How to Apply to Biology at Carleton College (Minnesota): Apply to the College Without a Major, Test-Optional, No Application Fee, a 75-Credit Biology Major with Three Laboratory Groups and Comps, and the Path for Domestic, International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Applicants

Carleton College is an undergraduate liberal arts college in Northfield, Minnesota. The biology and chemistry departments share an integrated science center. The notes below follow Carleton’s website and are split into domestic students, international students (with a section for applicants from China) and transfer students. Chemistry, physics, mathematics and other majors are not covered here.

1. Biology options

• Biology major: listed on the majors page. The department says its courses emphasize the diversity and unity of life and examine basic processes such as heredity, regulation, development and evolution, viewing biology from the biochemical and molecular level through cells and organisms to populations and ecosystems; topics include biochemistry, molecular and cellular biology, genetics, physiology, development, immunology, neurobiology, behavior, evolution and ecology. It says many graduates go to graduate school in fields such as molecular biology, bioinformatics, genetics, physiology, neuroscience, ecology, immunology, biochemistry, development and plant biology, while others choose the health professions or careers needing a strong biology background such as environmental law/policy or science writing; no destination data is printed on the pages read.
• Molecular, genetics, ecology and conservation: the pages read list no separate tracks for these; they are reflected in the three laboratory groups and the electives (section 2). Marine biology, zoology and plant science have no separate major; not published there.
• Biochemistry and neuroscience are minors only, not majors; the biochemistry minor is described on the department pages, and the neuroscience minor is not covered here.
• Degree type: the biology pages read do not name the degree; not published there, so check the website (the chemistry pages of the same college say Bachelor of Arts).
• Medicine, nursing, pharmacy and other health professions: the department says Carleton supports a pre-med and pre-health path; this is outside the scope of this article, so see the website.

2. Requirements of the biology major (department website)

• Total: 75 credits.
• Core courses (12 credits): BIOL 125 (Genes, Evolution & Development, with lab) and BIOL 126 (Energy Flow in Biological Systems, with lab); both must be completed with a C- or better before taking any other course in the department.
• Laboratory courses (at least 18 credits): one course from each of three groups (where a course has a lab section the lab must be taken to count): molecular and cell biology (for example biochemistry, genetics, cell biology, molecular biology, immunology); organismic biology (for example microbiology, animal physiology, human physiology); ecology and evolutionary biology (for example disease ecology and evolution, ecosystem ecology, genomics and bioinformatics, population ecology). Some are not offered in 2026-27.
• Electives (three courses, at least 18 credits): at least one and at most two “general” electives and at least one and at most two “data interpretation” seminars emphasizing the primary literature (ideally finished before BIOL 400); BIOL 394 (student-faculty research) can supply 6 credits of one elective.
• Other STEM courses (18 credits): all three of (a) 6 credits chosen from physics (two five-week courses or one ten-week course from PHYS 131–165), or Biostatistics plus a 3-credit introductory physics course, or STAT 120, or CS 111; (b) 6 credits of introductory chemistry (CHEM 123 or 124, or 128, which is not offered in 2026-27); and (c) 6 credits of CHEM 224 or 233. The page adds that the need for further allied sciences and mathematics varies with a student’s professional plans.
• Primary-literature course (3 credits): BIOL 399 (Critical Reading and Analysis of Primary Literature).
• Senior integrative exercise (3 credits): BIOL 400, taken over two terms for 3 credits in total. Biology comps has four requirements: a comps paper (synopsis and bibliography) answering a question from a list, a 30-minute Q&A with a two-member faculty committee, a poster presentation, and attending 10 research-related talks (usually the Monday-afternoon visiting speakers series, which majors can start attending in spring term of the sophomore year after declaring).
• Other rules: where lecture and lab registration are separable, majors must register for both concurrently for the course to count; courses taken at another school need prior approval of the chair and biology faculty; up to six credits from an off-campus program may count as one upper-level elective; up to 6 credits of BIOL 394 count toward one elective, for research done with a department faculty member and a form.
• Research: the department says faculty run active research programs that involve students in mentored, original projects in the summer and during the academic year; students earn credit (BIOL 394) during terms. The research page lists faculty interests (for example genomics and bioinformatics, ecosystem ecology, immunology, molecular biochemistry and developmental genetics) and which labs are currently taking applications.
• Biochemistry minor: 56 credits: BIOL 125 and 126, CHEM 123 or 124, 224, 233 and 234 as the base, BIOC 301, 311 and 331 and one upper-level elective; at most five six-credit courses from your major may count.

