How to Apply to Life Sciences and Pre-Health Study at UCLA: The Division of Life Sciences Inside the College of Letters and Science, a Single Application Round with No Early Option, a Separate Supplemental Application for Nursing, and the Path for Domestic, International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Applicants

UCLA is in Los Angeles, California, and is a public university in the University of California system. Its main life-science majors are in the Division of Life Sciences of the College of Letters and Science; nursing is in the Joe C. Wen School of Nursing; public health is in the Fielding School of Public Health. There is no pre-med major in the United States, and UCLA says the campus has no designated pre-health or pre-med program: pre-health students can choose any major and complete the courses their target professional school requires. This guide summarises the published information for fall 2027 entry for U.S. applicants, international applicants and applicants from China, then transfer students.

1. Relevant undergraduate majors

• Division of Life Sciences: the site says it offers 13 majors, listed as Biology, Ecology, Behavior and Evolution, and Marine Biology (Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology); Computational and Systems Biology; Human Biology and Society (BA, BS; Institute for Society and Genetics); Physiological Science (Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology); Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics; Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology; Neuroscience (Neuroscience Interdepartmental Program); and Psychology (BA), Psychobiology (BS) and Cognitive Science (BS) in the Department of Psychology. It also lists 12 minors, including Biomedical Research, Brain and Behavioral Health, Evolutionary Medicine, Structural Biology, Systems Biology, Mathematical Biology and Neuroscience.
• Nursing: the Joe C. Wen School of Nursing offers a four-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing, admitting first-year students once a year plus a limited number of transfers. Graduates are eligible for the NCLEX and may apply for the California Public Health Nursing Certificate.
• Public Health: the Fielding School offers four-year BA and BS degrees. The site says the two differ in science preparation: BS students must complete the Life Sciences Core, one to two years of life sciences, mathematics, chemistry and physics.
• Biochemistry and others: the transfer major-preparation list also has Biochemistry and Chemistry majors, which we do not cover.
• Whether these majors are STEM-designated: the Dashew Center page for F-1 students says that one condition for F-1 students to be eligible for the 24-month STEM OPT Extension is having completed a designated STEM degree, and links to the DHS/ICE list of designated STEM degrees. The page does not say which UCLA majors count, so check the DHS list and ask the Dashew Center (source). Whether any combined bachelor’s/medical-degree program exists: not mentioned on the admissions, Life Sciences or Pre-Health pages we read; ask admissions.

2. Admission: how you choose and enter a major

• College of Letters and Science: the site says that for first-years applying to a College major, your choice of major will neither help nor hurt your admission, and many apply undeclared. After applying, changing majors within the College is not allowed; changing into the College is allowed until 1 January. The Life Sciences page says the process for entering a major depends on the major, some require “pre-major” status, and you have until the end of sophomore year to decide.
• Nursing: you must list Nursing as your first-choice major in the UC Application and also submit the School of Nursing supplemental application; changes into or out of the School are allowed until 1 December. See section 5 for its materials.
• Public Health: the Fielding School does not require a supplemental application, and changes within and into the School are allowed until 1 January.
• Entry conditions: GPA thresholds for Life Sciences majors and conditions for moving from pre-major to major are not stated on the pages we read; ask departmental advisors (for example MIMG at undergrad@microbio.ucla.edu).
• Department notes: the MIMG page says the major emphasises authentic research and every student does research, either in a faculty lab (Path 2) or in collaborative lab courses (Path 1). The BS in Physiological Science page says the curriculum spans levels from gene networks to whole-system physiology, with electives to tailor your program toward medicine and other health professions, biotechnology or research.
• Specific major requirements for Neuroscience, Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology and others: UCLA’s catalog pages load their content in the browser from a third-party course-data interface, which we did not use, and the Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology department site disallows Claude, so we did not read it; check catalog.registrar.ucla.edu and the departments.

