How to Apply to Mathematics at Temple University: The BA, BS and Applied Mathematics BS in the College of Science and Technology and Joint Degrees, with Admission, Prerequisites and Timeline for US Domestic, International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Students

At Temple University in Philadelphia, undergraduate mathematics is offered by the Department of Mathematics in the College of Science and Technology (CST). This guide draws on Temple’s admissions website, the department website and the 2026-2027 Undergraduate Bulletin, and is written for US domestic students, international students (including those from China) and transfer students. Computer science is not covered here; this site has a separate article on it.

1. The mathematics degrees

The department lists these undergraduate programs:

• Mathematics BA: described as giving a solid mathematical foundation and the most flexibility, preparing students for jobs in business and industry and for graduate study in related fields. The Bulletin lists 56 to 57 credits for the major within a 123-credit degree.
• Mathematics BS: an in-depth theoretical background in the traditional core areas, suitable preparation for graduate study in mathematics. 66 major credits within 123.
• Applied Mathematics BS: mathematical and computational methods for the sciences, engineering and industry, suited to modeling and scientific computing and to graduate study in applied mathematics. 73 to 74 major credits.
• Mathematics and Computer Science BS, Mathematics and Physics BS (run jointly with Physics) and Mathematical Economics BA (offered jointly by the College of Liberal Arts’ Economics Department and Mathematics): joint degrees mentioned here only in passing; see the Bulletin for details.
• Mathematics with Teaching BS: for majors who want to teach mathematics in grades 7 to 12; 124 credits, offered through the TUteach program.
• A Mathematics minor and 4+1 programs: BA or BS students can continue to the MS in Mathematics; for the BA the department says application must be made to the graduate chair no later than the first semester of senior year. The Bulletin also lists accelerated paths to education master’s degrees (middle grades or secondary mathematics).

The department pages list no stand-alone statistics undergraduate degree; the pages read do not say more, so ask the department.

2. Curriculum (2026-2027 Bulletin)

• Shared core of the BA and BS: one programming course (Python, C, or Program Design and Abstraction); Calculus I, II and III (honors versions available); Linear Algebra; Basic Concepts of Math (MATH 2111); Probability Theory; Modern Algebra; Real Analysis; Complex Analysis; the senior course Senior Problem Solving; and two physics courses (classical or general physics I and II, with honors versions). The Applied Mathematics BS requirements are listed below.
• BA: three further mathematics electives at the 3000 level or above, and completion or waiver of the second level of a foreign language. The suggested plan puts Calculus I and II and programming in the first year.
• BS: adds courses such as Theoretical Linear Algebra, Topics in Modern Algebra and Topics in Real Analysis, plus three 3000-level or higher mathematics electives.
• Applied Mathematics BS: includes Mathematical Modeling and Simulation, Numerical Analysis I and II, Differential Equations for Science and Mathematics, Partial Differential Equations and Applied Mathematics, with one upper-level elective (Mathematical Statistics or Stochastic Processes).
• Residency: the BA requires at least 7 major courses (7 of them mathematics) at Temple; the BS and Applied Mathematics BS at least 9 (8 mathematics).
• College requirements: at least 90 credits within CST, the College of Liberal Arts and/or the College of Engineering, 45 of them at the 2000 level or above; CST majors are waived from two Science and Technology (GS) and one Quantitative Literacy (GQ) general education courses; first-year students take the one-credit CST First-Year Seminar (SCTC 1001); at least two writing-intensive courses.
• Distinction in the major: cumulative GPA of at least 3.25, at least 3.50 in required mathematics courses and at least 3.50 in mathematics courses numbered 3000 and above.

3. How you get into the math major

• The Bulletin lists the programs at the Main campus. Whether you must choose a major on the application and whether the math department sets its own admission bar are not stated on the department or admissions pages read; ask Undergraduate Admissions (215-204-4900). The admissions application page says only that Temple uses the Common App; some music, art and theater/film majors have extra audition or portfolio requirements.
• The conditions, any seat limits and grade requirements for moving into math from another major after enrolling are not stated on the pages read. The department’s contacts are its office (mathematics@temple.edu) and the advising address mathadvising@temple.edu; the Bulletin names Vice Chair Maria Lorenz and faculty advisor Charles Osborne.
• Honors: no separate application is needed for the Sullivan Honors College, as all students are automatically considered with the regular application. The department also offers honors versions of Calculus (MATH 1941, 1942, 2943).

