How to Apply to Economics at Case Western Reserve: A BA Offered by the Weatherhead School of Management, Entered by Applying to the University and Declaring a Major by the End of the Second Semester, for U.S., International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Applicants

Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) in Cleveland, Ohio offers economics as a Bachelor of Arts in Economics, taught through the Weatherhead School of Management, which lists seven undergraduate majors. The university follows a “single-door” admission policy, so you do not apply to a school. This guide covers fall 2027 entry for U.S., international (including Chinese) and transfer applicants, based on CWRU’s official pages. The site has a separate CWRU business guide, so only the economics-related parts are covered here.

1. What the programs are

• Economics BA (standard major): only a BA is listed, not a BS. The bulletin says students learn to analyze an economy using mathematical models and empirical data analysis in statistical software, R or Python, may assist Weatherhead faculty with research or do independent projects, and may take part in the Practicum Program. The standard major takes at least 38 credit hours (at least 12 courses).
• Quantitative Methods concentration: three more courses than the standard major, for 15 courses and at least 48 credit hours: 10 to 11 economics courses and 4 to 5 non-economics quantitative courses, with a required economics capstone. Both the bulletin and the Weatherhead page call it STEM-designated.
• The STEM wording is not fully consistent: Weatherhead’s undergraduate page labels the whole Economics program “STEM-designated BA,” while the bulletin and the economics page apply the STEM designation to the Quantitative Methods concentration. Ask the department or the international office whether the standard major also counts.
• Minor: a 15-credit economics minor. Economics can also be a secondary major through the Academic Representative for Economics, and secondary majors do not need to satisfy the school-specific requirements.
• Honors: the Economics Honors Program is a two-semester sequence (ECON 397 and 398) ending in an honors thesis. An A in ECON 398 makes you eligible to graduate with honors; you also need B or higher in ECON 326 and 327 and a 3.5 GPA in economics courses. Contact the faculty member the page names.
• Related programs: Weatherhead’s business management, finance and accounting majors are covered in this site’s business guide.

2. How admission works: no school at application, a major declared after enrolling

• Single door: Weatherhead’s admission page says the single-door policy lets you explore and combine interests across business, technology, the humanities and the arts. You apply through the Common App or Coalition App, with no separate application to Weatherhead.
• When you declare (undergraduate policies): fall entrants may begin declaring on October 1 and must declare in their second semester (by March 1 for fall entrants, October 1 for spring entrants) or a registration hold is placed. You can change later. A declaration counts only after the form is signed by you, your advisor and the academic representative for the major, and recorded.
• Entry standard for economics: the bulletin and Weatherhead pages read here state no GPA, course-grade or cap requirement for the economics major. That is not published in what we read, so ask the Academic Representative for Economics.
• Required courses: MATH 121 or MATH 125 (calculus); ECON 102 and 103 (principles); ECON 307 (intermediate macro); ECON 308 or ECON 309 (intermediate micro, the latter calculus-based); ECON 326 (Econometrics, 4 credits, ideally by junior year); one statistics course (ANTH 319, OPRE 207, SOCI 307, STAT 201, STAT 301 with 302, or STAT 312); and at least five more economics courses at the 200 or 300 level (15 credits; ECON 398 excluded).
• Capstone: the standard major has no economics-specific capstone, but every student completes a capstone under the general education requirements, and the department offers ECON 398, 395 or 399 for it. The Quantitative Methods concentration requires ECON 395 or 398.
• Quantitative Methods concentration: the core above plus MATH 122 or 126 (Calculus II), three of ECON 216, 327, 329, 332, 364 and 380, and nine credits of electives.

