How to Apply to Public Health (BS) at Syracuse University: A CEPH-Accredited Major in the Maxwell School with Three Concentrations and 150 to 330 Hours of Community-Based Learning, Plus an Accelerated BS/MPH, for U.S., International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Students

Syracuse University’s (Syracuse’s) public health bachelor’s degree is the Public Health B.S.; its program page lists the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs as the school and the delivery as in-person. The guide below follows the pages for fall 2027 entry, split into U.S. applicants, international applicants, applicants from China and transfer students. Syracuse’s wider life-sciences picture is covered in our separate overview article.

1. Degrees and options

• Degree and accreditation: the program page says the Public Health B.S. is accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH). The Public Health Department page says it takes four years and 123 credits, split into the public health core (30 credits), a concentration (15 credits) and the liberal arts core (62 credits).
• Public health core (30 credits): listed by topic: community health promotion, environmental health, health disparities and underserved populations, personal and social health (or human health and disease), public health data and decision making, epidemiology, implementing and evaluating health programs, an internship, public health policy and understanding health systems. The program page says the curriculum builds on a liberal arts foundation in biological sciences, communications, social sciences and statistics, with public health coursework from year one on health equity, social justice, social determinants of health, health promotion and disease prevention.
• Three concentrations (choose one, 15 credits each): Addiction Prevention, which the school says makes you eligible for initial credentialing as a substance use counselor or prevention practitioner from the New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS); Community Health Education, which makes you eligible for initial credentialing as a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES); and Healthcare Management, for coordinating health programs or advanced study in healthcare administration. Each concentration includes an internship.
• Internships and service learning: the program page says community-based learning requirements run across all four years and end in a senior-year capstone internship; depending on concentration you complete 150 to 330 hours, with dedicated internship coordinators. The department page cites 11,600 hours of community service in 2024 and 87 community partnerships.
• Second majors: the program page says a second major can be integrated into the public health degree requirements without adding credit: B.A. in Policy Studies, Law, Society and Policy, or Psychology; B.S. in Environment, Sustainability and Policy or Neuroscience; and B.A. in Health Humanities.
• Minors: a Public Health minor (18 credits, with core coursework in community health and health disparities plus electives such as health systems, policy, epidemiology and global health) and a Healthcare Management minor (18 credits).
• Accelerated BS/MPH: the department’s page lists two degrees, two internships and 150 credits, completed in five years; the MPH is 42 credits with epidemiology, global health and public health policy concentrations, and 15 credits are shared by the two degrees. Who may apply, when, with what GPA, and whether international students may apply are not stated on the pages read; contact the department (publichealth@syr.edu, 315.443.2141).
• STEM designation: the pages read do not say; not published there.
• Study abroad and research: the program page names options in Denmark (DIS Copenhagen), Sweden (DIS Stockholm), Kenya (SIT), India (SIT) and Australia (three universities) for public health study and international internships, and research with neighboring SUNY Upstate Medical University and others.
• Pre-health and graduate study: the program page says the coursework meets admission requirements for post-graduate programs in medicine, dentistry, nursing and others, while the department page calls it a strong foundation for those clinical programs, so the wording differs. The program page also says 75% of alumni who go on to graduate school choose public health graduate degrees such as the MPH. Ask the pre-health advisors about specific prerequisites.

2. How you get into the major

• Choose a program and college when applying: the first-year checklist says to choose a program of study, and that you may apply to several schools and colleges as undecided. The Public Health page has an “Apply to this Program” button and places the major in the Maxwell School; the college-specific requirements page lists “College of Arts and Sciences | Maxwell School” together with “No additional requirements”.
• Whether Public Health is capacity-limited, or has its own GPA or high school course requirements, is not published on the pages read; ask admissions (orange@syr.edu) and the department.
• Internal transfer: the College of Arts and Sciences page for intra-university transfers asks for the IUT form and a declaration-of-major form (undecided students are an exception, but a major is required after 40 credits and undeclared students are not admitted with 60 or more credits), an unofficial transcript, and a current cumulative Syracuse GPA of at least 2.0; applicants below 2.0 can apply without a guarantee, with a letter. Public Health’s own transfer-in criteria are not published on the pages read.