3. How admission works: you apply to the college and choose a major later

• No major on the application: the admissions pages (steps, materials and deadlines) do not ask for a major; Carleton is a liberal arts college and you apply to the college. the biology pages read do not state when the college requires a major to be declared; the biology comps page mentions majors attending seminars from spring term of the sophomore year after declaring (and the chemistry FAQ says all students declare in spring term of the sophomore year).
• Capacity and conditions: the pages read do not say whether the biology major has a cap or a grade-point condition; not published there. BIOL 125 and 126 must be passed with a C- or better before other department courses.
• Admission criteria: the admissions office says it is not looking for a specific GPA or test score and weighs coursework, grades, personal qualities and more; at least two members of the admissions committee read each application.

4. Preparation and placement

• High-school courses: see the coursework paragraph in section 5. For biology, the department’s pages do not say which high-school biology courses must have been taken before arrival; they say the introductory courses are designed to give a level playing field regardless of previous science background.
• Introductory biology: the sequence is BIOL 125 and 126, both required before any upper-level biology course, in either order; both are sophomore-priority courses. A 5 on the AP Biology exam or a 6 or 7 on the IB Biology exam exempts you from BIOL 125, so you take only BIOL 126 (many take 125 anyway).
• Chemistry: to take BIOL 126 you need CHEM 123 or 128 (or placement into 200-level chemistry); before registering for CHEM 123 or 128 you take the online placement exam on the chemistry department’s website. The chemistry department says AP Chemistry 3 or IB HL Chemistry 4 places into 123/124, and AP 4–5 or IB HL 5–7 places into 224 (recommended) or 233 with 6 chemistry credits.
• First-year advice: the biology department strongly encourages starting with chemistry or math in the first year and exploring the curriculum; do not worry if you cannot enroll in a chemistry or biology course in the first term.
• Math and physics: the major’s supporting STEM requirements are in section 2 and need one of physics, statistics or computer science; the pages read do not state a general calculus prerequisite, so ask the department.
• Honors track and competitions: the pages read give no honors-sequence entry for biology and do not say how biology olympiads are viewed; not published there.

5. Dates and materials

• Rounds and dates (the pages print no year, so check they apply to fall 2027 entry): Fall Early Decision (binding) closes November 15, decisions by December 15, enrollment confirmed by January 15; Winter Early Decision closes January 15, decisions by February 15, confirm by March 1; Regular Decision closes January 15, decisions by April 1, confirm by May 1; QuestBridge applications are due in late September with notification by December 1. A student admitted in Early Decision must withdraw other applications and enroll; deferred students are reconsidered in Regular Decision; denied students should not reapply in Regular Decision.
• Materials: the Common App, QuestBridge or Coalition application (no preference), a transcript (classes and grades from the first three years of high school, the senior-year schedule and first-term senior grades), the counselor recommendation (School Report) and two academic teacher recommendations. There is no application fee. Financial aid generally requires the FAFSA and the CSS Profile, due on the same date as the admission round.
• Testing: since 2025 Carleton has a permanent test-optional policy; the SAT or ACT is not required but may be submitted, with full results, no writing section needed, and self-reporting allowed (official scores are required on enrolling). Receipt deadlines for submitted scores: November 20 for Fall Early Decision and January 20 for Winter Early Decision and Regular Decision (materials page); the criteria page instead says February 1 for Early Decision 2 and March 1 for Regular Decision, so the two pages differ; check the latest.
• Interviews are optional, as are arts portfolios (creative-writing portfolios are not accepted).
• High-school coursework (criteria page): the strongest candidates have four years of English, four of mathematics, three or more of science, three or more of social science and three or more of foreign or classical language; the stated minimum is three or more years of English with an emphasis on writing, three or more of mathematics including precalculus, two of social science, one of a laboratory science and two or more of a foreign or classical language. The college says most students go well beyond that and favors honors or advanced work such as AP or IB.

6. Domestic students

• Costs: the admissions cost page puts the 2026-27 comprehensive fee (tuition, housing, food and an activity fee) at USD 94,980, and says families on aid paid an average of USD 21,763 in 2025-26 against an average need-based package of USD 71,866. The page gives no breakdown of tuition, housing and food, and the pages read give no in-state and out-of-state tuition or any priority admission for residents of a particular state; not published there.
• Aid: Carleton says it meets 100% of every student’s demonstrated need without loans, using grants, scholarships and student employment; there are no income caps; about 57% of students receive need-based aid; students can receive up to USD 5,350 a year to fund an internship or research opportunity. Athletics are Division III with no athletic scholarships. Aid applications generally require the FAFSA and the CSS Profile.
• Department scholarships: the pages read describe none specific to biology; not published there. Research during terms is done for credit (BIOL 394); for summer research funding check the department website.

