How to Apply to Life Sciences and Pre-Health Study at Binghamton University (SUNY): Biological Sciences in Harpur College With the Major Declared After Enrolling, Nursing Admitted Directly in Decker College, and the Path for Domestic, International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Applicants

Binghamton University is a public university in the State University of New York (SUNY) system, in Binghamton, New York. Its life-science and health degrees sit in several colleges: Harpur College of Arts and Sciences (Biological Sciences, Biochemistry, Integrative Neuroscience and others), the Decker College of Nursing and Health Sciences (Nursing) and the engineering college (biomedical engineering, mentioned only in passing). There is no pre-med major in the United States, and Binghamton lists pre-health under “pre-professional programs”. This guide summarises Binghamton’s published information for fall 2027 entry for U.S. applicants, international applicants and applicants from China, followed by transfer students. Note: the university’s course catalog site is not a school-owned CourseLeaf site, so we did not use it; course lists for Biochemistry and Integrative Neuroscience are therefore not included.

1. Relevant undergraduate majors

• Biological Sciences: offered by the Biological Sciences department in Harpur College, with BA and BS degrees and a minor. The department says graduates are prepared for advanced degree programs in research and health professional fields; recent graduates have entered medical, dental and veterinary programs and work in biotechnology, health industries and government agencies such as the National Institutes of Health. An accelerated 4+1 master’s route exists.
• Other Harpur majors: the admissions “Schools” page lists biology and integrative neuroscience among Harpur’s popular majors. Their course requirements are not covered in the pages we used.
• Nursing: Decker offers a BS in Nursing. The traditional program admits first-year students directly; there are also transfer, intra-University transfer/double-degree and 12-month Baccalaureate Accelerated Track (BAT) routes, plus an online RN-BS for working nurses. Graduates are eligible to take the NCLEX-RN licensing exam.
• Health-related minors (Decker): Health and Wellness Studies (3.0 cumulative GPA), Public Health (2.5), Forensic Health (3.0 and 45 credits), Arts in Healthcare, and Speech and Hearing Science. The Master of Public Health has a 4+1 option for Harpur undergraduates.
• Engineering: biomedical engineering (BS) is in the engineering college and gets only this sentence.
• Whether these programs are STEM-designated: not stated on the pages we read.

2. Admission

• Biological Sciences: the first-year application page we read does not ask you to choose a major (only the arts and nursing have separate instructions). Harpur’s exploratory-student page says you declare the major in the department after enrolling, and departments handle this differently; the biology department says to tell a Harpur advisor at an advising meeting whether you want the BA or BS, bringing your B number to review DegreeWorks. No GPA threshold or quota for the biology major is stated on the pages we read.
• Biology major requirements (department page, from fall 2018): the core — introductory biology BIOL 113, 114 and 115; general chemistry (CHEM 104, 105 and 106, or 107 and 108, or 111); organic chemistry CHEM 231 and 332; statistics (MATH 147 or similar); 8 credits of math/science/physical science (choices include CHEM, CS, MATH and PHYS 121–122); a cell biology and genetics core course (BIOL 401, 311 or 332); and an ecology and evolution core course (BIOL 351 or 355/373). BA: plus 12 credits of 300-level-and-above biology electives (two with labs), 60 credits in total (58 with CHEM 107/108, 54 with CHEM 111), at least 20 credits taken in Harpur. BS: plus 20 credits, 68 in total (66 or 62), at least 28 credits in Harpur, with more depth. The page says the BA can be tailored to the admission requirements for training in medicine and other health professions. Apart from some research and internship courses, biology courses cannot be taken pass/fail, and a D or higher counts toward the major. You cannot double major in Biology and Biochemistry or in Biology and Integrative Neuroscience because the overlap is too great.
• Biology minor: BIOL 113, 114 and 115; one of BIOL 311, 332 or 401; one of BIOL 351, 355/373 or 378; and eight more credits at the 300–400 level.
• Harpur degree requirements: 126 credits, a 2.0 GPA, general education, the Harpur writing, upper-level (at least 46 credits at 300+ for students entering fall 2018 or later) and residency (44 credits in Harpur) requirements; for students entering fall 2024 or later, the BA needs 94 credits of liberal arts and the BS 63.
• Nursing: the Decker page says it directly admits an incoming first-year cohort each year; students count as nursing majors once they pay the enrollment deposit, and do not need to re-apply after the prerequisites. First-year applicants must “demonstrate strength in biology, chemistry and mathematics”. The traditional program needs 126 credits (52 nursing credits and 74 credits of prerequisites, general education and electives); nursing core courses, with clinical placements, start in the fall of the junior year. The number of first-year nursing seats is not stated on the pages we read.
• Nursing prerequisites: Composition I and II, statistics (MATH 147 or PSYC 243), Introductory Psychology (PSYC 111), Developmental Psychology (PSYC 220), General Chemistry I and II (HSCI 101/102, CHEM 104/105 and others), BIOL 113, Microbiology (BIOL 319 or HSCI 319) and Anatomy and Physiology I and II. They may be taken at any accredited institution, but anatomy, physiology, chemistry and microbiology courses expire after 10 years.
• Research: the biology department says nearly half of each class contributes to faculty research, and mentions First-year Research Immersion and Summer Research Immersion. The honors thesis needs a 3.3 GPA in biology courses, 3.0 overall and at least a year of research (BIOL 497 and 498). The department does not offer structured internships, though some internships earn pass/fail credit as BIOL 494 or 495.

