Guides for New Frosh & Transfer Students

1. The first thing to know is that you will be required to participate in a 1-credit Orientation course over the summer. Meeting established deadlines will allow you to receive an enrollment appointment so you can enroll on time in fall courses. There is lots of information as well as many resources available at the link above, so take your time to look through it and understand next steps.

2. All EEB-sponsored majors require CHEM 3A. Enrollment in this course requires either a specific placement score on the ALEKS Math Assessment, or the transfer of qualifying AP scores or equivalent courses from California community colleges.  We highly recommend completing the ALEKS assessment as soon as possible after receiving your UCSC log-in credentials as it is extremely important for enrollment in first-quarter courses. CHEM 3A is particulary important to complete before the end of your first year at UCSC.

3. If you have qualifying AP scores, ensure that the Office of Undergraduate Admissions receives an official copy of these scores as early as possible.

4. Prioritize enrollment in BIOE 20C, chemistry (particularly CHEM 3A), and math courses (if your major requires math courses) during your first year.  Use this link in the EEB Student Handbook, and select the 'Where can I find an editable EEB sample plan?' pulldown.  Once there, make sure you're selecting the appropriate major plan under the 'Four-Year Sample Plans for Frosh' section. These plans are meant to serve as a starting point for enrollment in your first year classes, with discussions with advisors on how to move through the major as you progress at UCSC.

5. When enrolling in courses, the grading option should automatically be set to a letter grade.  Please do not change this option, as courses taken with the Pass option cannot satisfy major requirements.  You must earn a C or better in all qualification and major courses to satisfy requirements. Visit the university catalog for your major to learn what the qualification courses are and what prerequisites each may have.

6. If your EEB-sponsored major requires MATH courses, we recommend the MATH 16A and 16B series.  The second recommended courses are MATH 11A and 11B.  MATH 19A and 19B could be taken, instead, to satisfy requirements but were designed for students majoring in Physics and Engineering.  If you plan to have a double major which also requires MATH coursework, choose the MATH courses that will satisfy requirements for BOTH majors.

7. For additional information on enrollment, qualification courses and declaration deadlines, as well as degree requirements, major planning, etc., select the appropriate section from the menu on the left, or reach out to eebadvising@ucsc.edu with any questions you have. Another great resource for first-year academic planning for science-proposed students is the Science Excellence (Sci-X) Advising website. Sci-X advisors may be contacted at sci-x@ucsc.edu.

1. UCSC screens students for admission by determining if they have met (or will have met by the end of spring prior to fall enrollment) the screening requirements (qualification courses) for the major.  If you are admitted into the major without condition, you have met the screening requirements.  EEB-sponsored majors do not allow conditional admission for transfer students--you must meet screening criteria prior to transfer to UCSC.  These courses cannot be taken at UCSC and be eligible for entry into an EEB-sponsored major.

2. Screening requirements (qualification courses) for EEB-sponsored majors are the equivalents of UCSC courses BIOL 20A, BIOE 20B, BIOE 20C, CHEM 3A and CHEM 3B.  MATH 11A or 16A or 19A is also a qualification course for all BS majors in the department.

3. Admission into an EEB-sponsored major means you may submit your petition to declare after you are matriculated at UCSC.  You cannot be officially declared in the major, however, until all transcripts have been sent, received, and applied to your record. You MUST be officially declared in the major by the deadline in your second enrolled quarter in order to avoid an enrollment hold on your account.

4. If you did not complete all lower division requirements other than qualification courses prior to transfer, work with an EEB advisor to ensure these courses are incorporated into an official academic plan.

5. You will be required to participate in a 1-credit Orientation course over the summer. Meeting established deadlines will allow you to receive an enrollment appointment so you can enroll on time in fall courses. There is lots of information as well as many resources available at the link above, so take your time to look through it and understand next steps.

6. Here is what to expect as a transfer student:

Beginning in July (for Fall transfer students), EEB advisors will review your reported transfer coursework and deterine how it applies to your EEB major's requirements.  An EEB advisor will contact you via email before your enrollment appointment in August with information on how your transfer coursework fulfills major requirements;  how those requirements have been applied to your record for enrollment purposes; with suggestions for courses to enroll in for fall quarter; and with an invitation to schedule an appointment with an advisor to occur prior to your enrollment appointment.

The email will include instructions on how to schedule an appointment or to attend a  drop-in Zoom appointment, based on advisor availability. During this appointment, we can discuss development of an academic plan, review major requirements, cover information on various course and research opportunities, etc.  Your advisor will be happy to answer any questions you may have.

You can review sample academic plans by visiting the academic planning link in this EEB Student Handbook and selecting 'Where can I find an editable sample plan for my EEB-sponsored major?'  Be sure you select the appropriate major from the two-year sample plans for transfer students.

Take time to look through this EEB Student Handbook for a wealth of information and resources that can assist with questions you may have, or reach out to us at eebadvising@ucsc.edu if we may be of assistance.

*If you were admitted to UCSC in a major other than an EEB-sponsored major, you would need to have completed ALL qualification courses for the EEB-sponsored major prior to admission into UCSC to request a change of major.  Any requests for a change of major for students who completed qualification requirements prior to transfer MUST BE DONE NO LATER THAN THE END OF THE FIRST ENROLLED QUARTER AT UCSC. Reach out to eebadvising@ucsc.edu for additional information and instructions on the process.

Transfer students who did not complete qualification courses for EEB-sponsored majors prior to admission to UCSC are ineligible to change into an EEB-sponsored major once they begin courses at UCSC. Transfer students may not take qualification courses at UCSC for application to an EEB-sponsored major. Exceptions to this policy are not made, and submitting an appeal to the department is not an option beginning in the 2025-2026 academic year.  Reach out to eebadvising@ucsc.edu should you have questions about the possibility of or process for changing your proposed major.