How to Apply to Dartmouth College for a Biology Degree: Admission to the College, Not the Major, With Formal Declaration in Sophomore Year; B.A. in Biological Sciences With Chemistry and Quantitative Prerequisites; SAT or ACT Required (Four Alternatives for Non-U.S. Schools); Admission and Prerequisites for Domestic, International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Students

Dartmouth College is in Hanover, New Hampshire, and runs on an academic calendar of terms (fall, winter, spring and others). Its biology degree is offered by the Department of Biology; the major is called Biological Sciences and is awarded as a Bachelor of Arts. This guide follows the department website and the admissions office, and covers U.S. domestic, international and Chinese applicants, then transfer students. The course catalog (Organization, Regulations and Courses, ORC) should be consulted on the college website; formal course lists and graduation requirements are not in the pages read, so the rules here come only from the department’s own website, most of whose pages show no update date, so check with the college. Medicine, nursing and similar degrees are outside this guide.

1. Biology major and tracks

• B.A. in Biological Sciences: the admissions “physical and life sciences” page and the department overview say students get broad exposure to biological processes and systems and a deep understanding of biology at environmental, organismal, cellular and molecular levels, with opportunities to do research in faculty laboratories.
• Structure: prerequisites are CHEM 5 or CHEM 11 (general chemistry) and one quantitative course (BIOL 10, COSC 1, ENGS 20, EARS 17, QSS 15, or MATH 8 or above; MATH 10 or equivalent satisfies it). Then three foundation courses chosen from five (BIOL 12 Cell Structure and Function, 13 Gene Expression and Inheritance, 14 Physiology, 15 Genetic Variation and Evolution, 16 Ecology; not sequenced), then seven courses in an “area of concentration” (BIOL 09–97, including two numbered 50 or above; courses numbered 07 or below do not count). Up to two suitable advanced courses from other departments may be included, and one term of independent research (BIOL 95/96) or honors research (BIOL 97/98). Students must pass all prerequisite courses for the major in order to graduate.
• Suggested areas: human biology; cell and molecular biology; ecology and evolution; neuroscience; integrative biology (design your own). The department says the list is not rigid or exhaustive and any biology faculty member may serve as advisor.
• Biology modified major: same prerequisites and foundation courses; the area of concentration is five advanced biology courses plus four suitable advanced courses from other departments, at least two biology courses numbered 50 or above, one of them the culminating experience normally taken in senior year.
• Minor: same prerequisites, plus two foundation courses and four additional biology courses (BIOL 11 or above).
• Neighboring programs: the admissions majors list also includes Neuroscience and Biological Chemistry (offered by the chemistry department); they are not covered here and their requirements are not in the pages read, so see the college website.

2. Admission: you apply to the College; the major is elected in sophomore year

• At application: admissions says students apply to the College as a whole and “don’t need to declare a major until sophomore year”; no separate biology admission standard is published.
• Declaring: the biology site has guides and documents for declaring a major (“Major and Minor Rules at a Glance” and specific instructions for declaring), whose contents are not given on the pages read; the Registrar also has declaration information. Not published on the pages read.
• Limits: beyond passing the prerequisites, the pages read set no cap or minimum grade for declaring biology; not published.

3. Prerequisites and course planning

• High school courses: the admissions pages read set out no specific high school subject requirements and do not say high school biology is required; not published.
• Chemistry prerequisite: CHEM 5 or CHEM 11 is required before the major. The department notes that, although not required for the major, some upper-level biology courses require CHEM 6 and 51–52 (or equivalent), and because many graduate and professional schools require CHEM 51–52 it highly recommends taking them. For the two general chemistry tracks and placement, see the chemistry department: AP Chemistry 4 or 5, IB Higher Level Chemistry 6 or 7 and an A on A-Level Chemistry earn credit on entrance for Chem5 and a placement into Chem11; other students default to Chem5 and may take the Canvas placement exam; Math3 is a prerequisite for general chemistry.
• Quantitative prerequisite: see above; MATH 10 or equivalent satisfies it.
• AP / IB biology credit: the biology and admissions pages read do not say which course AP or IB biology replaces; not published, so check the Registrar’s AP/IB credit information.
• Choosing your first biology course (department page for 2026-27): three entry points: 1) BIOL 11 (an introductory course for majors with a different theme each offering, taught fall, winter and spring, no lab); 2) BIOL 9 (“Researching Cellular Mysteries” in fall and winter or “Researching Evolutionary Ecology in the Sea” in spring; a small class of about 20 spent mostly in the lab designing and running experiments; no prior experience required); or 3) one of the foundation courses BIOL 12–16 (with a laboratory, noticeably more demanding than BIOL 11). BIOL 9 and BIOL 11 count toward the major if taken in the first year or as the first biology course, and both may be counted. The department recommends a 60-minute, 30-question multiple-choice Biology Placement/Advisory Test, whose result is advisory, not binding, and does not appear on your placement record.
• Competitions: the admissions and biology pages read do not say how biology olympiads or similar competitions are viewed in admission.

