How to Apply for the Economics Major at Indiana University Bloomington: Economics Sits in the College of Arts and Sciences, You Apply and Declare the Major, and There Are Four Economics Degrees, With Admission and Prerequisite Requirements for US Domestic, International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Students

At Indiana University Bloomington (IU), undergraduate economics is taught by the Department of Economics in the College of Arts and Sciences. Here is what you need to know, based on IU’s official information, for US domestic students, international students (including Chinese applicants) and transfer students. Business (the Kelley School of Business) has its own article and is not covered here.

1. Degrees and options

• Economics B.A.: at least 30 credit hours (33 with the addenda requirement). Required: Fundamentals of Economics I and II (ECON-B 251 or E 251; ECON-B 252 or E 252), Intermediate Microeconomic Theory (E 321), Intermediate Macroeconomic Theory (E 322), statistics (E 370), two advanced electives and three more electives from the same list (including game theory, international trade, labor, health, public finance, econometrics and machine learning for economic data). Addenda: finite mathematics (MATH-M 118, B 110 or S 118).
• Economics and Mathematics B.A.: an interdepartmental degree with the Department of Mathematics, at least 40 credit hours, including calculus I to III and linear algebra.
• Economics and Political Science B.A.: an interdepartmental degree with the Department of Political Science, at least 42 credit hours (48 with addenda requirements).
• Economics and Quantitative Methods B.S.: at least 36 credit hours (42-43 with addenda), with emphasis on econometrics and data analytics (for example Analysis of Big Data, Computational Macroeconomics, Advanced Econometrics); addenda include finite mathematics and Brief Survey of Calculus (MATH-M 119).
• Within these degrees: major courses need C- or higher and a major GPA of at least 2.000; the four majors cannot be combined with each other; the B.A. College requirements (CASE) include a foreign language through the second semester of the second year; see the bulletin for the B.S.
• Minors and honors: an Economics minor and an interdepartmental Economics and Political Science minor; an honors thesis (ECON-E 499) and honors versions of core courses. The Accelerated Master’s Program (AMP) uses the same courses as the M.S. and lets students count up to 9 M.S.-level credits toward both degrees, with the program director’s approval.
• STEM designation: the pages read do not say; check with the department.
• Internships and activities: the department lists employers where students have interned and mentions academic credit for internships (ASCS Q-398); clubs include the Economics Club, Omicron Delta Epsilon and Women in Economics, plus IU’s overseas study programmes.

2. How admission to economics works

• You apply to the university and begin in the College: IU’s admission paths page says that if you indicate a major within one of the listed schools you are directly admitted to that school, and the College page says most students who plan a College major are directly admitted to the College at the start of their freshman year. If you want economics, indicate a College major on your application and declare the major by meeting the economics department’s advisor. Students who start in AMES (Advising and Major Exploration Services) or another school have ways to declare or switch to a College major.
• The College says some degree programs have special entry requirements, listed in the College Bulletin. The bulletin pages for the four economics degrees do not list any extra entry requirement, and the pages read do not mention a separate economics admission line or acceptance rate.
• The pages read do not state a cap on economics places, nor guaranteed entry. The university’s class profile page may help with overall statistics.
• The bulletin pages are labeled for students on Summer 2025 to Summer 2026 requirements; check the bulletin for the year you enter.

3. Prerequisites and the first two years

• High school preparation (at least 34 semesters of college-preparatory courses): English 8; math 7, including algebra 4 and geometry 2, plus 1 semester of precalculus, trigonometry, statistics, finite math or calculus (or an alternative showing advanced math preparation); social sciences 6 (US history 2, world history 2, and 2 more in government, economics, sociology, history or similar); sciences 6 (at least 4 laboratory); world languages 4; and 3 or more additional college-preparatory semesters.
• Calculus and statistics: Intermediate Microeconomic Theory (E 321) requires Fundamentals of Economics I and one of MATH-J 113, M 119, V 119, M 211 or S 211; Statistics (E 370) requires MATH-B 110, D 117, M 118, S 118 or V 118. These are course prerequisites in the bulletin, not an entry math placement requirement; the pages read describe no admission math placement test.
• Exam credit: AP Microeconomics 4 or 5 maps to ECON-E 201 and AP Macroeconomics 4 or 5 to ECON-E 202 (a 3 gives general credit); AP Calculus AB 4 or 5 maps to MATH-M 211 and BC 4 or 5 to MATH-M 211/212; IB Economics SL 5-7 maps to ECON-E 115, and HL 5-7 to ECON-E 201/202 (6 credits). The pages read do not say whether these replace Fundamentals of Economics I and II (ECON-B/E 251 and 252); ask the department’s advisors.
• First two years: Fundamentals of Economics I and II, intermediate micro and macro, statistics, and general education; math requirements vary by degree as above.

4. Rounds and materials

• Early Action (non-binding): 1 November, with a complete application including transcript, essay and test scores (if submitted); response on 15 January. This is the date for highest admission and scholarship consideration.
• Regular Decision: 1 February, response by 15 March; applications after 1 February are considered if space remains. Reply by 1 May with a US$100 non-refundable deposit credited to the first semester.
• Apply with the Common App or Apply IU (submit only one). Essay: the Apply IU essay is 200-400 words on academic and career plans; the Common App accepts any of its prompts. The application fee amount is not stated on the pages read; check the application page. Domestic applicants can request a fee waiver; international applicants are not eligible.
• Recommendations are not required; IU accepts one counselor and one teacher letter if sent. The pages read do not describe an economics-specific essay or portfolio.
• Test-optional: SAT, ACT and CLT scores are your choice, and applicants who do not submit are fully considered. IU superscores, says classroom performance carries the greatest weight, and also says it prefers that students share scores.