3. Prerequisites

• High school units (all applicants): English 4 years, math 3, science 3 (2 with a lab), social studies 3 and foreign language 2. CWRU suggests an extra year of math and lab science for engineering and sciences, and extra social studies and foreign language if you lean toward the liberal arts. No separate economics prerequisite is listed.
• Review: admission is holistic with “no minimum GPA or test score,” and transcripts are read against your school’s own curriculum.
• College math: the major needs MATH 121 (calculus for science and engineering I) or MATH 125 (math and calculus applications for life, managerial and social sciences I). The bulletin advises anyone considering more math (such as MATH 201 or 223) to take MATH 121 and 122. A math placement exam is not described in the pages read here, so check with the department.

4. AP and IB credit

The bulletin publishes 2026-27 tables. Credit is given only for exams taken before enrolling and normally posts in the first semester. Rows relevant to economics:

• AP Macroeconomics, 4 or 5: 3 credit hours, ECON 103. AP Microeconomics, 4 or 5: 3 credit hours, ECON 102.
• IB Economics (Higher Level), 5, 6 or 7: 6 credit hours, ECON 102 and 103.
• AP Calculus AB, 5: 4 credit hours, MATH 121 (which satisfies either MATH 121 or 125). Calculus BC: AB subscore of 5 earns MATH 121, and a BC score of 5 earns MATH 121 and 122. AP Precalculus earns no credit.
• IB Mathematics HL, 5, 6 or 7: 7 credit hours, MATH 121 and MATH 100-TR.
• AP Statistics, 5: 3 credit hours, STAT 201, one of the statistics options for the major.
• A-Level: the AP and IB tables read here do not list A-Level, so ask the Undergraduate Advising Support Office or admissions.

5. Rounds, deadlines and materials

• Early Action (non-binding): November 1; aid documents November 15; notification about December 19; deposit by May 1.
• Early Decision I (binding): November 1; aid documents November 15; notification about December 5; enroll by December 12.
• Early Decision II (binding): January 15; aid documents January 22; notification about February 6; enroll within one week of admission.
• Regular Decision: January 15; aid documents February 1; notification about March 20; deposit by May 1.
• Spring entry: November 15; the Pre-Professional Scholars Program closes December 1.
• The pages print no year, so confirm they apply to fall 2027 entry.
• How to apply: the Common App or Coalition App with Scoir. Required: an essay, the official high school transcript, the school report, a counselor recommendation, two teacher recommendations and a $75 fee (waivers available).
• Test optional: no SAT or ACT is required for any of the 100-plus undergraduate programs. You choose when you apply whether to send scores and can change your mind until two weeks before your decision release date; self-reported scores are accepted until you enroll.

6. By reader

U.S. applicants

• The pages read here do not split tuition by in-state or out-of-state residence and do not describe in-state preference; the scholarships page does list an Austin E. Knowlton scholarship for students from Ohio and several for Cleveland-area students. Further detail is not published in what we read.
• All first-year applicants are automatically considered for merit scholarships; U.S. citizens and permanent residents who meet the criteria are automatically considered for awards such as the University Scholarship. Scholarship competitions, including full-tuition awards, need extra essays and a February 15 deadline.
• Need-based aid: U.S. citizens and permanent residents submit the FAFSA (code 003137) and the CSS Profile (code 1105). CWRU says it meets 100% of demonstrated need for admitted students.

International applicants

• International applicants follow the same deadlines and process. About 20% of undergraduates are citizens of other countries, and the page says the student community comes from more than 100 countries. Academic records and recommendations not in English need English translations.
• English proficiency: required if English is not your first language. Accepted: Duolingo 115, IELTS 7, PTE Academic 61, and TOEFL iBT 4.5 (for tests on or after January 21, 2026; for earlier tests the minimum is 90 internet-based or 577 paper-based). Automatic waivers: two years at a school where English is the language of instruction by graduation, an SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing score of 630 or higher, or an ACT English score of 26 or higher.
• Aid: non-U.S. residents seeking need-based aid submit the CSS Profile only (code 1105). The international page says aid is available and more than 80% of students receive some assistance, and international students can enter scholarship competitions unless noted. It also says undergraduates are automatically evaluated for several scholarships, while the scholarships page ties its automatic list to U.S. citizens and permanent residents; ask admissions which apply to you.
• The pages read here do not say whether admission for international applicants is need-aware or need-blind. That is not published in what we read, so ask admissions.

