Neuroscience transfer to UC

Neuroscience has no UC Transfer Pathway, so each campus sets its own preparation. 8 of the nine campuses offer it, and UCLA admitted 22% of applicants for fall 2025.

Checked against official UC and campus sources in November 2026.

At a glance

UC campuses offering it: 8 of 9
Admit transfers to it: 7
Publish selection criteria: 6
UCLA admit rate, fall 2025: 22%

UC has no Transfer Pathway for neuroscience, so there is no shared course list. Each campus publishes its own major preparation, and ASSIST shows which of your college’s courses match it.

Campus by campus

Campus	Program	Admits transfers	Selection criteria	Courses
UC Berkeley	Neuroscience, Molecular and Cell Biology	Yes	Yes, see below	ASSIST
UCLA	Neuroscience	Yes	Yes, see below	ASSIST
UC San Diego	Neurobiology BS, Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience BSand 1 more	Yes	Yes, see below	ASSIST
UC Irvine	Neurobiology, B.S.	No	None stated	ASSIST
UC Davis	Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior	Yes	Yes, see below	ASSIST
UC Santa Barbara	Not offered	—	—	—
UC Santa Cruz	Neuroscience B.S.	Yes	Yes, see below	ASSIST
UC Riverside	Neuroscience (Science), CNAS, Neuroscience (Social Sciences), CHASS	Yes	Yes, see below	ASSIST
UC Merced	Neuroscience, B.A., Neuroscience, B.S.	Yes	None stated	ASSIST

“None stated” means the campus page we checked lists preparation without extra selection criteria. Every UC campus still reviews your whole application.

What each campus expects

UC Berkeley
Neuroscience · Molecular and Cell Biology
Courses to finish
To be eligible for L&S admission, students must complete all major preparatory courses listed as required on ASSIST.org for their intended major. Courses that are not articulated should be taken in the first semester at Berkeley. Source
Selection
Letters and Science requires a minimum 3.0 UC-transferable GPA by the end of the fall term when the application is submitted. Reading and Composition, Quantitative Reasoning and Language are no longer required for admission, though finishing the Language requirement first is strongly encouraged. Source
Also note
Neuroscience and Molecular and Cell Biology were added to the L&S Direct Admission Program beginning fall 2026. Source
Starting Fall 2027, all transfer students offered admission to L&S will be directly admitted into the major they selected, with no separate internal process to declare. Source
Berkeley guarantees review only of the primary major, so applicants should list their intended major first on the UC application. Source
UCLA
Neuroscience
Courses to finish
As a life science major, Neuroscience requires one year of biology with lab, one year of calculus, one year of general chemistry with lab and one semester of organic chemistry with lab. A second semester of organic chemistry and one year of calculus-based physics are strongly recommended. Source
Selection
The College lists Neuroscience as highly selective with direct admission only. Demand for life science majors significantly exceeds space, and no minimum GPA is stated. Source
Also note
Students must be directly admitted into a life science major and cannot switch into one or add it as a second major after enrolling at UCLA. Source
UCLA says transfer students must complete major preparation by the end of spring before transfer. Source
For Fall 2027 applicants, requests to change to a major in The College, Education, Engineering, Public Affairs or Public Health are due January 1, 2027. Source
UC San Diego
Neurobiology BS · Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience BS · Cognitive Science with Specialization in Neuroscience BS
Courses to finish
Neurobiology (Biology) screening requires BILD 1 and 3, CHEM 6A, 6B, 6C and 7L, and MATH 10A-10B or MATH 20A-20B equivalents. Source
Selection
Neurobiology applicants must earn C- or higher in each screening course and a minimum 2.5 GPA in these courses. AP/IB credit counts toward requirements but not toward that GPA. Source
Also note
Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience BS and Cognitive Science with Specialization in Neuroscience BS are not on the screened-majors list, so they do not require minimum preparation screening. Source
Required minimum major preparation for screened majors must be completed by the end of the spring term before fall admission. The page does not name a specific admission year. Source
The minimum transfer GPA for UC San Diego eligibility is 2.4 for California residents and 2.8 for nonresidents. Source
UC Irvine
Neurobiology, B.S.
Also note
UCI lists Neurobiology among Biological Sciences majors that are not available until the student is enrolled at UC Irvine. Transfer applicants interested in it are directed to follow the Biological Sciences course preparation. Source
UC Davis
Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior
Courses to finish
Complete the College of Biological Sciences series in introductory biology (BIS 002A/B/C or BIO 001/001L, 002/002L and 003), general chemistry (CHE 002A/B/C or 004A/B/C) and calculus (MAT 017A/B/C or 021A/B) by the end of spring before fall enrollment. Source
Selection
Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior is a selective major. Courses need a letter grade with no grade below C and a 2.50 GPA in each series, and College of Biological Sciences TAG requires at least a 3.20 GPA. Source
Also note
BIS 002A/B/C/D is being discontinued. Fall 2027 applicants use ASSIST academic year 2025-26 for articulation, and later applicants should check ASSIST for the new BIO courses. Source
The Fall 2027 transfer brochure lists no major named Neuroscience. Source
The Cognitive Science B.S. also offers a Neuroscience Emphasis. Source
UC Santa Cruz
Neuroscience B.S.
Courses to finish
Required before transfer are one general chemistry series (CHEM 3A-3C or 4A-4B), CHEM 8A, BIOL 20A, BIOL 20L and BIOE 20B, plus one of MATH 11A, 16A or 19A. BIOL 20L is waived if BIOL 20A and BIOE 20B were completed at a California community college (2026-27 catalog). Source
Also recommended before transfer are a second calculus course, PHYS 6A, 6B, 6C and 6N, STAT 7 and 7L, and CHEM 8B and 8L. Source
Selection
Neuroscience is a screening major. The required courses must be finished by the end of spring term before fall entry, and winter entrants must also complete a CHEM 8B equivalent (2026-27 catalog). Source
Also note
Neuroscience is on UCSC's Fall 2026 screening majors list. Source
UC Riverside
Neuroscience (Science), CNAS · Neuroscience (Social Sciences), CHASS
Courses to finish
Complete Math 9A and 9B (or Math 7A and 7B) plus one full sequence: Biology 5A/5LA, 5B and 5C, or Chemistry 1A-1C with labs, or Math 9C, 10A, 10B and 46, or Physics 40A-40C (or 2A-2C with labs). The guide lists the same preparation for the CNAS and CHASS versions. Source
Selection
Both Neuroscience versions require a minimum 2.7 GPA in UC-transferable coursework, and required courses need a C or better unless noted. Source
Also note
UCR lists two Neuroscience majors, one in CNAS (Science) and one in CHASS (Social Sciences). Source
UC Merced
Neuroscience, B.A. · Neuroscience, B.S.
Also note
UC Merced lists its Neuroscience B.A. and B.S. as open to transfer students in fall 2027. Its fall 2027 major preparation page doesn’t list transfer courses for them yet, so confirm preparation with UC Merced admissions. Source

