How to Apply to Biology at Nanyang Technological University: The Four-Year Direct-Honours BSc in Biological Sciences With Compulsory Internship and Double Majors Such as Biomedical Sciences and BioBusiness, With Admission Routes and Requirements for Local, International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Students

At Nanyang Technological University (NTU), biology-related undergraduate degrees are mainly offered by the School of Biological Sciences (SBS) in the College of Science, with the Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences as the core degree. SBS also lists a Bachelor of Chinese Medicine and the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine offers the MBBS; both are medical degrees and are outside the scope of this guide (see NTU’s website). Here is what you need to know for 2027 entry, based on NTU’s official information, for Singapore citizens and PRs, international students, students from China and transfer students.

1. The programme and degree

• BSc in Biological Sciences: NTU describes a single-degree, full-time, four-year Bachelor of Science (Honours) programme, which it calls a direct honours degree. Features listed: international exchange with over 150 partner universities; a compulsory internship; an option to take a final year project (FYP); and an option to take a minor in any discipline. The programme page says it gives broad-based training in the biological sciences and prepares graduates for careers in life sciences research and industry, and it can include technology and business elements. Graduation requires at least 132 Academic Units (AU) for students admitted in AY2025 and AY2026 and at least 131 AU for AY2018 to AY2024, with a pass in all major and general education requirement courses.
• Second majors: the second majors listed are Biomedical Structural Biology, Data Analytics, Entrepreneurship (not available on admission; eligible single-major students are invited by email to apply after one year), Future Foods, Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacology, and Sustainability; the Food Science and Technology second major has been discontinued (last offered in 2023) and NTU suggests Future Foods instead.
• Double majors and special routes: a Biological Sciences and Psychology double major (with the School of Humanities and Social Sciences); the Biomedical Sciences and BioBusiness double major (with Copenhagen Business School and Nanyang Business School; four years, honours, at least 140 AU for AY2025 onwards; a CGPA of at least 3.5 throughout, otherwise you must move back to the single Biological Sciences degree; includes a one-semester Copenhagen Business School programme in Year 4 Semester 1 and an optional 6-month overseas entrepreneurship programme); the Accelerated Bachelor Programme (ABP), completed in 3.5 years and offered strictly by invitation; and a Work Study Degree (WSDeg) with a specialisation in Laboratory Medicine, run with Singapore healthcare clusters. NTU also describes a conditional admission pathway with Duke-NUS for some students (SBS double major, Biological Sciences with second major, CN Yang Scholars and Chinese Medicine students); see the pathway page for details.
• Direct entry: you choose “Biological Sciences” directly on the application form (up to 5 choices per application); the pages used for this guide do not describe a common first year followed by a later choice of major.
• Internships: the SBS pages describe an Industrial Advisory Panel and career-preparation workshops; for specific internship roles and arrangements, see the website.
• Interviews and extra assessment: the IGP table marks Biological Sciences with *, meaning interviews, selection tests and/or portfolios may be required; the arrangements are not given on the pages used for this guide, so ask the admissions office.

2. Prerequisites and subject choices

• Minimum subject requirement: the programme page says at least an H1/SL (or equivalent) pass in Mathematics and a good H2/HL/A-Level (or equivalent) pass in Physics, Chemistry or Biology. No specific score is given for “good”.
• Biomedical Sciences and BioBusiness double major: the programme page states the same minimum subject requirement as Biological Sciences.
• Reference grades: see the Indicative Grade Profile (IGP) in the local-student section below.

