How to Apply to Economics at the University of Rochester: Three STEM-Designated Degrees (Economics B.A., Economics B.S. and Financial Economics B.S.), and Requirements for Domestic, International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Students

At the University of Rochester (URochester), undergraduate economics is taught by the Department of Economics in the School of Arts & Sciences. Here is what you need to know about degrees, admission, prerequisites, applying and transferring, based on the university’s official information, for US domestic applicants, international applicants (including students from China) and transfer students. The admission dates page prints no year, so check that it applies to fall 2027 entry.

1. Degrees and how you get into the major

• Three majors: a B.A. in Economics, a B.S. in Economics and a B.S. in Financial Economics. The department says all three carry STEM designation and that F-1 students who complete one are eligible to work in the US for three years. It also offers minors in Economics and Financial Economics. According to the department, the B.A. emphasizes applied and empirical work and data literacy, the B.S. in Economics provides more mathematical and methodological depth, and the Financial Economics B.S. combines economics with finance and related quantitative fields.
• How admission works: the admission pages I read describe applying to the university, and they do not ask for economics at the time of application. The curriculum page says there are no general education requirements or traditional core; students complete a writing requirement, the major, and a cluster (three related courses) in each of the other two areas of learning. The pages I read do not say that applicants are admitted directly into economics.
• Conditions to declare: students need a grade point average of C or better in at least three of ECON 108 Principles of Economics, ECON 207 Intermediate Microeconomics, ECON 209 Intermediate Macroeconomics, ECON 230 Economic Statistics or ECON 232 Data Methods for Economists (depending on the major), and one semester of calculus. Adjustments are made for courses placed out of, and pass/fail courses do not count. The pages state no cap on places.
• Minor: an average of C or better in the minor’s economics courses; ECON 207, 209 and three 200-level electives.
• Overlap rules: at most three courses between a major and another major, two between a minor and a major, and one between a cluster and a major or minor; calculus and ECON 230 are exempt.
• Business: the department also points to a business cluster, minor or double major; see our Rochester business article. Simon School courses count as economics electives only if cross-listed as ECON, plus FIN 205 and FIN 206.

2. Prerequisites and course sequence

• High school math: the economics and admission pages I read do not list specific high school math courses.
• College calculus: the B.A. needs one of MATH 141, 161 or 171; the B.S. in Economics needs a calculus sequence (MATH 141-142-143, 161-162 or 171-172); the B.S. in Financial Economics needs MATH 141-142, 161-162 or 171-172 (students taking 141 and 142 also need 143 to enroll in advanced math). The department advises finishing the math requirement early and taking more math if you plan another major or graduate work in economics.
• B.A. requirements: ECON 108, 207, 209 and 232; five ECON electives (two from a designated list including labor, public economics, international trade, behavioral and development economics); and two courses in the same allied field at the 200 level or above (computer science, data science, environmental studies, health policy, history, mathematics, political science, psychology, statistics, undergraduate business, and others).
• B.S. in Economics: ECON 108, 207, 209, 230 and 231W Econometrics; five electives (two from a designated list including advanced macroeconomics, game theory and big data in economics), one of them for W (writing) credit; and the same two allied-field courses.
• B.S. in Financial Economics: ECON 108, 207, 209, 230 and 231W; the finance-accounting core of FIN 205, FIN 206, ACC 201 and ECON 211; three economics electives (one from a designated list, one taken for W credit); and two allied-field electives, which may come from different fields (accounting, finance, data and computer science, math and statistics, political science and others).
• Shared rules: ECON 108 cannot be taken after 207; students complete two W courses from the department (normally one is ECON 231W); economics courses cannot be taken pass/fail; ECON 394 (Internship) and ECON 230 cannot count as electives.
• Credit for exams: AP gives credit for ECON 108 with a 4 or higher in microeconomics and a 3 or higher in macroeconomics; passing the Cambridge International A-level in economics gives ECON 108 credit; an IB Economics grade of 4 places you into ECON 207 without 108 credit, and 5 or more gives 108 credit and placement into 207. For statistics, ECON 230 is preferred but STAT 190, MATH 203 or DSCC 262 may substitute; students with AP, transfer or STAT 211/212 credit can take a placement exam for STAT 190. The department page does not say which calculus course AP Calculus replaces.

3. Honors, research and internships

• Graduation honors: distinction requires at least a 3.5 GPA in economics; high and highest distinction need 3.65 and 3.85 plus a significant research paper; generally about 20 percent of graduates earn some level of distinction. There is also graduation with honors (extra coursework, honors-designated courses and a Senior Seminar paper), the honor society Omicron Delta Epsilon, and a Citation of Special Achievement (3.3 GPA in economics plus one extra elective).
• Research: independent study (ECO 391, after the core courses), the Senior Seminar (ECO 389, a major paper of about 30-40 pages) or a research assistantship with a faculty member. A limited number of students serve as teaching assistants, and up to four TA credits can count toward the major.
• Internships: credit internships (ECO 394) must be unpaid, first-year students cannot take them for credit, and they do not count as electives; most professors give pass/fail credit.