3. Pre-med: what Binghamton says

• The admissions “Pre-professional Programs” page says students are prepared for medicine, dentistry, optometry, veterinary medicine, podiatric medicine, physician assistant, physical therapy, pharmacy, occupational therapy, speech therapy and more. It says the university has articulation programs with several professional schools, including the Upstate Accelerated Scholars Program with SUNY Upstate Medical University’s Norton School of Medicine and the Joint Degree Program with SUNY Optometry, which let students avoid the typically stressful application process and gain an earlier assurance of admission. In pharmacy, the School of Pharmacy’s Pharmacy Early Acceptance Program (PEAP) offers a guaranteed PharmD seat to incoming first-year students who choose pre-pharmacy. Whether these programs are open to international students: not stated on the pages we read.
• The biology major page says the BA can be tailored to medical and health-care training requirements (see section 2).
• Medical-school admission statistics, a pre-health office and committee letters: not stated on the pages we read. Ask the Harpur advising office (the biology advising address is harpuradvising@binghamton.edu). The biology department says discussions of science and biology-related careers go to its undergraduate directors.

4. High school preparation

• The first-year and international first-year application pages we read do not list required high school courses for any major; the exception is nursing, which asks for strength in biology, chemistry and mathematics. Ask admissions (admit@binghamton.edu).
• AP credit (equivalency table on the Decker page; four credits per course unless noted): AP Biology 3 gives elective credit, 4 gives BIOL 113 and 5 gives BIOL 113 and 114 (8 credits); AP Chemistry 3 gives CHEM xx1, 4 gives CHEM 104 or 111 and 5 gives CHEM 107 and 108; AP Calculus AB 4 or 5 gives MATH 224 and 225, and BC 4 gives MATH 223, 224, 225 and 226, BC 5 gives MATH 224, 225, 226 and a math elective. The AP Chemistry entry adds that the general-education lab requirement may in some circumstances be met with AP credit.
• IB credit (Harpur advising page): credit only for Higher Level exams; Biology HL 4–5 gives elective credit, 6 gives BIOL 113 or 114 plus an elective (8 credits) and 7 gives BIOL 113 and 114; Chemistry HL 5 gives one of CHEM 104/107/111 and 6–7 gives CHEM 107 and 108; Mathematics HL 4–5 gives 4 elective credits and 6–7 gives 8. A maximum of 32 exam credits from all sources (AP, IB, CLEP) counts; IB Diploma holders with 30 or more points and at least three HL exams of 5 or higher can receive 32 credits. The nursing page adds that AP scores of 3 or better and IB higher-level scores of 4 or better can earn credit.
• First two years: the Biology core is in section 2; the pages we read give no four-year plan, so ask the biology advisors.

5. Rounds, deadlines and materials

• Early Action: apply by 1 November; transcripts and any scores by 1 December; decisions by 15 January. Regular admission: apply and send materials by 15 January; decisions by 1 April. Later applications are reviewed on a space-available basis. The page was updated in October 2026 and applies to fall 2027 entry.
• The site announces Free Application Weeks, 19 October to 2 November, with no fee and no special code. Otherwise the first-year fee is $50, and only the university’s own fee-waiver form is accepted from students with financial need.
• Platform: the Common App, the SUNY Application or the Coalition Application. SUNY’s Top 10% Promise guarantees a place at one participating school, not at Binghamton; apply to Binghamton directly for full consideration.
• Materials: a high school transcript sent by the school; one teacher or counselor recommendation; SAT/ACT optional. No interview is required, though you may submit a 60–90 second Glimpse video.
• Testing: test-optional. Every applicant must say on the application whether to include SAT/ACT scores in the review. Self-reported scores must be followed by official scores by 15 May if you enroll; athletes, international students and students outside the U.S. must send official scores. The class profile (fall 2025 data) gives a mid-50% of SAT 1300–1450 and ACT 29–33 (based on those who chose to submit scores) and a mid-50% high school GPA of 93–98 (3.7–3.9).

6. U.S. applicants

• In-state or out-of-state: the 2026-27 annual budget (“as of July 2026, subject to change”): New York residents tuition $7,070, fees $3,497, housing and meals $20,179, total $30,746; out-of-state residents tuition $29,840, fees $3,497, housing and meals $20,179, total $53,516. No program fee for Biological Sciences or Nursing is stated on the pages we read, and no in-state admission preference is described.
• Scholarships: all applicants are considered automatically with no separate application. There are three four-year awards (President’s, Provost’s and Dean’s Scholarships), the Binghamton University Achievement Scholarship ($10,000 a year for up to four years for twenty first-year students) and awards up to the in-state cost of attendance for five students. New York residents can look at the Excelsior Scholarship (run by HESC, which makes Binghamton tuition-free for many New Yorkers); the NYS STEM Incentive Program gives a full SUNY tuition scholarship to the top 10 percent of each New York high school who pursue a STEM degree. For federal or New York aid, file the FAFSA; for fall 2027 admission the recommended date is 1 February.