3. The pre-med path

• The Life Sciences page says a majority of incoming students self-designate as “pre-health”, meaning they are fulfilling requirements for specific professional schools; the campus has no designated pre-health or pre-med program, and departmental academic advisors and campus resources help instead. Pre-health students can choose any major.
• Pre-Health at UCLA: the portal is supported by the Career Center and College Academic Counseling. It says most health programs require chemistry, biology, math and physics, links a pre-health requirements worksheet, and warns that each school asks for different courses, so check your target schools. The Career Center does not provide course planning. Non-STEM students can contact the Physiological Science undergraduate advisor.
• Recommended paths: for biological sciences majors (Biology, Integrative Biology and Physiology, Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology, Microbiology Immunology and Molecular Genetics, Neuroscience, Ecology Behavior and Evolution, Human Biology and Society, Marine Biology) Life Sciences gives four curriculum paths: Biology First (for students with at least two AP or honors courses), Biology Exploration (one AP or honors course), Chemistry Courses Early and Physics Courses Early. Neuroscience majors are encouraged to take the Physics Early path. The page says all four paths look the same in the end when you apply for jobs or professional school.
• In the Biology First path the courses include LS 30A/30B (or MATH 3A/3B or 31A/31B), LS 7A, 7B, 7C, LS 23L, STATS 13 or LS 40, CHEM 14A, 14B, 14BL, 14C, 14D and PHYSICS 5A, 5B, 5C; LS 107 and CHEM 153A are needed only for some majors. Life Sciences strongly recommends LS 110 Career Exploration in the Life Sciences for all students.
• Committee letters and AP/IB: the Pre-Health Allopathic Medicine (MD) page says some medical schools request a Committee Letter and that UCLA does not provide one, so it is not required as part of your application; see its Prepare to Apply section for advice on asking for letters. The FAQ says pre-health programs generally do not treat AP/IB credit as college-level work for requirements; some schools may accept it, but it still recommends completing the full number of courses for a requirement (for example 3 courses for math), and pre-health courses must be taken for a letter grade, not Pass/No Pass (MD page, FAQs). The site’s medical school admission statistics sit on linked data pages that we did not read.
• Whether pre-health advising has separate guidance for international students, and any limits on international students applying to U.S. medical schools: the Pre-Health pages we read (home, FAQs, MD page, pre-health services, plan your courses, prepare to apply) do not mention international students; contact the Career Center pre-health advising. A combined bachelor’s/medical-degree program is not mentioned either.

4. High school preparation

• UC subject requirement (A–G): the UC site says the minimum is 15 yearlong high school courses with a C or better, at least 11 of them before the last year of high school: history/social science 2 years; English 4; mathematics 3 (4 strongly recommended); laboratory science 2 (including or integrating two of biology, chemistry or physics; a third year is recommended); a language other than English 2 (3 recommended); visual and performing arts 1; and a college-preparatory elective 1. This is the University of California minimum; whether UCLA life-science majors have additional high school requirements is not stated on the pages we read.
• First two years on campus: see the curriculum paths above. Foundations for biological sciences majors include LS 7A–7C, mathematics (LS 30A/30B or MATH), statistics, the CHEM 14 series and the PHYSICS 5 series.
• AP and IB credit: UCLA admissions says official AP and IB results must reach the admissions office by 15 July. UCLA’s course-by-course credit table for biology, chemistry or calculus is not stated on the pages we read (the catalog pages could not be read); check the registrar and the UC AP credit pages.

5. Application rounds and materials

• One round only: UCLA says it offers no early action or early decision and admits for fall only (it is on the quarter system). The UC Application opens 1 August and the filing period is 1 October to 30 November; another sentence on the same page says “October 1–December 1”. Both appear, so follow the UC Application.
• Timeline: 2 March is the deadline for FAFSA, Dream Act and Cal Grant GPA verification; admission notification in late March; 1 May for the enrollment deposit and housing application; 1 July for final transcripts; 15 July for official AP and IB results.
• Review: comprehensive review with 13 faculty-approved criteria; the page also says the average unweighted GPA of Fall 2025 admits was 4.0. The UC Application’s personal insight questions ask you to answer 4 of 8, up to 350 words each.
• Testing: UCLA’s international page says it does not consider SAT or ACT scores (“test-free”) and the UC Application does not ask for them.
• Application fee: the amount is not stated on the pages we read; the UC site says a fee waiver covers up to four campuses for eligible students.
• Nursing materials: the nursing page says to complete the UC Application online by 30 November (and says applications become available on 1 November) and then the School of Nursing Supplemental Application, which includes a 2–3 page Statement of Purpose, a resume and two recommendation forms, due 15 January; another passage on the same page puts the recommendation deadline at 25 January. The 1 November date does not match admissions’ 1 October opening, so check. The supplemental application system is at apply.nursing.ucla.edu, which we did not visit.

