How to Apply to Life Sciences and Health-Related Undergraduate Programs at the University of Iowa: Biology, Biochemistry and Neuroscience in Liberal Arts and Sciences, Direct Admission to Public Health and Nursing, and Only 168 Nursing Seats, for Domestic and International (Including Chinese) Applicants and Transfer Students

The University of Iowa places its life-science and health programs in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS), the College of Public Health, the College of Nursing and the Carver College of Medicine. Pre-med is not a major but a “pre-health sciences” designation with advising and coursework. This guide follows Iowa’s website and is organised for U.S. domestic applicants, international applicants, applicants from China and transfer students.

1. Programs and colleges

• CLAS programs: Biology (BA and BS; tracks Cell and Developmental Biology, Genetics and Biotechnology, Integrative Biology and Neurobiology; the site says over 700 students and that it is one of Iowa’s most popular majors); Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (BA and BS; about 200 students); Neuroscience (BS); Human Physiology (BS); Microbiology (BS; Pre-Medicine and Scholar tracks); and Exercise Science (BS). The areas-of-study list also has entries for Global Health Studies, Health Promotion, Health Studies and Health Administration; we did not check each degree type.
• BA versus BS (Biochemistry example): the site says the first two years are identical; the BA is intended for most students, including pre-medicine, pre-pharmacy and pre-dental students and double majors, with room for other disciplines or clinical volunteering; the BS is intended mainly for students planning research careers, graduate school (MS, PhD, MD/PhD) or work as research technicians.
• College of Public Health: BA and BS in Public Health (the BA is more social and behavioral, the BS more biomedical with natural science and math), with focus areas in Biostatistics, Social and Behavioral Sciences, Epidemiology, Health Policy and Management, and Occupational and Environmental Health Sciences. Every major completes at least one of research, internship, global learning/study abroad or service learning; a five-year combined undergraduate-to-graduate program exists.
• College of Nursing: the BSN, covered in section 2.
• Carver College of Medicine undergraduate programs: Medical Laboratory Sciences, Radiation Sciences and Nuclear Medicine Technology; students first apply to CLAS as pre-clinical laboratory science, pre-radiation sciences or pre-nuclear medicine technology students.
• Whether the degrees are STEM-designated: the pages we read do not say; ask the international student office or the program.
• Biomedical engineering sits in the engineering college and is not covered here.

2. How admission works: a college first, then a major

• CLAS (Biology, Biochemistry, Neuroscience and others): each program page says applicants must meet CLAS admission requirements, so there is no extra program-level admission hurdle. Neuroscience majors may not double major in Biology or Psychology but may minor in them; Human Physiology (BS) majors may not double major in Health and Human Physiology (BA). CLAS first-year requirements: meet the high school course requirements and a Regent Admission Index (RAI) of 245 or higher for Iowa residents and 255 or higher for residents of other states; a test score is not required.
• How the RAI is calculated: 3 × ACT composite (or SAT equivalent) + 30 × cumulative GPA (weighted or unweighted) + 5 × years of core courses completed. You need at least 15 full-year college-prep courses: 4 years of English, 3 of mathematics (including Algebra I, Algebra II and geometry), 3 of social studies, 2 of the same world language and 3 of science (physical science, biology, chemistry, environmental science or physics). Missing core courses trigger an individual review that could lead to denial.
• Public Health direct admission: fall only; high school course requirements, an RAI equivalent of 265 or higher and a cumulative GPA of 3.33 or higher (weighted or unweighted); test scores are not required. Students not admitted directly enter CLAS as Public Health interest majors and can apply to the college after 12 semester hours at Iowa with a 2.75 GPA.
• Nursing (BSN) direct admission: you apply to the university with a major of Nursing and are admitted first to CLAS as an Open (Health) major; eligible students are invited to a nursing supplemental application. Up to 168 high school students can earn direct admission. For fall 2027, an ACT or SAT score is required even though the university is test-optional. Criteria: a cumulative GPA of 3.80 or higher; an ACT of 24 for Iowa residents or 26 for non-residents (the page marks this with an asterisk whose note is not shown in the text we read) or an SAT of 1160 or 1230, with no superscoring; 4 years of English, 3 of natural science including 1 of biology and 1 of chemistry, 1 each of Algebra I, Algebra II and geometry, 3 of social studies and second-level proficiency in a world language. A physics requirement (one year in high school or one semester in college) must be met before starting nursing courses in the third year.
• Nursing application process: apply to the university by the November 2 early action deadline (documents by November 9); the written part of the supplemental application is due December 7, 2026 and includes essays and an activities section reviewed holistically by the nursing faculty; eligible applicants are invited about a week later to small-group virtual interviews in January 2027, with decisions in late February to early March 2027. Of the 168 admitted students, 84 enter the nursing curriculum in fall 2029 and 84 in spring 2030, assigned by the college and not changeable. Students not selected stay in CLAS as Open (Health) and must declare a major by 60 semester hours.
• Other Carver College of Medicine programs: rules are on each program page; the pages we read give no GPA threshold; not stated.

