Palomar College to UCLA
Biology Transfer Plan
Palomar covers 10 of the 12 courses on UCLA's Biology prep list. Neither LIFESCI 40 nor STATS 13 has a Palomar match, and statistics isn't on UCLA's required-before-transfer list, so it can be taken at UCLA along with CHEM 153A.
From
Palomar College
To
UCLA
BiologyMajor Requirements
Biology Major Preparation
Courses at Palomar College that satisfy UCLA's Biology major preparation, mapped and verified by Transfermatic's transfer engine.
| Course at Palomar College | Satisfies at UCLA | Units |
|---|---|---|
| CHEM 115 + CHEM 110 + CHEM 110L + CHEM 115L — General Chemistry + General Chemistry + General Chemistry Laboratory + General Chemistry Laboratory | CHEM 20A, CHEM 20B, CHEM 20L, CHEM 30AL | 10 |
| CHEM 221 + CHEM 220 — Organic Chemistry + Organic Chemistry | CHEM 30A, CHEM 30B | 10 |
| MATH 140 or MATH 140E — Calculus with Analytic Geometry, First Course | MATH 31A — Differential and Integral Calculus | 5 |
| MATH 141 or MATH 141E — Calculus with Analytic Geometry, Second Course | MATH 31B — Integration and Infinite Series | 4 |
| MATH 205 — Calculus with Analytic Geometry, Third Course | MATH 32A — Calculus of Several Variables | 4 |
| No Palomar match for any of 2 options | LIFESCI 40 — Statistics of Biological Systems and others (choose 1) | — |
| BIOL 200 — Foundations of Biology I | LIFESCI 7A — Cell and Molecular Biology | 4 |
| BIOL 200 + BIOL 201 — Foundations of Biology I + Foundations of Biology II | LIFESCI 7B — Genetics, Evolution, and Ecology | 8 |
| BIOL 201 — Foundations of Biology II | LIFESCI 7C — Physiology and Human Biology | 4 |
| BIOL 200 — Foundations of Biology I | LIFESCI 7L — Introduction to Laboratory and Scientific Methodology | 4 |
| PHYS 201 + PHYS 200 — Fundamentals of Physics + Fundamentals of Physics | PHYSICS 5A, PHYSICS 5B, PHYSICS 5C (choose 1) | 10 |
| PHYS 231 + PHYS 230 — Principles of Physics + Principles of Physics | PHYSICS 1A, PHYSICS 1B, PHYSICS 1C, PHYSICS 4AL, PHYSICS 4BL (choose 1) | 10 |
| No Palomar 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 Palomar College
Complete these five courses at Palomar 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 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 |
Five semesters through organic chemistry
The chain runs from CHEM 100 through CHEM 110, CHEM 110L, CHEM 115, CHEM 115L, CHEM 220 and CHEM 221: five semesters minimum. Start general chemistry your first term.
Palomar semesters, UCLA quarters
UCLA runs chemistry on the quarter system, so Palomar's four-course general chemistry set covers the same ground as four UCLA quarter classes: CHEM 20A, CHEM 20B, CHEM 20L and CHEM 30AL.
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
Statistics has no local match at all
Both of UCLA's statistics options, LIFESCI 40 and STATS 13, have no Palomar equivalent. UCLA's required-before-transfer list is biology, general chemistry, calculus and one organic course, so statistics can be taken at UCLA.
Two physics courses cover either series
PHYS 200 and PHYS 201 together match UCLA's PHYSICS 5A-5C series. PHYS 230 and PHYS 231 match the PHYSICS 1A series instead. Either path is just two Palomar courses.
Biochemistry waits for after transfer
Palomar has no match for CHEM 153A, UCLA's upper-division biochemistry course. UCLA's own notes say it isn't required for admission, so you'd take it once you're there.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What Palomar classes do I need for UCLA biology?
CHEM 110, CHEM 110L, CHEM 115 and CHEM 115L for general chemistry, CHEM 220 and CHEM 221 for organic, MATH 140, MATH 141 and MATH 205 for calculus, BIOL 200 and BIOL 201 for biology, and either PHYS 200 and PHYS 201 or PHYS 230 and PHYS 231 for physics.
What doesn't Palomar cover for UCLA biology?
Statistics and CHEM 153A. Neither LIFESCI 40 nor STATS 13 has a Palomar match, so you'd take statistics after transfer. CHEM 153A is upper-division and not required for admission either.
What is the UCLA biology transfer admit rate?
17%. That's UCLA's 2025 admit rate for every transfer applicant to Biology, not a Palomar-specific figure. It's a highly selective major, and you can't switch into a life-science major after admission, so apply to Biology if that's the intent.
Does Palomar offer UCLA's statistics requirement?
No. Neither LIFESCI 40 nor STATS 13 has a matching Palomar course. Statistics isn't among the courses UCLA requires by spring before transfer, so you can finish it at UCLA.
Explore More
Related Transfer Plans
Palomar College students transferring into the Biology B.S. at UCLA can complete most of the lower-division work before they leave. General chemistry runs CHEM 110 through CHEM 115L, organic chemistry adds CHEM 220 and CHEM 221, and the biology core comes from BIOL 200 and BIOL 201. Statistics and CHEM 153A both stay open for after transfer. Transfermatic builds Palomar's schedule around the five-semester chemistry chain so nothing else slips.
Build your Palomar College → UCLA plan
Personalized, semester-by-semester. Free to start.
Get My Transfer Plan