7. International applicants

• Who counts: non-U.S. citizens who hold or will obtain an F-1 or J-1 visa; other visa types use the first-year application.
• Deadlines: international first-year Early Action 1 November (decision by 15 January) and regular admission 15 March (decision by 1 April); later applications are reviewed on a space-available basis. The site contradicts itself for nursing: the nursing page gives 15 January for regular first-year applications while the international page gives 15 March. Confirm with admissions if you are applying to nursing.
• Fee $50; international students are not eligible for fee waivers (follow the site’s wording on Free Application Weeks).
• Transcripts: official transcripts for the three most recent years, listing all courses and grades, with English translations if needed, sent directly by a school officer (through the application, from a school email domain to international@binghamton.edu, or by mail).
• English: required of every non-native English speaker, even from English-medium schools and even if you choose SAT/ACT-optional; scores must be under two years old. Accepted tests: TOEFL, IELTS, Duolingo, PTE, Cambridge English, SAT, IB Higher Level, O-Level English and ACT. The “mid-50%” ranges the university lists: TOEFL 80–95 for tests before 21 January 2026 (4.0–5.0 on the new scale), IELTS 6.5–7.0, Duolingo 110–120, SAT EBRW 530–640, ACT English 21–27, Cambridge 176–185, PTE 53–65. Students who attended four years of English-medium school can request a waiver in writing. No minimum score is published. Admitted students at IELTS 5.5–6.0 equivalent may be required to attend English Language Institute programming before the semester.
• Funds: F-1 and J-1 students must submit an International Student Financial Statement (with sponsor signatures) and bank statements covering first-year expenses before an I-20 or DS-2019 is issued.
• 2026-27 international budget: tuition $29,840, fees $6,485 (excluding the SEVIS fee), housing and meals $20,179, total $56,504. The scholarship page says all applicants are considered; whether international students are eligible for each award is not stated.
• Whether international students face limits in nursing clinical placements or labs: not stated on the pages we read.

8. Applicants from China

• Gaokao: the pages we read do not say how the Gaokao is used. Admissions lists a Chinese-language website, a WeChat account (“Binghamton University”), WhatsApp and a phone number (+1-607-777-2171) for questions.
• The international students page has a “Resources for Chinese students” note pointing to the university’s Chinese website; that site is hosted on a third-party platform and was not used for this article, so check the international students page on the university site.
• Transcripts: the site says non-English transcripts need an English translation and must be sent directly by the school. The site gives no separate guidance on the Chinese high school graduation exams or certificates.

9. Transfer

• Into Harpur (Biological Sciences): previous successful Harpur transfer applicants had a GPA of 3.0 or higher; the general education curriculum is preferred; there are no necessary course prerequisites. Priority deadlines are 1 March for fall and 1 November for spring, with rolling decisions; later applications are space-available. The chemistry and biology sequence for transferring into the biology major is not given on the pages we read.
• Nursing: since fall 2024 Decker admits transfer students only as incoming juniors (all prerequisites complete) and only for fall; a 3.0 GPA and a 3.0 prerequisite average are required; the deadline is 1 March. International transfer applicants with international transcripts must first get a course-by-course and degree evaluation from WES or ECE. Prerequisites are listed in section 2; the BAT program’s fall deadline is 15 November with all materials by 1 December.
• International transfer: priority deadlines 15 November (spring) and 1 March (fall); fee $50; English can be shown by an approved test score or by two English composition courses at a U.S. college with grades of B or better.
• Credit: Binghamton provides a transfer course equivalency tool. Students with fewer than 24 credits since high school must still send the high school transcript and may submit SAT/ACT.

Checklist

U.S. applicants:

• Early Action 1 November 2026 or regular 15 January 2027; test-optional; one recommendation
• Biological Sciences: declare BA or BS in the department after enrolling; for nursing, apply to nursing from the start

International applicants (including China):

• Early Action 1 November, regular 15 March (confirm for nursing); at least one English test
• Three years of transcripts with English translations; prepare proof of funds; confirm how the Gaokao is used with admissions

Transfer students:

• Apply by 1 March for fall; Harpur prefers a 3.0 GPA; nursing takes juniors only with every prerequisite finished

Sources: Binghamton University, Schools; Pre-professional programs; Biological Sciences undergraduate; Biology major requirements; Biology minor; Biology advising; Honors thesis and research; Internship credit; First-year Research Immersion; Harpur degree requirements; Harpur exploratory students; Decker academic programs; Nursing undergraduate; BS in Nursing; Public health; AP equivalencies; IB equivalencies; First-year applicants; International first-year applicants; International students; Test policy; Cost and aid; Scholarships; Class profile; Transfer; Transfer instructions; International transfer. Information is for fall 2027 entry (costs are 2026-27 figures); check Binghamton’s website for the latest.