San Diego Mesa College to UCLA
Biology Transfer Plan
Mesa covers 11 of UCLA's 12 Biology requirements, leaving only CHEM 153A, an upper-division course you finish after transfer. The chemistry sequence takes four semesters, so start CHEM 200 your first term.
From
San Diego Mesa College
To
UCLA
BiologyUCLA Transfer Alliance Program (TAP)
Mesa's Honors Program is a certified path into UCLA's TAP, covering Letters and Science majors including Biology. Certified graduates get priority review and consideration for an alternate major if their first choice doesn't admit them. No guarantee comes with it.
Major Requirements
Biology Major Preparation
Courses at San Diego Mesa College that satisfy UCLA's Biology major preparation, mapped and verified by Transfermatic's transfer engine.
| Course at San Diego Mesa College | Satisfies at UCLA | Units |
|---|---|---|
| CHEM 200 + CHEM 201L + CHEM 200L + CHEM 201 — General Chemistry I - Lecture + General Chemistry II - Laboratory + General Chemistry I - Laboratory + General Chemistry II - Lecture | CHEM 20A, CHEM 20B, CHEM 20L, CHEM 30AL | 10 |
| CHEM 233 + CHEM 231 — Organic Chemistry II - Lecture + Organic Chemistry I - Lecture | CHEM 30A, CHEM 30B | 6 |
| MATH 150 — Calculus with Analytic Geometry I | MATH 31A — Differential and Integral Calculus | 5 |
| MATH 151 — Calculus with Analytic Geometry II | MATH 31B — Integration and Infinite Series | 4 |
| MATH 252 — Calculus with Analytic Geometry III | MATH 32A — Calculus of Several Variables | 4 |
| PSYC 255 + PSYC 258 — Introduction to Psychological Research + Behavioral Science Statistics | STATS 13 — Introduction to Statistical Methods for Life and Health Sciences (choose 1) | 6 |
| BIOL 210A — Introduction to the Biological Sciences I | LIFESCI 7A — Cell and Molecular Biology | 4 |
| BIOL 210A + BIOL 210B — Introduction to the Biological Sciences I + Introduction to the Biological Sciences II | LIFESCI 7B — Genetics, Evolution, and Ecology | 8 |
| BIOL 210B — Introduction to the Biological Sciences II | LIFESCI 7C — Physiology and Human Biology | 4 |
| BIOL 210A — Introduction to the Biological Sciences I | LIFESCI 7L — Introduction to Laboratory and Scientific Methodology | 4 |
| PHYS 180A + PHYS 180B + PHYS 181A + PHYS 181B — General Physics I + General Physics II + General Physics Laboratory I + General Physics Laboratory II | PHYSICS 5A, PHYSICS 5B, PHYSICS 5C (choose 1) | 10 |
| PHYS 196 + PHYS 195 + PHYS 197 — Electricity and Magnetism + Mechanics + Waves, Optics and Modern Physics | PHYSICS 1A, PHYSICS 1B, PHYSICS 1C, PHYSICS 4AL, PHYSICS 4BL (choose 1) | 15 |
| No Mesa 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 San Diego Mesa College
Complete these five courses at San Diego Mesa 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
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 semesters of chemistry minimum
CHEM 200 leads to CHEM 201, then CHEM 231 and CHEM 233: four semesters before organic chemistry is finished. Start general chemistry your first term to hit UCLA's spring deadline.
Mesa semesters, UCLA quarters
UCLA's physics series is three quarter courses, PHYSICS 5A, PHYSICS 5B and PHYSICS 5C. Mesa splits lecture and lab into four separate semester classes, PHYS 180A, PHYS 180B, PHYS 181A and PHYS 181B, to match it.
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
UCLA's statistics option needs two courses
STATS 13 isn't a single Mesa class. PSYC 255 and PSYC 258 together satisfy it, so plan for both in sequence, since PSYC 255 requires PSYC C1000 first.
General physics takes four Mesa courses
PHYS 180A, PHYS 180B, PHYS 181A and PHYS 181B, all four together, match UCLA's PHYSICS 5A, PHYSICS 5B and PHYSICS 5C. The PHYSICS 1A series takes three Mesa courses instead: PHYS 195, PHYS 196 and PHYS 197.
The only gap comes after you leave
CHEM 153A has no Mesa match. UCLA's own notes call it upper-division and say it's not required for admission, so it doesn't slow your application. You'd take it at UCLA.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What Mesa classes transfer for UCLA biology?
CHEM 200, CHEM 201, CHEM 231 and CHEM 233 for chemistry, MATH 150, MATH 151 and MATH 252 for calculus, BIOL 210A and BIOL 210B for the life-science core, PSYC 255 and PSYC 258 for statistics, and either PHYS 180A, PHYS 180B, PHYS 181A and PHYS 181B or PHYS 195, PHYS 196 and PHYS 197 for physics.
What doesn't Mesa cover for UCLA biology?
Only CHEM 153A, UCLA's upper-division biochemistry course. It isn't required for admission, so Mesa students take it at UCLA instead of beforehand.
What is the UCLA biology transfer admit rate?
17%. That's UCLA's 2025 rate for all transfer applicants to Biology, not specific to Mesa. The major is highly selective, and you can't move into it after admission, so apply directly if it's your goal.
Does Mesa's PSYC 255 count for UCLA biology?
Yes, paired with PSYC 258. Together they satisfy STATS 13, UCLA's statistics requirement. PSYC 255 alone doesn't complete it, and it needs PSYC C1000 as a prerequisite first.
Explore More
Related Transfer Plans
San Diego Mesa College students transferring into UCLA's Biology B.S. can finish nearly the entire lower-division sequence before they leave campus. Chemistry runs from CHEM 200 through CHEM 233, and the biology core comes from BIOL 210A and BIOL 210B. The one open item is CHEM 153A, an upper-division biochemistry course UCLA doesn't require before admission. Because the chemistry chain takes four semesters, Transfermatic sequences Mesa's schedule so CHEM 233 lands before the spring deadline UCLA sets for finishing prep.
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