Newly Admitted Students Course Recommendations

As a newly admitted student, you are invited to enroll in Summer Session courses in order to get a head start to your UC San Diego student experience.  You don’t have to wait until fall to start enrolling in courses, UCSD offers over 800 courses. 

Summer Session offers incoming students an opportunity to get to know the campus and facilities, and connect with peers before the fall quarter.

Applications and enrollment will open April 20, 2026. For more information about the application process, please visit: Application & Enrollment. 

Advising For Summer:

• Visit catalog.ucsd.edu to read course descriptions and confirm you've met any prequisites. 

• Keep in mind your UC San Diego academic history will not be fully updated until at least mid-August. If you completed prerequisites through test scores or transfer coursework, we will need to provide an unofficial transcript and submit a pre-authorization EASy request request before enrolling. If credit is posted later, you will not receive duplicate credit.

• Are you expecting transfer credit for a course? Check Assist.org to see how California community college courses transfer. Do not enroll in courses for which you already earned credit. If credit is posted later, you will not receive duplicate credit.

• Are you expecting AP, IB, or dual enrollment credit? Check the AP chart or IB chart or Assist.org (for California Community College). Do not enroll in any courses for which you anticipate receiving credit. 

• You can contact academic advisors through the Virtual Advising Center (VAC) in mid-June. If you need to reach them before that, you may use their email accounts - Colleges and Departments.

• Review your College’s general education requirements (visit their website). See the suggested classes below for your College. Review your college overlap policies. See the suggested classes below for your College.

• Review your major’s requirements (visit their website).

• Visit plans.ucsd.edu to see if any courses in your first year can be taken in summer.

• Visit catalog.ucsd.edu to read course descriptions and make sure you have met any prerequisites.

• Wait to take any college writing courses - you get to take those with peers in your first year.
• Because of the pace of Summer courses, students new to UCSD are strongly encouraged to take math, general chemistry, physics, programming, and engineering courses beginning their first Fall quarter and forward.* 

Department (major) advisors recommend the following only for students with strong academic backgrounds and math preparation in calculus or above.

• BILD 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
• CENG 15/NANO 15
• CSS 1
• CSE 8A, CSE 11 
• MATH above 20C for students with Calc 1-2 credit and strong mathematical maturity.
• DSC 10R, DSC 20R, COGS 9 for students with prior subject knowledge and strong Math background.
• MAE 8
• SE 1

Below are course recommendations offered this summer that will help meet degree requirements.