How to Apply to Life Sciences and Pre-Health Study at the University of Chicago: One Undergraduate College, Declare a Major by the Spring of Third Year, Majors in Biological Sciences, Neuroscience and Biological Chemistry, No Nursing Major in the Catalog, and the Path for Domestic, International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Applicants

The University of Chicago is in Chicago, Illinois, and all undergraduates are in one College. The admissions site says its nearly 70 majors and 60 minors are all part of this one College. Life-science programs are run mainly by the Biological Sciences Collegiate Division (BSCD) and related departments. There is no pre-med major in the United States, and the BSCD itself says that a broad liberal arts education prepares students for the health professions, so you can major in any field while meeting the entrance requirements of professional schools. This guide summarises the University’s published information for fall 2027 entry for U.S. applicants, international applicants and applicants from China, then transfer students.

1. Relevant undergraduate programs

• Biological Sciences: the catalog says every track takes 1600 units (a course is usually 100 units) and leads to a BA or a BS. There are two kinds of track:
  • Biology Track: with no specialization, or with one specialization in Cancer Biology, Cellular and Molecular Biology, Developmental Biology, Endocrinology, Genetics, Immunology or Microbiology (shown on the transcript);
  • Interdisciplinary tracks: Ecology and Evolution, Global and Public Health, and Computational Biology, each with its own foundational courses and no specializations.
• Neuroscience: BA, BS and BS with honors, plus minors in Neuroscience and Computational Neuroscience.
• Biological Chemistry: a BS offered by the Department of Chemistry together with Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in the Biological Sciences Division.
• Health and Society: a minor in the catalog, five courses; the catalog says it provides background for medical school, public health, health policy and more.
• Others: the catalog list also includes Molecular Engineering, which we do not cover.
• Nursing: the program list we read has no undergraduate nursing major. Whether these majors are STEM-designated, and whether any combined bachelor’s/medical-degree program exists, is not stated on the pages we read; ask admissions. The College has “4+1” programs (a fifth year in a University graduate school), described as 25+ programs in five graduate schools; whether any is health-related is not stated on the pages we read.

2. Admission: you apply to the College, you declare a major after enrolling

• Applying: you apply to the whole College, not to a major. The required-materials list has no major-specific step; whether the application asks for an intended major is not stated on the pages we read.
• Declaring: the site says you can begin a major in your first quarter, and unless a department says otherwise the deadline to declare is the spring quarter of the third year; most students change majors at least once. Every student has a College adviser and a career adviser from day one, and a faculty adviser once the major is declared.
• Biological Sciences: students who want a specialization should talk to the specialization director by the spring quarter of the second year, and the Cancer Biology specialization requires a B average in a Fundamentals sequence.
• Neuroscience: the catalog encourages declaring in the second year; each course of the Fundamental Neuroscience sequence needs a C or higher, and general education courses must average 2.0 or higher.
• Entry conditions: the catalog pages we read state no GPA threshold or cap for Biological Sciences; ask the BSCD advisers.
• BA versus BS: the Biological Sciences BA keeps room for electives outside the major and does not require a thesis (some specializations do). The BS adds three upper-level electives, including BIOS 28900 Undergraduate Bachelor of Science Research, and a BS thesis supervised by Biological Sciences Division research faculty; intent is declared with a faculty consent form by the end of the spring quarter of the third year. The Neuroscience BS is 1900 units against 1600 for the BA, and needs supervised research, a thesis and a poster. BS with honors in Neuroscience needs a 3.5 GPA in the major and 3.25 cumulative, is applied for in the third year and includes ten weeks of full-time summer research between the third and fourth years.
• Honors in Biological Sciences: Research Honors needs a cumulative GPA of 3.30 or above and a research thesis; Scholar Honors needs 3.75 or above and a scholarly thesis. Both are applied for by the spring quarter of the third year.

3. The pre-med path

• The BSCD page says a broad liberal arts education is excellent preparation for the health professions, that students are encouraged to concentrate in any discipline, and that they should meet the common entry requirements of professional school.
• Pre-health sequence for non-majors: students not majoring in Biological Sciences or Biological Chemistry may take the Health Professions Preparation Sequence: BIOS 20170 (Microbial and Human Cell Biology, winter), BIOS 20171 and BIOS 20172 (Human Genetics and Developmental Biology and Mathematical Modeling for Pre-Med Students, taken together in spring), BIOS 20173 (Human Physiology, autumn) and BIOS 20175 (Biochemistry and Metabolism, winter). It is open only to students who are not planning those two majors and cannot count toward them.
• Biological Sciences majors: the Career Advancement page says students who complete the Advanced Biology or Biology Fundamentals sequence should also take BIOS 20200 Introduction to Biochemistry. Organic chemistry is CHEM 22000-22100-22200 (it needs a C average in general chemistry; an honors version exists); physics can be PHYS 12100-12200-12300, 13100-13200-13300 or the honors sequence; English can be met with the HUM sequence. The page says most medical schools require one quarter of statistics and that calculus is not required for medical school, though many students take it for other courses or majors.
• Advising and support: the Career Advancement healthcare page describes pre-med adviser appointments, the Current Applicant Support Series, Med Student Mentors and mock interviews, plus selective healthcare cohort programs. It gives no single seat count.
• Whether the pre-health advisers have separate guidance for international students, and any limits on international students applying to U.S. medical schools, is not stated on the pages we read. The Career Advancement pages say only that international students doing off-campus internships may need Curricular Practical Training (CPT) work authorization.
• A combined bachelor’s/medical-degree program is not mentioned on the pages we read.

