San Diego Mesa College to UCLA
Psychology Transfer Plan
Mesa has a match for all five UCLA Psychology prep areas, and the quantitative slot takes business, political science or biology statistics as well as STAT C1000. UCLA admitted 21% of 2025 transfer applicants to the major, and direct admission into Psychology is required.
From
San Diego Mesa College
To
UCLA
PsychologyUCLA TAP via Mesa's Honors Program
Getting certified through Mesa's Honors Program puts you in UCLA's Transfer Alliance Program, which means priority consideration for Psychology and, if that falls through, a look at a second major choice non-TAP applicants don't get. It isn't a guarantee, and one-year students can no longer qualify.
Major Requirements
Psychology Major Preparation
Courses at San Diego Mesa College that satisfy UCLA's Psychology major preparation, mapped and verified by Transfermatic's transfer engine.
| Course at San Diego Mesa College | Satisfies at UCLA | Units |
|---|---|---|
| PSYC C1000 — Introduction to Psychology | PSYCH 10 — Introductory Psychology | 3 |
| BIOL 210A — Introduction to the Biological Sciences I | LIFESCI 7A — Cell and Molecular Biology (choose 1) | 4 |
| BIOL 107 — General Biology - Lecture and Laboratory | LIFESCI 15 — Life: Concepts and Issues (choose 1) | 4 |
| BIOL 235 — Human Physiology | PHYSCI 3 — Introduction to Human Physiology (choose 1) | 4 |
| BIOL 210A — Introduction to the Biological Sciences I | Lower Division Biology Courses (choose 1) | 4 |
| CHEM 200 — General Chemistry I - Lecture | CHEM 20A — Chemical Structure (choose 1) | 3 |
| CHEM 100 or CHEM 152 — Fundamentals of Chemistry | Introductory Chemistry Courses (choose 1) | 3 |
| PHYS 100 or PHYS 125 — Introductory Physics | PHYSICS 10 — Physics (choose 1) | 4 |
| PHYS 195 — Mechanics | PHYSICS 1A — Physics for Scientists and Engineers: Mechanics (choose 1) | 5 |
| PHYS 180A + PHYS 181A — General Physics I + General Physics Laboratory I | PHYSICS 5A — Physics for Life Sciences Majors: Mechanics and Energy (choose 1) | 5 |
| PHIL 102A — Introduction to Philosophy: Reality and Knowledge | PHILOS 7 — Introduction to Philosophy of Mind (choose 1) | 3 |
| PHIL 112 — Philosophy of Science | PHILOS 8 — Introduction to Philosophy of Science (choose 1) | 3 |
| PHIL 101 — Symbolic Logic | PHILOS 31 — Logic, First Course (choose 1) | 3 |
| PHIL 100 (or another listed option) — Logic and Critical Thinking | Introductory Philosophy Courses (choose 1) | 3 |
| BIOL 200 or STAT C1000 or PSYC 258 or BUSE 115 or POLI 201 — Biological Statistics | Introductory Statistics Courses (choose 1) | 3 |
| (PSYC 258 and PSYC 255) or BIOL 200 or BUSE 115 or POLI 201 — Behavioral Science Statistics | STATS 10 — Introduction to Statistical Reasoning (choose 1) | 3 |
| CISC 192 — C/C++ Programming | COMPTNG 10A — Introduction to Programming (choose 1) | 4 |
| MATH 121 or MATH 150 — Basic Techniques of Applied Calculus I | Calculus Requirement (choose 1) | 3 |
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 |
Units grow when they cross to quarters
Semester units run larger once they reach UCLA's quarter system, roughly by half again. Mesa's 4-unit BIOL 107 becomes about six quarter units, but the spring-before-transfer deadline still runs on Mesa's own semester clock.
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
Five statistics courses count for quantitative
BIOL 200, STAT C1000, PSYC 258, BUSE 115 or POLI 201 each clear UCLA's quantitative reasoning slot on their own, as do MATH 121, MATH 150 and CISC 192. BIOL 200 needs BIOL 107 first.
Two biology routes need a course first
BIOL 235 covers UCLA's PHYSCI 3 but needs BIOL 107 first, and BIOL 210A for LIFESCI 7A needs CHEM 152. BIOL 107 alone covers LIFESCI 15 with no prerequisite listed.
AP scores cover four requirements at once
A 4 on AP Psychology replaces PSYC C1000, and a 3 on AP Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Statistics or Calculus clears the matching science or quantitative slot. Philosophy has no AP substitute, so plan on taking one at Mesa.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What classes do I need at Mesa for UCLA psychology?
PSYC C1000, one biology course such as BIOL 107 or BIOL 210A, one chemistry or physics course such as CHEM 200 or PHYS 100, one philosophy course such as PHIL 102A, and one quantitative course such as STAT C1000 or MATH 150. Complete them by spring before transfer.
Does Mesa BUSE 115 count for UCLA psychology?
Yes. BUSE 115, Statistics for Business, satisfies UCLA's quantitative reasoning requirement for Psychology, the same as STAT C1000, BIOL 200, PSYC 258 or POLI 201. You only need one quantitative course.
Is anything missing from Mesa for UCLA psychology?
No requirement is left open. UCLA courses like CHEM 17, PHYSICS 11 and PHILOS 9 have no Mesa match, but each falls inside a choose-one group filled by other Mesa courses such as CHEM 200 or PHIL 112.
What is UCLA's psychology transfer admit rate?
21% of Psychology's 2025 transfer applicants were admitted to UCLA, a figure for the whole applicant pool rather than Mesa specifically. You must be admitted straight into Psychology, since switching in later isn't allowed, and finishing prep by fall is strongly encouraged.
Explore More
Related Transfer Plans
San Diego Mesa College students aiming for UCLA Psychology can complete every lower-division prep area at Mesa: PSYC C1000 for intro psychology, a biology course such as BIOL 107, a chemistry or physics option like CHEM 200, a philosophy course such as PHIL 102A, and a quantitative course from a wide list that includes STAT C1000, BUSE 115 and POLI 201. UCLA wants prep finished by the spring before transfer and requires direct admission into the major. Transfermatic can map out Mesa's course order in advance.
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