How to Apply to Biology at Memorial University of Newfoundland: B.Sc. Entry, No Direct Choice of the Major at Application, Applying to the Biology Department After Biology 1001/1002 (65% Average), Plus Human Biosciences, Marine Biology and Behavioural Neuroscience, and Admission and Prerequisites for Canadian Students, International Students (Including Applicants from China) and Transfer Students

Memorial University of Newfoundland (Memorial) is in St. John’s, the capital of Newfoundland and Labrador. Its biology-related majors are all B.Sc. majors in the Faculty of Science, and you cannot choose a biology-type major when you apply: you complete university courses first and then apply to the department. This guide summarizes the pages for fall 2027 entry for Canadian students, international students (including applicants from China) and transfer students. Where the website does not say, we write “not published” and point you to where to check.

Biology: degrees and directions

• Biology-related majors under the B.Sc.: the B.Sc. page lists, among its majors, Biology, Human Biosciences, Marine Biology and Behavioural Neuroscience; Chemistry (Biological), Ocean Sciences and others are listed too but not covered here. The page speaks of “30+ major options” and says students are encouraged to choose their major after finishing first year.
• Biology major: the biology major is in the Department of Biology on the St. John’s campus, four years, with honours, and is marked as having co-op. Within the B.Sc. biology major students may declare a concentration in applied ecology and conservation, aquatic life, biological tools and techniques, biology for health professions, comparative biology, evolutionary ecology, or molecular, microbial and cell biology. Joint honours programs are offered with behavioural neuroscience, human biosciences (cell biology), Earth sciences, psychology and statistics. Teaching uses traditional laboratories, flipped classrooms and field courses, including courses at the Bonne Bay Aquarium and Research Station near Gros Morne National Park, and undergraduates can do laboratory research through MUCEP, the Science Undergraduate Research Award and the NSERC USRA program. The co-operative education option is competitive for a limited number of places.
• Human Biosciences: the Human Biosciences major is offered by the Department of Human Biosciences, four years, with honours. The website frames it around “how food, drugs and the environment impact your health”, with introductory courses blending biochemistry, nutrition, pharmacology and toxicology, and four pre-defined concentrations: biochemistry, health and disease, molecular genetics, and nutrition and metabolism. Honours students complete a research project that can be laboratory research, a literature-based systematic or scoping review, education/outreach or an entrepreneurship/business project. Joint honours: cell biology and human biosciences, chemistry and human biosciences, human biosciences and physics, and human biosciences and behavioural neuroscience. The page does not mark co-op.
• Marine Biology (joint major): Marine Biology is jointly administered by the Department of Ocean Sciences and the Department of Biology, with core courses in oceanography and biology plus other science courses and an honours option. The website stresses wet labs, field trips and project-based courses, at the Bonne Bay Aquarium and Research Station or the Ocean Sciences Centre. You cannot choose this joint major at application either.
• Behavioural Neuroscience: Behavioural Neuroscience is offered by the Department of Psychology, four years, with honours and a co-op option (three full-time paid work terms; competitive for a limited number of places). The website notes strong links with the Faculty of Medicine on the same campus.
• Accreditation and work years: whether the biology degrees carry external professional accreditation is not published on the pages read; ask the Department of Biology. Apart from the co-op options above, no work year is described.
• Careers listed on the biology page include bio or medical technologist, dentistry, fisheries biologist or officer, epidemiologist, horticulturalist, immunologist, marine or aquacultural biologist, medical doctor, occupational therapy, optometry, park ecologist, research scientist, science teacher, wildlife or conservation officer and veterinarian, with a note that some careers need graduate or professional study.
• Outside this guide: medicine (M.D.), nursing, pharmacy and other professional degrees are not covered here; see the program overview on the website. Chemistry majors are not covered either.

