How to Apply to Biology at Cal State Northridge: B.A. in Biology and B.S. Options in Cell and Molecular Biology, Ecology and Evolution, Microbiology, Marine Biology and Biotechnology/Medical Technology, Choosing the Major on the Application With Biology Not Impacted, for Domestic and International (Including Chinese) Applicants and Transfer Students

Undergraduate biology at California State University, Northridge (CSUN) is offered by the Department of Biology in the College of Science and Mathematics. This guide follows CSUN’s website and is organised for U.S. domestic applicants, international applicants, applicants from China and transfer students. Chemistry is taught by the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and is not covered here; medicine, nursing, pharmacy, public health and similar programs are also outside this guide, so see the university’s website for them. The degree course lists are in the university catalog and are not published on the pages read here; check the website.

1. Degrees and options

• Undergraduate degrees listed on the department’s programs page: the B.A. in Biology; and B.S. in Biology programs in Cell & Molecular Biology, Ecology & Evolution, Microbiology, Marine Biology, and Biotechnology / Medical Technology Option; plus a Minor in Biology and, for graduate students, an M.S. in Biology.
• Medical Technology (advising page): students interested in Clinical Laboratory Science (CLS) should choose the Medical Technology track of the B.S. in Biology, which prepares them for the clinical year of training and the California license exam in CLS, or for training and certification in Public Health Microbiology, and is designed to meet the state’s academic requirements for CLS.
• Honors Program (bachelor’s programs page): it gives outstanding biology majors research experience with individual faculty guidance and may be of value to research-minded premedical students; “Honors” is added to the academic record of anyone who completes it. The conditions are listed in the university catalog.
• Undergraduate research courses and programs (department page): the Tropical Biology Semester, the Marine Biology Semester, the CSUN-UCLA Stem Cell Scientist Training Program and the U-RISE Program. Their content and entry conditions are not described on the pages read here; see the department website.
• Course lists and units: the required courses and unit totals for each option are not published on the pages read; check the university catalog and the department advising page.

2. How admission works: you apply to the university, choosing a major, and biology is not impacted

• You apply to the university: first-year applications go through Cal State Apply, where you pick a major or choose “Exploratory” and change later. The pages read do not describe a separate biology application, portfolio or interview, and do not describe a separate college admission line.
• Impacted majors: the impaction page says that for fall 2026/spring 2027 and fall 2027/spring 2028 only two CSUN majors are impacted: the B.A. in Music (all options) and two options of the B.A. in Cinema and Television Arts (Film Production and Television Production). Biology is not among them. The page adds that supplementary impaction criteria affect only domestic first-time applicants who attended California high schools or colleges, and that out-of-state applicants already face a higher eligibility index.
• Eligibility Index (freshman requirements page): for California residents, index = A–G subjects GPA × 1,000, and an applicant below a 2.50 GPA can add multifactor points (10 points per A–G course beyond 15 full-year courses, up to 100; 25 for a free-and-reduced-lunch school; 75 for first-generation status by parent education; 25 for foster or unaccompanied youth; 25 for an application fee waiver). The minimum for California high school graduates is an index of 2,500 or a 2.50 GPA. For out-of-state U.S. applicants the index is A–G GPA × 1,000 with a minimum of 3,000, or a 3.0 GPA, and they are exempt from impacted-major criteria.
• A–G courses (C- or better): English 4 years; mathematics 3 years (algebra, geometry and intermediate algebra required; 4 recommended); social science/history 2 (including one year of U.S. history or U.S. history and government); science 2 (one year of biological science with a lab and one of physical science with a lab); the same language for 2 years (may be waived for demonstrated equivalent competence); visual and performing arts 1; electives 1.
• Testing: AP, CLEP, IB or SAT/ACT scores are not required for admission, but after admission they help with placement in first-year math and writing courses.
• Decisions: the page says admission decisions can appear in the CSUN Portal as early as mid- or late October. Courses listed as in progress or planned must be completed with a C- or better by the end of spring of the senior year, and the reported overall GPA must be maintained, or the admission can be withdrawn.
• Whether biology sets its own admission cut-off is not stated on the pages read.

3. Prerequisites and course enrolment

• No biology-specific high school prerequisite: the college and department pages state no high school biology, chemistry or calculus requirement; only the CSU-wide A–G pattern above applies.
• Placement tests: the department’s resources page links the university’s Math Placement Test (MPT), Chemistry Placement Test (CPT) and Upper Division Writing Test (WPE). Which of them biology majors must take and the cut-off scores are not stated on the pages read. The chemistry department’s page says CHEM 101 requires 40 or more (of 60) on the CPT or a C or better in CHEM 100 at CSUN; confirm with an advisor whether this applies to your biology plan.
• Enrolment rules: the department’s website has a permission number request form for biology courses that need department consent or where the system does not recognise a prerequisite; BIOL 495 (independent study) and BIOL 696/698 (graduate research) have their own authorisation forms.
• AP and IB credit: the freshman page says AP, CLEP, IB or SAT/ACT scores help with placement in first-year math and writing. How AP or IB scores earn credit toward biology courses is not stated on the pages read.
• Competitions: how biology olympiads or similar contests are viewed in admissions is not stated on the pages read.