3. Singapore citizens and Permanent Residents

• A-Level: NTU’s minimum requirement for the BSc in Biological Sciences is at least an H1/SL (or equivalent) pass in Mathematics and a good H2/HL/A-Level (or equivalent) pass in Physics, Chemistry or Biology. NTU says the University Admission Score (UAS) uses 3 H2 content-based subjects and General Paper, and, for the 2025 sitting onwards, H1 Mother Tongue and/or a fourth subject may be added if it improves the score; H3 is not counted in the UAS, and applicants with H3 can be considered under Aptitude-based Admissions (ABA). Applications run from the day of A-Level results release to 19 March 2027, with the fee and documents due by 24 March; results come from the end of March; the first offer-acceptance window is listed as 4 January to 24 May 2027 and the second as 1 to 16 June.
• Polytechnic diploma: The Biological Sciences programme page used for this guide does not state a separate polytechnic requirement; the IGP table marks Biological Sciences with *, meaning interviews, selection tests and/or portfolios may be required, and the arrangements are not given on the pages used for this guide, so ask the admissions office. The “Important dates” page gives a 2027 window of 1 to 21 February 2027, with results from mid-March; however, the polytechnic and NUS High School sections of the general admission requirements page are also marked “applications are now closed”, so check the current status on the website.
• IB Diploma: The Biological Sciences page gives the same minimum subject requirement as above (Mathematics plus a good grade in Physics, Chemistry or Biology); no specific IB score is given. Applications run from 15 October 2026 to 19 March 2027, and you must authorise the IBO to send results directly to NTU; NTU says IB applicant numbers are limited and it cannot give a meaningful grade profile. On when results come, the local table says “March to May 2027” while the international table says “end April to end July 2027”; rely on the website and your offer email.
• NUS High School Diploma: The Biological Sciences page gives no separate subject score for the NUS High School Diploma. The application window is 1 December 2026 to 20 January 2027.
• Mother tongue: citizens and PRs must meet the Ministry of Education mother-tongue policy; you may still apply without meeting it, but if admitted without an MOE exemption you must fulfil it before graduating.
• Application fee and choices: S$15 for citizens and PRs (S$25 for international students), non-refundable; one application can list up to 5 programme choices.
• Indicative Grade Profile (IGP): In NTU’s IGP table, the A-Level representative grade profile (3H2/1H1) for Biological Sciences* is AAB/C at the 10th percentile and AAA/A at the 90th (the table assumes a C for GP and PW, and the page does not say which year’s admissions it reflects); the polytechnic GPA at the 10th and 90th percentiles is 3.64 and 3.97; and the table lists 217 places taken up in AY2025-26. NTU says criteria vary by programme and year, and programmes marked * require additional assessments such as interviews, selection tests and/or portfolios.
• Tuition and grants: for AY2026/27, S$8,300 for citizens and S$11,600 for PRs (excluding GST); citizens receive the MOE tuition grant automatically and fill in a declaration form after admission; Biological Sciences is not among the programmes listed separately in the fee table (those are Accountancy, Business, Medicine and the Renaissance Engineering Programme).

4. International students (including international curricula)

• General: one intake per year, with the first term typically starting in late July; international applicants are those who have completed, or are sitting, their national high school exams in the year of application. Admission is highly competitive; meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission, decisions are based primarily on high school academic performance, and no provisional offers are made on predicted or pending results.
• Minimum subject requirements: The Biological Sciences page states the minimum (A-Level / IB / equivalent) as a pass in Mathematics at H1/SL plus a good grade in Physics, Chemistry or Biology; no specific score is given, and country-by-country score requirements are on NTU’s qualification pages, so check the website.
• International A-Level: at least 4 A2 subjects in a single sitting (separate sittings are not accepted); applicants with only 3 subjects are considered case by case, but not for international students applying on a subsidised-fee basis (limited places). Applicants sitting the May/June 2027 A-Level exams are not considered in this exercise and should apply in the next one.
• IB Diploma: see above; results must be released to NTU directly by the IBO, by 19 March 2027 for the November 2026 and earlier sessions, and for the May 2027 session you may apply by 19 March 2027 and provide final results within three days of release (except Medicine and the Arts / Science (Education) programmes).
• Application windows (by qualification): US high school diploma (including AP), HKDSE, UK A-Level, French / Spanish / European Baccalaureate, India Standard 12, IB and PRC Gaokao are 15 October 2026 to 19 March 2027; Canadian Ontario OSSD / British Columbia high school diplomas and equivalents, Australian state certificates, Indonesian Ijazah SMA, Malaysia UEC, Myanmar, Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam, and all other qualifications not listed, are 15 October 2026 to 20 January 2027. Country-specific score requirements are on NTU’s qualification pages, which are not all covered in this guide (for example the Canadian page); check the website. Documents must be uploaded within 3 days after the closing date.
• English: applicants with the PRC Gaokao, Taiwan GSAT, South Korea CSAT, HKDSE, Vietnam, Thailand or Indonesia qualifications must submit an approved English test, as must anyone whose qualification did not include English at both junior and senior high school or offered English only as a second language. Accepted evidence (any one): IELTS Academic overall 6.5 with Writing 6.5 and Speaking 6.5; TOEFL iBT total 90 (or 4.5 on the new scale) with Writing 25 (4.5) and Speaking 25 (4.5); PTE Academic overall 55 with Speaking 55 and Writing 59; Cambridge C1 Advanced overall 170 with Writing 170 and Speaking 170; SAT total 1250 with Reading and Writing 600; ACT with Writing (one sitting) composite 30, English 30, Writing 7; Aptitude Scholastic Test (AST) English 220. IELTS, TOEFL, PTE, C1 Advanced and AST scores must be from the two years before the application deadline, SAT and ACT scores are valid for five years, and results must be submitted by the deadline. NTU says these scores are generally for Science, Engineering and Computing programmes and that some competitive, double-degree and double-major programmes need higher scores.
• When results come (NTU’s estimates): US high school diploma mid June to mid July 2027; HKDSE mid July; IB end April to end July; UK A-Level May to end June (candidates sitting the May/June 2027 exams are not considered in this exercise). The online appeal window is 17 to 30 May 2027 for local qualifications; for international qualifications the appeal period is listed as “TBA”.

