How to Apply to Life Sciences and Medicine at Syracuse University: Biology, Biochemistry and Neuroscience in Arts & Sciences, Exercise Science and Nutrition in Falk College, Public Health in Maxwell, Applying to a College, Optional Test Scores, a Combined Bachelor’s-M.D. Program Open to International Students, and What U.S., International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Applicants Need

Syracuse University (Syracuse, New York) is a private university. Its life-science and health majors sit in several colleges: the College of Arts and Sciences (together with the Maxwell School, A&S | Maxwell), David B. Falk College of Sport (Falk College) and the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. The United States has no pre-med undergraduate major, and the A&S pre-medicine page says outright that there is no specific pre-med program or course of study at Syracuse; you choose a major you find interesting. Below are the key points for fall 2027 entry, split into U.S. applicants, international applicants and applicants from China, then transfers.

1. Which related majors exist

• Biology (Arts and Sciences): a B.S. and a B.A. plus a minor. The department says the B.S. is for students interested in graduate study in the biological sciences or the health professions (medicine, dentistry or veterinary medicine), with a Distinction in Biology program for students who want to do laboratory research; the B.A. is for students who want science-related careers outside biology, such as science journalism, business or law. There is an undergraduate research conference and the student group TriBeta.
• Biochemistry: a B.S. for students pursuing advanced degrees in biochemistry, molecular biology and biophysics, or biomedical and health professions. Distinction in Biochemistry needs a 3.4 cumulative GPA and a 3.4 GPA in natural sciences and mathematics, at least 6 credits of BCM 460 research and a thesis.
• Biotechnology: a B.S. with courses in biology, environmental science, chemistry, engineering, management, public policy and law, a senior capstone and research or an industry internship; it prepares for biotech, pharmaceutical and agricultural industries, or further study in the health professions or graduate school.
• Neuroscience: a B.S. and a B.A., but the site calls it an “integrated learning major (ILM)” that complements other majors; students come from biology, biochemistry, bioengineering, chemistry, communication sciences and disorders, computer science, linguistics, philosophy, political science, physics, psychology, public health and more, across Arts and Sciences, Engineering and Computer Science, Falk and Education. It requires coursework in at least three traditional departments and a capstone, “Neuroscience and Society”. How it is applied for together with a primary major is not stated on the pages we read.
• Health and Exercise Science (Falk College): a B.S. covering human physiology, anatomy, metabolism, the muscular system and research methods; the site calls it a foundation for athletic training, physical therapy or clinical health. It has two tracks, General Health and Exercise Science and Pre-Physical Therapy, plus a 3+3 Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) with SUNY Upstate Medical University (a B.S. and DPT in six years instead of seven; a separate application to Upstate is required). It includes a 270-hour internship.
• Nutrition (Falk College): a B.S. with two tracks; the Dietetics track is accredited by ACEND. The site says becoming a registered dietitian nutritionist requires graduate education and an accredited dietetic internship, and that to obtain an internship a student usually needs a GPA of at least 3.4 and related work experience; Syracuse has a Nutrition Science M.A. and an accelerated B.S./M.A. option.
• Public Health (Maxwell School): a B.S. in Public Health, four years and 123 credits: a 30-credit core plus one of three concentrations (15 credits each); the site says students who complete the addiction prevention or community health education concentration are eligible for initial professional credentialing; it is described as a foundation for medical, dental, nursing, physician assistant and other clinical graduate programs. There is also an accelerated B.S. in Public Health/MPH (five years) and minors in public health and healthcare management.
• Nursing (undergraduate): the Syracuse pages we read show no undergraduate nursing degree; not stated, so ask admissions. Biomedical engineering is in the College of Engineering and Computer Science, which we did not read.
• Whether any of these are designated STEM: not stated on the pages we read.

2. How admission works: you apply to a college, and pre-med is not a major

• Applying to a college: the checklist says first-year applicants choose a program of study and “may apply to several of the schools and colleges as undecided”. A&S | Maxwell and Falk both list “no additional requirements”. The site notes that majors have their own standards and deadlines for transfer between colleges (see the transfer section).
• Entry conditions: the biology, biochemistry, neuroscience, health and exercise science and nutrition pages we read give no GPA threshold, required-course grades or quota for entry; not stated, so ask the college.
• Switching colleges inside the University: the site says students must meet University requirements plus any program-specific requirements, with standards and deadlines on each college’s page; we did not read each, so they are not stated here.
• Pre-health advising for Arts and Sciences students: to be assigned a pre-medicine advisor you must have declared a major, completed one year at Syracuse, hold a Syracuse cumulative GPA of 3.4, and have at least 10 credits of biology, chemistry, physics or math (BCPM) at Syracuse with a 3.4 BCPM GPA; you apply through an eForm in MySlice. To keep it you need a 3.4 cumulative and science GPA; below that you get a warning, and after one semester you are reassigned. The site says declared Arts and Sciences students get a pre-medicine advisor in the sophomore year, while students in other colleges get a supplemental advisor; others are served by the college’s Health and Sciences advising team.

