How to Apply to Dartmouth College for Life Sciences and Pre-Med Study: Admitted Without a Major, Biology and Neuroscience Majors, Testing Required, and How Local, International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Applicants Are Treated

Dartmouth College is in Hanover, New Hampshire. Its areas-of-study list puts the life sciences under “Physical & Life Sciences”, Neuroscience under “Social Sciences” and Biomedical Engineering Sciences under “Engineering”. The U.S. has no pre-med major; pre-health advising sits with the Health Professions Program (HPP). Below are the points for fall 2027 entry for U.S. applicants, international applicants and applicants from China, then transfer students.

1. Which majors fit

• Biological Sciences, offered by the Biology department, with a “modified major” and a minor.
• Neuroscience, run by Psychological and Brain Sciences (PBS): 6 prerequisites, 4 core courses, 4 electives and 1 culminating experience.
• Related majors in the official list include Psychological and Brain Sciences, Cognitive Science, Chemistry and Environmental Studies. Biomedical Engineering Sciences sits under Engineering and is only mentioned here.
• The lists we read show no nursing, public health, nutrition or kinesiology undergraduate major. Whether a major counts as STEM and what the degree is called were not stated on the pages we read; ask admissions (the address listed on the Apply page is apply@dartmouth.edu).
• Combined BS/MD-type programs for high school applicants: not mentioned on the pages we read. The HPP page describes a Geisel School of Medicine early-assurance program, but it is for Dartmouth juniors (section 3).

2. How admission works: no major at entry

• Dartmouth says students are admitted without a major designation. You do not pick a major when applying; everyone uses the same Common App.
• When and how you declare a major was not described on the pages we read (the Biology page points to the Registrar’s DartWorks declaration page); check with the Registrar or the department.
• Biology major (Biology department page): prerequisites are CHEM 5 or CHEM 11 plus one quantitative course (BIOL 10, COSC 1, ENGS 20, EARS 17, QSS 15, or MATH 8 or above; MATH 10 or equivalent satisfies it); three foundation courses chosen from BIOL 12 (Cell Structure and Function), 13 (Gene Expression and Inheritance), 14 (Physiology), 15 (Genetic Variation and Evolution) and 16 (Ecology), in any order; then seven courses in an “area of concentration” (BIOL 09–97, two numbered 50 or above). All prerequisites must be passed to graduate.
• Entry courses: BIOL 09 (about 20 students, discovery-based research) and BIOL 11 (topic-based introduction; only one offering counts) can each be a first biology course and count toward the major if taken in the first year.
• Areas of concentration suggested: Human Biology, Cell and Molecular Biology, Ecology and Evolution, Neuroscience, or a self-designed Integrative Biology. The lists are suggestions, not limits; up to two suitable advanced courses from other departments may be included.
• Modified major: same prerequisites and foundation courses, with five advanced Biology courses and four advanced courses from another department.
• Neuroscience major: six prerequisites (PSYC 6; PSYC 10 or BIOL 29 for statistics; four more from chemistry/physics and math/computer-science lists, at least one from each for the class of 2024 and later), four core courses (PSYC 38 Cognitive Neuroscience, PSYC 37 Behavioral Neuroscience, PSYC 36 Systems Neuroscience with lab, and PSYC 35 or BIOL 12 plus 13), four electives (two at the 40s level or higher) and a culminating experience (research PSYC 90/91/93, BIOL 74, or a PSYC 80s seminar). PSYC 6 needs a C or better; core and elective courses cannot be taken NRO. For the class of 2026 and later the Neuroscience major cannot be modified.
• Entry requirements (GPA, caps): not stated on the Biology or Neuroscience pages we read.
• Internal transfer between majors: not described separately on the pages we read.

