San Diego Mesa College to UCSB
Biological Sciences Transfer Plan
San Diego Mesa College covers the full UCSB Biological Sciences sequence, from CHEM 200 and 201 through BIOL 210A/210B and organic chemistry. Mesa's chemistry-to-organic-chemistry chain runs four terms, CHEM 200 to CHEM 233L.
From
San Diego Mesa College
To
UC Santa Barbara
Biological SciencesUCSB TAG
Mesa students aiming at UCSB Biological Sciences can use TAG with a 3.4 GPA, alongside the required chemistry, biology, organic chemistry and calculus sequence. Filing for fall 2027 happens Sept 1-30, 2026, and major courses must carry letter grades.
Major Requirements
Biological Sciences Major Preparation
Courses at San Diego Mesa College that satisfy UC Santa Barbara's Biological Sciences major preparation, mapped and verified by Transfermatic's transfer engine.
| Course at San Diego Mesa College | Satisfies at UCSB | Units |
|---|---|---|
| CHEM 200 + CHEM 200L + CHEM 201 + CHEM 201L — General Chemistry I - Lecture + General Chemistry I - Laboratory + General Chemistry II - Lecture + General Chemistry II - Laboratory | CHEM 1A, CHEM 1B, CHEM 1C, CHEM 2AL, CHEM 2BL (choose 1) | 10 |
| CHEM 201L + CHEM 200L + CHEM 200 + CHEM 201 — General Chemistry II - Laboratory + General Chemistry I - Laboratory + General Chemistry I - Lecture + General Chemistry II - Lecture | CHEM 1A, CHEM 1AL, CHEM 1B, CHEM 1BL, CHEM 1C, CHEM 1CL (choose 1) | 10 |
| BIOL 210B + BIOL 210A — Introduction to the Biological Sciences II + Introduction to the Biological Sciences I | MCDB 1A, MCDB 1B, MCDB 1LL, EEMB 2, EEMB 2LL, EEMB 3 | 8 |
| CHEM 233L + CHEM 231L — Organic Chemistry II Laboratory + Organic Chemistry I Laboratory | CHEM 6AL — Laboratory Methods of Organic Chemistry | 4 |
| CHEM 233 + CHEM 231 — Organic Chemistry II - Lecture + Organic Chemistry I - Lecture | CHEM 109A, CHEM 109B | 6 |
| MATH 150 — Calculus with Analytic Geometry I | MATH 3A — Calculus with Applications, First Course (choose 1) | 5 |
| MATH 121 — Basic Techniques of Applied Calculus I | MATH 34A — Calculus for Social and Life Sciences (choose 1) | 3 |
| MATH 151 — Calculus with Analytic Geometry II | MATH 3B — Calculus with Applications, Second Course (choose 1) | 4 |
| MATH 122 — Basic Techniques of Calculus II | MATH 34B — Calculus for Social and Life Sciences (choose 1) | 3 |
| BUSE 115 or POLI 201 or PSYC 258 or STAT C1000 — Statistics for Business | PSTAT 5A — Understanding Data (choose 1) | 3 |
| BIOL 200 — Biological Statistics | PSTAT 5LS — Statistics for Life Sciences (choose 1) | 3 |
| MATH 254 — Introduction to Linear Algebra | MATH 4A — Linear Algebra with Applications (choose 1) | 3 |
| PHYS 125 (or another listed option) — General Physics | PHYS 6A, PHYS 6AL, PHYS 6B, PHYS 6BL, PHYS 6C, PHYS 6CL | 5 |
General Education
Foundation GE at San Diego Mesa College
Complete these five courses at San Diego Mesa 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
Natural History - Environmental Biology
CHEM 100
Fundamentals of Chemistry
HIST 100
World History I
ENGL C1000
Academic Reading and Writing
ENGL C1001
Critical Thinking and Writing
| Area | Course at San Diego Mesa College | Units |
|---|---|---|
Life Science | BIOL 100 — Natural History - Environmental Biology | 4 |
Physical Science | CHEM 100 — Fundamentals of Chemistry | 3 |
Humanities | HIST 100 — World History I | 3 |
English CompositionCCN | ENGL C1000 — Academic Reading and Writing | 3 |
Critical ThinkingCCN | ENGL C1001 — Critical Thinking and Writing | 3 |
Four terms from general chem to organic chem
CHEM 200 leads to CHEM 201, then CHEM 231 and CHEM 233L, four terms straight through. CHEM 231 has to be done by fall before transfer, so skipping a term here costs you.
Mesa's semesters run against UCSB's quarters
Mesa teaches two semesters a year; UCSB teaches three quarters. The four-term chemistry chain above is measured in Mesa semesters, so it covers two full academic years there.
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
Mesa's life-sciences stats course has a direct match
BIOL 200 satisfies UCSB's PSTAT 5LS option directly. If you want statistics tailored to biology rather than general STAT C1000, take BIOL 200, which needs BIOL 107 first.
Applied calculus runs MATH 121 then 122
MATH 121 followed by MATH 122 satisfies UCSB's MATH 34A/34B track. MATH 150 leading to MATH 151 works too if you want the higher-level MATH 3A/3B calculus instead.
Physics has a four-course alternate
PHYS 125 and 126 is the two-course path, but PHYS 181A, 180A, 181B and 180B together also satisfy UCSB's recommended physics sequence if your schedule needs the alternate.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Mesa's BIOL 210A/210B transfer to UCSB for Biology?
Yes. BIOL 210A and BIOL 210B together satisfy UCSB's MCDB and EEMB general biology requirement. BIOL 210A needs CHEM 152 first, and BIOL 210B follows BIOL 210A.
What doesn't Mesa cover for UCSB Biology?
Nothing. ASSIST matches all of Mesa's chemistry, biology, organic chemistry, calculus, statistics and physics courses to UCSB's requirements, including the life-sciences statistics option through BIOL 200.
What GPA do Mesa biology transfers need for UCSB?
A 2.7 GPA across your chemistry, biology, organic chemistry and calculus courses, each with a C or better. Your first calculus course and CHEM 231 need to be finished by the end of the fall term before you transfer.
What percent of UCSB Biological Sciences transfer applicants get in?
UCSB admitted 45% of transfer applicants to Biological Sciences in 2025, across all community colleges. A finished Mesa sequence with a solid GPA is what makes your application competitive in that pool.
Explore More
Related Transfer Plans
San Diego Mesa College students transferring into Biological Sciences, B.A. & B.S. at UC Santa Barbara can complete the entire required sequence at Mesa, including CHEM 200, CHEM 201 and BIOL 210A/210B. Mesa's own BIOL 200 also directly matches UCSB's life-sciences statistics option, PSTAT 5LS. Transfermatic checks every Mesa course against UCSB's current articulation so you know exactly what to register for.
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