5. US domestic students

• Indiana residents: students earning the Enrollment Honors Plus Seal diploma are guaranteed admission through the Indiana Resident Admissions program.
• In-state and out-of-state costs (2026-27, full-time domestic undergraduate estimates): tuition and mandatory fees US$12,142 for residents and US$42,702 for non-residents; housing and food US$14,398 for both; total cost of attendance about US$30,574 (residents) and US$62,956 (non-residents). Tuition is flat-rate for 40 credit hours across fall, spring and intersessions.
• Scholarships: all students with a complete application by 1 November are considered for IU Excellence Scholarships; some scholarships need test scores, which should arrive by 15 January.

6. International students (including Chinese applicants)

• Deadlines: the same as above for freshmen (EA 1 November, RD 1 February); completing the application by 1 February also puts qualified international students in line for merit scholarships specifically for international students, with no separate application.
• Academic records: you need the equivalent of US high school graduation, including all components and exams required; IU says its students have the equivalent of a B average or higher in secondary school. Recommendations and test scores are optional.
• English (within two years, one of): TOEFL iBT 79; IELTS 6.5; Duolingo 115; Cambridge English 176; PTE 53; SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing 560; ACT English 21; or IB HL English A at 4 or higher, A-level English first language (A, B or C), AP English at 3 or higher, or citizenship of, or three full years of secondary school in, a listed English-speaking country. Before starting classes IU also looks for a higher level of English (for example TOEFL 100 or IELTS 7.5, or college English composition credit); IU says it uses this to decide whether additional English study would help.
• Chinese applicants: the country-specific transcript page asks for the upper secondary school transcript from grades 10 and 11 in the original language, bearing the school’s original ink seal, and the upper secondary graduation certificate (毕业证书) in the original language, also with the original seal; documents not in English need a literal translation certified by the school. Admitted students bring the originals to Bloomington and submit official documents within the first four weeks of classes. The pages read do not say how Gaokao results are used or mention the Huikao; ask International Admissions.
• Funds: after admission, upload first-year financial documents (bank statements preferred) to Atlas; the Office of International Services cannot issue an immigration document without them, but they do not affect the admission decision.
• Scholarships: merit awards based on the application, plus country-specific awards; the list includes the C.V. Starr Foundation Scholarship (incoming first-year undergraduates who are citizens of China) and the Irving and Lena Lo (ILLO) Scholarship (students from China, Hong Kong and Taiwan).

7. Costs

• International undergraduate estimate (nine months, US$): tuition and mandatory fees 44,339; housing and food (double room, standard meal plan) 12,431; mandatory health insurance 1,916; books and miscellaneous 2,470; total 61,156. The page does not label the academic year of this estimate; confirm it.
• The estimate excludes summer, optional fees and course-related fees; fees can vary by program.

8. Transfer students

• Deadlines: fall 1 June, spring 1 November, summer 1 March, which are priority dates for most majors, with later applications considered if space remains. The international applicants’ page separately says to apply by 15 September for spring (January start) and 1 January for summer, without distinguishing freshmen from transfers, while its transfer section gives 1 November and 1 March, so the two statements disagree; confirm with International Admissions. The pages read do not give a separate economics transfer deadline.
• Standards: students at accredited two- or four-year colleges who meet the published standards are guaranteed admission to IU Bloomington. Indiana residents need a minimum cumulative college GPA of 2.3, non-residents 2.5; IU also looks at grade trends, the most recent term, and the breadth and depth of the college program. SAT/ACT are not used for transfers. The international transfer page also states 2.5.
• IU says admitted transfer students can then pursue the admission requirements of their preferred program. The pages read do not give prerequisites for transferring into economics (such as calculus or principles of economics); ask the economics advisors. Students with under about 26 semester hours of full-time college work must also meet freshman standards.
• The Credit Transfer Service shows how courses from another college transfer to IU.

Checklist

US domestic students:

• Apply through the Common App or Apply IU, choosing a College economics major, by 1 November (EA) or 1 February; write the essay and decide whether to send SAT/ACT/CLT
• Indiana residents: note the Honors Plus Seal guarantee; apply by 1 November for IU Excellence Scholarships

International students (including Chinese applicants):

• Same deadlines; submit grade 10 and 11 transcripts and the graduation certificate (originals with seals, certified English translations) and an English test such as IELTS 6.5, TOEFL 79 or Duolingo 115
• After admission, prepare first-year financial documents; ask International Admissions how Gaokao results are used

Transfer students:

• Apply by 1 June (fall) or 1 November (spring); cumulative GPA 2.3 or higher for Indiana residents, 2.5 or higher for non-residents
• Ask the economics advisors which calculus and economics courses to complete first

Sources: Indiana University Bloomington, Department of Economics undergraduate; Economics B.A.; Economics and Mathematics; Economics and Political Science; Economics and Quantitative Methods B.S.; Minors; Accelerated Master’s Program; Internships; College bulletin: Economics B.A.; Bulletin: Economics and Mathematics; Bulletin: Economics and Political Science; Bulletin: Economics and Quantitative Methods; College: declare or change your major; Admission paths; Freshman admission standards; Freshman deadlines; Test-optional admissions; Application FAQs; AP credit; IB credit; Cost of attendance (domestic); International deadlines; International freshman standards; English proficiency; Country-specific transcripts; Financial documentation; International cost estimate; International scholarships; Transfer applications; Transfer standards; Transfer deadlines; International transfer standards. Information is for fall 2027 entry or thereabouts (degree requirements are the 2025-26 versions the bulletin labels; costs are 2026-27 figures). Check Indiana University for the latest details.