How to Apply to Economics at Emory University: A BA in Emory College Certified as a STEM Major, with Declaration Possible From the Second Semester of Your First Year, and Admission Routes and Prerequisites for Domestic, International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Applicants

At Emory University, economics is taught by the Department of Economics in Emory College of Arts and Sciences. The department states that students who complete the economics major (or the joint Economics-Math or CS-Economics major) and Emory’s core curriculum receive a Bachelor of Arts that is certified as a STEM major. Here is what the official pages say for fall 2027 entry, for US domestic applicants, international applicants (including those from China) and transfer applicants. Where a page prints a date without a year, check that it applies to fall 2027 entry.

1. Degrees and options

• Economics major: 1 mathematics course, 6 foundation courses and 4 electives.
• Economics/Math joint major: 4 prerequisite courses, 8 foundation courses, Econ/Math 425 Mathematical Economics, and 3 electives (one 300-level or higher economics elective, one 400-level economics elective and one math elective).
• Economics/Computer Science joint major: described by the department as combining economic reasoning, empirical methods and data analytics, and machine learning; the pages I read do not list the number of courses, so see the department’s checklist.
• Economics/Human Health joint major: the department states it does not currently have a STEM designation (relevant to international students’ OPT), because it does not include the additional courses a STEM designation requires.
• Minor: 3 foundation courses, 1 mathematics course and 3 electives at the 200 level or above. The department also lists specializations and a 4+1 BA/MS program (section 8).
• Economics and the business school BBA: since January 2024, students pursuing both a BBA and the economics major may count one approved economics elective toward the BBA, or one approved BBA elective toward the economics major (economics major only, not the joint majors or the minor). See our Emory business guide for the BBA.
• Honors: run through the Emory College Honors Committee for economics and joint Econ-Math majors, applied for in February of junior year. Minimum requirements include an overall GPA of at least 3.7, no pending incompletes, Econ 201, 212 and 220 (or MATH 361 in place of 220), and an A or A- in Econ 320, 421, 422 or 423; applications are blind-reviewed with a 1–2 page research proposal and a writing sample.

2. How admission works: Emory College first, then declaring

• One Common App lets you apply to Emory College, Oxford College or both; both lead to the same Emory degree, and Oxford students move to the Atlanta campus by junior year.
• Declaring the major: the department says you can declare a major or minor as early as the second semester of your first year through the OPUS system; the request is subject to department review, after which you get an automated email and contact the undergraduate staff. The department pages I read give no GPA threshold, cap on places or latest declaration date; this is not published there, so ask econungrad@emory.edu.
• Whether the application asks for an intended major, and how economics works for students who start at Oxford, are not explained on the admissions and department pages I read.
• All courses in the major are taken for a letter grade, and an average of 2.0 in the economics major is required to graduate.

3. Prerequisites and required courses

• High school: neither the admissions nor the department pages I read state specific high school math requirements for economics; this is not published there, so ask admissions or the department.
• Economics major checklist (April 2026):
  • Mathematics: MATH 111 Calculus;
  • 6 foundation courses: ECON 101 Principles of Microeconomics (no prerequisite), ECON 112 Principles of Macroeconomics (ECON 101), ECON 201 Intermediate Microeconomics (ECON 101 and MATH 111), ECON 212 Intermediate Macroeconomics (ECON 101, 112 and MATH 111), ECON 220 Data Science for Economists (ECON 101 and MATH 111) and ECON 320 Econometrics (ECON 220); the checklist says to see the Emory Course Atlas for the complete list of prerequisites;
  • 4 electives: the checklist asks for one 200-, 300- or 400-level ECON course, one at 300 or 400, and two at 400;
  • Substitutions: FIN 201 can replace ECON 101 and MATH 361 can replace ECON 220.
• Department rules: major courses must be taken for a letter grade; ECON 449 (2 credits, S/U) does not count; directed study (ECON 397, 496, 496RW) can satisfy up to two electives and must be for 3 or more credits (4 for 496RW); ECON 495A and 495BW count as 400-level electives.
• Credit:
  • the department says it accepts only ECON 101 and ECON 112 as transfer credit from other institutions and from AP/IB tests;
  • Emory College’s AP/IB chart: AP Microeconomics 5 equals ECON 101, AP Macroeconomics 5 equals ECON 112, IB Economics 5, 6 or 7 equals ECON 101; AP Calculus AB 4 or 5 equals MATH 111, AP Calculus BC 4 or 5 equals MATH 111 and MATH 112Z (six credits); IB Mathematics HL, Analysis & Approaches and Applications & Interpretations 5, 6 or 7 each equal MATH 111;
  • admissions says first-year students may receive up to 18 credit hours in total, of which AP and IB are at most 12 and A-Level and similar international exams at most 12; credit is reviewed after you deposit.
• Other: FIN 201 and MATH 361 are the only Emory courses the department treats as equivalents of its foundation courses.

