Palomar College to UCSB
Economics Transfer Plan
Palomar covers four of UCSB Economics' six prep courses: ECON 102, ECON 101 and calculus, either a single MATH 130 or MATH 130E class or the MATH 140-141 pair. ECON 10A and a statistics course have no Palomar match, so both wait until UCSB.
From
Palomar College
To
UC Santa Barbara
EconomicsUCSB Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG)
Palomar students who reach a 3.4 GPA can apply for UCSB TAG in Economics. It guarantees only the Pre-Economics pre-major, and full major status still comes down to a 2.85 GPA in ECON 1, 2 and 10A after transfer.
Major Requirements
Economics Major Preparation
Courses at Palomar College that satisfy UC Santa Barbara's Economics major preparation, mapped and verified by Transfermatic's transfer engine.
| Course at Palomar College | Satisfies at UCSB | Units |
|---|---|---|
| ECON 102 — Principles of Economics (Micro) | ECON 1 — Principles of Economics-Micro | 3 |
| ECON 101 — Principles of Economics (Macro) | ECON 2 — Principles of Economics-Macro | 3 |
| MATH 140 or MATH 140E — Calculus with Analytic Geometry, First Course | MATH 3A — Calculus with Applications, First Course (choose 1) | 5 |
| MATH 130 or MATH 130E — Calculus for Business and the Social Sciences | MATH 34A — Calculus for Social and Life Sciences (choose 1) | 4 |
| MATH 141 or MATH 141E — Calculus with Analytic Geometry, Second Course | MATH 3B — Calculus with Applications, Second Course (choose 1) | 4 |
| MATH 130 or MATH 130E — Calculus for Business and the Social Sciences | MATH 34B — Calculus for Social and Life Sciences (choose 1) | 4 |
| No Palomar match | ECON 10A — Intermediate Microeconomic Theory | — |
| No Palomar match for any of 2 options | ECON 5 — Statistics for Economics and others (choose 1) | — |
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 Palomar College
Complete these five courses at Palomar 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 100
Introductory Biology: General Biology
CHEM 100
Fundamentals of Chemistry
HIST 101
History of the United States through Reconstruction
ENGL C1000
Academic Reading and Writing
ENGL C1001
Critical Thinking and Writing
| Area | Course at Palomar College | Units |
|---|---|---|
Life Science | BIOL 100 — Introductory Biology: General Biology | 4 |
Physical Science | CHEM 100 — Fundamentals of Chemistry | 4 |
Humanities | HIST 101 — History of the United States through Reconstruction | 3 |
English CompositionCCN | ENGL C1000 — Academic Reading and Writing | 4 |
Critical ThinkingCCN | ENGL C1001 — Critical Thinking and Writing | 4 |
Palomar semesters, UCSB quarters
UCSB converts every Palomar semester unit into one and a half quarter units. Whether you take MATH 130 alone or the MATH 140-141 pair, the credit still satisfies UCSB's full calculus requirement.
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
Enhanced sections count the same
Palomar's E sections, titled Enhanced, like MATH 140E or MATH 130E, sit in ASSIST right beside the standard courses. Either version satisfies UCSB's calculus screen, so pick the section that fits your schedule.
MATH 130 or 130E covers calculus alone
Either version of Palomar's business calculus course, MATH 130 or MATH 130E, satisfies both UCSB MATH 34A and MATH 34B by itself. The STEM pair, MATH 140 then MATH 141, maps to UCSB's separate MATH 3A and MATH 3B instead.
AP economics scores don't factor in
UCSB requires ECON 102 and ECON 101 completed with a grade of C or better, whether at Palomar or elsewhere. Advanced Placement exams in micro or macro aren't part of this particular screen.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What Palomar classes transfer to UCSB for economics?
ECON 102 for micro, ECON 101 for macro, and calculus: MATH 130 or MATH 130E by itself, or MATH 140 then MATH 141. Each needs a C or better for UCSB's screen.
What are Palomar's 'Enhanced' math sections?
They're the E-suffixed versions of Palomar's calculus courses, like MATH 130E or MATH 141E, titled Enhanced. ASSIST articulates them against UCSB's requirements exactly like the standard sections.
What doesn't Palomar cover for UCSB economics?
ECON 10A and a statistics course, either ECON 5 or PSTAT 120A. Palomar has no match for either on ASSIST, and UCSB requires both to be completed there, with ECON 10A part of the pre-major GPA.
How competitive is UCSB's economics transfer screen?
62% of all 2025 transfer applicants to UCSB Economics were admitted, a figure for every applicant to the major, not Palomar alone. Admission places you in Pre-Economics first, and the full major needs a 2.85 GPA later in ECON 1, 2 and 10A.
Explore More
Related Transfer Plans
Palomar College students heading to UC Santa Barbara for Economics can use standard or Enhanced calculus sections, marked with an E, and ASSIST articulates MATH 130 or MATH 130E against both UCSB calculus terms at once. Combined with ECON 102 and ECON 101, Palomar students need a 2.75 GPA across the group with no grade below C, and TAG opens at 3.4. ECON 10A and a statistics course have no Palomar match, so both stay at UCSB. Transfermatic can map Palomar's sections into one plan.
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