4. Prerequisites

• High school coursework: Admissions looks for a well-rounded record: English 4 units, college-preparatory mathematics 4 units, foreign language 2, history/social studies 3, science 3 (two years of lab), the arts 1 and other college-preparatory courses 3. This is the university-wide description for first-year applicants; the math department does not state a separate calculus or pre-calculus requirement on the pages read.
• Math placement after enrolling: the department’s prospective-students page is an empty placeholder, with no placement test described. The department’s coordinated courses include Intermediate Algebra (Math 702), College Algebra (Math 1021), Pre-Calculus (Math 1022) and Calculus 1 to 3; how students are placed is not published.
• AP, IB and A-level credit: Admissions says Temple awards credit for Advanced Placement and dual-enrollment college courses, and accepts advanced credit as determined by the examining body. Which math requirements the credit replaces is not stated on the pages read; see Temple’s advanced credit policy and the Transfer Equivalency Tool.

5. Rounds, materials and testing (fall 2027 entry)

• The Common App opens August 1; Temple uses the Common App exclusively. The first-year admissions page says “2027 Application is now Open”.
• Early Action: November 1, with a decision by January 10; not binding, and Temple says Early Action applicants are generally admitted at a higher rate.
• Regular Decision: February 1 (also the FAFSA priority date for domestic students); the enrollment deposit is due May 1. Spring start: November 1.
• The application fee is USD 55, waived for those who qualify through a federal or state program.
• Testing is optional, a path Temple has offered since 2015; Temple says more than 75% of last year’s applicants applied test-optional. If you send scores it accepts the SAT or ACT; enrolled fall 2025 students who submitted scores averaged SAT 1210 and ACT 27. Test-optional applicants are automatically considered for scholarships and the Honors Program, and the choice cannot be changed after a decision.
• Essay: optional but recommended. Recommendations: optional, up to two, from people who can speak to your academics. Whether math teachers are preferred is not stated, and the pages read say nothing about how math competition results are viewed.
• Applicants from US high schools self-report grades through STARS; sending a transcript alone does not complete the application.
• In peak season (October to March) a decision can take more than eight weeks.

6. US domestic students

• Tuition: Temple says the annual in-state rate begins at USD 20,376 and base out-of-state tuition is USD 36,600 (no year shown). Student Financial Services’ 2026-27 example lists tuition and fees of USD 21,474 and a total cost of attendance of USD 48,160 for College of Liberal Arts Pennsylvania residents, and USD 37,698 and USD 64,384 for non-residents. It has no College of Science and Technology column, so the figures for a math major are not published there; use Temple’s tuition calculator.
• Aid: Temple says it awards more than USD 100 million in scholarships each year, 70% of eligible first-year students receive need-based aid, and in recent years more than half of students were offered merit scholarships from USD 1,000 to full tuition. All students are automatically considered. Temple also notes that its funds cannot meet every student’s full demonstrated need.
• Priority or guaranteed admission for Pennsylvania residents: not stated on the pages read.
• Temple also has a Dual Admissions partnership with local community colleges for a pathway into Temple.

7. International students

• Transcripts: for a four-year secondary curriculum, grades 9 to 11 plus current grade 12 progress (or the final transcript); for a three-year curriculum, the final year of “primary school”, as the page puts it, is strongly recommended. Non-English documents need English translations.
• English minimums (direct admission): TOEFL 79 (4.0 new scale, no sub-score below 4.0), IELTS 6.0, Duolingo 110, PTE 53, Cambridge C1/C2 180, MET 56, iTEP 4.0, SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing 550. Slightly lower scores (TOEFL 74-78 or 3.5 new scale, IELTS 5.5, Duolingo 100-105 and so on) can lead to Bridge admission, with 12 credits and extra support in the first semester.
• Exemptions: English is your native language, or you have completed three or more years in a curriculum taught only in English.
• Higher English bar for math? The FAQ says certain majors, including those in the Fox School of Business, require higher scores (TOEFL 84, IELTS 6.5, PTE 56). Whether mathematics is among them is not stated; ask International Admissions.
• The pages differ: the first-year page says international first-year students must submit an English test; the FAQ says academically qualified students who submit no language scores receive provisional admission and are placed in the Intensive English Language Program. Both are given here; confirm with admissions.
• Scholarships: international first-year students are automatically considered for merit scholarships of USD 1,000 to 20,000 a year. Two need a separate application: #YouAreWelcomeHere (USD 20,000 a year, renewable, three to five first-year students) and #WhyUS (USD 2,000 to 10,000 a year, renewable, about thirty first-year and two to three transfer students). Temple suggests asking your college about departmental awards; math-department scholarships are not described on the pages read. Need-based aid is not available to international students.
• Funds: sponsors need to verify approximately USD 35,000 for an I-20; financial documents can be sent with the application. The deposit is due May 1 for fall, and two weeks after admission for spring.
• Admitted students who deposit must have their school send a final transcript or proof of graduation. Students from countries with a high rate of tuberculosis, which Temple says includes China, are screened for tuberculosis after arrival.