3. Prerequisites

• Minimum high school courses (CLAS, Business, Public Health, Education): 4 years of English; 2 years of one world language; 3 years of natural science (physical science, biology, chemistry, environmental science or physics); 3 years of math (including Algebra I, II and geometry); 3 years of social studies. Nursing direct admission is more specific, as above.
• Math and chemistry placement: the pages we read do not describe placement after enrollment; check the math and chemistry departments.
• First- and second-year course sequence (from program pages): Biochemistry and Molecular Biology takes Foundations of Biology, Principles of Chemistry I–II, Organic Chemistry I–II and lab, Calculus I–II, Physics I–II, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology I–II and Experimental Biochemistry, plus advanced science electives (two for the BA, three for the BS) and Physical or Biophysical Chemistry (one for the BA, two for the BS). Neuroscience takes Introduction to Behavioral Neuroscience, Foundations of Biology, Research Methods and Data Analysis I and II, Introduction to Cognitive Neuroscience, Animal Physiology, Neurobiology and Developmental Neurobiology, a lab-based neuroscience course and three electives, plus chemistry and physics. The Microbiology BS includes microbiology, biological sciences, chemistry and organic chemistry, biochemistry and molecular biology, physics, and biostatistics or calculus. Public Health majors take Fundamentals of Public Health, Public Health Science, The U.S. Health System in a Global Context, Introduction to Public Health Methods, Health, Work, and the Environment, Global Public Health, Methods for Program Implementation and Evaluation, and Practice of Evidence-Based Public Health.
• AP / IB / A-level credit: first-year students can earn up to 30 hours through CLEP, AP, IB and Cambridge exams; AP credit is offered for more than 30 exams at 3–8 semester hours each depending on subject and score; IB higher-level and AS/A-level exams also earn credit depending on subject and score. How biology, chemistry and calculus convert is not listed on the pages we read; see the credit-by-exam tables on Iowa’s website.

4. “Pre-med” (pre-health)

• Iowa offers a pre-health sciences (pre-med) designation with specialized advising and coursework; it is not a major and is separate from the majors in the Carver College of Medicine. The site says pre-med students may choose a major in any area or college, many choose science, others choose fields such as English, philosophy, psychology or anthropology, and “there is no single undergraduate major that best prepares students”; choose a major that genuinely interests you.
• Advice for high school students: build time-management and study skills, take strong math and science, and finish the foreign-language requirement in high school for more scheduling flexibility later.
• The site also lists preprofessional programs for dentistry, optometry, pharmacy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, podiatry, veterinary medicine, chiropractic medicine and mortuary science.
• This guide does not cover applying to medical school. The pages we read mention no combined bachelor’s-MD program; not stated.

