How to Apply to Cornell University for Life Sciences and Pre-Med Study: Choosing a College First (Agriculture and Life Sciences, Arts and Sciences, Human Ecology), Biological Sciences, Nutrition and Public Health Majors, SAT/ACT Required, and How Local, International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Applicants Are Treated

Cornell University is in Ithaca, New York. Cornell has no single life-sciences college: the website says you apply directly to one college or school. The life-science and health-related majors sit mainly in three places: the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS), the College of Arts and Sciences (A&S) and the College of Human Ecology (CHE). Cornell also says it has no pre-health major; pre-med coursework can be taken in any college and any major. 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, and in which college

• Biological Sciences: run by the Office of Undergraduate Biology (OUB); students are enrolled in CALS (BS) or A&S (BA). The site says the major requirements are identical in both colleges, though each college’s own requirements make the overall programs differ. Every major must choose a concentration: the major page says “13 concentrations” and the concentrations page says “14” (an Immunology in Health & Disease concentration is new from fall 2026), so the numbers disagree.
• Other related CALS majors in the list: Animal Science, Nutritional Sciences (shared with Human Ecology), Global and Public Health Sciences (shared with Human Ecology; first-year applicants only), Food Science, Plant Sciences, Statistics and Biometry, and Biological Engineering (shared with Engineering).
• A&S: Biology & Society, Cognitive Science and Psychology (per the majors list).
• CHE: Human Biology, Health, and Society (HBHS), Nutritional Sciences, Global and Public Health Sciences and Human Development.
• Others: Biomedical Engineering is in the engineering college and Health Care Policy in the Brooks School; both are only mentioned here.
• The majors list shows no nursing degree. Whether a program is STEM is not stated on the pages we read.
• Combined programs: CALS and the College of Veterinary Medicine run a seven-year accelerated B.S./DVM program with provisional admission to veterinary medicine after the first year; whether international students can apply is not stated on the page we read. The HBHS page mentions a five-year BS/MHA with the Brooks School’s Sloan Program in Health Administration. A BS/MD-type program for high school applicants is not mentioned on the pages we read.

2. How admission works: choose a college, then see how the major is entered

• General rule: you apply directly to one college and review its unique requirements. The colleges describe it a little differently:
  • CALS: applicants apply directly to one of 20+ majors; if admitted you “jump right into your major”.
  • A&S: the A&S requirements page we read does not say whether first-year applicants name a major.
  • CHE: the first-year page says the supplemental essay should explain why you are interested in the college and your chosen major.
• The Biological Sciences “application”: OUB’s “Admission to the Biological Sciences major” page describes how students already in CAS or CALS apply: a cumulative Cornell GPA of at least 2.75; one Introductory Biology Cluster course or Evolutionary Biology and Diversity completed, plus one other course in the curriculum; grades of C or better in required courses; and the General Chemistry sequence completed before junior year. First-year CAS and CALS students declare at a spring planning meeting, applications are reviewed at the end of spring, and students are notified over the summer; a denied application can be resubmitted. The pages do not explain how this fits with CALS’s “jump right into your major”; that is not clear on the site, so ask OUB (bioadvising@cornell.edu).
• Internal transfer into Biological Sciences: the first chance is as a rising sophomore (after the second semester); applications after a single semester are denied. You need both the major application and the university’s Internal Transfer Application, with the criteria above.
• Honors: the Biological Sciences honors program (Honors in Research) takes applications in the second semester of junior year with a minimum 3.0 cumulative and science/math GPA, original research under a Cornell faculty mentor, and a thesis.
• Nutritional Sciences and Global and Public Health Sciences are offered through CALS or CHE with the same major requirements but different distribution requirements. GPHS core: Introduction to Public Health, Introduction to Global Health, Epidemiology, a preparation course and a capstone, plus at least one advanced course in each of four areas (social and behavioral health, biological aspects, environmental health, health policy and management) and a research or community experience. HBHS requires a year of introductory chemistry and biology, then organic chemistry, physiology and biochemistry, plus one term each of physics and calculus. Nutritional Sciences’ foundation includes chemistry, biology, organic chemistry, biochemistry, physiology and math.

3. The pre-med route

• HPAC says Cornell has no pre-health major and that health professional schools do not prefer a major; admissions and CALS say about one in six undergraduates intends a career in human or veterinary medicine, across seven colleges.
• The Health Professions Advising Center (HPAC) is the central pre-health resource for students and alumni (medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, physician assistant and others). It notes that many medical and dental schools do not accept AP credit for prerequisites, so taking them at Cornell keeps options open.
• Admissions’ list of medical school prerequisites: biology with lab 8 credits, inorganic chemistry with lab 8, organic chemistry with lab 8, general physics with lab 8, English composition 6; mathematics “required by some schools, recommended by others” and advanced biology “recommended by most”. Veterinary schools add biochemistry (4) and general microbiology with lab (3). HPAC also lists Cornell courses that generally satisfy them (for example BIOMG 1350, BIOG 1440/1445, BIOG 1500); check the requirements of each school you apply to.
• The site says that if you are interested in a pre-health pathway from the start, you can satisfy the prerequisites for most health professions in any Cornell college.
• Early Assurance Programs: HPAC says a small number of health professional schools (medical, dental, pharmacy, podiatry, veterinary) offer programs to apply in year 1 or 2; they are generally binding, and the page says that historically some students not admitted to EAPs have succeeded in the regular cycle.
• Medical school admission statistics: the Cornell pages we read give no rate; not published there. The HBHS and Nutritional Sciences pages list some schools graduates attended but no proportions.
• International students: the HPAC and admissions pre-health pages do not describe limits for international applicants to U.S. medical schools; ask HPAC.