3. Prerequisites and curriculum

• High school coursework: for first-year applicants, Syracuse says a college preparatory curriculum is not a requirement but the best preparation: four years each of English, science, social studies and mathematics (through geometry and intermediate algebra), and at least three years of a foreign language. Any separate math or biology requirement for Public Health is not published on the pages read.
• Course titles, prerequisites and math/science requirements for the major: both the program page and the department page give topics only. The full requirements are in the official course catalog, which was not read; check the “Public Health B.S.” entry there.
• AP/IB credit: not stated on the pages read; check Syracuse’s advanced credit policy and the department.

4. Rounds, deadlines and materials (first-year, fall 2027)

• Early Action: November 1, notification in early February. Early Decision (binding): November 1, notification in late December, reply by February 15. Early Decision II: January 5, notification mid-January, reply by March 1. Regular Decision: January 5, notification from mid-March on a rolling basis, reply by May 1.
• Platform: the Common Application or the Coalition Application powered by Scoir.
• Application fee: $85, with fee waivers available.
• Required: the official high school transcript, senior year grade report, a counselor evaluation and one academic recommendation; ED applicants add the ED agreement.
• Testing: SAT/ACT scores are not required for Fall 2026, Spring 2027, Fall 2027 or Spring 2028 admission, and not submitting does not affect merit scholarship eligibility.
• Dates: the deadlines page does not clearly print a year, so confirm the dates apply to fall 2027 entry.

5. The three readers

U.S. applicants

• Apply through the Common App or Coalition with the materials in section 4.
• 2026-27 undergraduate cost (living on campus): tuition $69,180; housing and food (average) $20,580; miscellaneous fees $1,869; books and supplies $1,847; transportation $839; personal expenses $1,294; loan fees $67; total $95,676, or $98,544 with health insurance ($2,868, waivable with adequate private coverage). The cost page gives one tuition figure with no in-state split; any in-state preference is not published. The page says costs can vary by program because of special fees; whether Public Health has a program fee is not published.
• The cost page also says 82% of Syracuse students receive some financial support, and offers a net price calculator.

International applicants

• An international student is someone who is not a U.S. citizen, dual citizen or permanent resident. Credentials must be official, with English translations the applicant arranges. The page adds that students completing the British curriculum are not eligible to apply after IGCSE/GCSE alone and need at least one more year, and that the BTEC is not accepted.
• English proficiency (for first-year and transfer applicants living outside the U.S. whose first language is not English, and international students studying in the U.S.): TOEFL, TOEFL At Home, IELTS, Cambridge, PTE and Duolingo are accepted; TOEFL Essentials, TOEFL ITP, TOEFL MyBest and the IELTS Indicator are not. Scores must come directly from the test service; the TOEFL code is 2823. The “preferred” scores for the College of Arts and Sciences and Maxwell group are TOEFL iBT 85+ (4.5 on the new scale effective January 21, 2026), IELTS 6.5+, Cambridge 176+ and Duolingo 125+; the table also lists SAT EBRW 600 and ACT English 27. Meeting the minimum does not guarantee admission.
• Waivers: at the Admissions Committee’s discretion; first-year applicants who attended in-person U.S. secondary schools for three full academic years (grades 10-12), and transfer students with 24+ credits taken in person at a U.S. institution and a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher (excluding ESL), are waived at the time of application.
• Financial documentation (for F-1 applicants): show funds for one full academic year with the Visa/Financial Support Information Form and a bank statement or bank letter of liquid funds dated within a year of the term start; screenshots, income statements and tax returns are not accepted. The page uses the 2026-27 estimate of $100,526 for applicants for Spring/Fall 2027; the 2027-28 estimate will be finalized in spring 2027.
• Conditional admission: possible when academic requirements are met but English proficiency or financial support is insufficient; no I-20 is issued until the condition is met.
• Interviews: not required; virtual interviews can be scheduled, students in Asia can interview with Vericant, and InitialView interviews are accepted.
• Scholarships: international applicants are considered for merit scholarships, with notification at admission; the Office of Admissions decides based on academic credentials.
• Internship or work limits for international students in public health: not published on the pages read; ask Syracuse’s international services office.

