How to Apply to Gettysburg College for a Mathematics Major: A Liberal Arts College Department with a Major and Minor, Calculus Placement Advice for First-Years, and Notes for US, International (Including China) and Transfer Applicants

Gettysburg College is a liberal arts college in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The mathematics major is taught by the Department of Mathematics; you apply to the College with the Common App rather than to a separate school. This guide follows the College’s own pages and is organised for US applicants, international applicants, applicants from China and transfer students. Computer science is not covered here; the website also lists a separate Mathematical Economics major, which gets one line only.

1. Degrees and how you are admitted

• Degree: the mathematics page offers a major and a minor, with the degree shown as Bachelor of Arts. The program list shows “Mathematics” as a major and minor and “Mathematical Economics” as a separate major. The pages do not list pure, applied or statistics tracks; MATH 207 (Applied Statistics) is explicitly excluded from the major and minor.
• Major requirements: core courses Math 111, 112, 211, 212 and 215; one programming course (CS 107, CS 111 or DS 256, not counted in the major average); four 300-level courses (at least one from Math 315, 321 or 331 plus three more 300-level math courses); one math elective at 200 level or above (not Math 207); and one departmentally designated 300-level capstone course, normally taken in senior year. The department says majors finish with a senior capstone, usually a research thesis.
• Credit for where you start: students who place themselves into and pass Math 112 have satisfied Math 111; those who start in and pass Math 211, 212 or 225 have satisfied Math 111 and 112.
• Minor: six math courses, at least one at 300 level and the other five Math 111 or higher (not Math 207), all A–F graded; each prerequisite needs at least a C-.
• Do you pick a major when applying, when you declare, GPA thresholds, capped places: the admissions pages we read do not say; this is not published. Ask admissions (admiss@gettysburg.edu, 717-337-6100) or the department.
• Department size: the page says seven full-time faculty, 10–15 majors and 10–20 minors a year, and classes of 10–30.

2. Preparation and placement

• High school math: the admissions pages do not list separate high school course requirements for mathematics; not published. The department’s first-year advice: if your last high school math course was Algebra II, consider taking MATH 110 (Calculus I Companion) together with MATH 111; if you did precalculus well, start in MATH 111; between two calculus options pick the higher one, since you can move down through week 6 but only up through week 2.
• Courses: MATH 111 (Calculus I) has no prerequisite and assumes no prior calculus; MATH 105/106 is calculus with precalculus; MATH 110 must be taken with MATH 111. MATH 112 needs 105 and 106 or MATH 111 with a C- or better (or first-year standing with no other math credit). MATH 103 is for arts, humanities and social science students who do not plan to take calculus.
• Honors: the course list includes Honors versions of MATH 111 and 112 for first-year students with no credit for another math course at Gettysburg; the pages say no more about how to enter them.
• AP and IB: the transfer FAQ says AP scores of 4 or 5 may earn one course credit per tested area toward the 32-course graduation requirement; Higher Level IB scores of 5 or higher earn one credit per subject, and HL 4 at the department’s discretion; official score reports are needed. Which math course each exam replaces is not stated in the pages read; ask the Registrar or the department.
• Competitions: the admissions pages do not say how competitions are viewed; not published.

3. Rounds, deadlines and materials (fall 2027 entry)

• Deadlines (no year printed, so check they apply to fall 2027 entry): Early Decision I 1 November (decision by 1 December); Early Action 15 November (early January); Regular Decision 15 January (mid-March); Early Decision II 20 January (by 20 February). The international page’s Early Decision form line says ED II is 15 January, which does not match 20 January; check the website. ED is binding; EA and RD are not; deferred ED/EA applicants are automatically reconsidered in Regular Decision. The enrolment deposit is $500, due 1 May.
• How and fee: Common App; the fee is $60, with waivers through your admissions counselor.
• Materials: official high school transcript, a counselor recommendation and/or school report, one teacher recommendation (the pages do not say it must be a math teacher), and mid-year grades (Regular Decision only); ED also needs first-quarter senior grades and the ED agreement.
• Testing: optional, chosen on the Common App’s Gettysburg Member Screen; applicants who submit may self-report SAT/ACT and scores are superscored across test dates.
• Interviews: the FAQ says optional but recommended.

4. US applicants

• Costs (2026–27): tuition $71,730; housing and food $17,340; billed costs $89,070. Non-billed: personal $1,200, transportation $1,500, books $1,000, loan fees $40, total $3,740. Total cost of attendance $92,810. The cost page lists one tuition figure and does not separate in-state from out-of-state. The College suggests planning for a 3.5% annual increase.
• Aid: need-based applicants submit the FAFSA and CSS Profile at application, by the deadline of the round you choose (ED I 1 November, EA 15 November, RD 15 January, ED II 20 January). The website says the College awarded nearly $100 million in merit scholarships and need-based grants for 2024-25, benefiting 90% of students.
• Merit scholarships: all applicants are considered automatically with no separate application. The scholarship page says renewable awards for fall 2026 entrants range from $30,000 to $53,000 a year; the financial aid page says $30,000 to $52,000; the FAQ says $32,000 to $50,000, so the pages differ. Some scholarships need a separate application, such as the STEM Scholarship (for first-generation students with an interest in STEM) and the Eisenhower Scholarship. Awards run for up to eight semesters with a GPA requirement.
• In-state priority or guaranteed admission: not stated in the pages read; not published.