4. Timeline and materials (first-year applicants)

• Deadlines: the admissions application page prints no year, so check that it applies to fall 2027 entry. Early Decision (ED) is due 1 November with decisions in mid-December; Regular Decision (RD) is due 1 January with decisions in late March or early April and a 1 May reply date. Another passage on the same page (for students who are not QuestBridge finalists) gives the Regular Decision deadline as 2 January, which conflicts with 1 January; follow what the application system shows. ED is binding: if admitted you withdraw other applications and enroll (the page notes extenuating circumstances such as unforeseen financial hardship). The application opens on 1 August and all first-year applicants use the Common App.
• Fee: the first-year application fee is $85 and non-refundable; a waiver is available for unusual financial hardship and requesting one will not disadvantage you.
• Required materials: the Common App, the Dartmouth Writing Supplement, the Secondary School Report (with transcript, school profile and counselor evaluation), two teacher evaluations, and the SAT or ACT (see below). The pages do not say the teachers must teach science; not published. The Peer Recommendation is recommended and an art portfolio is optional; the alumni interview is optional and interviews are not required.
• Writing supplement: the page says all three prompts are required: a response of 100 words or fewer on why Dartmouth is a good fit; one of two prompts in 250 words or fewer; and one of six prompts in 250 words or fewer (the page is marked updated 22 July 2026 and refers to the Class of 2031 application).
• Testing: required: Dartmouth requires standardized testing. Students at U.S. high schools submit the SAT or ACT (multiple sittings are superscored). Students at high schools outside the U.S. can satisfy the requirement in one of five ways: the SAT or ACT; three different AP exams; predicted or final IB Diploma results (1–7 scale, predictions submitted by a school official); predicted or final British A-Level results (at least three encouraged); or final results from an equivalent standardized national exam (examples given: WASSCE, CAPE, French Baccalaureate, CBSE, ICSE, KCSE, “not limited to” these; school-based exams and predicted national scores do not count). The page stresses testing is one factor among many and sets no minimum scores.
• Financial aid: aid application materials are due the same day as the application for ED (1 November) and 1 February for RD; the forms themselves are not itemized on the pages read, so check the aid pages.

5. U.S. domestic applicants

• Costs (2026-27, US dollars): tuition $71,697; fees $2,426; housing $13,032; food $8,746; books, course materials, supplies and equipment $1,005; miscellaneous $2,040; the page gives a total of $98,946 (first-year students also pay $519 in orientation fees, included in that total). Extra: health insurance ($5,216 in 2026-27; students on need-based aid receive at least half its cost as additional scholarship), a computer (basic package $1,700) and travel (aid awards include at least $250 for travel). The page does not distinguish in-state from out-of-state tuition (a private college). Costs for 2027-28 are not published.
• Aid: admissions says Dartmouth meets 100% of demonstrated need of all admitted aid applicants and that packages never include a required student loan, using scholarships or grants plus student employment. Families with total annual income below $125,000 and typical assets can expect no parent contribution; families earning $125,000–$175,000 can expect scholarship or grants covering full tuition; there is no income cut-off for scholarship consideration.
• Admission stage: Dartmouth is need-blind for all applicants: applications are reviewed on qualifications, not ability to pay.
• Testing: students at U.S. high schools must submit the SAT or ACT; see section 4.

6. International applicants

• How to apply: international students use the same Common App and are evaluated in the same holistic way; admissions says it considers the national curriculum, availability of extracurriculars and access to standardized testing. Letters must be written in or translated into English, and a translator must sign and date the translation.
• English proficiency: if your first language is not English and your curriculum has not been delivered in English for at least two years, submit a TOEFL, IELTS, Duolingo or Cambridge English score. There is no minimum score; the page says most successful applicants score above 7 on IELTS, above 135 on Duolingo, and above 185 on Cambridge English; for TOEFL exams taken before 21 January 2026 most score above 100, and for exams taken on or after 21 January 2026 most score 5 or above. TOEFL iBT Special Home Edition and IELTS Indicator are accepted; the TOEFL MyBest feature and TOEFL Essentials are not. An InitialView interview is not required, but results can be submitted.
• Grading systems: admissions says it reviews applications within the context of a school’s curriculum and grading system.
• Proof of funds and visa: the pages read do not mention proof of funds; after admission the Office of Visa and Immigration Services guides students through the visa process, with details not given on the pages read.
• Aid: admissions says Dartmouth is need-blind for all applicants including international students and guarantees to meet 100% of demonstrated need of every student regardless of citizenship.

