How to Apply to Mathematics at the University of Vermont: A BS in the College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences, a BA in the College of Arts and Sciences, No Application Fee and Optional Testing, for Domestic, International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Applicants

At the University of Vermont (UVM) in Burlington, Vermont, undergraduate mathematics is offered by the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, which sits in the College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences (CEMS); the same major can also be taken as a BA in the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS). Here is what you need to know, based on the Office of Admissions, Student Financial Services, the department and the catalogue, organised for US domestic applicants, international applicants and applicants from China, followed by transfer students. Computer science has a separate article on this site; statistics, data science, engineering and other majors are not covered here (the statistics BS is in the same department and is only mentioned in passing).

1. Degrees and areas

• B.S. in Mathematics (Mathematical Sciences): the department calls this its most extensive programme, complemented by study in an allied field that uses mathematics; at least 120 credits. The catalogue lists the core (CEMS 1500 first-year seminar, CS 1210 Computer Programming I, Calculus I, II and III (MATH 1234, 1248, 2248), linear algebra (MATH 2522 or 2544) and statistics (STAT 1410 or 2430)), the major courses (MATH 2055 Fundamentals of Mathematics, MATH 3468 Analysis in Several Real Variables I, MATH 3551 Abstract Algebra I, one of MATH 4344 Topology, MATH 4788 Exploring Biomathematics or MATH 4996 Undergraduate Honors Thesis, plus 18 more credits of MATH at the 2000 level or above, 9 of them at 3000 or above), a two-semester sequence in biology, chemistry or physics, and a minor in a field other than mathematics (a second major or second degree also satisfies it).
• B.A. in Mathematics: administered by CAS; students still need an advisor from the Department of Mathematics and Statistics. There are mathematics and statistics concentrations. The mathematics concentration is 36 credits of major courses plus 6 credits of ancillary courses (one statistics course and one CS course other than CS 1640), including Calculus I–III, Fundamentals of Mathematics, linear algebra, upper-level electives and one of Topology, Exploring Biomathematics or the Honors Thesis. A student may not receive both the BA in mathematics (mathematics concentration) and the BS.
• Mathematics co-major: at least 33 credits, for matriculated students who have a major in another college and want a second major in mathematics; it removes the CEMS first-year seminar, professional development electives and capstone requirements. CEMS students cannot use a co-major offered by their own college.
• Minors and other options: a minor in pure mathematics and a minor in statistics; the department site also lists a pre-actuarial certificate, a BS in data science and a BS in statistics (the last two not covered here). Mathematics and statistics students can enter an Accelerated Master’s Pathway, earning a bachelor’s and master’s degree in five years; students declare in writing to the chair before the end of the sophomore year and before taking MATH 3468.
• Honors: the catalogue says the Patrick Leahy Honors College is by invitation, with no application, and requires admission to one of UVM’s seven undergraduate schools and colleges. The department pages read do not describe an honors mathematics sequence.

2. How admission works: apply to a college; internal transfer is reviewed on course results

• At application: the Office of Admissions says it uses a holistic review of the rigor of your academic programme, grades and trends, with essays, recommendations and life experience also considered. The transfer page says all transfer applicants apply to one of seven schools and colleges; the first-year page read does not say how the major is selected or whether mathematics has its own admission standard, so please ask the Office of Admissions.
• CEMS entrance requirements: the catalogue says CEMS requires four years of mathematics, including trigonometry or precalculus, and, for majors other than engineering, two years of laboratory-based science. For CAS it only lists recommendations: four years of math including trigonometry, a broad span of liberal arts subjects and four years of foreign language.
• Internal transfer into CEMS mathematics: the catalogue says current UVM students in another college submit forms through myUVM, must be in good academic standing and have no pending incompletes. For mathematics (and statistics) the grid lists a minimum 2.0 cumulative and semester GPA and MATH 1234 with a C or higher, or MATH 1212 with a B or higher. Applicants for fall are encouraged to finish by 1 July, and for spring by 1 January.
• Academic standards: CEMS requires a semester and cumulative GPA of at least 2.00 for good standing. In the BS, no more than three grades of D in 3000-level or higher MATH courses can count toward the major courses.

