How to Apply to Mathematics at Beloit College: No Admission by Major and No Minimum GPA, with a BA or BS and Departmental Honors, for Domestic, International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Applicants

Beloit College (Beloit, Wisconsin) is a small liberal arts college. Undergraduate mathematics is offered by the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science; you apply to the College as a whole and choose a major later. Here is what you need to know, based on the College’s website, organised for US domestic applicants, international applicants and applicants from China, followed by transfer students. Computer science is not covered here, and neither are data analytics, economics or other majors.

1. Degrees and directions in mathematics

• Degrees: the mathematics page says the major (12 units, or 48 semester hours) leads to a Bachelor of Arts (BA) or a Bachelor of Science (BS). To receive the BS, students complete at least 4 units in biology, chemistry, geology and/or physics; the Registrar’s graduation requirements page says mathematics and computer science majors may elect the BS with at least 4 units in the natural sciences, normally chosen when the major is selected and before the start of the senior year.
• Major courses: nine departmental units (level 110 or higher), including MATH 150 (0.5, introduction to proofs); four units of mathematics courses numbered 300–380, with at least two from 315, 335, 340 and 375; four further units of mathematics electives at level 110 or higher; and MATH 385 (0.5, Mathematics Colloquium, the capstone). Supporting courses are 3 units: one unit of computer science (excluding CS 165, 390, 395 and the AP Computer Science Principles exam), and either two physics courses or one physics course and one course emphasising quantitative methods.
• Writing requirement: majors take at least five courses designated W, at least two inside the mathematics and computer science department and at least two outside it; transfer students reduce this by one course per year of advanced standing.
• Directions: the department says Beloit teaches both applied and pure mathematics and students are free to concentrate on one or the other. The curriculum covers calculus, linear algebra, statistics, modeling, proof writing and advanced topics such as topology and complex analysis.
• Minor and related programmes: the mathematics minor is 5.75 units (MATH 110, 115, 150, 275 and 383, plus two units at level 200 or above, at least one chosen from 315, 335, 340 or 375). The related-offerings list also names an economics major, a data analytics major, a finance minor and a computer science minor, which are not covered here.
• Honors: see “Departmental Honors” at the end of section 3.

2. Admission route: no admission by major, choose a major after entry

• When applying: the review-process page states plainly that Beloit does not admit students by major, so auditions and portfolios are not required. There is no separate admission line for mathematics and no minimum GPA for admission.
• Declaring the major: the pages read do not say when to declare mathematics or whether there are grade or capacity conditions; this is not published there, so ask the Registrar or the department. The graduation requirements page asks for a cumulative GPA of at least C (2.000) in the courses in the major.
• Moving in from another major: no separate condition is published in the pages read.
• How the department teaches: the department page says courses emphasise clear mathematical expression, with practice in writing, oral presentation and team projects.

3. Prerequisites and credit

• High school mathematics: the Apply page says most applicants have taken four years of English, three of a foreign language, three of mathematics, three of laboratory science and four of history or social science, but applications are considered whatever the course of study. The mathematics and admissions pages read do not state a specific high school calculus or pre-calculus prerequisite, and do not describe a mathematics placement test; this is not published there, so ask admissions or the department.
• AP: the department says a 4 or 5 on Calculus AB (or the AB subscore of BC) earns credit for MATH 110, and a 4 or 5 on Calculus BC earns credit for MATH 110 and MATH 115. The Registrar adds that AP subject scores of 4 and 5 guarantee 1 unit of credit and placement, that AP, IB and A-level credit together may total up to 8 units, and that such credit cannot satisfy the Domain or Skills requirements.
• IB: a score of 5 or higher earns credit for MATH 110; for other scores no credit is earned and students should consult the mathematics faculty about placement.
• A level: a grade of C or better in Level A Math (9709) or Further Math (9231) earns credit for MATH 110; students may ask the department about placement beyond MATH 115.
• Competitions: the website does not say how mathematics competitions are viewed in admission. The mathematics page only mentions current students taking part in competitions such as the Putnam exam.
• Departmental Honors: the department says honors in mathematics requires a cumulative GPA of at least 3.2 and a GPA of at least 3.2 in the major; a written intention to apply, with the list of courses satisfying the major, sent to the department chair no later than the last day to add one-unit courses in the last on-campus term as a regular full-time student; a project (original research, or an exposition showing thorough knowledge of mathematics done by others, such as a summer research experience or a Math 385 topic); a presentation in Math 385 and to an external audience; and active professional engagement. The faculty must designate the project and presentation as being of honors merit. The Registrar’s page describes honors work differently, as open to students with at least a B average in the major who have completed six terms of credit work, so check with the department.