4. Study and research after admission

• Advising (advising page): the College of Science and Math Student Services Center/EOP office is the first point of contact for all natural and physical science majors: (818) 677-4558, smac@csun.edu, Eucalyptus Hall 2126. Dr. Terri Richardson on the college advising team mainly sees biology majors and is the Pre-Health Advisement Coordinator for students preparing for medical, physician assistant, dental, pharmacy, optometry, veterinary, physical therapy, occupational therapy, podiatry and other allied health programs. General questions about enrolling in biology courses go to biologyadvising@csun.edu.
• Academic progress: students track completed and remaining requirements with the Degree Progress Report (DPR) and planner and must see an advisor at certain points.
• Degree requirement sheets: the advising page links a requirements sheet for each degree; their content is not published on the pages read here, so check the website.
• Labs and research: undergraduate research credit and a thesis requirement are not stated on the pages read.

5. Rounds, materials and costs

• U.S. first-year filing period: for fall 2027 entry, August 1, 2026 to May 15, 2027 (impacted majors have earlier deadlines). The page also advises applying for financial aid and scholarships in good time.
• Materials: unofficial transcripts (you enter every completed, in-progress and planned course), a Social Security number if you have one, your citizenship status (for CSU tuition purposes, not affecting admission), a $70 application fee payable only by credit or debit card (California residents’ eligibility for a waiver is calculated automatically) and annual income. Send the final official high school transcript as soon as the graduation date is posted.
• Essays and recommendations: the pages read do not state any for biology.

6. U.S. domestic applicants

• Testing: not required for admission.
• Cost (cost page, 2026–2027; check the 2027–2028 figures): estimated annual cost for a California-resident undergraduate enrolled full time and living with a relative: tuition and fees $8,328, books, course materials, supplies and equipment $1,438, housing and food $9,530, transportation $1,808, personal and miscellaneous $2,798 and loan fees $76, for a stated total of $23,978. Non-residents add $471 per unit (the page’s example: 30 units × $471 = $14,130). Some courses carry extra course fees; whether biology labs do is not stated on the pages read.
• Aid: federal aid requires the FAFSA; California residents who qualify under AB 540 and cannot file a FAFSA use the California Dream Act Application, with the priority deadline for 2026–2027 shown as March 2 (check the 2027 date); California residents can apply for a Cal Grant. Institutional scholarships are applied for through myMatadorScholarships.
• College and department awards: College of Science and Math award deadlines fall near the end of February; the Department of Biology’s awards are applied for in the Matador Scholarships portal, most require at least one reference letter uploaded by the recommender, and need-based awards require a FAFSA or California Dream Act application on file. The department’s scholarships page lists the 2024–2025 awards (deadline March 5, 2025, so check the 2027 dates and whether they continue). The undergraduate awards include alumni prizes for undergraduate research (cellular, molecular, physiological, developmental or microbiology; and ecology, evolution, ethology or systematics; each for a biology major with a 3.0 GPA who has published or presented research), the Bob and Doris Tracy Memorial Undergraduate Scholarship Award (first-generation students interested in vertebrate ecology, physiology and evolution), the Judge Julian Beck Outstanding Graduating Senior award, the Ian and Kathy Leslie Scholarship in Biology (a returning student with significant adult responsibilities, 3.0 GPA), the Lieberman Family Foundation Biology Scholarship (financial need, 3.5 GPA or above) and the Prakriti Suri Memorial Award (3.3 GPA, senior standing, planning a career as a physician). These mainly serve continuing students; scholarships specific to entering biology freshmen are not stated on the pages read.
• Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE): residents of member states or territories of the Western Interstate Commission on Higher Education can get reduced non-resident tuition through WUE.

7. International applicants

• Who it applies to: applicants who wish to study on an F-1 or J-1 visa for a bachelor’s degree and have no post-secondary coursework.
• Grades: a minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale or an average of B; CSUN converts the international GPA at application.
• English minimums for undergraduates: TOEFL iBT 61 on the old scale or 3.5 on the new scale, paper-based TOEFL 500 (TOEFL ITP is not accepted), IELTS Academic 6.0, Duolingo 95, PTE Academic 50, Cambridge C1 Advanced 172, iTEP Academic 3.8, EIKEN CSE 2304 (Pre-1), GTEC CBT 1125; TOEFL school code 4707.
• Exemption: three or more years at a U.S. high school, or three or more years at a high school where English is the principal language of instruction. The countries listed are Australia, Belize, Canada, England, Ireland, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, plus Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, the Cayman Islands and Trinidad and Tobago. China is not on the list.
• Dates (pages show 2027): fall 2027, apply August 1 to May 15 with documents due June 15; spring 2027, apply July 1 to October 31 with documents due November 15.
• Materials: all secondary-school records (certificates, examination grades, degrees or diplomas) in the original language with official English translations and official verification of high school completion; TOEFL or another accepted English test; the $70 application fee; the Affidavit of Financial Support with a bank statement; a copy of the passport photo page. The financial amount the affidavit requires is not stated on the pages read.
• Aid: the cost page says international students are not eligible for federal or state student aid. Whether institutional scholarships are open to them is not stated on the pages read.
• Contact: International Admissions assigns advisors by family name; the email is intladm@csun.edu.

