How to Apply to Life Sciences and Pre-Med Study at Georgia Tech: Choose an Intended Major but Do Not Apply to a Program, Confirm It Before Enrolling, BS Degrees in Biology, Neuroscience and Biochemistry, No Pre-Med Major, and the Path for Domestic, International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Applicants

Georgia Tech is a public university in Atlanta, part of the University System of Georgia (USG). Its life-science degrees are mainly in the College of Sciences; biomedical engineering is in the College of Engineering. The catalog states that Georgia Tech has chosen not to have majors designated pre-medicine and the like. This guide summarises Georgia Tech’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

• BS in Biology, from the School of Biological Sciences. The school says it needs at least 122 credit hours, including 21 hours of customizable technical electives. Options include the Research Option, the Business Option, a pre-health focus, Biology certificates, the International Plan, and five-year BS/MS programs (BS Biology with MS Biology, or with MS Bioinformatics). The school also offers minors in Biology, Physiology, and Health and Medical Sciences.
• BS in Neuroscience: the catalog says 120 credit hours plus a required 2-credit health class, with Business and Research options, the International Plan, and a BS/MS option leading to the MS in Psychology. The page we read does not name the college.
• BS in Biochemistry, from the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry: the catalog says it suits students aiming at research, teaching or a health profession such as medicine, pharmacy or dentistry. It has General, Business, Pre-health and Research options and the International Plan.
• Biomedical engineering is in the College of Engineering and gets only this sentence here.
• The majors table on the transfer page and the catalog pages we read show no nursing and no public health major.
• BA versus BS: all of these are BS degrees. Whether they are STEM-designated: not stated on the pages we read.

2. Admission: name an intended major, confirm it before enrolling

• The “Major Selection” page says that as a first-year applicant you do not apply to a specific major or college, but the Common App asks for an intended (primary) major and an optional secondary one. Admissions says it wants an academically diverse class and looks for evidence of your interest in and preparation for the major you list.
• Admitted first-year students must confirm a major in the admission portal after paying the deposit and before FASET orientation (catalog scholastic rules).
• Changing major: the catalog gives each undergraduate one unrestricted change of major until 60 credit hours (including AP, IB and transfer credit); after that, or for a further change, the receiving school decides. The Institute may limit access to a program for capacity reasons and must post a notice. The catalog lists Industrial and Systems Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Music Technology as having existing conditions; Biology, Neuroscience and Biochemistry are not listed in the part we read. Transfer students do not get the one unrestricted change.
• GPA thresholds or quotas for entering these majors: not stated on the Biology, Neuroscience and Biochemistry pages we read. Ask admission (admission@gatech.edu) or the school.
• BS Biology requirements (School of Biological Sciences, current year): the biology core — Biological Principles (BIOS 1207 or 1107) with lab, Organismal Biology (BIOS 1208 or 1108) with lab, Ecology, Genetics, Cell and Molecular Biology, Evolutionary Biology and Communicating Biological Research (BIOS 4460), with two of the three lab categories (ecology, genetics, cell and molecular); one quantitative biology course; a senior research experience (BIOS 4590 or 4690); 21 credits of biology electives, of which 12 “depth” credits must be BIOS courses and 9 “breadth” credits may come from approved courses in other schools; non-biology requirements of Chemical Principles I and II, Organic Chemistry I and II and the synthesis lab (CHEM 1211K, 1212K, 2311, 2312, 2380), MATH 1551, 1552 and 1553, life-sciences physics (PHYS 2211 and 2212), a computing course, writing, humanities and social sciences. Biology degree courses must be taken for letter grades (free electives excepted) and D or higher is accepted.
• Neuroscience curriculum (catalog): chemical principles, survey of organic chemistry, biology principles with lab, Principles of Neuroscience (NEUR 2001, or 2010 with lab), statistics, PHYS 2211 and 2212, NEUR 3001, 3002, 3003 and 3010, survey of biochemistry (CHEM 3511 or 3521), 15 credits of neuroscience depth electives and one research-based elective (NEUR 4001 or 4601).
• Research: the catalog says all Biology majors take part in research through undergraduate research courses. The School of Biological Sciences says paid research pays about $10–12 an hour, research can also earn credit (BIOS 4699), and competitive awards such as the President’s Undergraduate Research Awards (PURA) exist. The Research Option needs at least 9 credit hours of supervised research and a thesis, and is noted on the transcript; the sample pathway starts in the junior year, and you apply through the UROP website.

