How to Apply to Economics at Villanova: A Major in Both the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (BA) and the Villanova School of Business, Entered by Choosing a College at Application and Declaring the Major Later, for U.S., International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Applicants

Villanova University in Pennsylvania teaches economics in two colleges: the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS) and the Villanova School of Business (VSB). Villanova says the required courses for the major and minor differ slightly by college. You must choose a college or major when you apply, and there is no undecided option. This guide covers fall 2027 entry for U.S., international (including Chinese) and transfer applicants, based on Villanova’s official pages. This site has a separate business guide, so only the economics-related parts are covered here.

1. What the programs are

• CLAS: B.A. in Economics. The department describes the major as promoting quantitative thinking while building written and verbal communication, so you can examine how economic factors affect participants in the private and public sectors. Only a BA is listed, not a BS. CLAS’s detailed course requirements are on a third-party hosted catalog that this guide did not read, so check Villanova’s course catalog.
• VSB: Economics major. VSB awards the Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA), and Economics is one of its majors, with a minor also available. VSB’s majors page marks Economics with an asterisk, meaning it has concentration options.
• VSB concentrations: International, Public Policy and Quantitative Business, open only to Economics majors.
• Minors: both colleges offer an economics minor. VSB’s page says the minor takes, besides the core, business curriculum and your major requirements, two required economics courses plus one course numbered ECO 3000 or higher (excluding ECO 3108, 3120 and 3130).
• Honors: every first-year applicant is considered for the University Honors Program, with selected students notified by the end of March. The department mentions an honors thesis in student profiles, but the economics pages read here do not describe how to enter a departmental honors track, so ask the department.
• STEM designation: the pages read here do not say whether Villanova’s economics programs are STEM-designated. That is not published in what we read, so ask the department or the international student office.
• Related programs: VSB’s other majors are covered in this site’s business guide.

2. How admission works: choose the college first, the major comes later

• Economics through CLAS: Villanova says the only option for applicants interested in the liberal arts is Exploratory Arts. Enrolled students then declare a major, including Economics, by the end of the second year. The pages read here do not state a GPA or course-grade threshold for entering the CLAS economics major, nor a cap on places, so ask the economics department.
• Economics through VSB: business applicants apply generally to VSB and select a major in sophomore year. VSB students start the business core in their first year and continue it in sophomore year, and a major takes six courses beyond the core.
• VSB economics requirements: the core and business curriculum, three required economics courses and three courses numbered ECO 3000 or higher (excluding ECO 3108, 3120 and 3130). The three required courses are not named in the pages read here, because the catalog is on a third-party site.
• Economics in the VSB core: the Class of 2030 sequence lists ECO 1001 (Intro to Micro), ECO 1002 (Intro to Macro), MAT 1500 (Calculus I, 4 credits) and STAT 1430 (Business Statistics, 4 credits) in the first year, and ECO 3108 (Global Political Economy) in the third year. Villanova calls it a suggested sequence that can be adjusted. A Class of 2031 sequence was not listed on the pages read here, so check the VSB curriculum page for your class year.
• Internal transfer into VSB: open to first-year students in CLAS, Engineering and Nursing, in the spring of their first year. See section 9.

3. Prerequisites

• VSB: admissions says four years of high school math are required, including calculus if your school offers it. Most successful applicants take at least one year of calculus (beyond pre-calculus) before the end of 12th grade, and if you can take only one, Villanova advises calculus over statistics, even AP Statistics.
• CLAS: Villanova only says the strength of your curriculum matters and that it likes to see you challenge yourself; for science applicants it recommends the most rigorous math and science. It lists no separate high school prerequisite for economics.
• High school economics: neither college’s admissions section requires it.
• Math placement: the pages read here do not describe an entry math placement exam. That is not published in what we read.

4. AP, IB and A-Level credit

VSB publishes credit tables by class year. The newest one read is labeled “2026-2027” and is the Class of 2030 table; a Class of 2031 table was not listed on the pages read here, so check the VSB curriculum page for the one that matches your entry year. CLAS’s table sits on a third-party hosted catalog and was not read. These rows in the Class of 2030 table concern economics:

• AP Microeconomics, score 5: ECO 1001. AP Macroeconomics, score 5: ECO 1002.
• IB Economics (Higher Level only), score 5 or above: ECO 1001 and ECO 1002.
• A-Level Economics (9708): ECO 1001 and ECO 1002; the table prints no minimum grade for this row.
• AP Calculus AB or BC, score 4: MAT 1500; BC at 4 also earns MAT 1505 (counted as a non-business elective). IB Mathematics AA or AI: a 5 gives MAT 1500, and a 6 or 7 also gives MAT 1505.
• AP Statistics, score 4: STAT 1230 (counted as a non-business or free elective, not STAT 1430 Business Statistics).