3. The pre-med route

• HPP is the college’s pre-health advising program for undergraduates and alumni (medical, dental, veterinary, nursing and others), offering one-on-one advising and help with course selection and planning.
• Prerequisites HPP lists (medical, osteopathic and dental schools): English/writing, 2 terms; math, 2 terms (1 calculus, 1 statistics); biology, 2 terms with labs (3 recommended for the MCAT); general chemistry, 2 terms with labs; organic chemistry, 2 terms with labs; biochemistry, 1 term; physics, 2 terms with labs; and 1 term each of psychology and sociology for MCAT preparation. Texas medical schools differ and veterinary schools add two biology courses.
• HPP says a Dartmouth course with lab equals about 4.5 semester credits, so two biology foundation courses give 9 credits; that meets the baseline at most schools but not the 14 biology credits Texas requires.
• Medical school admission rates: the admissions “alumni outcomes” page says only that graduates’ admission rate to law and medical schools is “consistently well above the national average”, with no numbers; HPP pages we read give no statistics.
• International students: HPP says applying to U.S. medical schools has unique challenges for international students, that some 55 U.S. medical schools accept international applicants, and links to AAMC guidance; non-citizen students are urged to talk to a pre-health advisor.
• Geisel Early Assurance Program: for Dartmouth juniors, up to five students a year, with at least a 3.5 overall and 3.5 math/science GPA by the end of the sophomore summer. Whether international students may apply is not stated on the page we read.

4. High school preparation

• Dartmouth expects the most demanding curriculum your school offers; in U.S.-style schools, five “major” subjects through senior year. There are no major-specific required courses, but there are recommendations for students planning STEM:
  • English: 4 years, with writing-intensive literature preferred;
  • Mathematics: 4 years, through calculus for engineering and STEM;
  • History and social science: 3 years;
  • Laboratory science: 3 years, 4 including physics for those considering engineering;
  • Foreign language: 3 years of one language, 4 preferred.
• AP / IB credit: credit on entrance is granted for AP or IB examinations and often used for exemption and placement. It appears on the transcript but does not count toward the 35 credits required to graduate. Details are with the Registrar.
• First- and second-year sequence: see section 2; Biology offers BIOL 09 and BIOL 11 as entry points.
• Extra math or chemistry placement rules for Gaokao or A-Level students: not stated on the pages we read.

5. Rounds, deadlines and materials

• Platform: Common App for all first-year applicants, including those from schools abroad; applications open 1 August.
• Binding Early Decision: due 1 November, decisions in mid-December, reply in late December.
• Regular Decision: the Apply page says 1 January; another passage on the same page says 2 January. The site contradicts itself, so go by the date shown in the Common App. Decisions in late March or early April; reply by 1 May.
• Fee: $85, non-refundable; a waiver is available for hardship.
• Materials: Common App, the Dartmouth Writing Supplement, Secondary School Report with transcript, school profile and counselor evaluation, two teacher evaluations, and SAT/ACT or an accepted equivalent. A peer recommendation is recommended and an art portfolio optional; alumni interviews are optional and not everyone is contacted.
• Testing: Dartmouth reactivated its testing requirement beginning with the Class of 2029. Applicants from U.S. high schools must submit the SAT or ACT, with scores superscored and no preference between them.
• Minimum GPA: none; review is holistic. Explain dips in the “Additional Information” section of the Common App.

6. U.S. applicants

• Cost: the 2026-27 page lists one tuition figure with no in-state/out-of-state split: tuition $71,697, fees $2,426, housing $13,032, food $8,746, books and supplies $1,005, miscellaneous $2,040, total $98,946 (includes a $519 first-year orientation fee). The group health plan is $5,216 (students on need-based aid receive at least half in extra scholarship); a computer meeting requirements is needed (the college package is $1,700). No extra fee for life-science majors was shown; not stated on the pages we read.
• Aid: U.S. citizens and permanent residents file the FAFSA (code 002573) and the CSS Profile (code 3351); aid deadlines are 1 November (ED), 1 February (RD) and 1 March (transfer). Dartmouth says it meets 100% of demonstrated need.
• Testing: SAT or ACT for U.S. high school graduates. Any home-state preference: not described on the pages we read.

