How to Apply to Life Sciences and Pre-Health Study at Boston University: Biology, Biochemistry and Neuroscience in Arts & Sciences, Health Science and Human Physiology in Sargent College, Apply to a College, No Pre-Med Major, and the Path for Domestic, International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Applicants

Boston University is a private university in Boston, Massachusetts. Its life-science and health-related majors sit mainly in two colleges: the College of Arts & Sciences (CAS) offers Biology, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology and Neuroscience (all BA), and Sargent College of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences offers Health Science, Human Physiology, Behavior & Health, Nutrition and others (BS). There is no pre-med major in the United States, and BU Admissions says so directly: pre-medicine/pre-health is not a major, and health profession schools do not have a preference. This guide summarises BU’s published information for fall 2027 entry for U.S. applicants, international applicants and applicants from China, followed by transfer students.

1. Relevant undergraduate majors

• College of Arts & Sciences (BA):
  • Biology: a BA. The admissions majors list shows Biology and four specializations: Behavioral Biology; Cell Biology, Molecular Biology & Genetics; Ecology & Conservation Biology; and Neurobiology (the academic bulletin instead lists a specialization named “Biodiversity, Conservation & Global Change Biology”, and the pages do not say whether it is the same as “Ecology & Conservation Biology”). A dual BA/MS in Biology is also available.
  • Biochemistry & Molecular Biology (BMB): taught by faculty in Biology, Chemistry and Physics. The bulletin says a 4+1 BA in BMB and MS in Biotechnology “is expected to be offered”; contact the program.
  • Neuroscience: a BA on the mind, brain and behavior, with in-depth study in one of three domains: cellular & systems, cognition & behavior, or computation.
  • The CAS degree page says CAS students earn a BA; whether these majors are STEM-designated is not stated on the pages we read.
• Sargent College (BS): the majors list shows Behavior and Health, Health Science, Human Physiology, Nutrition (three tracks: Nutrition Science, Nutrition & Health, and Dietetics), Speech, Language & Hearing Sciences, and others; the six-year Physical Therapy (BS/DPT) is marked “not available for transfer admission”.
  • Health Science: interdisciplinary study of health sciences and global public health, culminating in a practicum at a public-health or clinical site. BU says it suits students aiming at the BS-to-MPH (five-year) or at prerequisites for graduate programs in medicine, nursing, physician assistant or physical therapy; students planning medicine, dentistry, physician assistant or nurse practitioner take an alternate sequence of basic science courses.
  • Human Physiology: the first two years cover core science courses and general education, which the bulletin says meet admission criteria for medical, dental and other health-profession graduate programs; upper years include gross human anatomy and exercise physiology, with a healthcare-site internship in the senior year; a five-year BS-to-MS and BS-to-MPH are available.
  • Behavior & Health: an interdisciplinary program in psychology, biology and other natural and social sciences with small classes; the graduate paths BU lists include occupational therapy, medicine, clinical psychology and counseling, physical therapy, speech-language pathology, public health, social work and nursing; a BS-to-MPH is available.
• College of Engineering: Biomedical Engineering (BS, not available for January admission). Engineering is mentioned only briefly here.
• Nursing: the admissions majors list has no undergraduate nursing program, and none appears on the pages we read.
• The “Pre-Medicine” entry: the majors list has an entry “Pre-Medicine (BA, programs across schools)” that leads to the “Pre-Medical Pathways” page, which says pre-med is not a major. That page names biology, biochemistry & molecular biology and psychology as common pre-health choices in CAS; behavior and health, health science and human physiology among Sargent choices; and biomedical engineering in Engineering.