4. Rounds, deadlines and materials

• Early Decision I (binding): due November 1, financial aid December 2, decisions by December 15.
• Early Decision II (binding): due January 1, financial aid January 6, decisions by February 15.
• Regular Decision: due January 1, financial aid February 10, decisions by April 1.
• Emory University Scholar Programs (partial to full merit scholarships): due November 15, decisions by March 1; the international aid page says to apply through the Scholar programs “before December”, so use the Scholar Programs page as the authority.
• Both ED plans are binding: the page says that if Emory makes the education affordable, you must pay the deposit and enroll. You can apply ED to one campus and Regular Decision to the other.
• Materials: the Common App personal essay and Emory’s short answers, two core-subject teacher recommendations, the school report and midyear and final transcripts; the $75 application fee has waivers.
• Testing: SAT and ACT are optional for fall 2027 first-year applicants; submitted scores are reviewed as evidence of preparation, and Emory superscores both. Self-reporting AP scores of 3 or higher is encouraged.

5. US domestic applicants

• Emory is private, and the cost page I read gives a single standard rather than in-state and out-of-state rates; domestic students use the same application and rounds as everyone else.
• Testing is optional and two core-subject teacher recommendations are required; I found no preference for students from Georgia.
• For need-based aid, the financial aid deadlines on the plans page are December 2 (ED I), January 6 (ED II) and February 10 (Regular Decision).

6. International applicants (including those from China)

• International students complete the same requirements as other first-years, plus English proficiency and financial certification (Documentation of Finances, or a statement from a bank or financial institution).
• English: any one of the following replaces an English test: SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing of 700+; ACT English of 30+; the most recent four years at a school teaching all academic subjects in English. Otherwise submit TOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo. Emory does not use strict cutoffs; recommended scores are TOEFL iBT 100 on the old scale or 5.5 or higher on the new scale from January 21, 2026, IELTS 7.5, Duolingo typically above 130 for the most competitive applicants, and for TOEFL ITP Plus (Mainland China only) typically 63–68 per section, aligned with CEFR C1.
• Aid and scholarships: need-based aid goes to a select group of international students each year. To be considered, apply Regular Decision, answer “yes” to the aid question and submit the CSS Profile and tax documents through College Board’s IDOC before February 5 (translated into English and converted to USD). Only students who apply and receive aid in their first year are eligible later. Aid applicants still submit financial documentation, though it need not cover the full first year. International students may also apply for limited, highly competitive merit scholarships through the Scholar Programs.
• After admission: health insurance is mandatory unless you show equivalent coverage, and visa documents follow.

7. Applicants from China

• Interview: Emory strongly recommends an InitialView interview for applicants from Mainland China and treats it as the preferred option; it is not required and does not replace TOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo.
• Curricula: Emory says IBDP, AP and British A-Levels are competitive in any country. Its recommended-credentials file (labelled Fall 2024) lists for China the “Chinese National High School Diploma (Senior 1-3) with preparation for the Chinese National Higher Education Entrance Examination (Gao Kao)”. That tells you the curriculum is recognized; whether Gaokao scores are considered is not published, so ask your regional admission officer.
• Transcript format and Huikao (academic proficiency test) documents: the pages I read give no China-specific instructions; school reports and transcripts must come from a school official, not from the applicant.
• If your school does not teach every academic subject in English, plan on an English test, or on SAT Reading and Writing 700+ or ACT English 30+.