Applicants from China

• CWRU does not publish separate requirements for applicants from China or describe how the Gaokao is used. The international page only says to follow the first-year, transfer or 3/2 Engineering process, with the same deadlines.
• It requires English translations for records and recommendations not in English; the format required for Chinese school transcripts and exam records is not published in what we read, so ask admissions.
• Testing is optional; English requirements are above.

7. Costs and scholarships

• 2026-27 cost (US$, residential): tuition 71,410, housing 11,688, meal plan 8,600, fees 696, matriculation fee 760, books 1,200 and personal expenses 1,350, for a total of 95,704 (commuter 80,364). CWRU adds a transportation allowance of up to $2,000 based on home state, and the rest of transportation is variable. Nursing programs carry an extra $1,450; no economics-specific fee appears on the page.
• CWRU says most students do not pay the full published cost because merit scholarships and need-based grants can reduce it significantly.

8. Internships and research

• Economics students can assist Weatherhead faculty with research, do independent research projects, and take part in the Practicum Program.
• Weatherhead’s undergraduate page says students gain management experience from the first year through projects with major employers and can use the school’s four innovation centers.
• The bulletin lists typical graduate paths: business, data analytics, finance, management and economic consulting, public policy analysis, public administration and law. No placement statistics are published on the pages read here, so none are quoted.

9. Transfer

• External transfer: anyone who has taken college courses after finishing high school, with or without credit, is a transfer student. For fall entry, the Early Plan closes March 15 (aid documents April 1, notifications from April 1, deposit June 1) and the Regular Plan closes July 1 (decisions within two weeks of a complete application). Spring entry closes November 15, with later applications considered if space remains.
• Materials: the Common App or Coalition App; transcripts from every college attended; a recommendation from a college instructor; the $75 fee; a Transfer College Report showing good standing; the official high school transcript (waived in some cases); optional test scores. No minimum GPA is stated on the page read here, so ask admissions.
• Credit: evaluated after admission and receipt of the final transcript, with credit for comparable courses completed with a C or better at an accredited institution. A degree needs at least 60 credit hours earned at CWRU, including at least 15 earned after reaching 105 total credit hours.
• Declaring a major: transfer students can begin declaring at the start of their first semester. Conditions for entering economics are not listed separately.
• Scholarships: transfers are automatically considered for merit scholarships; the Phi Theta Kappa Scholarship is $25,000 a year for community college transfers. Transfer students who apply for need-based aid are fully considered for grants, loans and work-study.
• International transfer students: the same English proficiency requirement as first-year applicants.

Checklist

U.S. applicants:

• Apply to CWRU as a whole (no school choice); take English 4, math 3, science 3, social studies 3 and foreign language 2; EA or ED I on November 1, ED II or Regular Decision on January 15
• Declare a major by the end of the second semester; for aid, file the FAFSA and CSS Profile

International applicants (including China):

• Same deadlines; English scores unless waived; the CSS Profile if you need aid
• China: how the Gaokao is used is not published, so ask admissions

Transfer applicants:

• Early Plan for fall closes March 15; a college instructor recommendation is needed; grades of C or better transfer; at least 60 credit hours must be earned at CWRU

Sources: Case Western Reserve University, Bulletin: Economics, BA; Bulletin: Economics department; Bulletin: Economics minor; Weatherhead: Economics major; Weatherhead: undergraduate programs; Weatherhead: undergraduate admission; AP/IB credit equivalencies (2026-27); Undergraduate academic policies; Deadlines and requirements; Test policy; First-year applicants; International applicants; Transfer applicants; Tuition and costs (2026-27); Scholarships. The deadline pages print no year, so confirm the dates are for fall 2027 entry; costs are 2026-27. Check Case Western Reserve for the latest details.