2. Admission: you apply to a college

• Applying: BU says you must specify a school or college. If you have no specific area in mind it suggests applying to CAS as “Undeclared” or to the College of General Studies. The majors list shows which entry terms each program offers. You may be offered admission to the College of General Studies or another program you qualify for. The pages we read do not say whether first-year CAS applicants must name a specific major; follow the application system.
• Honors: to be considered for the Kilachand Honors College, check “Yes” and complete the extra essay; you are considered first for the college you applied to.
• Entry conditions: the bulletin pages for Biology, Neuroscience and BMB state no GPA threshold or cap; ask the departments. For students already at BU, internal transfer into Health Science requires at least one term of 12 or more units with a 2.0 GPA, the gateway criteria certified by a Sargent advisor, and a B- or better in SAR HS 325.
• CAS degree: at least 128 units; one natural science course with a laboratory; a second language through the fourth term or equivalent; the BU Hub general education program; and a C or better in major and minor courses.
• Biology BA: nine biology courses (introductory, breadth and elective) plus six to seven related courses in chemistry, math/computer science and physics. Excluding introductory courses, at least three biology courses must have a lab, at least three must be at the 300 level or above, and at least five must be taken in the BU Biology Department (or crosslisted BI courses). C or better in major courses, C- in corequisite chemistry. The Cell Biology, Molecular Biology & Genetics specialization requires 11 biology courses and eight related courses; the Neurobiology specialization requires 12 biology courses and six to seven related courses.
• BMB: at least 14 biology and chemistry courses plus four math and physics courses; C or better; at least five courses beyond the foundation courses in the BMB program.
• Neuroscience: seventeen 4-unit courses: seven basic science courses (two chemistry, two physics, two from calculus/computer science/data science, one statistics), five core neuroscience courses and five electives, with electives from at least two of the three domains and a research requirement; C or better in major courses, C- in the chemistry courses.

3. The pre-med path

• Advising office: BU has a dedicated Pre-Professional Advising Office for health careers that helps with course selection, clinical and research opportunities and applications; the Neuroscience page puts it at 100 Bay State Road, 4th floor, and urges pre-health students to visit early.
• Course notes: the Biology BA page says most Biology majors complete the standard chemistry track and then a fourth term of chemistry (CH 204 or 214), which it describes as a requirement for medical and other professional schools; students intending to apply to medical school are advised to take biochemistry (BB 421/422 or CH 373) in the junior or senior year; and most Biology majors complete PY 105/106 physics, which it describes as a requirement for medical and other professional schools. The “alternative tracks” (CH 171, PY 104) are described as “not acceptable for most prehealth careers”.
• MMEDIC (Modular Medical/Dental Integrated Curriculum): you can apply in the spring of your second year; admitted students receive provisional early admission to the Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine or the Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine and take courses related to medical or dental school; the bachelor’s degree is most commonly from CAS, Sargent or Engineering. BU calls it highly competitive. Whether MMEDIC accepts international students, and admission statistics, are not stated on the pages we read; not published there.
• Pre-health advising specifically for international students, and medical school acceptance statistics: not stated on the pages we read; contact the Pre-Professional Advising Office.

4. High-school preparation

• BU’s recommended high-school program for most BU programs: 4 years of English, 3–4 years of mathematics (precalculus/calculus recommended), 3–4 years of laboratory science, 3–4 years of history and/or social science, and 2–4 years of a world language. Engineering applicants need a year of calculus and Questrom applicants need a year of calculus or precalculus plus AP Statistics. The pages we read do not give separate high-school math, chemistry or physics requirements for the biology, neuroscience or Sargent majors; not published there.
• First- and second-year course sequences (bulletin):
  • Biology BA: introductory biology BI 107 and BI 108; chemistry (standard track, recommended alongside BI 107/108 in the first year): CH 101 and 102 (or CH 109/110 or CH 111/112) plus one organic chemistry course, CH 203 (or 211 or 218); two math/computer science courses (at least one calculus or statistics); and a physics sequence such as PY 105+106.
  • Neuroscience: CH 101+102, PY 105+106, two courses from calculus/computer science/data science, statistics NE 212 (or MA 115+116), and the core courses NE 101, NE 102 (or 116) and others.
  • BMB: BI 108, a general chemistry sequence and an organic chemistry sequence, and the core courses BB 421/422 and others.
  • Sargent Health Science: introductory psychology, a cellular biology course with lab, general chemistry with lab, another biology course with lab; the page notes that BI 105 and CH 171 “do not fulfill premed or pre-PA requirements”.
• AP / IB advanced credit: BU says most programs award credit for AP scores of 4 or 5, official scores must come from the College Board (CEEB code 3087), and final credit is decided by the school or college of admission; the course-by-course table is in the “Advanced Credit Guide”, which we did not read. IB and A-Level scores for specific subjects are not stated on the pages we read. The Neuroscience page adds that AP/IB credit for BI 108 cannot replace NE 102.