5. Rounds, deadlines and materials

• Early Action (non-binding): November 1, decision by January 20, deposit by May 1.
• Early Decision I (binding): November 1, decision by December 1.
• Early Decision II (binding): January 15, decision by February 15.
• Regular Decision: January 15, decision by April 1.
• These pages print no year, so confirm they apply to fall 2027 entry; the FAQ page says the application opens August 1 and is marked “Updated August 2026”.
• How to apply: the Common App or the Coalition App, with an $80 fee (waivers available). Required: transcripts from grade 9, the school report, one teacher recommendation (a counselor letter is optional and extra letters are not considered), an essay and Villanova’s writing supplements. There are no admission interviews, and demonstrated interest is not tracked.
• Testing: Villanova says it is test-optional through the 2026-27 admission campaign (Class of 2031); submitted SAT and ACT scores are superscored, and the school is still discussing testing beyond that. Homeschooled applicants must submit scores, but Villanova contradicts itself: the first-year page says more than one full academic year of homeschooling, and the FAQ says two or more full academic years. Ask admissions.
• Other dates: test scores reported by November 10 are considered for ED I and EA, and by January 31 for ED II and RD. The deadline to switch from EA to ED I is November 10; for deferred EA or RD applicants switching to ED II it is January 31.

6. By reader

U.S. applicants

• Admission is need-blind for U.S. citizens and permanent residents. To apply for aid, submit the FAFSA and the CSS Profile; priority dates are November 1 (EA, ED I) and January 15 (ED II, RD).
• The tuition page lists one rate for all undergraduate colleges, with no in-state and out-of-state split, and the pages read here do not mention in-state preference. That is not published in what we read, so ask admissions.
• Testing is optional. For CLAS economics you apply to Exploratory Arts first; for VSB economics you enter VSB directly.

International applicants

• Admission is need-aware. International applicants (non-U.S. citizens and non-permanent residents) may apply for limited need-based aid and be nominated for the Presidential Scholarship. Because funding is limited, a family’s ability to pay is considered at the end of the review.
• English proficiency: required, shown through Cambridge English, the Duolingo English Test, IELTS, PTE or TOEFL iBT. The pages read here publish no minimum scores. It may be waived if English is your native language and spoken at home, or if you have studied more than three consecutive years in secondary school where English is the primary language of instruction.
• Records: official documents sent by the school in the original language, with official translations when not in English; transcripts should list subjects and marks each year with a grading key and the minimum passing mark. Testing is optional for international applicants too (the FAQ says so).
• Financial documents: the Certification of Finances form and a bank statement or letter from the last three months, uploaded to the Applicant Status Page, or the application is incomplete. The I-20 is issued in the spring to enrolling students.
• Need-based aid: CSS Profile (code 2959), the Certificate of Finances with a bank letter, an employer income letter for a parent, and bank statements, all in English and US dollars. Aid renews yearly if you refile the CSS Profile by May 1, and Villanova says it cannot add funding for currency changes.

Applicants from China

• Villanova does not publish separate requirements for applicants from China or describe how the Gaokao is used. Chinese applicants follow the international rules.
• The records rule says that if you finish secondary school in a country with a national leaving examination, you must provide the official results, or predicted marks if the exam has not yet taken place. It is a general rule that does not name China or the Gaokao, so ask admissions (gotovu@villanova.edu) whether it applies to you.
• The international students page says about 50 countries are represented and gives no figure for China. Whether other Chinese school records are accepted is not published in what we read.

7. Costs and scholarships

• 2026-27 estimated cost of attendance (US$, one rate for all undergraduate colleges): tuition 72,990, student services fee 1,024, housing 10,314 (estimate), meals 9,040 (estimate), books 600, supplies 560 (first-year), personal 1,450, transportation 850 and loan fees 58, for a total of 96,886; the commuter total is 80,652. 2027-28 costs are not published on the pages read here.
• Other charges: a $300 orientation fee for new students, a $700 tuition deposit, and optional university health insurance at about $3,165 a year. Villanova says some programs may carry additional fees but does not list one for economics.
• International aid: limited need-based aid plus nomination for the Presidential Scholarship; the FAQ says applicants who do not submit test scores can still be considered for merit scholarships.

