How to Apply to Biology at Colorado College: Molecular Biology and Organismal Biology and Ecology Departments, Lab and Field Courses on the Block Plan, Apply to the College Not the Major, for Domestic, International (Including China) and Transfer Applicants

Colorado College (Colorado Springs, Colorado) offers biology mainly through two departments: the Department of Molecular Biology and the Department of Organismal Biology & Ecology (OBE). The college's department list also includes Neuroscience and Human Biology and Kinesiology as separate programs. The college runs on the Block Plan: eight blocks of about 3.5 weeks a year, one course per block. The biochemistry major belongs to the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and is not expanded here; pre-medical, nursing and other health-professions routes are outside the scope of this article (see the college website).

1. Which biology programs

• Molecular Biology (MB): the department page says it focuses on "the universal properties shared by all living things, such as the inheritance and use of genetic information", and that students learn to perform and interpret experiments, develop and test hypotheses and communicate primary research; majors are prepared for research or healthcare graduate programs. The department also offers a minor.
• Organismal Biology and Ecology (OBE): the department page says it studies "the structure and function of organisms in an ecological and evolutionary context", with research in botany, animal and plant ecology, comparative physiology, conservation biology and molecular ecology. It names lab courses (BE 107 Biology of Microbes, BE 280 Population Genetics) and field courses (BE 362 Plant Ecophysiology, BE 367 Animal Ecology, BE 410 Ornithology, BE 440 Island Ecology), and says it regularly offers block-long field courses to Belize. The OBE major course list sits in the college catalog and the department majors handbook, which this article did not read.
• Degree type: not stated on the department pages read; the all-college page says a Colorado College B.A. requires 32 units. Check the course catalog on the college website for what the molecular biology and OBE majors list.

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

• The admission pages have you apply to the college; there is no biology major application or separate admission line.
• Molecular biology: the advising handbook suggests that in the sophomore year students "find a Molecular Biology advisor and declare the Molecular Biology major through the registrar's office"; the chair or department paraprofessional can be contacted about declaring. The four-year plan in the handbook is a suggestion, not a hard deadline.
• OBE: the department page says seminar abstracts count only after you declare the OBE major and are a junior or senior; when and under what conditions to declare is not stated on the pages read, so check the college 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 credit

• Molecular biology major requirements (advising handbook, 3 October 2026 version): one unit of organismal biology (BE105 Biology of Plants, BE106 Biology of Animals, BE107 Biology of Microbes or HK204 Introduction to Human Anatomy); MB131 Introduction to Molecular and Cellular Biology; MB201 Laboratory in Molecular and Cellular Biology and Genetics; MB231 Genetics; one 300-level and one 400-level lecture/discussion MB elective; two units of 300/400-level laboratory-rich electives (mentored research with an MB professor can count); one biological-science elective; MB497 Senior Capstone; four units of chemistry (CH107 or CH117, CH108, CH250, CH251); two units from mathematics, computer science or physics (for example MA125/126/127/129, MA117, MA217, CP115, CP122, CP222, PC141, PC241; AP or IB credit recognized by the registrar may satisfy them); and as a senior, attending Molecular Biology Day, the department's assessment activities and the seminar requirement. No single one-block course can satisfy more than one requirement.
• First-year suggestions in the handbook: take the mathematics placement exam; CH107 or CH117; MB131; MB201; CH108. The handbook notes that students who did not take calculus in high school are advised to take calculus or statistics before any chemistry or molecular biology courses.
• AP/IB Biology (molecular biology handbook): AP Biology 4 or 5, or IB Higher Level 5, can count as one unit of organismal biology (not as a specific OBE or HBK course); IB HL 6 can count as MB131 or as organismal biology, to be chosen with an MB professor; IB HL 7 can count as both one unit of organismal biology and MB131, and the student should take MB201 after the CH107 prerequisite. To count toward the major, scores must be reported to the registrar and the advisor must submit a formal exception request in Stellic for the department chair to approve.
• Registrar: AP Biology 5 and 4 each earn 1 unit (placement "see department website"); IB Higher Level 5, 6 or 7 earns 2 units and 4 earns 1 unit; IB Standard Level 5, 6 or 7 earns 1 unit; each passing GCE A-Level grade (A-E) earns 1 unit. 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.
• AP Calculus (registrar): AB 5, 4 or 3 earns 1 unit with placement into MA129 (Calculus II); BC 5 earns 2 units.
• OBE prerequisites and credit rules are not stated on the pages read; see the department majors handbook.