Not offered at UC Santa Barbara.

UC Santa Barbara has no neuroscience major. Its closest options are Biopsychology B.S. and Psychological and Brain Sciences B.S.

UCLA’s numbers

Admit rate: 22%
Applicants: 226
Admitted GPA, middle half: 3.80–3.95

UCLA reports these for Neuroscience, fall 2025, counting all transfer applicants. The GPA range is the middle half of admits. Its community college applicants as a whole were admitted at 26%.

Transfer Admission Guarantee

Six campuses offer TAG. These are the fall 2027 terms for neuroscience at the TAG campuses that offer it, from UC’s TAG matrix.

Campus	TAG	GPA line	What the matrix says
UC Davis	Yes	3.20	Davis has no major named Neuroscience. Its Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior major is a selective major open to TAG with added major prep GPA and course requirements.
UC Riverside	Yes	2.80	Neuroscience is open to TAG with required major preparation, at the 2.8 GPA set for both CHASS and CNAS.
UC Santa Cruz	Yes	3.00	All UCSC majors are open to TAG, and Neuroscience is a screening major with added major preparation criteria.

How TAG works at all six campuses

Questions

Which UC campuses offer neuroscience?

8 of the nine: UC Berkeley, UCLA, UC San Diego, UC Irvine, UC Davis, UC Santa Cruz, UC Riverside, UC Merced. UC Santa Barbara doesn’t offer it.

Is there a UC Transfer Pathway for neuroscience?

No. Each campus sets its own neuroscience preparation, listed on this page. Use ASSIST to match your community college courses to each campus.

Can transfer students apply to neuroscience at every campus?

No. UC Irvine doesn’t admit transfers to it, based on its own pages.

Can I get a TAG for neuroscience?

Yes at UC Davis, UC Riverside, UC Santa Cruz, under the fall 2027 TAG matrix.

How hard is it to transfer to UCLA for neuroscience?

UCLA admitted 22% of 226 transfer applicants to Neuroscience for fall 2025, and the middle half of admits had GPAs of 3.80–3.95.