8. Internships and research

• CLAS Economics Department: the Joseph Lucia Memorial Lecture; a chapter of the economics honor society Omicron Delta Epsilon since 1967, open to juniors and seniors with at least a 3.5 overall GPA and a 3.5 in economics courses and at least four economics courses completed; undergraduate research in student-directed or faculty-led projects; presentation opportunities; the undergraduate journal Veritas; and course interns for introductory micro, macro and econometrics.
• Careers: the department lists a selection of employers that have hired economics students for full-time and internship roles, including the Federal Reserve Bank, Deloitte, KPMG, Goldman Sachs and the Bureau of Labor Statistics. It is a selection, not statistics.
• VSB: a professional academic advisor throughout, the Clay Center for academics and the O’Donnell Center for career development, and the Backpack to Briefcase (B2B) professional development series; first-year students complete the Bloomberg Markets Concepts certificate.

9. Transfer

• External transfer: transfer students apply directly to a program. Both CLAS and VSB accept transfer applications in Economics. Fall 2027: application opens December 15, closes March 15, decisions by June 1, deposit June 15, classes begin August 23. Spring entry has very few places; the spring 2027 deadline was October 15, which has passed.
• Requirements: a college GPA of at least 3.00 is strongly recommended; up to 60 credits typically transfer, with a C or better from an accredited institution; at least half of the major courses and the final 30 credits must be completed at Villanova. Credit is evaluated only after admission. Most admitted students complete a full year of college first.
• Materials: the Common App or Coalition App for transfer or Villanova’s own transfer application; $80 fee; official transcripts from every college, self-reported midterm grades, the final high school transcript, a course catalog with descriptions, a transfer conduct form and a writing supplement. Testing is optional. The transfer page’s materials list does not include a recommendation.
• No internal transfer later: Villanova says transfer students cannot request an internal transfer into a different college, major or program after they enroll.
• International transfer students: international credentials must be translated and evaluated by an accredited (NACES) service, English requirements are similar to first-year, and Villanova offers no merit or need-based aid to international transfer students.
• Internal transfer into VSB (for economics in VSB): only first-year students in CLAS, Engineering and Nursing may apply, in the spring of their first year; the window is January 15 to March 15, 2027, with decisions after spring grades in May. Competitive applicants have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.9 and an A- or better in at least one quantitative course taken at Villanova (AP credit excluded). Last year’s admits averaged a 3.95 GPA and under 25% of applicants were admitted. Suggested quantitative courses include ECO 1001, ECO 1002, MAT 1500 Calculus I and STAT 1430 Business Statistics. Students not admitted can consider the Summer Business Institute or the Academic-Year Business Minor, which is as competitive. Students who transferred in from another institution cannot use this route.

Checklist

U.S. applicants:

• Choose CLAS (apply to Exploratory Arts, declare Economics by the end of year two) or VSB (apply to VSB, choose a major in sophomore year)
• For VSB take four years of math, ideally with calculus; EA or ED I on November 1, ED II or RD on January 15; for aid file the FAFSA and CSS Profile

International applicants (including China):

• Same deadlines; English scores unless waived; Certification of Finances and a bank statement; official records with translations
• Admission is need-aware and aid is limited; file the CSS Profile by the same dates
• China: how the Gaokao is used is not published; ask admissions

Transfer applicants:

• Fall 2027 closes March 15; apply directly to Economics; a college GPA of 3.00 or higher is recommended; up to 60 credits
• No aid for international transfers; no internal transfer after enrolling

Sources: Villanova University, Economics program (Liberal Arts and Sciences); Economics major (CLAS); Economics resources and opportunities; Economics major and minor (VSB); VSB majors and minors; VSB curriculum; VSB Class of 2030 curriculum; VSB core curriculum highlights; VSB A-Level, AP and IB credit table (Class of 2030); Internal transfer to VSB; First-year applicants; Dates and deadlines; Admission FAQs; International prospective students; Transfer applicants; Aid for international students; Cost of attendance; Tuition and fees. Most pages do not print a year (the transfer page says fall 2027; the internal-transfer page says January 15 to March 15, 2027; costs are 2026-27). Check Villanova for the latest details and confirm the entry year.