8. Costs, internships and the 4+1

• 2026-27 estimated cost (Office of Financial Aid worksheet, updated July 1, 2026):
  • tuition $70,300, fees $1,148;
  • housing $13,222, food $9,184, travel $1,100, personal $1,620, books $1,286, direct loan fees $88;
  • total about $97,948, excluding student health insurance (about $5,592 in 2026-27 unless waived). 2027-28 costs are not on the pages I read.
• Internships: ECON 449 is for economics majors and minors only, 2 credits, S/U, does not count toward the major, requires permission and ECON 201, 212 and 220. The department says 73% of its alumni had at least two internships.
• 4+1 BA/MS: a master’s in economics, applied for in junior year (or fall of senior year), with 30 credits of graduate coursework of which two graduate courses can count as 400-level electives; a cumulative GPA of 3.5 is recommended, and MATH 111 and ECON 101, 112, 201, 212, 220 and 320 are to be done before enrolling. Deadlines: December 1 for spring entry, March 15 (early) and August 1 (final) for juniors seeking fall entry.

9. Transfer applicants

• Fall entry only, to Emory College; Oxford College does not accept transfers, and Goizueta Business School and the School of Nursing have their own transfer information. Emory enrolls about 100 to 120 transfer students a year.
• Eligibility: a high school graduate who has completed one full-time year (or is in the second semester of it) at a two- or four-year college; at least 28 credit hours completed or in progress, not counting AP, IB or dual-enrollment credit; a cumulative college GPA of at least 3.0 out of 4.0 (most admitted students have 3.5 or better); able to complete two years (four semesters) at Emory.
• Prerequisites: Emory says there are no required courses to apply, though it expects a broad curriculum, and credit is evaluated only after admission. The economics department accepts only ECON 101 and ECON 112 as transfer credit from other institutions; the pages I read do not state conditions for transfers entering the economics major.
• Timeline: due March 15, financial aid March 17, decisions by early May.
• Materials: the Common App, official transcripts from every college, the College Official Report, your high school transcript, one faculty recommendation and the $75 fee; testing is optional, and TOEFL or IELTS is recommended if English is not your first language.
• Credit and aid: up to 62 semester hours transfer. Merit aid is not available to transfers, and need-based aid is not available to international transfer students.

Checklist

US domestic applicants:

• Choose Emory College, Oxford College or both; ED I November 1, ED II and Regular Decision January 1; testing optional
• After enrolling, take MATH 111 and ECON 101, 112, 201, 212, 220, 320 plus four electives; you may declare as early as the second semester

International applicants (including those from China):

• Aim for TOEFL 100 (5.5 new scale) or IELTS 7.5, or SAT Reading and Writing 700+; consider an InitialView interview; ask your admission officer whether the Gaokao is considered
• For need-based aid apply Regular Decision and submit the CSS Profile by February 5; for merit aid apply to the Scholar Programs by November 15

Transfer applicants:

• Apply by March 15 for fall entry with at least 28 credit hours and a 3.0+ GPA; the economics department takes only ECON 101 and 112 as outside credit
• Up to 62 semester hours transfer; international transfers have no need-based aid

Sources: Emory University, Plans and deadlines; How to apply; Requirements; Standardized exam and English policies; AP, IB and college credit; AP/IB credit chart (PDF); International applicants; Recommended credentials by country (PDF); Transfer applicants; Aid for international students; 2026-27 cost of attendance worksheet (PDF); Economics: undergraduate overview; Economics: academic programs; Economics: declaring and policies; Economics: course descriptions; Economics: major checklist (PDF); Economics: ECON and BBA; Economics: honors; Economics: internships; Economics: 4+1 BA/MS. Information is for fall 2027 entry (costs are 2026-27 rates). Check Emory for the latest details.