How to Apply to Chemistry at Colorado College: The One-Course-at-a-Time Block Plan, a Shared Chemistry and Biochemistry Department, Apply to the College Not the Major, for Domestic, International (Including China) and Transfer Applicants

Colorado College (Colorado Springs, Colorado) offers chemistry through the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. The department describes itself as central to the college since its founding in 1874, with faculty in analytical, biochemical, environmental, inorganic, organic and physical chemistry, and says that it provides American Chemical Society (ACS) certification to almost a third of its majors each year. The college runs on the Block Plan: eight blocks of about 3.5 weeks a year, one course per block. This article covers chemistry and, because it shares the department, biochemistry; mathematics, physics, computer science and other majors are not covered here, and pre-health or health-professions routes are outside the scope of this article (see the college website).

1. Degrees: chemistry and biochemistry

• Programs: the department page points to graduation requirements for the Chemistry major and for the Biochemistry majors, and the department also offers minors in chemistry and in biochemistry. The current course lists for the majors are in the college course catalog, which this article did not read. The department pages read for this article do not name the degree type (for example B.A. or B.S.); the all-college page says a Colorado College B.A. requires 32 units. Check the course catalog on the college website for what the chemistry major lists.
• ACS certification: the department home page says it provides ACS certification to almost a third of its majors each year; the course requirements for certification are not stated on the pages read here.
• Faculty size: the department home page says eleven full- and part-time faculty and the research page says twelve; the two pages differ, so check the department site.
• Block Plan: the department says it makes use of the Block Plan so students take a single course each block, and that faculty run collaborative research ranging from new methods for chemical education to the synthesis of new drug candidates based on natural products.
• Fixed courses: the department course page marks CH490 (Senior Seminar) as required for chemistry majors and CH499 (Senior Thesis) as needing department consent.

2. Do you apply to the major? When do you declare?

• The admission pages have you apply to the college; there is no separate major application or major-specific admission line. The department pages do not say when or how to declare the chemistry major; the all-college page says each student must complete a major and that there are more than 40 possible majors. Check the Advising Hub or the department site.
• Transfer students: the transfer page says you can declare any major or minor on enrolling, but the college cannot guarantee completion within 16 blocks if some credits do not count toward the major.

3. Prerequisites and placement

• Starting courses: the department course page gives the CH107 (General Chemistry I, with lab) prerequisite as consent of instructor or two years of high school algebra and one year of high school chemistry; CH108 requires CH107; CH250 (organic chemistry I) requires CH108; CH266 (fundamentals of physical chemistry) requires CH108 and MA129 (calculus II); CH365 (biophysical chemistry) requires CH108, Physics 241 and MA128. The course page also keeps older notes such as "not offered 2020-21", so use the college's course offerings by block for what runs this year.
• AP Chemistry (department page): 5 earns 2 units and placement out of CH107 and CH108; 4 earns 1 unit and placement out of CH107; 3, 2 and 1 earn no credit.
• IB Chemistry (department page): Higher Level 5, 6 or 7 earns 2 units and placement out of CH107 and CH108; HL 4 earns 1 unit and placement out of CH107; Standard Level 5, 6 or 7 earns 1 unit and placement out of CH107. Students who meet these criteria do not need a department placement test.
• Department placement exam: students with strong high school chemistry but no AP or IB credit can take a 110-minute standardized placement exam to try to test out of CH107 and/or CH108. The department suggests reviewing with the free OpenStax Chemistry 2e textbook (CH107 covers chapters 1-10 and, lightly, 21; CH108 covers chapters 11-17). Students who place out of CH107 may take a second exam for CH108.
• A-Level: the registrar page says each passing GCE A-Level grade (A-E) earns 1 unit (4 semester hours); the registrar page says advanced-standing credit may satisfy major requirements with the department's approval, so ask the department.
• College-wide: a first-year student may apply no more than 8 units of transfer-type credit (including AP, IB and A-Level) to degree requirements, and the registrar does not award double credit for the same subject through different programs.