3. The pre-med route

• The pre-med page: “There is no specific Pre-Med program or course of study at Syracuse University. Instead, students choose to major in a field of study that is interesting and can allow for the demonstration of excellence. The medical school pre-requisite courses can be taken alongside any major with careful planning.” The FAQ adds that professional schools do not require, recommend or favor any particular major and cites AAMC data that acceptance rates by major do not differ significantly.
• Figures on the site: matriculants to U.S. M.D. schools in 2023-2024 averaged a 3.77 GPA (3.71 science) and a 511.7 MCAT, with a 2019-2024 acceptance rate of roughly 40%; for osteopathic schools in 2022-2023, 20,981 applicants competed for roughly 7,415 seats (roughly 35%). For the 2025 cycle, admitted Syracuse applicants averaged a 3.85 cumulative GPA, a 3.78 science GPA and a 509 MCAT, with about 1,400 hours of clinical, 1,380 of research, 1,720 of leadership and extracurricular and 380 of community service experience.
• Commonly required courses listed: introductory biology (BIO 121 and 122, or BIO 123 and 124 or 224); inorganic chemistry (CHE 106/107/116/117); organic chemistry (CHE 275/276/325/326); physics (PHY 101/102 or PHY 211/221/212/222); biochemistry BCM 475; one semester of calculus or statistics (MAT 285, 295, 121 or 221). The page asks students to check individual schools. The FAQ adds that medical schools differ on whether AP credit can satisfy prerequisites, and that it can be better to forgo AP credit to earn more college grades, so ask the department and the pre-med advisor.
• Syracuse University / SUNY Upstate Medical University Combined Bachelor’s-M.D. Program: you apply in the senior year of high school by indicating interest in the Academics section of the Common App (or the Coalition supplement), and you may apply in any round (EA, ED, ED II or RD); the site states plainly that international students are eligible to apply. Stated criteria: a high-school average of at least 90% or a 3.50 GPA (not rounded); documented healthcare, research or community service experience; and an SAT of 1360 or higher or ACT composite of 29 or higher (not rounded). Preferred candidates include New York State residents, especially from Central/Upstate New York with demonstrable ties to the region, and candidates from rural, lower-income, first-generation or medically underserved backgrounds. After applying you submit an acknowledgment form and a 250-word medical-experience essay by 10 January; competitive applicants are recommended to Upstate, which has its own application and fee (estimated late January) and interviews (estimated first week of February), then selects up to 10 candidates, notified around April. ED and ED II are binding to Syracuse regardless of the Upstate result. Conditions after enrolling: regular advising meetings; B or higher in the listed prerequisites (general biology, chemistry, organic chemistry and physics I and II with labs, biochemistry, psychology, sociology, statistics); at least 12 credits each semester; a 3.50 cumulative GPA; and 40 hours of volunteer service. The site says acceptance should be considered binding and applying to any other program rescinds it. No MCAT is required. The SAT/ACT cut-offs are part of this program’s eligibility criteria while testing is optional for the University generally; whether the program strictly requires scores is not stated, so ask admissions.
• Other early assurance programs: the LECOM (Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine) program lets high-school students apply to Syracuse and LECOM together with requirements that include a 3.5 unweighted high-school GPA; the site says only U.S. citizens or permanent residents are considered for the DO and DDS programs, while international students with an F-1 visa may apply to the PharmD program. The Albany Medical College program applies in the sophomore year with no MCAT. The page says the partners require the SAT or ACT in place of the MCAT, while the LECOM section of the same page says LECOM now also considers students without SAT/ACT scores or with lower scores (with its MMS program or an MCAT of 500 and so on); the two statements differ, so check the latest.
• Whether pre-health advising has separate notes for international students, and limits on international applicants to U.S. medical schools: beyond the programs above, not stated on the pages we read. This guide does not cover medical-school applications.

4. High-school preparation and the first two years

• The site says a high-school curriculum is not a requirement for admission, but the best preparation is a college-preparatory curriculum: four years each of English, science, social studies and mathematics (through geometry and intermediate algebra) and at least three years of a foreign language. The pages we read do not separately require biology, chemistry or physics, and set no extra high-school requirements for life-science majors; not stated.
• AP / IB: credit for AP or IB biology, chemistry, calculus and physics is not stated on the pages we read; the pre-med FAQ mentions that AP biology credit might be applied to BIO 121.
• Math and chemistry placement: not stated on the pages we read.
• First two years: the pre-med course list is above. Full sequences for each major are in the course catalog (coursecatalog.syracuse.edu), which we did not open, so full course schedules are not given.