5. Rounds, materials and fees

• First-year deadlines (fall 2027; the page prints no year, so confirm): early action November 2 (documents November 9); regular February 1 (documents February 8), after which applicants are not eligible for merit scholarships and are admitted only case by case if space allows; fall or summer acceptance deadline May 3. Decisions are rolling and begin in August. Nursing direct admission has the special dates in section 2.
• Platforms: the University of Iowa application or the Common App (fall only).
• Fee: $55 for first-year applicants, non-refundable, with a waiver available; $80 for the international application, with waivers only for those graduating from a U.S. high school who qualify financially.
• Testing: test-optional overall under a “No Harm” policy — scores are used only if they help; the site says students admitted with strong records and scores at or above 26 ACT / 1230 SAT typically have more opportunities for larger merit scholarships; the optional ACT science section is not required and superscores are not used. Nursing direct admission requires a score.
• Recommendations and essays: the first-year application pages we read do not state requirements for recommendation letters or a general essay; not stated. The nursing supplemental application has essay questions.

6. U.S. domestic applicants

• Costs (2026–27 estimate, full-time): tuition and fees are $11,971 for Iowa residents and $34,247 for non-residents; housing and food $14,022; books $950; personal expenses $3,648; transportation $1,254. The website lists billed and other expenses separately and does not give a total.
• College or program surcharges: nursing students pay $15,701 (residents) or $38,121 (non-residents); Radiation Sciences and Nuclear Medicine Technology students pay $14,675 or $36,781; business and engineering have their own rates. The cost page lists no extra charge for life-science majors in CLAS or Public Health.
• Scholarships: admissions merit scholarships do not stack — a student who qualifies for several automatically receives the largest; first-year students applying after the February 1 deadline are not considered; colleges have their own awards, and directly admitted Public Health students may apply for first-year public health scholarships. Amounts are found through the Iowa Scholarship Portal.
• Home-state differences: the website states different CLAS RAI thresholds for residents and non-residents (245 versus 255), and the nursing ACT thresholds also differ by residency.

7. International applicants

• Basic requirements: for high school study outside the U.S., a 3.0 GPA (a U.S. “B”) on academic courses; three years of completed secondary coursework; completion of secondary school (generally 12–13 years of education); records showing a graduation date or a separate diploma; the minimum high school courses for your college (Liberal Arts and Sciences, Engineering, Business or Nursing); and English proficiency. SAT or ACT is not required, but is required for academic scholarships, direct admission to Tippie College of Business and the Honors Program; scores can also satisfy the English requirement.
• English proficiency (from the website’s table): TOEFL iBT taken before January 2026: 80 with all subscores 17+; taken after January 2026: 4.0 with subscores 3.5+; TOEFL Essentials 9; IELTS 6.5 with subscores 6.0+; ACT English 21; SAT Reading and Writing 540; AP English at 4+, IB HL English A at 5+, Cambridge English literature A/AS at C+ and IGCSE English at C+ also qualify. ESL course rules attached to the scores: an old-scale TOEFL iBT total below 100 requires all four ESL courses; on the new TOEFL scale a subscore below 5.0, and on the IELTS a subscore below 7.5, requires the matching ESL course; TOEFL Essentials, AP, IB and Cambridge routes require all four, as does admission below the ACT or SAT lines. You can test out through the English Language Placement Exam (EPE) on arrival, and a TOEFL iBT of 100 or an SAT Reading and Writing score of 540 waives the EPE courses. Duolingo is not in the table we read.
• Records: upload official transcripts from every school in MyUI; grade minimums are listed per country on the “requirements by country” page.
• International deadlines (no year printed): Liberal Arts and Sciences, Education, Engineering and Public Health: May 3 for fall or summer and November 16 for spring; Business March 1 for fall; Nursing November 2 to apply to the university and December 7 for the supplemental application; Pharmacy February 2. International decisions are rolling from mid-September.
• Nursing and Medical Laboratory Science: international students can seek nursing direct admission and must have a TOEFL score of 5.0 or higher (the page uses the new scale); international students admitted directly to Medical Laboratory Science from countries where English is not the official language need a TOEFL iBT of 100. The pages we read state no other restrictions on international students in nursing or clinical placements; not stated.
• Proof of funds, international scholarships and tuition: the pages we read give no proof-of-funds amount; the cost page says tuition and fees differ for international students without listing the figures, so ask the Office of Admissions or the Registrar.