4. High school preparation

• The site says the University does not require specific courses for admission and wants students to take the most challenging courses available to them. For mathematics, students will always have the chance to complete the required calculus and other courses on campus.
• General education for Biological Sciences majors (catalog): 200 units of biological sciences, 200 of mathematics and 200 of chemistry. Biology: BIOS 20153 and BIOS 20151, or a qualifying AP, IB or A-Level Biology score plus the Advanced Biology Fundamentals Sequence BIOS 20234–20236. Mathematics: MATH 13100-13200, 15100-15200 or honors 16100-16200. Chemistry: CHEM 10100/10200, 11100-11200 or honors 12100/12200.
• Biology Track requirements (catalog): CHEM 11300; organic chemistry I and II (CHEM 22000, 22100); PHYS 12100-12200; one of BIOS 26210, PHYS 12300 or STAT 22000; a Fundamentals sequence (BIOS 20186, 20187, 20188, 20189, 20200; BIOS 20151 and 20153 count toward general education, not the major); and five upper-level BIOS 21000–28999 electives. The catalog says the Biology Track does not require the third quarter of calculus, but BIOS 20151 Introduction to Quantitative Modeling in Biology is required and no mathematics course can replace it.
• Neuroscience (catalog): NSCI 20101, 20111, 20130, 21600 and 20100; PHYS 12100-12200; STAT 22000; CHEM 11300 (or 12300); then neuroscience electives. General education is one biology sequence, one two-course calculus sequence and one two-course chemistry sequence.
• AP, IB and A-Level (catalog): AP Biology 4 or 5 gives BIOS 10130; AP Calculus AB 5 gives MATH 15100 placement and BC 4 or 5 gives MATH 15200 placement; AP Chemistry 5 gives CHEM 11100 (the Chemistry Placement Exam is needed for further chemistry); AP Statistics 5 gives STAT 22000. IB Biology Higher Level 7 gives BIOS 10130; IB Mathematics Analysis and Approaches HL 7 gives MATH 15200 placement; A-Level Biology A or A* gives BIOS 10130. The Biological Chemistry page adds that no credit is given for IB Chemistry. At least 3800 units must be earned through course enrollment, and official scores must be sent to the College by the examining body before enrollment.

5. Application rounds and materials

• There are four plans: Early Action (non-binding), Early Decision I and II (binding) and Regular Decision. The site says Early Action and Early Decision I close on 2 November 2026, and Early Decision II and Regular Decision close on 4 January 2027 (11:59 p.m. local time).
• The application page’s date block shows 2 November 2026 as the deadline, decisions in mid-December and a reply in mid-January (it does not say which plan). Regular Decision result dates for 2027 are not stated on the pages we read, and the site still carries last year’s dates (decisions 13 March 2026, reply 1 May 2026), so check.
• Autumn Quarter entry only (apart from students-at-large). The site says the deadline to change from Early Action to Early Decision I is 1 December; for deferred Early Action applicants, or students who chose Regular Decision, to change to Early Decision II it is 15 January.
• Platform: Common App or Apply Coalition (Scoir); both open 1 August; a UChicago Account can be opened at any time, and essays can be started from 1 June.
• Required: the application and UChicago Supplement (a short “why UChicago” essay and one extended essay chosen from a list), two academic teacher evaluations, a mid-year report (by 1 February or as soon as possible), the secondary school report and transcript, and the application fee or a fee waiver.
• Fee: $90; waived automatically for students applying for need-based aid.
• Testing: SAT/ACT optional, under a “No Harm” policy: submitted scores are used only if they help. Scores can be self-reported; official scores are needed only after admission and enrollment.
• Optional: a recommended two-minute video (UChicago has no interviews), creative or research supplements, and self-reported AP scores or predicted IB or A-Level scores.

6. U.S. applicants

• Tuition: UChicago is private and its cost page lists one tuition, with no in-state/out-of-state split. 2026-27: tuition $75,960, student services fee $1,677, UPASS $318; food and housing about $21,414 on campus, a $9,000 maintenance allowance for commuters, $18,000 off campus; books $1,800, personal $1,950, travel $702. Totals: $103,821 on campus, $91,407 commuter, $100,407 off campus. Students enrolling for the first time in 2026 also pay a $720 Class Fee in each of their first two years; health insurance is not included. The pages we read state no extra fee for biology or health majors.
• Need-based aid: the site says UChicago meets 100% of demonstrated need with grants instead of loans. U.S. citizens and permanent residents use a free UChicago worksheet instead of the CSS Profile. Financial aid deadlines (the pages print no year): Early Action and Early Decision I, 15 November; Early Decision II, 15 January; Regular Decision, 15 February. The parent tax-return line on the page says 2025 federal returns; check.
• Research and internships: the BSCD page says hands-on research is essential and helps students find a lab or an outside internship, and the College has courses and summer research at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. The catalog says course credit cannot be given for compensated research work.