7. International students

• Who counts: the admissions office says it treats as international any student without US citizenship, permanent residency or DACA status, regardless of where the student or parents live or attend school.
• Materials: the same materials as everyone else plus the Certification of Finances (CoF), whether or not you apply for aid; you reach it after submitting the application. Documents not in English need an English translation, applicants may not translate their own, and EducationUSA advising offices can help find an official translator.
• English: if you do not speak English at home and your classes were not taught in English for the last four years, submit TOEFL, IELTS or the Duolingo English Test (DET). The page says students with scores in these ranges are best prepared: TOEFL iBT 5.5 and above (new scale), TOEFL iBT before 2026 100 and above, IELTS 7.0 and above, DET 130 and above. The criteria and materials pages say the tests are “required” for students whose primary language of instruction (or first language) has not been English; the wording differs slightly, and no per-section minimums are given.
• Aid: Carleton also says it meets 100% of demonstrated need without loans for international students, but funding for them is limited and it will not consider a new or revised aid application once you have been offered admission, so ask for aid when you apply. If you cannot cover all four years, apply for aid with the free International Student Application for Financial Assistance (submitted to Admissions) or the 2027–28 CSS Profile. The estimated 2026-27 cost of attendance for international students (tuition, housing, food, fees, plus books, personal expenses, travel, health insurance and breaks) is USD 104,746, and the page says to expect it to rise 4–5% a year.
• Early Decision and scholarships: the page says a few exceptionally qualified international scholarship applicants may be admitted in Early Decision, where the offer is binding and very few international scholarships are awarded; if you are moved into Regular Decision the binding nature no longer applies.
• Interviews are not required; an existing InitialView or Vericant interview may be sent.
• Credential evaluation for secondary-school records: not stated on the pages read; not published there, so ask Admissions.

8. Applicants from China

• Gaokao: the pages read do not say whether or how Gaokao results are used; not published there, so ask Admissions.
• Transcripts and materials: under the general international rules you submit a transcript, the counselor report, two teacher recommendations and the Certification of Finances, with English translations of non-English documents. No China-specific rule on school-leaving examinations or credential evaluators appears; not published there.
• Preparation and English: English requirements are in section 7; the biology department says a 5 on AP Biology or a 6 or 7 on IB Biology exempts you from BIOL 125; how other countries’ courses (such as Chinese high-school biology) are converted is not stated, so ask the department.
• China-specific pages: the pages read have none; not published there.

9. Transfer students

• Who counts as a transfer applicant: students who have completed any college coursework after graduating from high school; high-school students in dual enrollment do not count. All students, transfers included, begin in the fall term.
• Dates (no year is printed; check): applications close March 31, decisions by May 15, enrollment by June 1, classes start in early September; the college expects a small transfer waitlist each year and generally hopes to finish decisions by August 1.
• Materials: the Coalition or Common App application, a report from the registrar or a school official confirming good standing, final high-school and college transcripts, two teacher recommendations; the SAT or ACT is optional; TOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo if your primary language of instruction has not been English. There is no application fee.
• Credit: the credit evaluation comes with the acceptance letter. In general credit is awarded for coursework from regionally accredited institutions with grades of C- or higher, first as general credit, with equivalency to specific courses decided by departments; at most 102 credits (18 Carleton courses) can come in. Transcripts from foreign colleges must first go to a NACES member agency for a course-by-course evaluation before a decision and transfer evaluation can be completed. To graduate you must spend at least two years in residence at Carleton, including the senior year.
• The pages read give no special conditions for transfer into the biology major; not published there. Which transferred courses count for BIOL 125 and 126 is for the department to decide; the college says credit is first general credit, with equivalency to specific courses decided by departments.

Checklist

Domestic students:

• Aim for four years of English and math and three or more of science including a laboratory science; apply by November 15 (Early Decision) or January 15 (Regular Decision); there is no fee
• SAT/ACT optional; ask two academic teachers for recommendations
• Declare a major in spring term of the sophomore year (the chemistry FAQ says all students do); plan BIOL 125, 126 and Chemistry 123/124 first, since they open the department’s upper-level courses

International students (including those from China):

• Same dates and materials plus the Certification of Finances; submit English scores as required; ask for aid at the time you apply
• Ask Admissions how Gaokao results are used and what credential evaluation is required

Transfer students:

• Apply by March 31; note the 102-credit cap and the two-year residence rule

Sources: Carleton College, Majors and minors; Admissions: steps; Admissions: materials and deadlines; Admissions: criteria; Admissions: international students; Admissions: transfer; Admissions: cost and aid; Biology department and first-year information; Biology: major and minors; Biology: major requirements; Biology: comps; Biology: student-faculty research; Chemistry: new-student FAQ; Biochemistry; Biochemistry: minor requirements. The admissions pages print deadlines without a year, so check that they apply to fall 2027 entry; costs are for 2026-27. Check Carleton’s website for the latest.