8. Applicants from China

• Gaokao: none of the pages read mention China or say whether gaokao results are considered or how; contact International Admissions.
• Transcripts and credential evaluation: the international freshman page asks for official records of all secondary schools in the original language with certified English translations and verification of high school completion; huikao records and evaluation agencies are not mentioned.
• English: China is not on the exemption list, so an accepted English test is needed.
• Math, chemistry and biology: how Chinese courses map to the A–G pattern is not stated.

9. Transfer students

• Beginning with spring 2027, CSUN accepts all transfer applications, whether or not the applicant has completed 60 transferable semester units.
• 60 or more units (spring 2027, fall 2027 and later): overall college GPA of at least 2.0; a C- or better in each of the Golden Four CSU general education courses (English composition, mathematical concepts and quantitative reasoning, critical thinking and oral communication; critical thinking is not required before admission for engineering and computer science majors); good standing at the last college attended; and a major selected on the application.
• 59 or fewer units: meet the first-time freshman eligibility requirements (A–G courses, high school diploma, the eligibility index), an overall college GPA of at least 2.0, and a C- or better in English composition and mathematical concepts and quantitative reasoning; “Undeclared” is allowed.
• Major GPA: the page says applicants to competitive (impacted) majors may need a higher GPA; only two CSUN majors are impacted and biology is not one of them. Biology-specific preparation courses for transfer students are not stated on the pages read.
• Dates: spring 2027, July 1 to October 15, 2026; fall 2027, August 1, 2026 to May 15, 2027 for most majors. Decisions can appear as early as mid-March for fall and mid-November for spring.
• International transfer students: requirements depend on whether you attended a U.S. or non-U.S. institution and whether you are lower- or upper-division (fewer than or at least 60 transferable semester units). All need an overall GPA of at least 2.0; applicants from non-U.S. institutions need a college-level math course at C- equivalent or better and an English test or exemption; upper-division U.S. transfers need the four basic skills courses with C- or better. Deadlines match the international freshman dates (fall: August 1 to May 15 with documents June 15; spring: July 1 to October 31 with documents November 15).
• Credit transfer: how biology and chemistry courses map is not stated on the pages read (the page points to ASSIST and to the list of Associate Degrees for Transfer that match CSUN majors).

10. Outcomes

• The advising page describes the health-professions route: the Medical Technology track prepares students for the clinical year of training and the California license exam in Clinical Laboratory Science, and students who complete its sequence will be prepared to apply for the clinical year or to begin a career in industry or government; the Pre-Health Advisement Coordinator advises students from all majors preparing for medical, physician assistant, dental, pharmacy, optometry, veterinary, physical therapy, occupational therapy and other allied health programs. The department resources page also links a Biology Careers page and the University Career Center. No placement rate or salary data appears on the pages read.

Checklist

U.S. domestic applicants:

• Apply through Cal State Apply from August 1, 2026 to May 15, 2027, choosing a biology major; California residents need an index of 2,500 (2.50 GPA), out-of-state applicants 3,000 (3.0 GPA)
• After enrolling, confirm math and chemistry placement and course choices with the College of Science and Math Student Services Center; if you want the Medical Technology track or a health profession, contact an advisor early

International applicants (including China):

• 3.0 GPA; prepare TOEFL iBT 61 (3.5 on the new scale) or IELTS 6.0; apply by May 15 with documents by June 15 for fall 2027; prepare the Affidavit of Financial Support and a bank statement
• Ask International Admissions how the gaokao and Chinese courses are treated

Transfer students:

• With 60 or more units: overall GPA 2.0, the four Golden Four courses at C- or better, and a major chosen on the application

Sources: California State University, Northridge website, College of Science and Mathematics; Department of Biology; Bachelor's programs; Undergraduate research courses and programs; Advisement; Information and planning; Scholarships and awards; First-time freshman admissions; Freshman requirements; Impaction; Transfer admissions; Transfer requirements; International admissions; International first-time freshmen; International transfer students; Cost and financial aid. The degree course lists are in the university catalog and are not published on the pages read here. The department awards page lists 2024–2025 and the cost page covers 2026–2027; check the versions that apply to 2027.