5. Rounds, deadlines and materials

• Regular Decision: 5 January; the CSS Profile and FAFSA are due the same day (U.S. citizens and permanent residents only); enrollment deposit by 1 May. Some merit scholarships require an application by 1 December.
• Early Decision (binding): round one applications are due 2 November, with notification on 14 December and deposit in early-to-mid January; Early Decision 2 applications are due 5 January, with notification on 8 February and deposit in late February.
• The date pages print no year; check that they refer to fall 2027 entry.
• Platform: the Common Application or QuestBridge. Application fee $80; fee waivers are available.
• Materials: secondary school transcript, senior-year grades, counselor recommendation and school report, one teacher evaluation, two essays (the Common App personal statement and BU’s supplemental essay); testing is optional.
• Testing: optional for first-year applicants applying through fall 2028 and spring 2029, across all schools and scholarship programs. BU superscores the SAT and ACT by section; self-reported scores need an official report before enrolling, and discrepancies can lead to rescinded admission. SAT code 3087; ACT code 1794.

6. U.S. applicants

• Cost: BU is private and lists one tuition with no in-state/out-of-state difference. Billed expenses for 2026/27: tuition $73,024, housing $13,170, food $7,570 and fees $1,570, a total of $95,334; books and supplies about $1,000 and personal expenses about $1,455. The pages we read state no extra fees for biology-related majors or for Sargent College; not published there.
• The BU Promise: BU meets 100% of demonstrated need, without loans, for first-time, first-year U.S. citizens and permanent residents; families with income below $200,000 (typical assets) can expect to pay no more than $20,000 per academic year, and families with income of $75,000 or less can expect to pay nothing. Families above $200,000 are encouraged to apply too.
• In-state preference: BU is private, and the pages we read state no preference for Massachusetts residents; not published there.
• Research: the Biology page says research is not required but encouraged in departmental or outside labs, with funding through Work-Study or the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) and academic units through undergraduate research courses; Neuroscience offers Honors Research for students with a GPA of 3.4 or higher and at least one term or summer of prior lab research; numbers of places are not published on the pages we read.

7. International applicants

• Who counts: anyone who is not a U.S. citizen or permanent resident (green card holder); they usually need an F-1 or J-1 visa.
• Materials: Common App, secondary school records, senior-year grades, counselor recommendation and school report, teacher evaluation, English proficiency testing, documentation of financial support and a copy of the passport data page; testing is optional. Documents not in English need a notarized English translation (both the original and the translation). Students on exam-based curricula (BU names IB, GCE and CBSE/ISC as examples) also submit predicted results.
• English: required unless your first language is English: TOEFL iBT, IELTS Academic or the Duolingo English Test. BU says the most competitive applicants have a TOEFL total of at least 90–100 with at least 20 in each section (a total of 5.0 or higher on the new scale for reports from 21 January 2026), an IELTS of 7 or higher satisfies the requirement for all programs, and a Duolingo total of at least 125–135; component scores are reviewed. IELTS Indicator, TOEFL ITP Plus and TOEFL Essentials are not accepted. An InitialView or Vericant interview is optional and does not replace the test. Waiver requests must arrive with a complete application by the deadline and are decided at the Board of Admissions’ discretion.
• Proof of funds: F-1/J-1 students must submit financial documentation (a sponsor statement plus items such as a bank letter), recommended with the application; Early Decision and Early Decision 2 applicants must submit it by the deadline or the Board will not begin the academic review. Documents must be current (within 12 months of the start date), in English, and readily available or liquid (stocks and other non-liquid investments are not acceptable), and the account owner’s name must match the sponsor.
• Scholarships: first-year international students can apply for merit scholarships, some of which require applying by 1 December. In the pages we read, need-based aid (the BU Promise) is described only for U.S. citizens and permanent residents; whether international students can receive need-based aid is not stated there.
• Whether international students face limits in laboratory or clinical placements: not stated on the pages we read; not published there.