8. Applicants from China

• Credential: the “requirements by country” page lists the final certificate as the “Upper Middle School Graduation Certificate” or “High School Graduate Diploma”. The minimum average on core academic subjects (math, science, language, social science), comparable to a U.S. B, is 80/100 when a D is awarded and 75/100 when it is not (the page’s wording); an English proficiency requirement applies.
• Gaokao: the page does not mention it; not stated, so ask the admissions office. It likewise says nothing about senior-year exam results or a credential-evaluation service.
• English: use TOEFL, IELTS or the SAT/ACT English scores in section 7.
• International curricula: IB requires a 5/7 core-subject average and Iowa does not consider IB predicted scores; GCSE/IGCSE requires at least five passing grades on core subjects with a B average or 6/9.

9. Transfer students

• CLAS transfer: one of — a cumulative GPA of 2.50 or higher on at least 24 semester hours (36 quarter hours) earned after high school; an Iowa community college AA/AS degree with a transfer GPA of 2.00; or an Illinois community college AA with a GPA of 2.5 (2.25 for Black Hawk College). Fewer than 24 hours: high school record and ACT/SAT are considered. Deadlines: May 3 for fall or summer, December 1 for spring.
• Public Health transfer: at least 12 semester hours and a 2.75 GPA in all college-level coursework by the end of the semester you apply; May 3 for fall and December 1 for spring; students denied may appeal with documentation of extenuating circumstances.
• Nursing transfer: the site says admission as “nursing interest” is no longer accepted. Standard admission is being phased out, is spring-only, and the last two chances are February 2027 (spring 2028 start) and February 2028 (spring 2029 start); the page prints the deadline as “February 27”, so confirm with the college (nursing-programs@uiowa.edu). An online RN-BSN program (valid RN license required) and an accelerated MSN entry-into-practice program for non-nursing bachelor’s holders also exist.
• Credit: Admissions evaluates general education requirements and your department decides how other courses apply; there is a transfer equivalency guide, transfer-planning resources and a Degree Audit after admission. We did not read the international transfer requirements page.

Checklist

U.S. domestic applicants:

• Apply by November 2 (early action) or February 1 (regular) and pay $55; CLAS needs an RAI of 245 (Iowa residents) or 255 (others) and test scores are optional
• Public Health direct admission: RAI 265 and GPA 3.33; Nursing direct admission: ACT/SAT required, GPA 3.80, apply by November 2 and submit the supplemental application by December 7
• Aim for 4 years of English, 3 of math, 3 of science, 3 of social studies and 2 of one world language; nursing adds biology, chemistry and physics requirements

International applicants (including those from China):

• 3.0 GPA, three years of secondary study, and English by TOEFL, IELTS or ACT/SAT English; SAT/ACT is required only for scholarships and certain programs
• CLAS and Public Health: May 3 for fall; Nursing: November 2 and December 7, with TOEFL 5.0 or higher; Chinese applicants need a core-subject average of 80/100 or 75/100

Transfer students:

• CLAS: 24 semester hours and a 2.50 GPA; Public Health: 12 semester hours and 2.75; fall deadline May 3; standard nursing transfer is being phased out

Sources: University of Iowa Office of Admissions, First-year admissions; First-year requirements and the RAI; Liberal Arts and Sciences; College of Nursing; College of Public Health; Carver College of Medicine undergraduate programs; Areas of study; Biology; Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; Neuroscience; Human Physiology; Microbiology; Exercise Science; Public Health; Medicine preprofessional program; International application; International first-year requirements; International deadlines; English proficiency; Requirements by country; Credit by exam; Estimated costs; Scholarships; Liberal Arts and Sciences transfer; Nursing transfer; Public Health transfer. Some deadline pages print no year (for example “February 27” on the nursing transfer page); check Iowa’s website to confirm the dates are for fall 2027 entry.