4. Courses and labs

• The department course page lists, among others: CH107/CH108 General Chemistry (with lab), CH201 Introduction to Chemical Research, CH241 Analytical/Bioanalytical Chemistry, CH250/CH251 organic chemistry, CH266 physical chemistry, CH275 inorganic chemistry, CH366 Chemical Equilibrium and Kinetics, CH367 Quantum and Statistical Mechanics, CH382/CH383 Biochemistry, CH410 Medicinal Chemistry, CH490 Senior Seminar, CH499 Senior Thesis, and mentored research in analytical, inorganic, biochemistry, organic and physical chemistry (CH301-CH305, advanced CH401-CH405).
• Lab costs (department page, last updated February 2024): the department provides one disposable lab coat and one lab notebook per block per student; goggles are lent and must be returned; students may buy goggles ($3-$10), a bound notebook ($10), and cloth lab coats from the stockroom (prices listed as $26 and $35; the page does not say which coat is which). Glassware damaged through improper use is charged to the student.

5. Research and the senior thesis

• Research by the block: the research page advises planning a year to a year and a half ahead, talking to the faculty member first, and checking prerequisites; it says no points need to be bid and that you complete an independent study form with the mentor. A research block can serve as an elective for the chemistry major or as the research requirement for the biochemistry major.
• Summer research: ten weeks of stipend-supported research, or a 3.5-week summer block (you pay tuition and receive credit) plus 6.5 weeks of stipend-supported research.
• Research substitution for the biochemistry major: students with substantial summer research may substitute an upper-level elective for the research block if they completed at least 120 hours (one full-time block), the topic is biochemical or chemical enough for a department presentation in CH490, and they wrote a detailed report, poster or slides. Research done outside the department requires a form reviewed by the biochemistry major advisor, submitted no later than Block 1 of the graduating year.
• Senior thesis: CH499 appears on the course list (consent of department); eligibility rules and deadlines are not stated on the pages read here.

6. Rounds, materials and testing (reference for fall 2027 entry)

• Rounds (admission page): Early Decision I 1 November (binding), Early Action 1 November, Early Decision II 15 January (binding), Regular Action 15 January. The Barnes page states ED1/EA is due Sunday 1 November and ED2/RA Friday 15 January 2027, which places the current pages at fall 2027 entry.
• Decision dates: the first-year page gives mid-December (ED I), mid-January (EA), mid-February (ED II) and early March (Regular); the international page and the apply page give early January or January for EA and mid-March for Regular. The pages differ; check the official site. EA and Regular admits reply by 1 May.
• Platforms and fee: Common App, Apply Coalition with Scoir and QuestBridge; no application fee.
• Required: transcripts and school report, a counselor evaluation, one teacher recommendation (the first-year page says two teacher recommendations if no counselor letter is available), and the Early Decision agreement if applying ED. Optional: test scores, a short supplemental essay, a 30-minute virtual interview with an admission ambassador, and an arts supplement.
• Testing: optional since 2019; scores are considered only if they strengthen the application.
• Criteria: the site says there is no minimum GPA and no fixed number of courses, and successful applicants usually take the most rigorous curriculum available; the pages read do not state chemistry-specific prerequisites for admission.

7. By reader

US domestic applicants

• The cost pages read list a single tuition figure and do not distinguish in-state and out-of-state tuition.
• Aid: the college says it meets 100% of demonstrated need and gives over $70 million in aid a year. Students from Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Arizona may qualify for the Four Corners Pledge: families with income under $60,000 pay no parental contribution for tuition, housing and meals; the page's table also lists tiers for $60,000-$125,000 and $125,000-$250,000, with a parental contribution of up to $40,346 per year in the last tier (see the page for details).
• Merit: the scholarships page says the strongest applicants are automatically considered for the Leadership Scholarship, worth $60,000 over four years ($15,000 a year) or $40,000 ($10,000 a year); the cost-and-aid page instead says every applicant is in the running for a $15,000 merit scholarship. The two pages word it differently. Three application-based scholarships (Barnes, El Pomar, WES) are separate.
• Otis A. Barnes Scholarship (chemistry and biochemistry): the admission Barnes page says two full-tuition awards are typically given each year, continuing for four years with satisfactory progress toward a chemistry or biochemistry major; it covers tuition only, and need-based aid may cover housing, meals and fees; applicants must be US citizens. Steps: submit the Barnes interest form (naming an instructor related to your anticipated major as recommender), submit the full application, then the Barnes application (opens 11 December, due Sunday 3 January 2027) with a 600-800 word essay and that instructor's letter; winners are notified in mid-March 2027. The chemistry department's own Barnes page says January 15 and three high school recommendation letters, which differs; use the admission page's newer dates and confirm with the college.