8. Applicants from China

• Whether and how the Gaokao is used is not stated on the pages read; ask International Admissions (215-204-4900).
• Credentials: first-year applicants submit official secondary school transcripts with English translations. Specific guidance on Chinese transcripts or provincial exam (huikao) records is not given on the pages read.
• English scores, scholarships and funding are as in the international section above.
• Temple also offers Rome and Japan Entry Year programs (first year abroad, then Philadelphia); whether this works for mathematics is not stated on the pages read.

9. Research and outcomes

• The department’s Grants for Undergraduate Research in Mathematics (GURM) began in fall 2022, with applications opening each fall. Projects cannot be purely expository: they should include new examples, a new proof of a known result, a novel solution or generalization of a Putnam problem, or similar, under a faculty adviser over the academic year. CST’s Undergraduate Research Program and university support, and the Center for Computational Mathematics and Modeling, are also mentioned.
• The department lists a math club, a Putnam team and a chapter of the Association of Women in Mathematics.
• Graduate outcomes or employment figures: the department pages read print no figures.

10. Transfer students

• Anyone who has enrolled at a college after high school applies as a transfer student, whatever the number of credits; those who only took summer courses before their first Temple term apply as first-year students.
• Rolling review; deadlines are June 1 for fall and November 1 for spring (the same for international transfers; nursing has its own February 1 deadline). Common App, USD 55 fee.
• Review rests mainly on previous college work; those with fewer than 30 college credits also send a high school transcript. Recommendations are optional, up to two. Remedial or developmental coursework does not count toward the 15-credit minimum.
• Credit: Temple generally accepts college-level courses with a grade of C or better, with no limit on credits accepted, but at least 30 credits must be completed at Temple. After admission a counselor evaluates credits, shown in the applicant portal; the Transfer Equivalency Tool gives an estimate. Temple does not require a credential evaluation agency report and does its own evaluation, taking two to three weeks after the admission decision.
• GPA requirements or calculus and linear algebra sequence requirements for transferring into mathematics are not stated on the pages read. The Bulletin says CST transfer students take the CST Transfer Seminar (SCTC 2001). International transfer students are automatically considered for awards of USD 1,000 to 8,000.

Checklist

US domestic applicants:

• Common App, Early Action November 1 or Regular Decision February 1; USD 55 fee; testing optional; self-report grades through STARS; FAFSA priority date February 1
• Take four years of college-preparatory mathematics in high school if you can

International applicants (including China):

• IELTS 6.0, TOEFL 4.0 (new scale) or an equivalent, or meet an exemption; translated transcripts; financial documents (about USD 35,000)
• Ask International Admissions how the Gaokao is used and whether math has a higher English bar

After entry:

• Start with Calculus I and II and programming, take SCTC 1001; contact math advising (mathadvising@temple.edu) and look at the GURM undergraduate research grants

Transfer students:

• Apply by June 1 for fall or November 1 for spring; check credits in the Transfer Equivalency Tool; ask the math department about entry requirements

Sources: Temple University, Mathematics: undergraduate; Mathematics: degree programs; Mathematics: undergraduate research; Bulletin: Mathematics BA; Bulletin: Mathematics BS; Bulletin: Applied Mathematics BS; Admissions: first-year students; Admissions: test-optional; Admissions: first-year international students; Admissions: international FAQs; Admissions: transfer students; Admissions: international transfer students; Cost overview; 2026-27 cost of attendance. The international pages show no year for their dates (the first-year page says “2027 Application is now Open”), so check that they apply to fall 2027 entry and see Temple’s website for the latest.