5. Applicants from China (Gaokao)

• Which category: NTU’s Gaokao page says this category is for Gaokao candidates; students on the Gaokao curriculum who do not sit the Gaokao, or who take AP exams independently, also apply here. The window is 15 October 2026 to 19 March 2027.
• Gaokao results: applicants with Gaokao results must reach at least 80% of the maximum Gaokao score and submit a CSSD Verification Report issued by CHSI. Current Gao 3 students awaiting results may apply with Gao 1 and Gao 2 transcripts and must submit official Gaokao results within 3 days of release; eligible applicants are invited to an interview in July and final decisions are based on interview performance. Applicants who cannot sit the Gaokao but have good high school graduation results are assessed case by case. The page says decisions are based primarily on high school academic performance, and Gao 3 students awaiting results cannot apply for Medicine or the Renaissance Engineering Programme.
• Subject requirements for this programme: The Biological Sciences page states the minimum as a pass in Mathematics (H1/SL or equivalent) plus a good grade in Physics, Chemistry or Biology, and the Gaokao page adds that applicants must meet each programme’s minimum subject requirements for international qualifications. No specific Gaokao score for Biology, Chemistry or Mathematics is given, and how Gaokao subjects map to these requirements is not stated; ask the admissions office.
• AST and AP (optional): strong results can strengthen an application: AST in at least 3 subjects including English, Mathematics and one more (applicants who use Economics as the third subject are considered only for non-Engineering and non-Science programmes); AP in at least 5 subjects with 4 or 5 in each. They must be submitted together with the Gaokao results (or Gao 1 and Gao 2 transcripts), not on their own.
• English: Gaokao applicants must submit an English test; scores are listed above.
• Olympiads: medallists in international science olympiads such as Biology (IBO), Chemistry (IChO), Physics, Mathematics and Informatics are considered more favourably for programmes related to their field, and an interview may be held.
• Interview and results: only shortlisted applicants are interviewed. NTU’s estimates: notification of whether you are invited to interview at the end of June 2027 and the interview outcome in mid-July 2027.
• Chinese school transcripts and school-leaving materials: the Gaokao page asks for Gaokao results and the CSSD report; for other transcript formats, see the application form and document checklist on the website.