4. Courses, labs, research and graduation requirements

• Molecular biology labs: MB201 is taken by all MB majors and minors and teaches techniques common in genetics, cell biology and molecular biology research plus research ethics; MB375 Lab in Advanced Cell Biology covers mammalian cell culture, flow cytometry, qPCR, molecular cloning and RNA interference; MB399 mentored research (1 unit) may use fluorescence microscopy, genetic screening, genome editing and recombinant DNA technology; MB397 is a 0.5-unit research format spread over four blocks; MB498 is advanced mentored research; senior majors can write a thesis in MB499 (1 unit). The handbook's course list also includes genomics, microbiology, immunology, molecular neurobiology, stem cell biology, virology, cancer biology, developmental neurobiology, sex differentiation and molecular parasitology.
• Research cap: the handbook says at most 2 units of mentored research (MB209, MB397, MB399, MB498, MB499, CH401, CH403) can count toward the MB major, and research blocks need instructor consent at least one block in advance.
• MB senior thesis: the handbook expects 10-12 hours of work a week plus a thesis block over the senior year; research must be finished before Block 2 of the senior year, and the thesis must be registered by the first Friday of Block 2.
• OBE capstone (OBE page): two parts. First, pass an approved senior capstone course in the last two semesters (a senior thesis BE499, a research block approved by petition such as BE409, or a designated capstone course), integrating more than one level of biological organization. Second, submit abstracts from three approved research seminars (after declaring the major, as a junior or senior). The department home page adds that students can receive credit for up to two mentored research blocks and that the department financially supports collaborative student-faculty research.
• Class size: the OBE page says classes are capped at 25 students and most field and lab courses are smaller.
• Overseas study: the molecular biology handbook says many students spend one semester overseas in the sophomore or junior year, after declaring the MB major with an MB advisor; up to 2 units of overseas study credit can count for MB-designated courses, but MB131, MB201, MB231 and MB497 cannot be satisfied by overseas study; the handbook lists approved third-party programs such as Boston University's Madrid and Grenoble science semesters, DIS Copenhagen and Stockholm, and EuroScholars.

5. 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 biology-specific prerequisites for admission.

6. 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.
• Margaret T. Barnes Scholarship (natural sciences including molecular biology, organismal biology and ecology and neuroscience, and mathematics): the admission Barnes page says one full-tuition Margaret T. Barnes award is usually given each year in the natural sciences (it names molecular biology, organismal biology and ecology, environmental science, geology, physics, psychology and neuroscience) and mathematics (including computer science); it continues four years with satisfactory progress in the major, 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. Applicants may apply for the Margaret T. or the Otis A. Barnes, not both. The Organismal Biology and Ecology department home page also points to this scholarship.

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 molecular biology handbook says all transfer credit toward the major must be approved by the department.

7. 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.

8. Outcomes

• The molecular biology home page prints alumni profiles (a graduate student, a high school teacher, a periodontist); the OBE page has a "Jobs & Post CC Advice" page that was not read for this article; the admission Barnes page says graduates do well in medicine, biotechnology and forensics and in graduate programs. These are the college's own statements; department outcome statistics are not published on the pages read.

9. Checklist

US applicants: 1 November (ED I, EA) or 15 January (ED II, RA); no fee; tests optional; one teacher and one counselor recommendation; plan AP/IB biology, chemistry and calculus credit; Margaret T. 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: first year CH107/CH108, MB131, MB201 on the molecular biology route; find an advisor and declare in the sophomore year; follow the department handbook for OBE.

Transfer students: spring 15 October, fall 1 March or 1 May; up to 16 units; all transfer credit toward the major must be approved by the department.

Sources: Colorado College, Department of Molecular Biology; Molecular Biology: requirements; Molecular Biology: advising handbook page; Molecular Biology advising handbook (PDF, 3 Oct 2026); Department of Organismal Biology and Ecology; OBE: majors handbook page; OBE: senior capstone; 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; Admission: Barnes 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 course list for the Organismal Biology and Ecology major is in the college course catalog and the department majors handbook, which this article did not read; check the Colorado College website.