6. U.S. applicants

• California residents and out-of-state students: UCLA is public. The UC site says California residents need a 3.0 GPA in A–G courses and nonresidents 3.4, with no grade lower than C. For nonresidents only AP and IB courses get honors weighting, not school-designated honors courses; do not send letters of recommendation; grades are self-reported and final official transcripts are due by 1 July if admitted. The UC site says it prioritizes California residents but every campus admits out-of-state students.
• Tuition: UCLA’s cost page (updated July 2026): university fees $16,430 for the nine-month year; total about $45,500 for California residents in residence halls; nonresidents add $39,270 of Nonresident Supplemental Tuition, for $84,770 in residence halls; $47,786 / $87,056 in off-campus apartments and $36,707 / $75,977 commuter. The site says that if your parents are not California residents it is extremely difficult for most undergraduates to be classified as residents. The pages we read state no extra fee for nursing or life-science majors.
• Research: the Life Sciences page lists undergraduate research programs such as the Student Research Program (for credit), the Undergraduate Research Fellows Program, COMPASS, the Beckman Research Scholarship (MIMG or Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology majors) and the Amgen Scholars Program; seat numbers are not stated.

7. International applicants

• Review: UCLA says all students are evaluated in the context of the curriculum they are enrolled in, regardless of citizenship; an international student is one who needs an F-1 visa. Applicants who hold a bachelor’s degree, or have the equivalent of three years (130 quarter units) of transferable university work, cannot apply as first-years.
• English: not required if all your high school education was in English; if you studied in a country where English was not the language of instruction and had less than 3 years of instruction in English, you must take TOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo. The site says competitive scores are TOEFL iBT 5 (sub-scores 5) on the new scale or above 100 (sub-scores above 24) on the old scale, IELTS 7.5 and Duolingo 135. Scores are self-reported on the application and may be updated until January. After admission, non-native speakers may also have to take UCLA’s English-as-a-Second-Language Placement Exam.
• Records and translation: records from secondary schools showing subjects and grades, plus national or government certificates; college coursework needs the original language plus English translations. These documents are sent after admission, following instructions. UCLA does not partner with agents.
• Funds and aid: UCLA does not award scholarships or financial aid to undergraduates who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents. You must show enough funds, for example a minimum of about $80,739 for students admitted to Fall Quarter 2026 (with $5,000 more recommended), which usually rises each year. That figure comes from a different page than the nonresident total on the cost page ($84,770) and the pages do not explain the difference, so rely on the admission notice. Students on non-immigrant visas must have adequate medical insurance.
• Any limits on international students in nursing, labs or clinical placements: the admissions, nursing school and pre-health pages we read state no international-specific limit. The Dashew Center page for F-1 students gives work rules: on-campus work of up to 20 hours a week during the academic year and full-time during vacations (for example teaching or research assistantships) needs no separate authorization; off-campus work, including paid and unpaid internships, requires authorization from the Dashew Center or USCIS first, through Curricular Practical Training (CPT) or Optional Practical Training (OPT); F-1 students are not eligible for federally funded work-study (source).

8. Applicants from China

• Gaokao: the pages we read do not say how the Gaokao is used; the UC country page covers only the Chinese national curriculum, the IGCSE/GCSE/GCE and the IB for China. UCLA’s own China-specific guidance is not stated; contact UCLA Undergraduate Admission.
• Chinese national curriculum: list all courses and marks from grade 9 (year 3 of lower middle school) through grade 12 (year 3 of upper middle school) exactly as they appear on your official records; if admitted, send your graduation certificate and the official lower and upper middle school records.
• IGCSE/GCSE/GCE: complete at least 5 O-Level subjects and at least 3 academic A-Level exams, reported on the International Exams page of the application.
• IB: the page points to separate IB instructions.
• Years of schooling: UCLA separately says applicants from 13-year systems list the 13th year under grade 12 and work backwards. Whether the Chinese system is treated as 12 years is not explained.
• Math and science preparation: no separate expectations for the Chinese curriculum; check the A–G subjects above and confirm with admissions.