4. High school preparation

• CALS: English 4 units; mathematics 4 units (pre-calculus required); science 3 units (biology and chemistry required, physics strongly recommended); one extra unit of science recommended. Calculus is required for Biological Sciences, Nutritional Sciences, Global and Public Health Sciences, Food Science, Statistics and Biometry and Biological Engineering, among others; physics is required for Atmospheric Science, Biological Engineering, Earth and Climate Sciences and Environmental Engineering. CALS says curricula differ across countries and it evaluates preparation in context, including AP, IB, GCSE/A-Level and other international programs.
• A&S: English 4 units; mathematics 3 (including pre-calculus); science 3; three units of one language; an additional unit of advanced math and science is recommended.
• CHE: unit counts are not on the pages we read. Its advice: whatever your major, take the highest level of calculus and core science (biology, chemistry and/or physics) available; elective science in place of core science “is not compelling”; ask a science or math teacher to write for natural-science-based majors.
• AP / IB / A-Level credit (Biological Sciences): Biology: AP 4 (IB HL 6) earns BIOG 1101F, 4 credits; AP 5 (A-Level A or B, IB HL 7) earns BIOG 1102F, 8 credits, but the site states plainly that AP Biology cannot be used toward the biological sciences major; it counts only toward the 120 graduation credits. Chemistry: AP 5 (A-Level B, IB HL 6 or 7) earns CHEM 2070/2071 for 4 credits, which counts toward the major; A-Level A* or A earns CHEM 2070/2071 and 2080/2081 for 8 credits. Taking CHEM 2070/2071 forfeits the AP credit.
• First- and second-year sequence: the major needs introductory biology, the chemistry sequence, physics and math. OUB says the general chemistry sequence must be finished before junior year. The course catalog site (courses.cornell.edu) blocked our access and was not used, so ask OUB for the exact sequence.

5. Rounds, deadlines and materials

• Early Decision (binding): application and fee (or waiver) due 1 November, other materials by 13 November, decisions in mid-December.
• Regular Decision (non-binding): application and fee due 2 January, other materials by 19 January, decisions in late March.
• These dates carry no year on the page, so check that they are for fall 2027 entry.
• Platform and fee: Common App; $85, waived if you meet Common App’s criteria.
• Materials: official high school transcript (listing in-progress courses; mid-year grades are required when available), school report, counselor recommendation, two teacher recommendations, the Cornell supplement with your college’s essay, and SAT/ACT. CALS and A&S do not interview.
• Testing: SAT or ACT is required for all first-year applicants. You may self-report; enrolling students submit official scores. The SAT uses the highest section scores; the ACT science section is not required. Codes: SAT 2098, ACT 2726.

6. U.S. applicants

• Cost: the cost page has three columns: endowed colleges, and New York State contract colleges for non-NY residents and for NY residents. Tuition in the tables is $73,946, $73,946 and $49,816; the other fixed items are the same (mandatory fees $1,024, housing $13,744, food $7,604, books $1,234, personal expenses $2,182), totaling $99,734, $99,734 and $75,604 (transportation extra). The page carries both “2026-27” and “2025-26” headings and we cannot tell which year the tables belong to; the page we read does not say which column applies to CALS or CHE. Check the website.
• College-specific fees: not stated on the pages we read.
• Aid: priority dates for domestic students are 15 November (ED) and 15 February (RD), per the admissions page.
• Research and labs: the site says about 70% of Biological Sciences majors take part in undergraduate research before graduating, and about 500 students earn credit for research; about 70% of CHE undergraduates take part in research. Placement and selection details are not on the pages we read.