How to get into a biology-type major

• At application: choose the Bachelor of Science on the application form to enter the Faculty of Science. The website says plainly that you cannot choose biology (or Human Biosciences, the Marine Biology joint major or Behavioural Neuroscience) as your major at the time of application; you first complete university-level courses. Direct entry to the faculty requires the general admission requirements, including appropriate mathematics and a laboratory science.
• Biology major requirements: entry is based on academic standing. To apply you complete: Biology 1001 and 1002; Mathematics 1090 and 1006 (or 1000), or Mathematics 1006 (or 1000) and an elective; 6 credit hours in critical reading and writing (CRW) courses with at least 3 in English; and Chemistry 1050 and 1051 or Physics 1020 (or 1050) and 1021 (or 1051). You need at least 65% average in Biology 1001 and 1002 and a minimum overall average of 60% in those courses. You also submit the Department of Biology’s application form, usually during the second semester, and you are not admitted until the entrance requirements are met; check the department page for submission dates.
• Where the website is inconsistent: the biology page’s first-year notes say all biology majors must complete Chemistry 1050/1051 and that the two first-year physics courses are required for the major, yet the application conditions read “Chemistry 1050 and 1051 or Physics 1020 and 1021”; the B.Sc. page also says entry to a major normally needs at least ten three-credit courses and some majors have limited places. Rely on the Department of Biology.
• Human Biosciences requirements: entry is based on academic standing. You must complete at least 24 credit hours (8 courses) including 6 credit hours of CRW courses (at least 3 in English), Chemistry 1050 and 1051 (or 1200 and 1001), Mathematics 1000 or 1006, Biology 1001, and Biology 1002 or Human Biosciences 1001 (or Biochemistry 1600), with a minimum overall average of 60%, and you must be eligible for Chemistry 2400. You then apply to the major; there is no deadline, but applying by May 31 is strongly recommended so the major is on record before fall registration. All majors must pass Chemistry 1051 (or 1001) with at least 60%, the prerequisite for Chemistry 2301 in second year. The page text also refers to a “biochemistry major”, which does not match the page title Human Biosciences; ask the department.
• Marine Biology joint major requirements: entry is competitive and based on academic standing. Within 30 credit hours (10 courses) you complete Biology 1001 and 1002, Chemistry 1050 and 1051 (or 1200 and 1001), 6 credit hours of CRW courses, Mathematics 1000 (or 1006), Ocean Sciences 1000, Physics 1020 (or 1050), and Physics 1021 (or 1051) or one 2000-level Ocean Sciences course, with an overall average of at least 60%; Biology 1001 and 1002 need at least 65% on average and Ocean Sciences 1000 at least 65%. You submit a departmental application form to either the Department of Biology or the Department of Ocean Sciences. The website says it can often take three semesters to complete these courses, and students who must first take Mathematics 1090 or Chemistry 1010 will not have room for the ten courses in two semesters.
• Behavioural Neuroscience requirements: admission is competitive and selective, meeting the minimum does not guarantee a place, and the intake is fall only. You must complete at least 24 credit hours (8 courses) including 6 credit hours of CRW courses (at least 3 in English), one of Mathematics 1000, 1006 or Statistics 1500 or two of Mathematics 1090, 1050 or 1051 (as the page words it), Psychology 1000 and 1001, and 6 credit hours of electives, with at least 65% average in Psychology 1000 and 1001 and an overall 60% in psychology, CRW and mathematics courses. The online departmental application is due June 1 (the form is usually available in mid-March). Transfer credits are accepted for these requirements, but you need at least three numeric grades from Memorial courses.
• Sample first year (biology, 10 courses): Mathematics 1090 and 1000, Biology 1001 and 1002, Chemistry 1050 and 1051, Physics 1020 (1050) and 1021 (1051), English 1090 and another CRW course. The page advises prioritizing chemistry over physics if you cannot take both, since they are prerequisites for upper-year courses.
• Example courses: BIOL 2250 Principles of Genetics, BIOL 2900 Principles of Evolution and Systematics, BIOL 4404 Microbial Physiology (biology); HUBI 2003 Basics of Human Metabolism and HUBI 3005 Environment-Health Interactions (human biosciences).