4. Rounds, materials and testing

• Rounds (the deadlines page shows no year, so check that the dates apply to fall 2027 entry): Early Action I application complete by 1 November, decision by 1 December; Early Action II 1 December, decision by 1 January; Regular Decision 15 January, rolling decisions from mid-February; the candidate reply date is 1 May in every round. The College says it offers no binding or restrictive options and that no round confers an advantage.
• How to apply: the POWER Application (described as fast and free, needing only the application and a transcript), the Common Application or the Beloit College Application; the international pages also list the Coalition Application through Scoir. The pages read do not state a fee for the other applications; see the Apply page.
• Required: a completed application, a high school transcript and the Secondary School Report completed by the counsellor; the transcript must include at least final junior-year grades, unofficial copies are accepted at first and official ones are required at enrolment.
• Recommendations and testing: letters of recommendation are optional, with at least one encouraged and up to three read (the site does not require a mathematics teacher); testing is described as unabashedly optional for both admission and merit scholarships. If sent, the highest subscores across test dates are used; school codes SAT 1059 and ACT 4564.
• What the review looks at: the review page says most admitted students have grades in the A- to B+ range, but there is no minimum GPA; it looks at the overall record, course rigour and performance over time, plus the essay and the depth of extracurricular involvement. Interviews are not required.

5. US domestic applicants: costs and aid

• Costs (2026-27): the cost of attendance page lists tuition of $63,792, student activity fee $280, housing (double) $6,882, food (full meal plan, required in the first year) $6,314 and health/wellness fees $264, for total direct costs of $77,532; estimated indirect costs are health insurance $2,556 (international students must buy the College’s plan; domestic students may opt out with comparable coverage), books and supplies $1,221 and personal expenses $2,311, a total of $6,088; transportation is $300–$2,600 a year depending on distance. The page shows one tuition rate, with no in-state and out-of-state difference.
• All-In Pricing Guarantee (2027-28): the College guarantees that no accepted student entering in 2027-28 who applies for admission and financial aid by 15 January 2027 (a complete application with an unofficial transcript) will be asked to pay more than $30,000 in direct costs (tuition, housing, meals and fees). It applies to domestic and international, first-year and transfer students, is met through scholarships and grants rather than loans or work study, is based on a double room (a single is $800 a year more), and excludes health insurance (about $2,500), optional summer courses, study away outside tuition-exchange partners, and indirect costs. The College advises budgeting for 2-5% tuition increases, which could take yearly costs above $30,000 before graduation, and says scholarships and grants are guaranteed for eight semesters for students entering in fall 2027.
• Merit scholarships: all first-year applicants are automatically considered, mainly on unweighted, self-reported GPA: the Presidential Scholarship $46,000–$50,000 a year (GPA 3.5–4.0), the Eaton Scholarship $39,000–$45,000 (3.0–3.49) and the Deans’ Award $34,000–$38,000 (below 3.0). The Scholarships page says applicants may be considered for up to $55,000 a year; performing arts scholarships of up to $5,000 a year are available by separate application and are open to any major.
• Other aid: FAFSA school code 003835, filing opens 1 October, with a $2,000 FAFSA Filing Grant (renewable for those who file on time); students applying for fall 2027 who make an official campus visit between 1 July 2026 and 30 June 2027 and are accepted receive a $1,000 Visit Grant (renewable up to four years). The tuition and aid page says 98% of students receive gift aid and the average aid offer including loans is $61,000; average net costs by family income (2025 data, loans included) are $4,403 for incomes of $0–$54,999, $10,918 for $55,000–$94,999, $15,762 for $95,000–$149,999 and $21,673 for $150,000 and above.
• FAFSA priority date: the website is inconsistent: the deadlines page lists a priority date by round (1 November, 1 December and 15 January), while the tuition and aid page gives a priority deadline of 1 January 2027. Filing early covers both.
• Home-state priority or guaranteed admission: not mentioned in the pages read.