3. Pre-med: what Georgia Tech says

• The catalog’s Preprofessional Programs page says Georgia Tech offers Pre-Health advising (covering medicine, dentistry, pharmacy and other health professions), Pre-law and Pre-teaching. It says Georgia Tech has elected not to have majors designated pre-medicine, pre-dentistry or pre-law, that no specific major offers an obvious competitive advantage for professional school, and that the best major is usually the one in which the student has the greatest interest.
• The School of Biological Sciences’ PreHealth page says the Biology degree fits the pre-med MCAT requirements without adding hours — “there is no pre-health track needed”. Its table matches medical-school and MCAT requirements (introductory biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry and physics with labs, calculus, English) to required Biology courses, and recommended courses (genetics, cell and molecular biology, anatomy, physiology, statistics, biochemistry, psychology, sociology) to required courses or electives. It strongly encourages pre-health students to work with Georgia Tech’s Pre-Health Advising office.
• Five-year BS/MS: the school describes it as possible “bridge training” toward medical, professional or doctoral programs, with the master’s completed in as little as one year.
• Medical-school admission statistics, committee letters, special advice for international students applying to U.S. medical schools, and combined BS/MD programs: not stated on the pages we read. Contact the Pre-Health Advising office.

4. High school preparation

• USG requirements (Academic Preparation page): English 4 units, math 4, science 4, social science 3, and foreign language (or American Sign Language or computer science) 2. Students graduating from high schools outside the U.S. system must complete a curriculum deemed equivalent by USG institutions and/or a NACES-approved credential evaluator.
• Georgia Tech wants to see success in the most rigorous curriculum available at your school (AP, IB, AS and A-Levels, dual enrollment). The admission pages we read give no extra high school math, chemistry or physics requirement for the Biology degree; not published.
• International curricula (international first-year page): there is no minimum IB score, but competitive applicants have mostly 6s and 7s, and higher-level math and science are encouraged but not required; British-pattern applicants should be on track for at least 3 full A-Levels before enrolling; students whose national curriculum has fewer than twelve years or no calculus course are encouraged to consider schoolhouse.world certification, particularly in calculus.
• Credit for exams (catalog; biology, chemistry and calculus only): AP Biology 4 or 5 gives BIOS 1107 and lab; AP Calculus AB 4 or 5 gives MATH 1551, and BC 4 or 5 gives MATH 1551 and 1552; AP Chemistry 4 gives CHEM 1211K and 5 gives CHEM 1310. IB Biology HL 4–5 gives BIOS 1107 and lab, and 6–7 gives BIOS 1107 and 1108 with labs; IB Biology SL 6–7 gives BIOS 1107 and lab; IB Chemistry HL 5–7 gives CHEM 1310; IB Mathematics (analysis and approaches) HL 6–7 gives MATH 1551. In the first A-Level table, Biology grade A gives BIOS 1107 and lab and Chemistry grade A or B gives CHEM 1310 (other exam boards have separate tables); AS-Level and O-Level results get no credit. The School of Biological Sciences adds that an AP Biology 5 can substitute four credits of biology elective for BIOS 1208 and lab. The two pages differ; check the latest.
• Math and chemistry placement: not described in the pages we read.
• First two years: the Biology four-year plan is on the school’s degree requirements page; follow that page for the order of courses.