Prerequisites and course placement

• High school subjects: direct entry to the Faculty of Science needs a Grade 12 mathematics course and a laboratory science from the general list (Ontario SBI4U, BC Anatomy and Physiology 12, Alberta Biology 30 and Newfoundland and Labrador Biology 3201 are all on the list). The website does not require high school biology for the biology major as such.
• Chemistry: the biology and human biosciences pages say first-year chemistry is placed by the chemistry criteria chart: at St. John’s, CHEM 1050 requires Grade 12 chemistry with at least 65%, otherwise take CHEM 1010 first (1010 in fall, 1050 in winter, 1051 in spring). Memorial strongly recommends completing Chemistry 1051 before second year.
• Mathematics and physics: the choice of mathematics course depends on background and ability; the biology page says Mathematics 1090 prepares for Mathematics 1000, and students in Physics 1050 must also be registered in Mathematics 1000 (not 1090). The mathematics and physics criteria charts were not read, so check the website.
• AP/IB credit: Memorial has AP and IB transfer credit pages that were not read for this guide; check the website. No biology admission test or interview is mentioned.

School level: how and when to apply

• How to apply: create an account in Memorial’s own online application system, fill in the application, pay the fee and upload documents (see the application steps). Memorial says general admission decisions normally arrive within 10 business days after all documents are uploaded, while competitive-entry programs are decided by the faculty or school, typically two to four weeks after the program’s application and document deadlines. The biology-type majors have no separate application deadline or extra documents; the June 1 date for behavioural neuroscience is a departmental deadline for entering the major, not an admission deadline. The B.Sc. is not one of the competitive-entry programs listed separately on the deadlines page, so the general deadlines apply.
• Intakes and deadlines: there are fall (September), winter (January) and spring (May) intakes. For fall, the general application opens on September 10 a year ahead, the priority deadline is March 1, the document deadline is August 20 and the application closes on September 9. For winter the priority deadline is October 1 and the document deadline December 20; for spring they are February 1 and April 30. Late applications and documents are processed “as time and resources permit”. The table prints no year, and a footnote says the general application closes on the first day of the semester, which differs from the September 9 in the table, so check that these dates apply to fall 2027. High school students applying for fall must apply by March 1 to be considered for early entrance scholarships.
• International applicants are advised to apply at least 12 weeks before the semester starts to leave time for a study permit; see the Government of Canada site for processing times.
• Application fee (Canadian dollars, fees page): $70 for Canadian citizens and permanent residents, $300 for international applicants, non-refundable; a Visa or MasterCard credit card is required and debit cards are not accepted.
• Documents: Grade 12 students in Newfoundland and Labrador do not upload a transcript, as Memorial obtains it from the provincial Department of Education. Other high school students upload final Grade 10 and 11 transcripts and current Grade 12 registrations. Transfer students upload their final high school transcript and transcripts from every college or university attended. Whether the B.Sc. asks for an essay or reference letters is not stated on the pages read; check with the university.
• Standardized tests: the B.Sc. and curriculum pages read do not require SAT or ACT scores.

Canadian applicants (by province)