Applicants from China (separate section)

• Whether the Gaokao is considered: the international credentials page lists for China the Upper Middle School Graduation Certificate and a copy of the National College Entrance Examination results “with superior scores if taken”. The page does not say whether the Gaokao is required or how it is weighed; not published there. Ask admissions (orange@syr.edu).
• Transcripts and exit-exam materials: official transcripts with English translation; whether senior-high exit-exam (huikao) results are needed is not stated on the pages read.
• English scores: as above; TOEFL ITP and TOEFL Essentials are not accepted.
• Any school note for Chinese applicants: apart from the credential entry above, not published.

6. Costs and scholarships, a note

International 2026-27 cost (living on campus): tuition $69,180; housing and food $20,580; miscellaneous fees $1,869; books $1,847; transportation $1,888; personal $1,294; health insurance $2,868; program and technology fees $1,000; total $100,526 (off campus, $98,248). The page estimates an additional $7,291 for the summer session. Scholarship amounts are not published on the pages read.

7. Transfer

• Who counts as a transfer applicant: someone who enrolled in a degree program after high school and completed at least 12 credit hours; those with fewer should apply as first-year students. Transfers are evaluated mainly on college-level work.
• Materials: the Common App or Coalition; a College Report from every college attended; the most recent and all earlier college transcripts (including college classes taken in high school); a final high school transcript if you have completed fewer than 30 college credits; the $85 fee; any extra material for the college.
• Deadlines: fall, July 1 (rolling admission from late February; apply earlier because some programs have limited space); spring, November 15 preferred and December 1 final; applications after November 15 are accepted on a space-available basis.
• Minimum GPA and Public Health prerequisites: not stated on the transfer pages read; not published there.
• International transfers: the English requirement applies (waived with 24+ in-person U.S. credits and a 3.0 GPA); for intra-university transfer into Arts and Sciences, international transfer credit needs a WES evaluation and falls under the 16-transfer-credits post-matriculation rule.
• Internal transfer: see section 2.

Checklist

U.S. applicants:

• Public Health B.S. (Maxwell, 123 credits, three concentrations); Common App or Coalition; $85 fee
• EA and ED November 1, ED II and Regular January 5; testing not required; one recommendation
• Major-entry conditions, prerequisites and course titles are not on the pages read; check the course catalog and the department

International applicants (including China):

• TOEFL, IELTS, Cambridge, PTE or Duolingo; F-1 applicants show one full year of funds, with a $100,526 reference estimate
• China entry: high school graduation certificate plus a copy of Gaokao results if taken; how the Gaokao is used is not published

Transfer students:

• At least 12 credits; fall July 1; intra-university transfer needs a 2.0 GPA; Public Health’s own transfer-in conditions are not published

Sources: Syracuse University, Program page: Public Health B.S.; Maxwell Public Health Department: undergraduate; Accelerated BS/MPH; Dates and deadlines; First-year requirements; First-year checklist; College-specific requirements; International undergraduate requirements; International credentials; International costs; Undergraduate costs; Transfer requirements; Transfer checklist; Intra-university transfer; Arts and Sciences intra-university transfer. Information is for fall 2027 entry (costs are 2026-27). Some pages print dates without a year, so confirm they apply to fall 2027 entry; check Syracuse’s website for the latest. The official course catalog was not read.