5. Rounds, deadlines and materials

• Georgia Tech uses only the Common App. It admits for both Summer and Fall terms, and every applicant is considered for both.
• “2026-2027 Important Dates”: Early Action 1 (non-binding) is for Georgia students — application 15 October, documents 30 October, decisions in early December. Early Action 2 is for non-Georgia students, including international applicants — application 2 November, documents 16 November, decisions in late January. Regular Decision: application 6 January, documents 22 January, decisions in mid-March. The deposit deadline is 1 May for all. The page is labelled 2026-27, which corresponds to 2027 entry; check it.
• Self-reported test score deadlines are 16 November (EA1), 8 December (EA2) and 22 January (RD). Students who want merit scholarships such as the Stamps President’s Scholars Program or the Scheller Dean’s Scholarship must apply through Early Action and meet its deadlines; no separate application is needed.
• Fee: $75 ($85 for international applicants), non-refundable; waivers are available for eligible students.
• Materials: the Common App; a transcript listing courses for grades 9–12 with grades visible for 9–11 (deferred and Regular Decision applicants must send fall senior grades); SAT or ACT; one Common App essay (one of seven prompts); and the school report. Recommendations are optional: up to three (one counselor, up to two core-subject teachers), and not sending them does not count against you.
• Testing: the SAT or ACT is required of all first-year applicants; the ACT writing section and SAT essay are not required. Georgia Tech uses your highest section scores (ACT English, Math and Reading; SAT EBRW and Math). AP and IB scores are optional. No score cutoff is published on the pages we read.
• Admission is not decided by scores alone. The site says residency is one of the biggest influences on admit rate, because the Institute aims to keep Georgia students a majority; a residency status is posted to your portal about 4–5 weeks after you apply.

6. U.S. applicants

• In-state or out-of-state: USG assigns in-state, out-of-state or out-of-country tuition. The site says residency (for admission) and tuition classification are separate processes; tuition classification follows USG policy and is shown in the portal only after admission.
• 2026-27 first-year on-campus costs (costs page): Georgia resident tuition $10,618, mandatory fees $1,516, total $30,928; out-of-state tuition $34,604, fees $1,516, total $55,314 (totals include estimates for housing, food, books, personal expenses and transportation). The same page lists an “Estimated 2027-2028” year: Georgia resident tuition $10,618, fees $1,496, total $31,628; out-of-state tuition $33,596, total $55,018. No program fee for Biology is stated on the pages we read.
• Scholarships: see section 5 (merit awards require Early Action). Need-based aid is handled by the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid (OSFA).

7. International applicants

• Who counts: anyone who is not a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, or who needs a visa to study; for tuition they are classed as non-Georgia residents (the costs page lists an “out-of-country” column).
• Review: your application is read in the context of your own education system. Send transcripts for each year of secondary school; a curriculum shorter than four years needs a fourth year of transcripts before enrolling; IB students should send predicted scores. If you have taken any university coursework after secondary school you must apply as a transfer student.
• English (USG rule): all international applicants must show English proficiency by a USG-approved method. The USG page lists minimum / recommended scores: TOEFL iBT (including Home Edition) 3.5 / 4.0 (69 / 79 if taken before 2026), IELTS Academic 6 / 6.5, SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing 480, ACT English 17, PTE Academic 53 / 58, Cambridge English 169 / 177, Michigan English Test 55 / 59; a waiver is possible for completed instruction in English, subject to campus review. USG also says institutions may set higher scores, and Georgia Tech’s own minimum is not stated on the pages we read. Duolingo and interviews do not satisfy the USG requirement but are welcome as supplements; non-native speakers may submit a third-party interview from InitialView or Vericant by the document deadline.
• Money and aid: international students are not eligible for federal or state aid; Georgia Tech says it “typically” has no scholarships or aid for them, and that OSFA institutional scholarships are often not awarded to international students. Private loans (usually needing a U.S. citizen or permanent resident co-signer) and emergency tuition loans exist. F-1 students can typically do paid internships, co-ops, research and on-campus jobs, which are not guaranteed and will not cover the full cost. The I-20 or DS-2019 process starts only after admission and a non-refundable $250 deposit, and you must show sufficient funds afterwards.
• 2026-27 first-year out-of-country on-campus costs: tuition $35,610, fees $1,716, total $56,520; for the “Estimated 2027-2028” year, tuition $34,572, fees $1,696, total $56,194.
• Whether international students face limits in lab or clinical placements: not stated on the pages we read.

