UC San Diego - Chula Vista Program

Students will pay regular UC San Diego tuition and fees. See Cost of Attendance. Since the majority of the coursework will be completed at Southwestern College’s Chula Vista campus, students will not need to pay Housing and Dining costs normally associated with living on the La Jolla campus, or the typical costs of commuting to La Jolla.

Students can apply for financial aid through the regular UC San Diego process. Read more about FAFSA, CADAA, and financial aid eligibility at the UC San Diego Financial Aid & Scholarships Office. 

Public Health courses for major requirements will be offered in person at Southwestern College or remotely. Additional courses including one upper-division general education course (assuming IGETC/Cal-GETC completion), unmet university requirements, and required elective units can be taken remotely or on UC San Diego’s La Jolla campus.

Students that intend to apply for transfer admission to UC San Diego from Southwestern College, seeking to major in Public Health, are eligible to apply for this program.

Students must complete the UC application for undergraduate admissions and scholarships during the current filing period: October 1-December 1, 2025. Visit the UC Application for Admission and Scholarships website. 

When selecting a major on the application, choose the Bachelor of Science in Public Health (no concentration).

To be considered for admission to the UC San Diego - Chula Vista program for Public Health, students must complete all UC transfer admissions requirements including major preparation courses. The transfer admissions requirements can be found below.

• Complete a minimum of 60 UC-transferable semester units (90 quarter units) by the end of spring term prior to fall admission.
• Have a competitive GPA in UC-transferable courses and be in good academic standing.
• Complete the following 7-course pattern:
  • 2 English composition
  • 1 mathematical concepts and quantitative reasoning
  • 4 courses from at least 2 of the following:
    • Arts and humanities
    • Physical and biological sciences
    • Social and behavioral sciences

Students must also complete admissions Transfer Major Preparation courses for Public Health.

• 2 required Biology courses from the approved list must be completed for admission:

BILD 1, BILD 2, BILD 3, BILD 10, BILD 12/COGS 17, BILD 18, BILD 20, BILD 22, BILD 26, BILD 28, BILD 30, BILD 32, BILD 36, BILD 38, BILD 44, BILD 60, BILD 61 

SWC students should complete three classes from SWC options [BIOL 100, BIOL 140, BIOL 180, BIOL 260, BIOL 261, BIOL 265] in order to be on track with the program plan.

• 1 required Statistics course from the approved list: COGS 14B, HDS 60, MATH 11, PSYC 60

Please refer to the Articulation Agreement on Assist.org to confirm the appropriate transfer major preparation coursework. 

Review the full Transfer Plan here to see specifics for the Chula Vista program.

For Fall 2025, the middle 50 % of admitted transfer students had GPAs ranging from 3.55 to 3.94. However, GPA is not the only factor considered in admissions decisions. Each application cycle varies in the number of applicants, their preparation, and their interest in specific majors. Students who meet all eligibility criteria for admission to UC San Diego are encouraged to apply.

Completion of the UniversityLink program does not guarantee admission to a selective major, and Public Health is a selective major. It is recommended students list a non-selective alternate major on the UC Application. If admitted to an alternative non-selective major, UniversityLink students may apply to switch to Public Health through the selective majors process after their first Fall quarter at UC San Diego. Based on the capacity of the UC San Diego - Chula Vista program at that time, you may be able to join the program. Please contact selective-majors@ucsd.edu with additional questions. 

UC San Diego academic advising and student life staff will be located on site at Southwestern College in the University Center. Our goal is to create a community for students that are completing their UC San Diego degree at Southwestern College, and we will be focused on supporting your academic success and well-being.

UC San Diego staff are working with Southwestern College counselors to help support you before transfer. 

The full transfer plan for SWC classes and UCSD classes is available here.