3. Prerequisites and placement

• High school courses (University minimum): 4 years of English; 3 years of mathematics (Algebra I, Algebra II and geometry or equivalents); 2 years of the same foreign language (American Sign Language counts); 3 years of natural or physical science including a laboratory science; 3 years of social science. CEMS adds the four-year mathematics requirement above.
• Math Placement Assessment: the department says UVM requires the ALEKS Math Placement Assessment to decide where to start in calculus. It is required for MATH 1212 or MATH 1234, and also for students with AP Calculus AB or BC credit who plan to take any calculus course (MATH 1212, 1224, 1234, 1242, 1248 or 2248). It has up to 30 questions, usually takes 60 to 90 minutes, is untimed, must be finished within 72 hours of starting, and can be retaken up to 4 more times. Students with transfer credit who have finished their math requirements need not take it. The catalogue lists the prerequisite for MATH 1234 as a C- or better in MATH 1034 or a placement score of 76 or higher, and for MATH 1212 as a C- or better in MATH 1012 or 1034 or a score of 61 or higher.
• AP/IB credit: the international admissions page says credit is granted for AP scores of 4 or 5 in most subjects, with scores of 3 accepted in some areas, per the University’s AP chart; IB scores of 5 or higher on HL or SL exams may earn credit, up to one year of introductory credit in a discipline, per its IB guide. Which math requirements they replace is not stated in the pages read; please check the charts or ask the department.
• Math competitions: how they are viewed in admission is not stated in the pages read. The department runs the annual UVM High School Mathematics Contest for Vermont students (held since 1958) as an outreach event.

4. Deadlines and application materials

• Rounds and deadlines: Early Action and Early Decision I (binding) are due 1 November, with notification generally in early December (ED I) and late December (EA); Early Decision II (binding) and Regular Decision are due 15 January, with notification generally in mid-February (ED II) and early March (RD). The $500 non-refundable acceptance fee is due by 1 May for EA and RD (non-binding). Spring entry (first-year and transfer) is due 1 November; transfer details are in section 9. The pages show no year, so check that they apply to fall 2027 entry.
• How to apply and the fee: the Common App or the Coalition App with Scoir, with no advantage to either. The Office of Admissions says there is no application fee.
• Materials: an official high school transcript sent by the school, first-quarter and/or mid-year grades, and at least one letter of recommendation (preferably from a teacher; the pages do not say it must be a math teacher). The Office of Admissions also says essays and recommendations assist evaluation; specific supplement prompts are not given in the pages read.
• Testing: test optional. Applicants may self-report ACT and/or SAT scores and submit official scores if admitted and enrolling. The admitted student profile lists a GPA of 3.5–3.8 on a 4.0 scale (the international page gives an average of 3.8 for first-year students admitted for fall 2024) and, for the 45% of applicants who submitted scores, a middle 50% of SAT EBRW 670–740, SAT Math 650–740 and ACT 31–34.

5. US domestic applicants

• Tuition (2026-27, per semester, Student Financial Services): for 12 to 19 credits, tuition is $8,469 for Vermont residents and $23,327.50 for out-of-state students, plus a comprehensive fee of $1,529, a $500 programme fee for students in CEMS and some other colleges, and average on-campus food and housing of $7,342. The page also lists 2025-26 (residents $8,303; out-of-state $22,323); the rates for fall 2027 entry are published later. Residency is determined at admission and generally stays the same.
• Scholarships and aid: the Office of Admissions says all applicants are considered for a variety of merit scholarships with no separate application, and that the FAFSA is required for need-based aid. The page says 50% of Vermonters attend tuition free. From fall 2027, new first-year and transfer students from Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island can qualify for reduced tuition in more than 30 qualifying majors; the list of majors was not read here, so check whether mathematics is included. An official campus tour earns a $1,000 Visit Award a year, renewable for up to four years.
• In-state priority or guaranteed admission: not stated in the pages read; Vermont residents benefit through tuition and aid, as above.

6. International applicants

• English proficiency: applicants whose first language is not English must have official results sent by the testing agency; results from the student are not accepted. Minimums: Duolingo 110; TOEFL 80 of 120 or 4.5 of 6 on the new scale; IELTS 6.5; ACT English 22; SAT EBRW 550; Cambridge English 180; TOEFL MyBest is not accepted. TOEFL 80–89 (4.5 on the new scale) means automatic enrolment in an ESOL course (ENGL 1001) in the first semester. The Office of Admissions may waive the test case by case for students with three or more years at a US institution or in English-medium schooling. Codes: TOEFL and SAT 3920; ACT 2322; IELTS results go to the Office of Admissions.
• Materials: an official secondary school transcript sent by your school (with an official English translation), first-quarter and/or mid-year grades, at least one letter of recommendation, English results, and proof of funding (most commonly a bank statement dated within six months of applying, uploaded to the portal or emailed). The catalogue page asks for all secondary and postsecondary transcripts including final exam results, with certified translations. Test scores are optional for international applicants too, with no disadvantage.
• Costs (admissions page, estimated for the 2026-27 I-20): tuition and fees $50,713, living expenses $17,724, other expenses (books, health insurance, personal costs) $10,575, a total of $79,012. The catalogue says students on non-immigrant student visas are charged out-of-state tuition rates.
• International scholarships: the Office of Admissions and the catalogue say international students are eligible for merit scholarships of up to $30,000 a year; all applicants are considered automatically during review, using grades, test scores if provided, activities, essays and recommendations, and are notified at admission.