9. Transfer

• Who: those who finished high school and then took college work in a regular session; you cannot disregard college work and apply as a first-year, and second bachelor’s degrees are not accepted. Junior standing (60 semester or 90 quarter transferable units) is needed by the end of the spring term before transfer.
• Requirements: a UC transferable GPA of at least 3.2; UCLA says the average GPA of admitted transfers is above 3.5 and they have completed most or all major preparation; major preparation due by the end of spring; and the 7-course pattern (two English composition/critical thinking, one math, and four courses from at least two of arts and humanities, social and behavioral sciences, and physical and biological sciences). UCLA gives highest priority to California community college students, including international students; historically three of four admitted international transfers came from California community colleges.
• Deadlines: the application opens 1 August and is filed 1 October to 30 November; decisions in late April; the Statement of Intent to Register is due 1 June, final transcripts 1 July, official AP and IB results 15 July. Fall entry only, and you must apply to a specific major.
• Life Sciences majors: in the transfer major-preparation list, the Life Sciences majors (Biology; Ecology, Behavior and Evolution; Human Biology and Society BS; Marine Biology; Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics; Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology; Neuroscience; Physiological Science; Psychobiology) are marked highly selective, as applications greatly exceed space, and as majors where you must be admitted directly and cannot change into them after admission; Human Biology and Society and Psychobiology are marked as pre-majors until the lower-division preparation is completed at UCLA. The chemistry, biology and calculus preparation for each major is not stated on the pages we read; see UCLA admissions’ major-preparation pages.
• Nursing transfers: full IGETC is required, plus seven non-nursing preparation courses by the end of spring: Chemistry 20A, 20B and 30A; Life Sciences 7A and 7C; Physiological Science 3 and 13 (human anatomy and physiology); strongly recommended are Communication 1 or 10, Math 3A or 31A, microbiology and Psychology 10. The supplemental application is due 15 January. The transfer page says the UC Application for Nursing is due 1 December, which differs from the nursing page’s 30 November.
• Aid: international transfers likewise receive no scholarships or financial aid.

Checklist

U.S. applicants:

• UC Application, 1 October to 30 November 2026; no early rounds; SAT/ACT not considered; out-of-state applicants need a 3.4 A–G GPA
• Your College major does not affect admission; for Nursing, list it first choice and file the supplemental application by 15 January

International applicants (including China):

• English required if you had under 3 years of English instruction: TOEFL 5 (new scale), IELTS 7.5, Duolingo 135 as reference points
• No scholarships or aid for international undergraduates, so prepare full proof of funds; report Chinese national curriculum marks grade by grade, 9 through 12; confirm how the Gaokao is used with admissions

Transfer students:

• Apply 1 October to 30 November; GPA 3.2 minimum with admitted students averaging above 3.5; Life Sciences majors are highly selective and require direct admission

Sources: UCLA, First-year applicants; Choosing a major; International applicants; Transfer applicants; Transfer: College major preparation; Tuition and fees; Life Sciences: undergraduates; Life Sciences majors and minors; Life Sciences: pre-health; Curriculum options for biological sciences majors; Biology First Path; Life Sciences undergraduate research programs; Pre-Health: plan your courses; Pre-Health: Allopathic Medicine (MD); Pre-Health: FAQs; Dashew Center: F-1 currently enrolled students; Nursing BS; Nursing BS: apply; BS in Public Health; Microbiology, Immunology & Molecular Genetics undergraduate; BS in Physiological Science. University of California: Subject requirement (A-G); GPA requirement; Out-of-state students; Additional information by country; Personal insight questions. Information is for fall 2027 entry (costs are the figures UCLA updated in July 2026); check the UCLA and UC websites for the latest.