7. International applicants

• Review: the site says international applicants follow the same process as everyone else and are read in the context of their school and national system. For financial aid, anyone who is not a U.S. citizen or permanent resident is international, wherever they live. International students are 24% of the student body, per the site.
• English: you may submit scores from any English exam you think represents your ability, but formal scores are not required if your application already shows it. Scores can be self-reported. UChicago has no ESL program for admitted students.
• Transcripts: the full high school transcript; non-English transcripts need a certified translation and a grading scale; you may self-upload a transcript first, with official copies needed only on enrolling. Where a school has no counselor, a teacher or administrator may complete the Secondary School Report, and a mentor at an accredited community-based group such as an EducationUSA centre may help, but independently hired educational consultants may not. Recommenders may write in another language with a translation. UChicago says it does not work with recruiting agencies.
• Aid: international first-year applicants are eligible for need-based aid and merit scholarships; all first-year applicants are automatically considered for merit awards. The aid page says need-based eligibility is decided during admission, and students who do not apply then cannot apply later. Packages include grants and, depending on need, an international student stipend for billed charges beyond tuition and fees such as housing and food. You submit the Student Financial Aid Worksheet plus income documents (a home-country equivalent of tax forms, translated into English and converted to U.S. dollars). The page lists 2024 tax forms; check whether it is out of date.
• Any limits on international students in lab or clinical placements: not stated on the pages we read.

8. Applicants from China

• Gaokao: the site does not say how the Gaokao is used and gives no country-specific requirements. Contact admissions (the admissions email shown on the site is collegeadmissions@uchicago.edu). The admissions staff list shows a regional counselor for China and sub-Saharan Africa.
• Transcripts and translation: non-English transcripts need a certified translation and a grading scale; you may self-submit first and send official copies only on enrolling. Formats for Chinese school records and the senior-high academic proficiency exams are not described separately.
• Math and science preparation: no separate expectations for the Chinese curriculum; the University requires no specific courses for anyone. For the math and chemistry sequences you meet on campus, see section 4.

9. Transfer

• Who: those who have completed at least one term as a full-time student in a bachelor’s program elsewhere. There are two plans: Transfer Early Decision (TED, binding) and Transfer Rolling Decision (TR).
• Deadline: 1 March 2027 (11:59 p.m. local time). TED decisions come in late March with a reply in late April; the TR priority deadline is also 1 March, decisions roll from early May, TR closes 1 June and the reply is due 1 June. The deadline to switch from TR to TED is the second Friday in March.
• Materials: Common App or Coalition, supplement essays (including why you are leaving your current college), two academic recommendations (college instructors preferred), college transcripts, a College Transfer Report from a dean, registrar or adviser, and a mid-term report; testing under the No Harm policy; same fee.
• Credit and residence: transfers must attend UChicago for at least two academic years (six quarters), complete the Core, and take more than half of their major requirements under UChicago course numbers. Transfer credit cannot be used for the Humanities, Civilization Studies or Social Sciences core; precalculus-level courses are not accepted; two semester courses are ordinarily equal to three quarter courses. Transfers may pursue any major and declare as early as the first autumn, but at least half of any major or minor must be done in residence. Admitted students get an initial credit estimate and an official one in the summer.
• Aid: transfer review is need-aware; international transfer applicants cannot apply for need-based aid and are not eligible for merit scholarships.
• Course requirements (chemistry, biology, calculus) for transferring into Biological Sciences or Neuroscience are not stated on the pages we read; ask the BSCD advisers.

Checklist

U.S. applicants:

• Apply to the College; Early Action and Early Decision I by 2 November, Early Decision II and Regular Decision by 4 January; SAT/ACT optional
• Non-biology majors who want pre-med should look at the Health Professions Preparation Sequence; Biological Sciences majors follow a Fundamentals sequence plus organic chemistry and physics

International applicants (including China):

• Formal English scores are not required, and there is no ESL program; non-English transcripts need a certified translation
• Apply for aid at the admission stage; confirm how the Gaokao is used with admissions

Transfer students:

• 1 March 2027; at least six quarters at UChicago; no need-based aid for international transfers

Sources: University of Chicago, Application; International applicants; Transfer applicants; Areas of study; Essay questions; Biological Sciences Collegiate Division; Catalog: Biological Sciences; Catalog: Biological Sciences core; Catalog: Neuroscience; Catalog: Biological Chemistry; Catalog: Health and Society; Catalog: AP, IB and A-Level credit; Undergraduate costs; Career Advancement: healthcare. Information is for fall 2027 entry (costs are 2026-27 figures; the catalog is the 2026-2027 edition); check the University of Chicago’s website for the latest.