Organisms to Ecosystems | LIFESCI 7A — Cell and Molecular Biology (choose 1) | 4 |
| BIO 1 or BIO 1H — The Life Sciences | LIFESCI 15 — Life: Concepts and Issues (choose 1) | 3 |
| BIO 12 — Human Physiology | PHYSCI 3 — Introduction to Human Physiology (choose 1) | 4 |
| BIO 81 — Integrated Biology: From DNA to Organisms | Lower Division Biology Courses (choose 1) | 4 |
| CHEM 1A or CHEM 1AH — General Chemistry I | CHEM 20A — Chemical Structure (choose 1) | 5 |
| CHEM 3 — Fundamental Chemistry | Introductory Chemistry Courses (choose 1) | 4 |
| PHYS 20 or PHYS 2A — Conceptual Physics | PHYSICS 10 — Physics (choose 1) | 4 |
| PHYS 4A — General Physics | PHYSICS 1A — Physics for Scientists and Engineers: Mechanics (choose 1) | 4 |
| PHYS 4A — General Physics | PHYSICS 5A — Physics for Life Sciences Majors: Mechanics and Energy (choose 1) | 4 |
| PHIL 5 — Political Philosophy | PHILOS 6 — Introduction to Political Philosophy (choose 1) | 3 |
| PHIL 11 — Modern Philosophy | PHILOS 21 — Skepticism and Rationality (choose 1) | 3 |
| PHIL 2 — Introduction to Ethics | PHILOS 22 — Introduction to Ethical Theory (choose 1) | 3 |
| PHIL 1 or PHIL 2 or PHIL 3 or PHIL 5 or PHIL 10 or PHIL 11 — Introduction to Philosophy | Introductory Philosophy Courses (choose 1) | 3 |
| STAT C1000 or PSYC 10 or PSYC 10H — Introduction to Statistics | Introductory Statistics Courses (choose 1) | 4 |
| STAT C1000 or PSYC 10 or PSYC 10H — Introduction to Statistics | STATS 10 — Introduction to Statistical Reasoning (choose 1) | 4 |
| CS 37 — C++ Programming | COMPTNG 10A — Introduction to Programming (choose 1) | 3 |
| MATH 3A or MATH 3AH or MATH 11 — Analytic Geometry and Calculus I | Calculus Requirement (choose 1) | 5 |
General Education
Foundation GE at Irvine Valley College
Complete these five courses at Irvine Valley 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.
BIO 1
The Life Sciences
CHEM 12A
Organic Chemistry
HIST 1
The History of World Civilizations to 1500
ENGL C1000
Academic Reading and Writing
ENGL C1001
Critical Thinking and Writing
| Area | Course at Irvine Valley College | Units |
|---|---|---|
Life Science | BIO 1 — The Life Sciences | 3 |
Physical Science | CHEM 12A — Organic Chemistry | 5 |
Humanities | HIST 1 — The History of World Civilizations to 1500 | 3 |
English CompositionCCN | ENGL C1000 — Academic Reading and Writing | 4 |
Critical ThinkingCCN | ENGL C1001 — Critical Thinking and Writing | 4 |
Semester units at a quarter school
IVC semester units convert at 1.5 quarter units each, so a 3-unit PSYC C1000 arrives as four and a half. UCLA's prep deadline still reads in IVC terms: done by spring before transfer, ideally by the end of fall.
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
Choose the short science routes
BIO 1 covers LIFESCI 15 and CHEM 3 covers the intro chemistry option, and neither lists a prerequisite. The BIO 80 and BIO 81 route for LIFESCI 7A runs longer, because BIO 81 needs CHEM 1A, which needs MATH 124.
AP scores can replace whole requirements
A 4 or higher on AP Psychology replaces PSYC C1000. A 3 or higher on AP Biology, AP Chemistry or an AP Physics exam covers that science slot, and a 3 on AP Statistics or AP Calculus covers quantitative reasoning.
Six IVC philosophy courses qualify
UCLA wants one philosophy course, and IVC has six options: PHIL 1, PHIL 2, PHIL 3, PHIL 5, PHIL 10 or PHIL 11. PHIL 2, PHIL 5 and PHIL 11 also match specific UCLA courses. Any one completes the requirement.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What classes do I need at IVC for UCLA psychology?
PSYC C1000 or PSYC C1000H, one biology course such as BIO 1, one chemistry or physics course such as CHEM 3 or PHYS 20, one philosophy course such as PHIL 1, and one quantitative course: STAT C1000, PSYC 10, MATH 3A, MATH 11 or CS 37. Finish them by spring before transfer.
Does IVC PSYC 10 count for UCLA psychology?
Yes. PSYC 10 or PSYC 10H covers UCLA's quantitative reasoning requirement, as do STAT C1000, MATH 3A, MATH 3AH, MATH 11 and CS 37. You need only one of them. CS 37 requires CS 36 first, so it's the long way around.
Is anything missing from IVC for UCLA psychology?
No requirement is left open. Some specific UCLA courses have no IVC match, including CHEM 17, PHYSICS 11 and most of the philosophy titles, but each sits in a choose-one group that other IVC courses fill.
What is UCLA's psychology transfer admit rate?
21% of all 2025 transfer applicants to UCLA Psychology were admitted. That rate covers the major's whole applicant pool, not IVC alone. You must be admitted directly into Psychology, since UCLA doesn't allow changing into it later, and UCLA strongly encourages finishing prep by the end of fall.
Explore More
Related Transfer Plans
Irvine Valley College students applying to UCLA for Psychology can cover every lower-division prep area at IVC: PSYC C1000 for intro psychology, BIO 1 or another listed biology course, CHEM 3 or a physics option, one of six philosophy courses, and STAT C1000 or PSYC 10 for quantitative reasoning. UCLA requires direct admission to the major and wants prep done by the spring before transfer. Transfermatic can lay out these IVC courses so they finish in time.
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