6. Costs and scholarships

• Tuition (AY2026/27 table; for 2027 entry, rely on what NTU publishes for that year): in the row “All programmes (except those listed below)”: Singapore citizens S$8,300 and Permanent Residents S$11,600 (excluding GST, which MOE subsidises); on subsidised fees, ASEAN international students S$18,050 and all other international students S$21,400 (including 9% GST, borne by the student); for non-subsidised students (not receiving a tuition grant) the table gives “Lab Based” S$40,600 and “Non-Lab Based” S$36,350 (including GST). The table does not say whether Biological Sciences counts as “lab based” or “non-lab based”; ask the admissions office. NTU says full-time undergraduate fees are fixed for the whole candidature by cohort, and miscellaneous fees are charged on top (amounts are on its fee table).
• MOE Tuition Grant: local and international full-time undergraduates admitted on a subsidised-fee basis are eligible for a tuition grant and GST subsidy covering the normal duration of the degree. Citizens receive it automatically; PRs and international students opt in on the application form, indicate before the July closing date whether they accept the offer with the grant, and register on MOE’s website after receiving a matriculation number, student pass and Singpass; two guarantors aged 21 to under 65 are required, and the Tuition Grant Agreement obliges you to work for a Singapore entity for 3 years after graduation. Those who do not apply or finish registration on time pay the full non-subsidised fee.
• Scholarships: The School of Biological Sciences pages used for this guide do not list scholarships separately; the College of Science page mentions a conditional admission pathway with Duke-NUS for eligible CN Yang Scholars. The application process page says scholarship applications are open only to applicants opting for subsidised tuition fees and must be submitted before the application closing date; eligibility and amounts for each scholarship are on NTU’s scholarship pages.

7. Transfers and course exemptions

• Transfer from another university: NTU says students who have completed at least one term at another university, locally or overseas, can apply through the standard application process; if accepted, you are offered a first-year place. How earlier credits are recognised is not given on the pages used for this guide; ask the admissions office.
• Effect on the tuition grant: for students transferring from other universities the tuition grant depends on semesters already used (NTU’s example: 2 semesters at a local university, then an 8-semester programme at NTU, leaves 6 semesters of grant).
• Changing programme inside NTU: current NTU students apply to move to other undergraduate programmes through the Student Intranet; those moving to Arts (Education) or Science (Education), or seeking re-admission, go through the admissions process again.
• Exemptions on entry: The SBS course exemption page says all applicants who accept a place in the BSc in Biological Sciences are assessed automatically and notified before the first semester: A-Level H3 Chemistry with Distinction or Merit can exempt BS1012 and BS1013 (Foundations of Chemistry I and II), H3 Biology with Distinction or Merit can exempt BS1007 (Molecular & Cell Biology I), and other H3 subjects are considered case by case; NUS High School Diploma holders with a Chemistry CAP above 4.50, IB holders with 7 in Chemistry and Chemistry Olympiad medallists must pass an exemption test; polytechnic diploma holders are considered case by case on academic merit and relevance, with up to 3 first-year core modules; a maximum of three Year 1 exemptions is awarded and you may decline an exemption. BS1012 and BS1013 exemptions do not apply to those taking the second major in Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacology or in Biomedical Structural Biology. Exempted courses carry an “EX” grade and are excluded from CGPA, but the University still requires at least 69 AU of letter-graded courses and at least 3 academic years of study.

8. Application checklist

• Local students: A-Level applications until 19 March 2027 (H1/SL Mathematics pass plus a good grade in Physics, Chemistry or Biology); polytechnic diploma 1 to 21 February 2027 (check the “applications closed” label; extra assessment may apply); application fee S$15.
• International students: US high school, HKDSE, UK A-Level, IB and others 15 October 2026 to 19 March 2027, with Canadian, Australian and most Southeast Asian qualifications until 20 January 2027; application fee S$25; an English test where the qualification requires it (for example IELTS 6.5 or TOEFL 90 / 4.5).
• China (Gaokao): 15 October 2026 to 19 March 2027; at least 80% of the maximum Gaokao score plus a CHSI CSSD Verification Report; English test mandatory; Gao 3 students apply with Gao 1 and Gao 2 transcripts and submit results within 3 days of release, with interviews in July.
• Transfer students: completing at least one term elsewhere allows the standard application, with a first-year place offered; the tuition grant is reduced by semesters already used.

Sources: Nanyang Technological University, BSc in Biological Sciences; Biomedical Sciences and BioBusiness double major; SBS degree list; SBS undergraduate page; SBS course exemptions; SBS internships and career preparation; College of Science undergraduate admissions; Application process; Important dates; General admission requirements; PRC Gaokao page; Indicative Grade Profile; Transfer applications; Tuition fees and grants. Information is for September 2027 entry (where a page prints no year, check that it applies to 2027 entry). Check NTU for the latest details.