5. Rounds and materials (fall 2027 entry)

• Where to apply: the Common App or the Coalition Application (powered by Scoir).
• Early Action (first-year only): 1 November; notification early February; reply by 1 May.
• Early Decision (first-year only, binding): 1 November; notification late December; reply by 15 February if admitted to your first choice.
• Early Decision II (first-year only): 5 January; notification mid-January; reply by 1 March.
• Regular Decision: 5 January for first-year; notification from mid-March; reply by 1 May. Spring entry: 15 November (spring transfer is described separately). The site says spring entry is very limited for programs such as health and exercise science.
• Fee: $85, with waivers (SAT/ACT or NACAC waivers, a counselor letter and others).
• Materials: official high-school transcript, senior-year grade report, a counselor evaluation and one academic recommendation; the college-specific page lists “no additional requirements” for A&S | Maxwell and Falk.
• Testing: the site says SAT/ACT scores are not required for fall 2026, spring 2027, fall 2027 and spring 2028, with no disadvantage and continued eligibility for merit scholarships. The first-year checklist instead says “Spring 2026, Fall 2026, or Spring 2027”, which differs from the requirements page’s “through spring 2028”; check the latest.
• Interview: not a requirement; an optional virtual interview can be scheduled.
• Note: the deadline page prints no year, so confirm it is the cycle for fall 2027 entry.

6. U.S. applicants

• Costs (2026-27; private, with no in-state/out-of-state split): living on campus — tuition $69,180, housing and food (average) $20,580, miscellaneous fees $1,869, books and supplies $1,847, transportation $839, personal $1,294 and loan fees $67, a total of $95,676, or $98,544 with the $2,868 health insurance (waivable with adequate private insurance). Off campus is $93,398 ($96,266 with insurance); living with parents $83,979 ($86,847 with insurance). The site says costs are estimates until the Board of Trustees approves them each May and that some programs carry special fees. No surcharge for biology, neuroscience, health and exercise science or nutrition is stated on the pages we read.
• In-state preference: the pages we read do not say whether New York residents get an admission preference; not stated.
• Aid: the site says about 82% of students receive some financial support totaling more than $571 million, including $433 million in grants and scholarships from the University, and that 95% of demonstrated need is met for full-time undergraduates who applied for aid. The forms and dates are on the aid pages, which we did not read in detail.
• Research: the biology page mentions research in faculty labs and an annual undergraduate research conference; health and exercise science has faculty labs and a 270-hour internship. Quotas and conditions are not itemized.

7. International applicants

• Where and when: the same Common App or Coalition route and dates as above. If you studied outside the U.S., you must provide official academic credentials with English translations (the site says translations are the applicant’s responsibility); if only one document is available, notarized or certified copies are accepted. Students completing the British curriculum cannot apply on completing the IGCSE/GCSE and need at least one more year; BTEC is not accepted.
• Testing: SAT/ACT is not required for students studying outside the U.S. in a school that does not follow the American system of education (including U.S. citizens abroad); testing is also optional in general for fall 2027 entry.
• English: applicants who reside outside the U.S. and whose first language is not English, or who are international students studying in the U.S., must submit TOEFL, TOEFL at Home, IELTS, Cambridge, PTE or Duolingo results (TOEFL code 2823); TOEFL Essentials, ITP, My Best Score and IELTS Indicator are not accepted. The table gives “preferred” scores: for Arts and Sciences, Maxwell, Falk, Visual and Performing Arts, Education, Engineering and Computer Science and Information Studies — TOEFL 85 or higher (4.5 on the new scale effective 21 January 2026), IELTS 6.5 or higher, Cambridge 176, Duolingo 125, and the table also lists SAT EBRW 600 and ACT English 27; for Whitman and Architecture, TOEFL 90 (new scale 5) and IELTS 7.0; for Newhouse, TOEFL 102. The section is headed “Minimum Test Score Requirements” while the columns say “Preferred”, and meeting the score does not guarantee admission. A waiver may be granted, for example three full academic years (grades 10–12) at an in-person U.S. secondary school; waivers are not guaranteed and the site strongly recommends taking an exam if English is not your first language.
• Proof of funds: an applicant needing an F-1 visa must show the ability to fund one full academic year: complete the Visa/Financial Support Information Form in the applicant portal with a bank statement or bank letter showing liquid funds and a passport copy; screenshots are not accepted, income statements and tax returns do not count, and the statement’s print date must be within a year of the start of the term; government- and company-sponsored applicants have separate rules. For spring or fall 2027 applicants the page says to show the University’s current estimate of $100,526 for 2026-27; the same page also says the amount to show is the total cost of attendance for the semester you are applying to (the 2027-28 estimate will be finalized in spring 2027). The two statements differ, so confirm with admissions.
• Costs and scholarships: the 2026-27 international undergraduate cost living on campus is $100,526 (tuition $69,180, housing and food $20,580, miscellaneous fees $1,869, books $1,847, transportation and travel $1,888, personal $1,294, health insurance $2,868 and program and technology fees $1,000); off campus $98,248; summer adds about $7,291. The site says international undergraduate applicants are also considered for merit scholarships, decided by the Office of Admissions on academic credentials and notified at admission.
• Conditional admission: academically qualified applicants with insufficient English or funds may be conditionally admitted if they have submitted an official TOEFL, IELTS, Cambridge or PTE score; no I-20 is issued until the conditions are met, and space is not guaranteed.
• International students and nursing / clinical placements: the pages we read show no undergraduate nursing degree; whether international students face limits in the internships or clinical settings of programs such as exercise science is not stated.