7. International applicants

• Who counts as international: all non-U.S. citizens except U.S. permanent residents, eligible non-citizens and undocumented students in the U.S.
• Review: the same holistic review as others, read in the context of the home curriculum, extracurricular availability and access to testing.
• Need-blind: Dartmouth is need-blind for all applicants, including international. The admissions “universal need-blind policy” page carries a January 2022 letter from the dean extending the policy to all non-U.S. citizens and mentioning two 2022 aid policies (no parent contribution at income and typical assets of $65,000 or less; full-tuition scholarship without loans at $125,000 or less). That letter is from 2022, so confirm current terms with the Financial Aid Office.
• Testing (schools outside the U.S.): choose one of five: (1) SAT or ACT; (2) three different AP exams (spread across areas, at least one math or science and one history, social science or English); (3) predicted or final IB Diploma results on the 1–7 scale (predictions submitted by a school official); (4) predicted or final A-Level results (at least three exams encouraged); (5) final results of an equivalent standardized national exam (examples given: WASSCE, CAPE, French Baccalaureate, CBSE, ICSE, KCSE), final results only and not school-based exams; if your national results arrive after February, choose another option.
• English: required if English is not your first language and your curriculum has not been taught in English for at least two years; accepted are TOEFL, IELTS, Duolingo and Cambridge English. There is no minimum; most successful applicants score above 7 on IELTS, above 135 on Duolingo and above 185 on Cambridge English, and above 100 on TOEFL taken before 21 January 2026 or 5 or above on TOEFL taken from that date. TOEFL iBT Special Home Edition and IELTS Indicator are accepted; TOEFL MyBest and TOEFL Essentials are not. An InitialView interview is not required but can be submitted.
• Transcripts: if high school in your country is three years long, include final-year middle-school grades if possible; if not available, the high school report alone is accepted.
• Aid: international applicants use the CSS Profile (code 3351); if the Profile fee is a serious hardship, the International Student Financial Aid Application (ISFAA) is considered equivalent. Parents’ 2025 tax documents must be in English (you may translate them yourself) and kept in home currency.
• Visa: after admission, the Office of Visa and Immigration Services sends an introductory email in early April about F-1 sponsorship.
• Limits on international students in lab or clinical placements: Dartmouth has no undergraduate nursing major, and lab or clinical limits are not stated on the pages we read.

8. Applicants from China

• Gaokao: Dartmouth’s pages do not say whether the Gaokao counts as a “standardized national exam”. It is not among the examples given for option five, so whether it can be used, or whether you also need the SAT/ACT, is not stated; ask admissions (apply@dartmouth.edu).
• Transcripts and exam records: no China-specific rule on the pages we read; see the three-year high school note in section 7. Translation requirements were not on the pages we read.
• English: see section 7; if your school’s language of instruction is not English you need an English test.
• No separate math or science expectations for Chinese applicants are given.

9. Transfer students

• Eligibility: only students with two years or fewer of college coursework; those with a bachelor’s degree are not eligible; students whose college courses counted toward high school graduation apply as first-years.
• Deadline: 1 March for the application (fee or waiver and aid materials the same day); decisions in mid-May, reply in late May. The 2027 application opens in January 2027. Transfers do not use the Common App; Dartmouth’s own transfer application is used, with a $90 fee.
• Materials: application with essays, final secondary school report, college report and transcript (final grades in May/June), two college instructor evaluations; course syllabi strongly recommended; no interviews. “Standardized testing” is listed as a transfer component; its details were not on the pages we read.
• GPA: no minimum; most admitted transfers have 3.7 or above.
• Credit: online and community college courses are “not typically transferable”; credits from other four-year universities are reviewed case by case (up to four for entering first-years). Biology asks for a detailed syllabus and the Registrar’s form, with at least two weeks for review; PBS (including Neuroscience) allows at most two of the eight required courses elsewhere, with prior approval, and not for upper-level requirements.
• Course requirements for transferring into Biology or Neuroscience: not stated on the pages we read; ask the department.

Checklist

U.S. applicants:

• No major at entry; ED 1 November, RD 1 January (another page says 2 January); SAT/ACT required
• Biology: CHEM 5 or 11 plus a quantitative course, three foundation courses and seven concentration courses; pre-med prerequisites on the HPP page

International applicants (including China):

• One of five testing routes; no English minimum, most successful applicants above IELTS 7; CSS Profile for aid, admission is need-blind
• Ask admissions how the Gaokao is treated; add final-year middle-school grades if your high school is three years long

Transfer students:

• Apply by 1 March with Dartmouth’s own transfer application; two years or fewer of college work; most admitted have a 3.7 GPA or above

Sources: Dartmouth College, Areas of study; Biology: major and minor; Biology: areas of concentration; Biology: independent study and honors; Biology: transfer credits; Neuroscience major; PBS: transfer and AP credit; Health Professions Program; Pre-health prerequisites; Pre-health: international students; Geisel Early Assurance Program; Apply; Testing policy; High school courses; AP/IB credit; Minimum GPA; English proficiency; Three-year high schools; Who is international; International students; Visa information; Application fee; 2026-27 cost of attendance; Applying for aid; Universal need-blind policy; College courses taken earlier; Transfer GPA; Alumni outcomes. Dates on the Apply page carry no year, so check that they are for fall 2027 entry; costs are 2026-27 figures. Check Dartmouth’s website for the latest.