5. International applicants

• Materials: Common App, official secondary transcripts with an explanation of grading procedures, the essay, a counselor recommendation and one teacher recommendation, and senior mid-year grades. The international page says SAT/ACT is “very strongly recommended” in one paragraph and not required in the application checklist, so the page contradicts itself; check the website. Institution codes: SAT 2275, ACT 3580.
• English: required if English is not your first language or you have had English-medium instruction for fewer than two years. There is no minimum to apply, but the page gives the minimums of competitive applicants: TOEFL 90, IELTS 7.0, Duolingo 120. English tests are not superscored.
• Financial documents: every international applicant, whether or not seeking aid, must submit the International Student Financial Statement; those seeking aid also submit the Financial Aid Application for International Students, both by the application deadline.
• Other: passport information is welcome but not required at application and is requested from enrolling students for the I-20. Interviews are not required but valued; they are offered virtually, on campus and in some locations abroad (virtual requests to intladmiss@gettysburg.edu), and the transfer FAQ strongly recommends one for applicants whose first language is not English.
• International aid: the pages read do not say how much aid is available to international applicants or whether their finances affect admission decisions; not published, so ask international admissions (intladmiss@gettysburg.edu, 717-337-6100). The tuition page also says the College Student Health Insurance plan ($2,856) is required for matriculated international students and students without adequate coverage.
• International deadlines: ED I 1 November; EA 15 November; ED II 20 January; RD 15 January.

6. Applicants from China

• Gaokao: neither the international page nor the FAQ says whether or how Gaokao results are used, and there is no China page; this is not published. Ask international admissions.
• Transcripts and school-leaving records: only the general international requirement (section 5) is published: official transcripts with an explanation of grading procedures. Any China-specific format is not stated.
• English and funds: see section 5.

7. Costs, department programs and outcomes

• Department scholarships: the pages read do not mention a math-specific scholarship (the department page’s news list has an item about new scholarship opportunities, but we did not open it).
• Research and resources: the page says majors have research opportunities from individual study to collaborations with peers and faculty, and many present at conferences; there is MATH 201 (Introduction to Research in Mathematics); a Mathematics Colloquium series with outside speakers; the Donna Brogan Center for Quantitative Learning with peer tutoring; and a student-led club, Mathematikoi.
• Outcomes: the department lists careers such as actuary, algorithmic engineer, data scientist, investment banking analyst, mathematician, mathematics teacher, software developer and statistician, and cites Bureau of Labor Statistics figures (the page says a median annual salary of $99,960 for mathematicians and statisticians and 30% projected growth into 2032). The scholarships page gives a College-wide figure: 98% of new alumni are employed or in graduate school within one year. No outcome figure for math majors alone is printed.

8. Transfer students

• Who: high school graduates who have enrolled in more than two courses at another college apply as transfers.
• Deadlines: spring entry 1 November; fall entry 15 May (the page says later applications can still be submitted, as soon as possible; no year printed, so check). Apply with the Common App transfer application; the fee is $60.
• Materials: final high school transcript, official transcripts from all colleges, mid-term report, the College Officials Report, an optional college instructor evaluation, SAT/ACT (or the test-optional route); US applicants seeking aid submit the FAFSA and CSS Profile.
• Credit: credit is granted provisionally for courses passed with a C- or better at approved institutions that fit reasonably into the Gettysburg curriculum. At least half the degree requirements (16 units) must be completed at Gettysburg, and all transfers must satisfy the course requirements of their major. Review requirements with your advisor or the Registrar in your first semester. AP/IB rules are in section 2.
• Math-specific: the pages read set no calculus or linear algebra sequence requirement for transfer into the math major; not published.
• International transfers: same deadlines; English test scores (competitive levels as in section 5), the International Student Financial Statement and, if applying for aid, the international aid application.

Checklist

US applicants:

• Common App; ED I 1 November / EA 15 November / RD 15 January / ED II 20 January (check the year); $60; counselor and one teacher recommendation; testing optional
• FAFSA and CSS Profile by your round’s deadline; merit scholarships need no separate application

International applicants (including China):

• English: TOEFL 90 / IELTS 7.0 / Duolingo 120 (competitive levels); International Student Financial Statement; aid form if you need aid
• Gaokao use is not published; ask international admissions

After entry:

• Choose MATH 110/111 or 111 from your precalculus background; finish Math 111, 112, 211, 212 and 215 before the 300-level courses

Transfer students:

• Spring 1 November, fall 15 May; C- or better to transfer; at least 16 units at Gettysburg

Sources: Gettysburg College, Mathematics; All programs; Undergraduate application; International students; Transfer students; Admissions FAQ; Tuition and fees; Scholarships; Financial aid. The cost page is labelled 2026–27. The admissions deadlines print no year, so check that they apply to fall 2027 entry and see the College’s website for the latest.