8. Applicants from China

• Credentials: the “Secondary School Credentials” page lists the Senior High School Graduation Certificate (毕业证书（高中）) for China, to be sent with your final secondary school transcript and leaving exam scores if applicable, along with copies of any qualifying exams taken during secondary school.
• Gaokao: that page does not mention how the Gaokao is used; not published there. Contact International Admissions (intadmis@bu.edu, 617-353-4492).
• Huikao (academic proficiency exam): not mentioned on the pages we read; not published there.
• Translation and English: notarized translation for non-English documents; English proficiency and proof-of-funds rules are as in the previous section.
• BU gives no separate math or science expectations for the Chinese curriculum on the pages we read; follow section 4 and confirm with admissions.

9. Transfer

• Deadlines: 15 March for September entry (notification mid-April to mid-June) and 2 November for January entry (notification mid-November to mid-December). Application fee $80; the NACAC transfer fee waiver is accepted. The pages print no year; check them. Admitted transfer students cannot defer.
• Eligibility: you have completed the equivalent of a U.S. secondary education and will have at least one full-time semester (12 or more credits) as a degree candidate elsewhere. Transfer applicants must choose a school and major when applying and cannot apply undeclared; some programs do not accept January entry. The page shows Fall 2024 transfer figures: 6,728 applicants, 840 enrolled, average college GPA 3.8.
• Materials: Common App, all college transcripts, transfer report, high school transcript and proof of graduation, and a transfer essay of up to 600 words; the SAT/ACT is not required for transfer. Applicants from Chinese universities must have the Center for Student Services and Development (CSSD) send an English Verification Report of academic transcript and official English and Chinese transcripts. Submit course syllabi early and use Transferology to see how courses may transfer.
• Credit: up to 68 external units can be applied toward degree requirements at full-time on-campus schools and colleges; courses are evaluated by departments and the Registrar, and final decisions come after admission; the deadline for credits to transfer is one year after you begin your studies.
• Course requirements for transferring into Biology, Neuroscience or the Sargent majors: not stated on the pages we read; not published there. Sargent’s six-year Physical Therapy program is not available for transfer admission.

Checklist

U.S. applicants:

• Choose the college (CAS or Sargent); Early Decision on 2 November, Early Decision 2 and Regular Decision on 5 January (check the year); testing optional
• Families with income under $200,000 should look at the BU Promise; plan pre-health courses through the major’s curriculum and the pre-health advisors

International applicants (including China):

• English reference points: TOEFL 90–100 (5.0 or higher on the new scale), IELTS 7, Duolingo 125–135 or higher
• Notarized translations for non-English documents; submit proof of funds with the application (required by the deadline for Early Decision); confirm how the Gaokao is used with International Admissions

Transfer students:

• 15 March (September entry) or 2 November (January entry); choose the major when you apply; up to 68 units transfer

Sources: Boston University, Majors by school and college; Pre-medical pathways; CAS Biology programs; BA in Biology; Cell Biology, Molecular Biology & Genetics specialization; Neurobiology specialization; BA in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology; BA in Neuroscience; CAS degree overview; BS in Health Science; BS in Human Physiology; BS in Behavior & Health; First-year applicants; Important deadlines; International applicants; Secondary school credentials; Advanced credit; Tuition and costs; Transfer applicants; Transfer of credit. Information is for fall 2027 entry (costs are 2026/27 figures); the date pages print no year, so check them, and check BU’s website for the latest.