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Thank you for your interest in the Anthropology Program at UC San Diego!

We welcome talented prospective students from across the nation and around the world to apply. If you're interested in the disciplines of archaeological, biological, and sociocultural anthropology, this is definitely the field for you. 

 apply 

UC San Diego’s Admissions Office handles all undergraduate admissions for both first -years and transfer students. Students interested in majoring in Anthropology must first be admitted to UC San Diego as an undergraduate student. 

  • UC Application opens in August – get started on your application, submit it during the filing period.
  • The filing period is November 1 through November 30.
  • UC San Diego only accepts Fall Applicants. 

For more information visit: UCSD Admissions Information

Tips for visiting campus:

When students apply, they select one of the six colleges. Click here for an overview of the college requirements.

Please note:

The Anthropology major has no pre-requisite courses required. All coursework is designed to be taken at UC San Diego, however we accept UC transferable coursework to fulfill lower division general education requirements.

Transfer Preparation

IGETC Certification: Completion of the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) is strongly recommended for all students transferring from a California community college. This curriculum will serve to clear most general education requirements for incoming transfer students, leaving one to eight (1-8) general education courses depending on which of the six UCSD colleges the student is admitted into.

If you are a transfer student looking to complete coursework to apply towards your major, you can search for equivalent courses at your university.

California institutions can visit assist.org to find courses at your college that:

  • are transferable to UC San Diego
  • meet lower-division major and GE requirements

Incoming Student Programs

Summer Success Programs are offered to enhance and bolster UC San Diego students' success.

Limits on Transfer Units

LIMITS ON TRANSFER UNITS: Transfer students will be granted up to 70 semester/ 105 quarter units of credit for lower-division coursework completed at any institution (or combination of institutions).

For units beyond the maximum, subject credit for appropriate coursework will be granted and may be used to satisfy requirements:

  • Units earned through AP, IB, and/or A-Level examinations are not included in the limitation. These units will not put you at risk of being denied admission.
  • Units earned at any UC campus in Extension, summer, cross/concurrent and regular academic year enrollment are not included in the limitation but are added to the maximum transfer credit allowed. These units may put you at risk of being denied admission due to excessive units.

UC San Diego accepts transfer students at the junior (third year) level only. 

A transfer applicant may be considered in senior standing if they have completed:

  • 70 semester units (or more) of lower-division coursework; and
  • 20 semester units (or more) of upper-division coursework.

If you have questions about the number of transferrable units, please call the Office of Admissions at 858-534-4831.

UC Summer Session + Online Learning Courses

If you are a current UCSD student, you can enroll in a class at another UC campus without additional fees or applying for admission (during the academic year), subject to available space and campus approval. This process is known as "simultaneous enrollment."

University of California (UC) Cross-Campus Enrollment offers exceptional, flexible and innovative online learning.

Cross-Campus Enrollment Information for UC San Diego Anthropology students:

  • Students may petition online courses to fulfill up to two Anthropology major or minor requirements.
  • UCSD students cannot use “cross-campus enrollment” course units to reach “full-time” status.
  • Courtesy transcript sent to home campus, student does not need to request a transcript.
  • See additional details on how to enroll in classes at other UC's.

You must:

  • Complete one quarter at UCSD as a matriculated student.
  • Maintain 12 units at UCSD in the current term.
  • Be in good academic standing.
  • Be prepared academically (e.g. complete course prerequisites, etc.) as determined by the host campus.