International applicants

• The site says more than 100 international students from over 40 countries are enrolled; platforms, deadlines and review are the same as for other applicants.
• Transcripts cover coursework through the penultimate year, with midyear and final grades to follow; non-English transcripts need a certified English translation.
• English: required if your native language is not English or your school's instruction is not in English (TOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo, highest score used; TOEFL code 4072). The college says students at or above TOEFL 5.0 (100 on the previous scale), IELTS 7.0 or Duolingo 130 are best prepared. A waiver can be requested by email after applying; there are no fee waivers for English exams; InitialView or Vericant interviews are optional supplements but do not satisfy the requirement alone.
• Aid: you must apply for aid at the time of applying (if you answer no, you cannot change it for two years); international aid applicants are the most competitive group, and only a handful of students out of thousands of applicants can be fully funded. Non-UWC applicants may submit the CSS Profile or the college's ISFAA.
• Credential evaluation and proof-of-funds details are not stated on the page read; ask the admission office.

Applicants from China

• Whether and how the gaokao is used is not published on the pages read. Chinese transcript and huikao requirements and any China-specific guidance are also not published there; ask admission@coloradocollege.edu.
• All the international requirements above apply: English proficiency, aid rules, certified translations.

Transfer students

• Spring entry 15 October (decisions early December); fall entry Early Action/Pathways 1 March and Regular 1 May (rolling decisions, mid-April to early May and mid-May to early June); Transfer Common App only; no application fee.
• Materials: all secondary and higher education transcripts, college course descriptions, the college official's report, two academic evaluations (preferably from college professors), optional supplement and test scores.
• Credit: up to 16 units in total (including AP, IB and earlier college credit; one unit is four semester hours); C- or higher; credits may not all count toward a major, and the department chair is the final authority on credit in the discipline.

8. Costs (2026-27 academic year)

• Student Financial Services lists tuition $75,702, student activity fee $528, housing (double room) $9,616 and meal plan $7,744, with the page showing $93,590 under fixed direct charges; it then lists books $1,240, miscellaneous $1,800 and transportation $1,230 (international students $1,500), a total estimated cost of $97,990, and $103,306 if the student health insurance plan ($5,316) is required. (All figures as printed on the page.)
• The page says tuition and fees change each year; check the site for 2027-28.
• The cost-and-aid page says aided students pay an average of $32,616 after grants and scholarships, average federal loan debt is $17,952, and the average first-year aid package is $58K.

9. Outcomes

• The department careers page only links to the ACS list of chemistry careers; the admission Barnes page says graduates do well in medicine, biotechnology and forensics and in graduate programs. Department-specific outcome data is not published on the pages read.

10. Checklist

US applicants: 1 November (ED I, EA) or 15 January (ED II, RA); no fee; tests optional; one teacher and one counselor recommendation; use AP/IB chemistry or the department placement exam to decide where to start; Barnes by 3 January 2027, US citizens only.

International applicants (including China): English proficiency evidence (TOEFL/IELTS/Duolingo, code 4072); decide on aid at the time of application; gaokao use is not published, so ask admission.

After entry: start in CH107/CH108 or higher; organic CH250/251; plan research blocks with the department; check the declaration timing on the college site.

Transfer students: spring 15 October, fall 1 March or 1 May; up to 16 units; the chair decides what counts toward the chemistry major.

Sources: Colorado College, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry; Department: AP/IB credit and placement; Department: courses; Department: research; Department: biochemistry major research substitution; Department: additional lab expenses; Department: careers; Department: Barnes scholars; Admission: Barnes scholarships; Registrar: transfer, AP, IB and A-Level credit; All-college degree requirements; Admission: applying; Admission: first-year students; Admission: international students; Admission: transfer students; Admission: cost and aid; Admission: scholarships; Student Financial Services: 2026-27 costs. Application dates and costs are as shown on the current pages; dates on admission pages that do not print a year should be checked against fall 2027 entry (the Barnes page does state January 2027 dates). The current course lists for the chemistry and biochemistry majors, and the degree type, sit in the college course catalog, which this article did not read; check the Colorado College website.