8. Applicants from China

• Gaokao: the pages we read do not mention China or the Gaokao and do not explain how scores are used; not stated. The international page’s “credentials by country” section is loaded by script and we read only its introduction, so no China entry was seen; contact admissions (orange@syr.edu).
• Transcripts and school-leaving exam materials: follow the rules above: official credentials with English translations (the applicant’s responsibility); whether the Huikao is needed is not stated on the pages we read.
• Testing: China is not mentioned. The exemption applies to students at schools outside the U.S. that do not follow the American system of education; the site does not say country by country which schools qualify, so confirm with admissions. Testing is optional for fall 2027 entry in general.
• English: TOEFL, IELTS, Duolingo and others with the preferred scores above; there is no China-specific guidance on the pages we read. The site says students in Asia can arrange an interview through Vericant, and InitialView interviews are also accepted; both are optional.

9. Costs, scholarships and placements

• Costs are above: $95,676 for domestic students living on campus ($98,544 with health insurance) and $100,526 for international students.
• Labs and placements: exercise science has cardiovascular, kinesmetrics, clinical research and hypoxia/altitude simulation laboratories; its 270-hour internships are at three major hospitals within walking distance of campus, private practices, research projects and Syracuse Athletics; nutrition has community programs through the Shaw Center. Whether international students can take part is not stated on the pages we read.

10. Transfer

• Who counts as a transfer: someone who enrolled full-time in higher education after secondary school and received graded credit; people who took college classes without enrolling in a degree program, or will have fewer than 12 credits by enrollment, should apply as first-year students. Transfer students are evaluated primarily on college-level work.
• Deadlines: fall 1 July (earlier is encouraged; rolling, beginning late February); spring 1 December with a preferred date of 15 November, after which applications are accepted as space allows. The fee is $85.
• Materials: the Common App or Coalition Application; a College Report from the current and each previous college; the most recent college transcript plus all earlier transcripts, including college courses taken in high school; a final high-school transcript if you have completed fewer than 30 college credits since graduating; and any college-specific items.
• Prerequisite sequence for transferring into these majors: the transfer pages we read give no separate prerequisite sequence or GPA for biology, biochemistry, neuroscience, exercise science, nutrition or public health; not stated, so ask the college.
• International transfers: the same official credentials and translations are required; the English exam waiver for transfers applies to those who completed at least 24 credits in person at a U.S. post-secondary institution with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher (excluding ESL).
• Credit: the site has an “Orange Transfer Credit Navigator” and community-college partnership pages that we did not read; how credit is awarded after admission is not stated on the pages we read.

Checklist

U.S. applicants:

• Apply to a college (you may choose undecided); EA / ED 1 November, ED II / RD 5 January; $85 fee; testing optional; one academic recommendation
• Pre-med: no pre-med major, any major works; follow the pre-med course list in biology, chemistry and physics; pre-med advising needs a 3.4 GPA; see the combined M.D. program above

International applicants (including China):

• Official credentials with English translations; TOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo with the preferred scores above; proof of funds for one academic year; the site says international undergraduate applicants are also considered for merit scholarships
• The pages we read do not say how the Gaokao is used, whether the Huikao is needed, or whether international students face limits in nursing and clinical work; ask admissions

Transfer students:

• Fall 1 July, spring 1 December (preferred 15 November); the specific prerequisite sequence for these majors is not stated

Sources: Syracuse University, Dates and deadlines; First-year requirements; First-year checklist; College-specific requirements and test policy; International undergraduate requirements; International costs; Undergraduate costs; Financial aid and scholarships; Transfer requirements; Transfer checklist; Transferring within the University; Biology B.S.; Biology B.A.; Biochemistry; Biotechnology B.S.; Neuroscience B.S.; Neuroscience B.A.; Pre-Med; Declaring pre-medicine advising; Partner schools and early assurance programs; Pre-Med FAQ; Health and Exercise Science; Nutrition; Public Health. Most date pages print no year; dates in this guide are read as the cycle for fall 2027 entry, so check the year on the official pages. Costs are 2026-27 figures.