6. International applicants

• Who can apply: international students may apply for fall (August) or spring (January) entry, as first-year applicants if they have not completed university-level courses and as transfer applicants if they have completed at least one semester; second-bachelor’s-degree applications are not accepted. The College does not use outside recruiting agencies.
• English: the English proficiency page allows a waiver if your first language is English or English was the primary language of school instruction (at least three years of instruction); otherwise submit one of: Duolingo 115; TOEFL iBT 80 (tests before 21 January 2026) or 4.0 with no subscore below 4.0 (tests after 21 January 2026), with TOEFL Essentials also accepted (no minimum is listed); IELTS 6.5; SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing 580 or ACT English/Writing 24. Official scores must come directly from the testing organisation; the institution code is 1059 for TOEFL and SAT and 4564 for ACT.
• Materials: the application (Common Application or Beloit College Application); official or attested secondary school records and any national or provincial exam results, in English, covering the past three years and any final-year results (predicted or otherwise), carrying the school’s original seal or stamp; external exams (A-levels, IGCSE, IB, AP and so on) certified by the examining body; proof of English; and financial documents.
• Financial documents: Beloit practises need-aware admission, so demonstrated financial need is reviewed as part of the admission evaluation, and all applicants are considered for merit scholarships. Applicants not seeking need-based aid complete the Beloit College Declaration of Finances Form or the International Student Certification of Finances; those seeking aid submit the Beloit College International Student Financial Aid Application, the CSS Profile or the ACAC International Student Financial Aid Application, with supporting documents such as bank statements, sponsor documentation, an employer letter or tax returns. Beloit does not provide CSS Profile fee waivers.
• Recommendations and interviews: a recommendation is optional but strongly encouraged; SAT or ACT results are optional; you can arrange a one-on-one meeting with an admissions counsellor or send a pre-recorded interview from InitialView or Vericant.
• International scholarships: the international aid page says all international applicants are considered for merit scholarships that can total up to $50,000 a year (the Scholarships page gives up to $55,000 a year for applicants generally); a limited number of very competitive full-tuition scholarships are awarded on need and merit; full-ride scholarships covering all costs are not offered. 95% of international students receive aid and the average scholarship is $35,000 a year. Students with need not covered by merit scholarships may be offered College loans, and all international students are eligible for campus employment. Students who are not US citizens or permanent residents should not file the FAFSA.
• The All-In Pricing Guarantee also applies to international students who file the Beloit international aid application, the CSS Profile or the ACAC application by 15 January 2027.

7. Applicants from China

• Gaokao: the pages read do not say whether the Gaokao is considered; this is not published there, so contact the international admission office (intadmis@beloit.edu).
• Transcripts and school-leaving materials: no China-specific requirements are published in the pages read; the general international requirements are in section 6 (English, official or attested transcripts and national or provincial exam results, school seal, examining-body certification of external exams).
• English: applicants from China can use any of the options in section 6.