7. International applicants

• Who counts as international: anyone without US citizenship or approved permanent residence; pending permanent residents are treated as international.
• English: you may skip it if you are a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, English is your native language, or English has been your primary language of instruction for the past four years. Otherwise submit a test; the minimums “to be most competitive” are TOEFL 100 for tests before January 2026 and 5.0 (5.5 recommended) from January 2026, IELTS 7.5, Duolingo 130, and Cambridge C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency 191. Self-reporting is accepted; enrolling students send official scores.
• Need-aware: international admission is “need-aware”, meaning interest in or need for aid is one of many factors.
• Aid: international applicants who want aid must submit the CSS Profile with the admission application (Cornell code 2098); deadlines are 1 November 2026 (ED), 2 January 2027 (RD) and 15 March 2027 (transfer). Cornell says it meets 100% of the demonstrated need of admitted international undergraduates with Cornell grants, work-study and, depending on income, reasonable loans. International students generally cannot get a CSS Profile fee waiver. Aid above tuition and mandatory fees is taxable in the U.S.; Cornell withholds 14% unless a tax treaty applies.
• International scholarships: the Levitan Family Scholarships fund five international students a year (secondary school outside the U.S., admitted, significant need; keep a 3.0 GPA). The Tata scholarships are for students who attended secondary school in India.
• Documents: the transfer page says all official transcripts must be in English or come with an official translation, and accepts translations by a teacher or school official; the first-year page does not repeat this in the part we read.
• Proof of funds and visa: not stated on the pages we read.
• Limits in restricted majors or clinical placements: Cornell has no undergraduate nursing major; limits on lab or clinical placements are not stated on the pages we read.

8. Applicants from China

• Gaokao: the pages we read do not mention the Gaokao or whether it can stand in for the SAT/ACT. Cornell states that first-year applicants must submit SAT or ACT, so by its stated rule you need one of them; the role of the Gaokao is not published on those pages. Ask admissions or faq.enrollment.cornell.edu (which we did not read).
• Transcripts and exam records: there is no China-specific rule on the pages we read; the general rule is above. CALS says it evaluates applicants in the context of their educational environment. Requirements for school-leaving exam records are not stated.
• English: if your school’s language of instruction is not English you normally need an English test at the scores above; four years of English-medium instruction is an exemption.
• CALS’s math and science expectations (pre-calculus or calculus, biology, chemistry) are not split by country on the page we read; how they map to a Chinese curriculum is not stated, so ask the CALS admissions team (cals_admissions@cornell.edu).

9. Transfer students

• Deadlines: fall entry only; application and fee (or waiver) due 15 March, other materials by 15 April; decisions from late April through June. The aid date for both international and domestic applicants is 15 March. The fee is $85.
• Materials: Transfer Common App, high school transcript (grades 9–12), all college transcripts, College Report, an academic evaluation from a college instructor and a Mid-Term Report. SAT/ACT is neither required nor expected.
• Who is a transfer applicant: someone who has earned at least 12 semester hours (not counting AP-type exams) after high school and was full-time at another institution.
• CALS: at least two full-time semesters (sophomore status) or four semesters or an associate degree (junior status); fall only; minimum GPA 3.0, and 3.5 for Biological Sciences; Global and Public Health Sciences does not accept transfers. Required coursework should be completed or in progress when you apply. For Biological Sciences (sophomore entry): a full year of introductory biology with labs (AP, IB and GCE biology credit not accepted), two college writing courses or one writing plus public speaking, General Chemistry I and II with labs, and Calculus I plus Calculus II or Statistics; for junior entry also Organic Chemistry I and II and Physics I and II with labs. Credit: letter grade, C or better, comparable to Cornell courses; at most 15 AP credits.
• CHE: the most competitive applicants are full-time (12 credits a semester) with a GPA of 3.5 or higher; high school biology and chemistry or physics are required; Global and Public Health Sciences does not accept transfers; Pass/Fail work is not accepted; AP/IB should not supply most of the required coursework.
• A&S: at least 60 credits and four semesters in residence at Cornell; junior transfers need the prerequisites of the intended major.
• Detailed prerequisite lists for the other majors are on each college’s pages; the pages we read gave only Biological Sciences and some CHE majors.

Checklist

U.S. applicants:

• Choose a college (CALS, A&S or CHE) when applying; ED 1 November, RD 2 January; SAT/ACT required; $85 fee
• CALS wants biology, chemistry and pre-calculus; Biological Sciences and several others need calculus; AP Biology does not count toward the Biological Sciences major

International applicants (including China):

• If not exempt: IELTS 7.5, new-scale TOEFL 5.0 (5.5 recommended), Duolingo 130; aid needs the CSS Profile (code 2098) with the application
• The Gaokao’s role is not published on the pages we read; ask admissions. SAT/ACT is still the stated requirement

Transfer students:

• 15 March; CALS needs GPA 3.0 (3.5 for Biological Sciences); a full year of introductory biology with labs; AP biology credit not accepted

Sources: Cornell University, Majors; First-year applicants; Testing and English policy; Transfer applicants; Preparing for pre-professional fields; Biological Sciences (Office of Undergraduate Biology); Biological Sciences major; Admission to the Biological Sciences major; AP/IB/GCE credit for Biological Sciences; Concentrations; Biology Honors Program; CALS first-year applicants; CALS transfer applicants; CALS pre-professional programs; Arts and Sciences admissions requirements; Global and Public Health Sciences; Human Biology, Health and Society; Nutritional Sciences; Human Ecology first-year admissions; Human Ecology transfer admissions; Health Professions Advising Center; Pre-health academic preparation; Early Assurance Programs; Costs; International student aid. Some dates on these pages carry no year, so check that they are for fall 2027 entry; the cost page shows both 2026-27 and 2025-26 headings. Check Cornell’s website for the latest.