• General admission requirements: complete high school graduation and hold a senior-level (Grade 12) course in each of five subject areas: English, mathematics, a laboratory science, social studies or a modern/classical language, plus one elective. You need an average of at least 70% across the five courses with a pass in each; where several courses fit one area the highest grade counts. Direct entry to the B.Sc. requires suitable mathematics and laboratory science courses. For applicants missing required courses Memorial has a “missing required subjects” page, which was not read for this guide.
• Newfoundland and Labrador: the provincial page asks for 10 senior credits (English 3201; Mathematics 3200 or 3201; a laboratory science such as Biology 3201, Chemistry 3202 or Physics 3204; social studies or a language; two elective credits) averaging at least 70%, plus two further credits each in mathematics and laboratory science at a lower level that are not used in the average.
• Ontario: the Ontario page lists one of MDM4U, MHF4U or MCV4U for mathematics, one of SBI4U, SCH4U, SES4U or SPH4U for laboratory science, and English such as ENG4U, with a 70% average over the five courses.
• British Columbia: the BC page lists English Studies 12 or English First Peoples 12, Foundations of Mathematics 12, Pre-Calculus 12 or Calculus 12, and Anatomy and Physiology 12, Chemistry 12, Geology 12 or Physics 12 for laboratory science, with a 70% average over the five courses.
• Alberta: the Alberta page lists English Language Arts 30-1, Mathematics 30-1, 30-2 or 31, and Biology 30, Chemistry 30 or Physics 30 for laboratory science, with a 70% average over the five courses.
• Other provinces and territories: Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Quebec, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut each have their own page under Canadian high school curriculum requirements; those were not read for this guide, so check the website.
• In-province and out-of-province students: the tuition table for new undergraduates puts “N.L. and other Canadian students” in a single rate (see Costs below).
• Scholarships for domestic students: the Early Scholar program. For the fall 2027 intake, domestic students are considered automatically on their early admission average and the amount is guaranteed at early acceptance: 98% and above $6,000, 95%–97.9% $2,000, 93%–94.9% $1,000. The early average uses the best mathematics, science and English grades completed by the end of Grade 11; you must apply by March 1 of your graduation year; the award is not renewable, and to be eligible for scholarships in second year you need scholarship standing in first year. Named entrance scholarships based on the final admission average are listed on the other entrance scholarships page and may replace the Early Scholar award.

International applicants (including applicants from China)

• International high school curricula: the international curriculum requirements pages list requirements by curriculum and country, with a general page for countries not listed. The IB, American-style and other pages were not read for this guide, so check the website. The Newfoundland and Labrador page shows IB as: mathematics “analysis and approaches” or “applications and interpretation” at Standard or Higher level, and biology, chemistry or physics at Standard or Higher level for the laboratory science.
• AP/IB credit: the provincial pages say applicants with certain IB or AP courses “may be eligible for transfer credit”; which courses count was not read, so check the website.
• English: see “English language requirement” below.
• Scholarships: the international students page says international students are considered automatically for entrance scholarships after admission, with no separate application and no guarantee; they are for the first year only and not renewable, and international transfer students are considered only if fewer than 31 credit hours are transferred. The other entrance scholarships page says Memorial’s International Entrance Scholarships do not exceed $6,000 each annually and require paying the full international fee, registering for at least 9 credit hours in each of two semesters of the first year, normally fewer than 31 transfer credit hours and scholarship standing. The Early Scholar page says international students are reviewed on academic merit until the allocated funds are exhausted, with the end date reassessed regularly.
• Work and study permits: the B.Sc. page mentions the on-campus work programs MUCEP and ISWEP, but their eligibility rules were not read. Study permit, co-op and work permit rules are not set out on the pages read; check with Memorial and the Government of Canada.
• Proof of funds: not published on the pages read; check the website.

Applicants from China (separate section)

• Credential: the Senior Secondary School Certificate.
• Required subject areas: English, mathematics, a laboratory science (biology, chemistry or physics), social studies or a modern/classical language, and an elective; applicants missing subjects are pointed to the “missing required subjects” page (not read).
• Grades: a minimum average of 75 in the required subject areas at senior level, with a pass in each. The China page does not mention the gaokao, so whether gaokao results can stand in for these documents is not published; ask the admissions office (admissions@mun.ca).
• English: the China page requires proof of English proficiency through a standardized test (see below).
• Documents: current high school students submit an official English test result when they apply (for early acceptance); applicants who have finished high school without attending a post-secondary institution also submit an official English test result. The materials listed for the stage after exams (verified acceptance) were not shown on the page read, so check the website. Verification of the transcript or certificate by CDGDC or CHESICC may be required if Memorial asks. Documents can be mailed or couriered to the Office of the Registrar, or emailed to admiss.docs@mun.ca (documents only, no replies). Applicants who have attended a college or university apply as transfer students.
• Competitive programs: the China page says some programs are competitive for a limited number of spaces and may ask for a higher average or supplementary information.