4. Deadlines and application materials

• Early Decision I (binding): 1 November, decisions in mid-December. Early Decision II (binding): 5 January, decisions in early February. Regular Decision: 5 January, decisions by 1 April, reply by 1 May. Priority scholarship deadline: 1 December for all materials; the university describes it as a way to maximize merit scholarship chances without the binding commitment of Early Decision.
• Apply through the Common App or the Coalition application; the fee is $50 (waivers available). Required: one teacher recommendation (up to three allowed), the school report and counselor recommendation, the school transcript (grades 9 through 11), a mid-year report and the Rochester supplement (250-word essay). An interview is “highly recommended,” and a family or peer recommendation is optional.
• Materials other than the Common App may arrive later: December 1 for ED I, February 1 for ED II and February 15 for RD.

5. Testing

• Test optional: applicants who omit tests are not at a disadvantage. At application, you choose test-optional or test-flexible. Test-flexible can mean the SAT (no essay needed), the ACT, or two or more results from AP, IB, A-level, SAT Subject tests or many other national secondary exams. Scores can be self-reported, with official scores required after enrollment.
• If you say you prefer not to submit scores, they are not used even if they are on file; if you chose to include them, you can switch to test-optional until the application deadline.

6. US domestic applicants

• Undergraduate tuition is charged at a flat rate for all full-time students, and the pages I read do not distinguish in-state and out-of-state applicants. US citizens and eligible non-citizens applying for aid submit the FAFSA and the CSS Profile.
• The university says it meets 100 percent of the demonstrated need of admitted students, and every applicant is considered for merit scholarships.

7. International applicants (including China)

• English tests: if your native language is not English and you attended school in a non-native-English country, submit the Duolingo English Test, IELTS or TOEFL. Recommended scores: Duolingo 130, IELTS 7.5, TOEFL 100 (former scoring) or 5 (new scoring). Scores outside these ranges are still encouraged to apply, and some students are admitted through the two-semester English for Academic Purposes Program (EAPP), which applicants cannot apply to directly. Sub-scores from different sittings are not combined and TOEFL MyBest is not accepted.
• Waivers: English is your native language; at least three years at a high school where English was the primary language of instruction; or, for transfers, a year or more of college courses taught in the US including a writing-intensive course.
• Financial documents: applicants who do not need need-based aid submit the International Financial Support Form (IFSF), and the application is incomplete without it; those who need aid submit the CSS Profile (available from October 1). The university says only a small number of international applicants qualify for need-based aid, that applicants unable to secure funding cannot be admitted, and that admission is highly selective for students with financial need. The same page also says it is committed to meeting full demonstrated need regardless of citizenship. These statements coexist; confirm with international admissions. All applicants are considered for merit scholarships.
• The university says its students come from more than 130 countries.

8. Applicants from China

• Gaokao: the testing-policy page lists the Chinese National Higher Education Entrance Examination (Gao Kao) among accepted national secondary exams and says a score verification report can be requested through CHESICC. So Gaokao results can be part of a test-flexible application; the page states no score requirement or conversion.
• Apart from a note that applicants can follow the university on WeChat, I found no other China-specific instructions; transcript and exam documents follow the general international rules. Contact international admissions (international@ur.rochester.edu) for specifics.

9. Costs

• 2026-27 (US$, residential students): tuition 71,750, mandatory fees 1,622, housing 12,822, food 8,506, transportation 300 and personal expenses 1,022, for a total of 96,022. The page notes that the transportation figure is standard, with higher allowances for international students and most out-of-state residents. No separate economics fee is listed.

10. Transfer students

• How to apply: apply through the Common App; over 100 transfer students enroll each year. Required: all college transcripts, a final high school transcript (waivable if you have completed at least a year of full-time college work), one academic recommendation and financial documents; an interview is strongly recommended.
• Deadlines: fall entry 15 March (priority), reviewed on a rolling basis; spring entry 15 October. Supplemental materials are due by 15 June (fall) or 1 December (spring).
• Transfer credit toward economics (economics department): students who entered as first-years can transfer at most one core course and two electives; students transferring in with sophomore status can transfer up to three courses; those transferring in as juniors or above must take at least five economics courses at Rochester. Outside economics electives need a principles-of-economics prerequisite; credit for ECON 108 requires a course that covers both micro and macro; online courses from other universities are not accepted. Transfer applicants applying for aid submit the CSS Profile (the page says Rochester is need-aware for them), and aid for international transfers is very limited.
• International transfers: if your college studies were outside the US, a course-by-course evaluation from WES or ECE is required.

Checklist

US domestic applicants:

• Apply by 1 November (ED I) or 5 January (ED II, RD) through the Common App or Coalition; send everything by 1 December for the highest scholarship consideration
• After enrolling: take ECON 108, 207, 209, statistics and one semester of calculus, with a C or better in three of them, before declaring

International applicants (including China):

• English: Duolingo 130, IELTS 7.5 or TOEFL 5 (100 old) or a waiver
• Submit the IFSF or the CSS Profile; Gaokao results can be sent as a test-flexible submission with a CHESICC report
• Be ready for about $96,022 a year; need-based aid for international students is very limited

Transfer students:

• Fall 15 March, spring 15 October; take principles of economics (micro and macro) and calculus
• Transfer credit for core courses is limited, and junior-status transfers must take at least five economics courses at Rochester

Sources: University of Rochester, Economics undergraduate program; Major requirements; Minor and clusters; Honors and awards; Internships and research; The Rochester Curriculum; Dates and deadlines; First-year applicants; International applicants; Testing policies; Transfer students; 2026-27 tuition and expenses. The dates page prints no year, so check that it applies to fall 2027 entry (the major requirements page also links the requirements “prior to Fall 2026,” so the current ones are newer). Costs are 2026-27 figures. Check the University of Rochester for the latest details.