8. Costs, scholarships and outcomes

• Costs: see section 5.
• Department scholarships and research: the mathematics pages read do not mention math-specific scholarships. The mathematics page says students take part in research projects, paid summer work, conferences and competitions. The resources page says faculty make a special effort to develop internships for majors (past examples include government-sponsored undergraduate research at national laboratories, software conversion, oceanographic research, statistical quality control, database programming and management training), links a proposal form for student conference travel support, and describes a weekly Math Colloquium.
• Outcomes: the mathematics page says a mathematics major prepares you for careers that require analytical strength, logical thinking, modeling or quantitative reasoning; many graduates enter roles in technology, engineering, finance, education or data-driven industries, while others pursue graduate study at universities including Chicago, Duke, Iowa, Michigan, Purdue, SUNY Stony Brook and Wisconsin. The page prints no College-specific employment rate.

9. Transfer students

• Who counts: applicants who have completed high school or the equivalent, enrolled at a college or university, and will have credit by matriculation must apply as transfer students; those entering with fewer than 12 semester hours of transfer credit are enrolled in first-year advising programmes.
• Deadlines (no year shown, so check): spring entry 15 December and fall entry 15 July; applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. Apply with the POWER Application, the Transfer Common Application or the Beloit College Application.
• Materials: official transcripts from all colleges attended; a high school transcript if fewer than 24–36 credit hours have been completed; recommendations are optional (a recent college instructor if possible); test scores, syllabi and other materials are optional. International transfer applicants also need proof of English, financial documentation and an official external evaluation of credits earned outside the US (WES or Scholaro are recommended, at the applicant’s expense).
• Credit transfer: the College applies up to 15 units (60 semester hours) of credit from accredited institutions, including at most eight units of AP, IB or A-level credit, with a grade of C or better; an Associate of Arts or Science degree automatically fulfils the domain and skill requirements. The Registrar says the number of transfer credits used toward a major or minor is decided by the department chair with the Registrar, that normally at least half of the courses for a major or minor must be completed at Beloit, and that transfer applicants receive a transfer credit evaluation and graduation checklist; a credit evaluation form can be submitted in advance. The pages read do not give mathematics-specific transfer requirements (GPA, calculus or linear algebra sequence).
• Transfer scholarships: all transfer applicants are considered for the Trustee Transfer Scholarship by college GPA: $46,000–$50,000 a year for 3.5–4.0, $39,000–$45,000 for 3.0–3.49 and $34,000–$38,000 below 3.0; members of Phi Theta Kappa transferring from two-year colleges may receive up to $3,000 a year; transfer students are also eligible for the All-In Pricing Guarantee, the $2,000 FAFSA Filing Grant and the $1,000 Visit Grant.

Checklist

US domestic applicants:

• EA I 1 November; EA II 1 December; Regular 15 January; no binding rounds; testing and recommendations optional
• FAFSA (003835); applying for admission and aid by 15 January 2027 brings the All-In Pricing Guarantee (direct costs of at most $30,000)

International applicants (including China):

• TOEFL 80 (4.0 on the new scale), IELTS 6.5, Duolingo 115 and others (or a waiver); official English transcripts and national or provincial exam results
• Declaration of finances, or the international aid application, CSS Profile or ACAC; whether the Gaokao is considered is not published

After entry:

• AP Calculus BC 4 or 5 earns credit for MATH 110 and 115; a 12-unit mathematics major with the senior MATH 385; 4 natural science units for the BS; GPA 3.2 for honors

Transfer students:

• Fall 15 July, spring 15 December; rolling review; up to 15 units transfer; at least half of major courses at Beloit

Sources: Beloit College, BA or BS in Mathematics; Department of Mathematics; Mathematics: requirements and honors; Mathematics: resources and opportunities; How to apply; Application deadlines; Our review process; International applicants; International requirements; English proficiency; Financial aid for international students; Tuition and aid; All-In Pricing Guarantee; Scholarships; Cost of attendance; Transfer applicants; Transfer requirements; Registrar: transfer, AP, GCE and IB credit; Registrar: graduation requirements. The deadlines page shows no year, so check that the dates apply to fall 2027 entry (the All-In Pricing Guarantee page names 15 January 2027); see the College’s website for the latest.