7. Applicants from China

• Gaokao and Chinese grades: the admissions pages read do not say whether the Gaokao is used or how, and they have no China-specific instructions; this is not published in the pages read. Please contact the Office of Admissions (admissions@uvm.edu); the international page lists global admissions counselors.
• General requirements: the international requirements in section 6 apply: official transcripts with translations, English results (or a waiver), a recommendation and proof of funding.
• International curricula: students taking AP or IB can ask for credit under the rules in section 3; official AP score reports can be sent with the application or to the Registrar after admission.

8. Costs, scholarships and outcomes

• Costs: see sections 5 and 6.
• Department scholarships and research support: the department’s donor-endowed funds page lists the Kenneth I. and Mary Lou Gross Family Scholarship Fund (annual support for Vermont undergraduates majoring in mathematics who demonstrate financial need); the Christina McCall Memorial Scholarship (need-based, for undergraduates studying mathematics in CEMS, with preference to women); the Dan Archdeacon Memorial Fund (student research and conference travel); and the Mathematics and Statistics Nam Sang Kil Endowment Fund (scholarships and prizes at the chair’s discretion). The undergraduate research page says students in CEMS and CAS have many opportunities for hands-on research and links to guidelines for REU applications.
• Outcomes: the department’s careers page says graduates work in the computer, communications, information, financial and pharmaceutical industries, in engineering and consulting firms, as actuaries in insurance, in schools, colleges and universities, and in government agencies; some go on to graduate school in the mathematical sciences, medicine, dentistry, business or law. It prints no employment data.

9. Transfer students

• Deadlines: fall entry 1 June, spring entry 1 November, with rolling notification; the $500 acceptance fee is due 1 June or by the date in the admission letter. The pages show no year, so check.
• Basic requirements: a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 in college-level coursework; the same high school course requirements as first-year applicants; CEMS transfer applicants must have completed up to precalculus and physics (the page’s wording).
• Materials: Common App or Coalition App; no application fee; the final high school transcript and transcripts from all post-secondary institutions; course syllabi if a deeper credit review is needed; an optional recommendation from a current professor.
• Math-specific requirements: the pages read do not state calculus or linear algebra sequence requirements for transfer students entering mathematics. Ask the transfer team (Transfer.Apply@uvm.edu) or the department (math@uvm.edu). The internal-transfer GPA and course rules for current UVM students are in section 2.
• Credit transfer: international students with college work abroad submit course descriptions and outlines with English translations after admission to the Office of Transfer Affairs, which prepares a full credit evaluation; other transfer credit follows the University’s transfer credit policy.

Checklist

US domestic applicants:

• Common App or Coalition App; EA/ED I 1 November, ED II/RD 15 January; no application fee; at least one recommendation; testing optional
• CEMS: four years of math including trigonometry or precalculus and two years of lab science; take the ALEKS Math Placement Assessment

International applicants (including China):

• TOEFL 80, IELTS 6.5 or Duolingo 110; official transcripts with translations; proof of funding; automatically considered for merit scholarships of up to $30,000 a year
• How the Gaokao is used is not published; ask the Office of Admissions

After entry:

• Start in MATH 1212, 1234 or higher by placement; the BS also needs a non-math minor; internal transfer needs MATH 1234 with a C or higher

Transfer students:

• Fall 1 June, spring 1 November; college GPA of 3.0; ask the department about math-specific requirements

Sources: University of Vermont, Mathematics and Statistics: undergraduate programs; Mathematics: B.S. in Mathematics; Mathematics: B.A. in Mathematics; Mathematics: co-major; Mathematics: placement assessment; Mathematics: donor-endowed funds; Mathematics: undergraduate research; Mathematics: careers; Catalogue: Mathematics B.S.MSC.; Catalogue: Mathematics B.A.; Catalogue: Mathematics and Statistics Department; Catalogue: College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences; Admission requirements by college; Application deadlines and notification dates; Catalogue: international student admissions; Admissions: first-year applicants; Admissions: international students; Admissions: transfer students; Admissions: costs and financial aid; Undergraduate tuition and fees; Scholarships. The deadline pages show no year, so check that they apply to fall 2027 entry and see the University’s website for the latest.