7. Applicants from China

• Gaokao: the pages read do not mention the Gaokao. The testing page’s “equivalent standardized national exam” option lists only WASSCE, CAPE, French Baccalaureate, CBSE, ICSE and KCSE as examples (“not limited to”); whether the Gaokao counts is not published, so contact admissions.
• Testing and transcripts: students from China can submit the SAT or ACT or use the AP, IB or A-Level options (section 4). How Chinese school transcripts and Huikao materials are submitted is not published; the pages say only that recommendations not in English need English translations.
• English scores: see section 6.

8. Costs, scholarships, research and honors

• Costs: see section 5. The pages read do not mention a biology-department entrance scholarship; not published.
• Independent research (BIOL 95/96): open to biology majors and minors working with a Dartmouth faculty member; prerequisites are at least three biology courses numbered 11 or above, a 2.67 average in previous biology courses, and permission of the Undergraduate Committee and the supervising instructor; the application and research proposal are due at least one month before the term; one independent study course (BIOL 95–98) may count as one of the unspecified courses in the major.
• Honors research (BIOL 97/98): prerequisites are at least two biology courses numbered 20 or above, a 3.00 average and permission; the application is also due at least a month before the term.
• Research opportunities: the department says faculty host undergraduate researchers through independent study, the honors program and national programs such as Leadership Alliance and the NSF REU; some students research for one term and others stay in the same lab for up to four years; most labs host only a few undergraduates, so lack of a place often means lack of space. The site also lists Dartmouth-sponsored research programs and a page on funding and finding an advisor.
• Off-campus study: the department’s pages mention the Biology foreign study program (Bio FSP) and encourage interested students to take BIOL 16 in the first year and BIOL 15 in the first or second year; what the program involves is not given on the pages read.
• Outcomes: the pages read print no outcome figures; not published.

9. Transfer students

• Who counts: admissions says students who have matriculated at a college and completed two years or fewer of college coursework (even one term or less) are eligible only for transfer admission; those who already hold a bachelor’s degree are not eligible; college coursework counted toward high school graduation (including an associate’s degree pursued while finishing high school) does not make you a transfer applicant. An international student already enrolled at a university at home may apply as first-year or transfer; applying as a first-year means those credits do not transfer.
• Timeline: transfer is a separate round. The transfer application opens in January (the page says the 2027 transfer application will be available in January 2027); it is due 1 March (with the fee or waiver and aid materials); decisions come in mid-May; the intent-to-enroll deadline is late May; the final spring college transcript is due in May and June, and syllabi are assembled for the Registrar and departments to determine transferable credit. February is the last date for testing.
• Materials: the transfer application with essays; the $90 transfer application fee (paid in the portal after submitting); the final Secondary School Report with transcript; a College Report with transcript (updated in May/June); two evaluations from college instructors; standardized testing (as the page explains); college course syllabi are strongly recommended. Interviews are not available for transfer applicants.
• Credit: after admission the Registrar and academic departments evaluate transferable credit; the detailed rules are not on the pages read.
• Biology transfer credit: the department asks for a detailed course syllabus (class topics, length of each class and lab, how often the course meets; a course description is not enough) and a completed Transfer Credit Approval Form from the Registrar’s website, emailed to two department contacts; review takes a minimum of two weeks.

Checklist

US domestic applicants:

• Apply through the Common App by 1 November (ED) or 1 January (RD); the three-part writing supplement; two teacher evaluations; SAT or ACT required; $85 fee
• After enrolling, take CHEM 5 or 11 and a quantitative course; formally elect the major in sophomore year; consider organic chemistry 51–52

International applicants (including China):

• Meet the testing requirement with the SAT/ACT, three AP exams, IB, A-Levels or a national exam; no minimum English score (most successful IELTS scores are above 7); recommendations not in English need signed translations; ask admissions whether the Gaokao counts
• Aid is the same for all applicants: 100% of demonstrated need, with no required student loan

Transfer students:

• Submit the transfer application by 1 March; two college instructor evaluations; for biology transfer credit, send a detailed syllabus and the transfer credit form (department review takes at least two weeks)

Sources: Dartmouth College, Biology: undergraduate overview; Biology: major and minor; Biology: areas of concentration; Biology: choosing your first course; Biology: independent study and honors; Biology: research opportunities; Biology: transfer credits; Admissions: how to apply and deadlines; Testing policy; English proficiency; International students; Curriculum and grading systems; Recommendation languages; Application fee; Writing supplement; Eligibility; Transfer; Cost of attendance; How aid works; Aid for international students; Majors and minors; Physical and life sciences. The biology department pages show no update date (the “first course” page refers to 2026-27), and the admissions application page shows no year, so check that it applies to fall 2027 entry; costs are for 2026-27. See Dartmouth’s website for the latest.