8. Applicants from China

• Gaokao: the pages we read do not say how the Gaokao is used. Contact admission (admission@gatech.edu).
• Transcripts: the international first-year page uses China as its example: if your high school curriculum is shorter than four years, you need a fourth year of transcripts to enroll; for a Chinese high school covering grades 10, 11 and 12, that means a copy of the grade 9 transcript before enrolling. For “other international curriculum”, applicants must have completed at least the level that allows enrollment in a competitive home-country university, with English translations if necessary.
• English: see section 7; the interview options are InitialView and Vericant.
• Math and science expectations for the Chinese curriculum are not stated separately; follow section 4 and confirm with admission.

9. Transfer

• Eligibility: a transfer applicant is a degree-seeking student with at least 30 semester (or 45 quarter) credit hours, including dual-enrollment and AP/IB credit; you must have graduated from high school before the application opens for your term. Georgia Tech cannot waive or exclude any prior college credit.
• Minimum GPA: 3.3 for the Colleges of Engineering and Computing; 3.0 for Design, Sciences, Liberal Arts and Business (4.0 scale). Biology is in the College of Sciences; the college for Neuroscience and Biochemistry is not named on the pages we read.
• Course requirements: all majors require equivalents of English Composition 1101 and 1102 and Calculus I (MATH 1551). On the course-requirements-by-major chart, Biology and Biochemistry also require Calculus II (MATH 1552) and General Chemistry I and II with labs; Neuroscience requires Calculus II, Biology (BIOS 1107 or 1108 with lab) and General Chemistry I with lab. Courses must transfer with a C or better and be complete by the course-requirements deadline.
• Fall dates: application open 18 January to 1 March, documents 16 March, course requirements 30 May, decisions in mid-May for regular transfers, deposit 1 July. The page prints no year, so check that these are for fall 2027. Spring and summer entry also exist. Fee $75 ($85 international).
• English: shown by two English composition courses (six semester credits); test scores and English taught abroad as a foreign language do not count. International transfer applicants may self-report TOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo scores but official scores are not required. Anyone who attended a college outside the U.S. must add a foreign credit evaluation (course-by-course with GPA) from a NACES-listed provider.
• Credit: an official credit evaluation is available only after admission, and a transfer equivalency catalog is available to check courses in advance. Further requirements for transferring into Biology: not stated beyond the chart above.

Checklist

U.S. applicants:

• Common App; Georgia students EA1 15 October; SAT or ACT required; remember residency affects admit rates
• The Biology degree already covers the MCAT course list; there is no pre-med major

International applicants (including China):

• Non-Georgia applicants, including international, use EA2 (2 November) or RD (6 January); prove English by a USG method; interview optional
• Send a fourth year of transcripts if your curriculum is shorter; plan funding because institutional aid is limited; confirm how the Gaokao is used with admission

Transfer students:

• At least 30 semester credits, 3.0 GPA for Sciences, English 1101/1102 and Calculus, then the chemistry courses on the chart; apply by 1 March for fall

Sources: Georgia Tech, Academics overview; Biology degree options; BS Biology requirements; Biology PreHealth; 5-year BS/MS programs; Minors from Biological Sciences; Undergraduate research; Research Option; Catalog: Biology; Catalog: Neuroscience; Catalog: Neuroscience curriculum; Catalog: Biochemistry; Catalog: preprofessional programs; Catalog: scholastic rules; AP credit; IB credit; A-Level credit; First-year admission; Deadlines; Application fees; Application review; Academic preparation; Major selection; Standardized tests; Recommendations; International first-year; Interview for international students; USG English proficiency; Visa and tuition classification; Tuition classification; Costs; International student aid; Transfer requirements; Transfer deadlines and fees; Transfer course requirements by major; International transfer. Information is for fall 2027 entry (see the text for which cost year each figure belongs to); check Georgia Tech’s website for the latest.