English language requirement

• Four routes (see the English language requirement): two years of full-time high school in Canada with Grade 12 English; at least 15 credit hours (or a two-year credential) at a recognized English-language post-secondary institution (Memorial lists recognized countries and territories, including the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, Singapore, Ireland, New Zealand and South Africa; China is not on the list); completion of Memorial’s Intensive English Program or Intensive English Bridge Program at Grenfell Campus; or an approved standardized test.
• Test scores (taken within two years and verifiable, test scores page): IELTS Academic overall 6.5 with at least 6 in reading and writing (UKVI accepted, General Training not accepted); the new TOEFL iBT scale 4.5 overall with at least 4.0 in reading and writing (Home Edition included), or 83 overall with at least 20 in reading and writing for valid tests taken up to January 2026; Duolingo 115; PTE Academic 60; CAEL 60; Cambridge C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency 176; Michigan English Test 59.
• Falling short: applicants below the minimum scores may be considered for early acceptance if they enrol in the Intensive English Program or Bridge Program.

Transfer students (including from colleges)

• Entry: the transfer page says applicants who have attended a recognized post-secondary institution are normally expected to be in good academic standing and eligible to continue at the last institution; if the transcript does not show this, a cumulative average of at least 55% (or equivalent) is assessed. Applicants required to withdraw must wait three full semesters. The English language requirement still applies. Competitive-entry programs are limited and may need a higher average or supplementary information.
• Documents: upload your latest transcripts from every post-secondary institution after applying, and the high school transcript is encouraged. Official transcripts must come directly from the issuing institution or through an authorized service such as MyCreds; documents not in English or French need a certified English translation. Detailed course outlines may be needed for transfer credit evaluation, and Memorial advises submitting everything at least two months before the semester starts.
• Credit and the major: The biology-type pages only state the conditions for “current Memorial students” to apply to the major, and only the behavioural neuroscience page adds that transfer credits count toward the requirements if you have at least three numeric Memorial grades. How transfer credit counts toward those courses, and any extra conditions for transfer students, are not published on the pages read; ask the department and the Office of the Registrar.
• Scholarships: international transfer students are considered for entrance scholarships only if fewer than 31 credit hours are transferred; whether Canadian transfer students are considered was not covered by the pages read.

Costs

• Tuition (tuition page, Canadian dollars, per 3-credit-hour course, rates for new undergraduates; Memorial says fall 2026 is held at the fall 2025 level during a tuition freeze): $675 per course for “N.L. and other Canadian students” and $2,250 per course for international students. The same table also shows the originally planned fall 2026 rates ($702 and $2,340). Rates for fall 2027 are not published on the pages read; check the university’s finance pages.
• Earlier cohorts: students who entered before 2022 have a separate rate table, not covered here.
• Other charges: the rates exclude recreation, residence, student organization and miscellaneous fees. The Pharm.D. has a tuition differential and is outside this guide.
• Program-specific tuition: apart from the Pharm.D., the pages read do not mention any program-specific tuition for the programs covered here.

Sources: Memorial University website biology major; Human Biosciences; Marine Biology; Behavioural Neuroscience; Bachelor of Science; chemistry criteria chart; application steps; deadlines; application fees; Canadian high school requirements; international high school requirements; China requirements; English language requirement; English test scores; transfer applicants; tuition; Early Scholar; international entrance scholarships. Most dates on the pages carry no year; they are summarized here for September 2027 entry, so confirm against the latest website.