How to apply to Biology at Northern Arizona University: six undergraduate majors in the Department of Biological Sciences, including Biology, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Microbiology and Biomedical Science, and admission and prerequisite requirements for domestic, international (including China) and transfer applicants

Northern Arizona University (NAU) has its main campus in Flagstaff, Arizona. Undergraduate biology programs are taught by the Department of Biological Sciences in the College of the Environment, Forestry, and Natural Sciences (CEFNS). This guide summarizes the official requirements for U.S. domestic applicants, international applicants (including from China) and transfer students. One caveat up front: the course requirements, total credits, prerequisite sequence and progression conditions of the biology degrees are in the university catalog, which is not covered here; they are marked “not published on the cited pages” below, so check the official site. Chemistry (including biochemistry research) is in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and covered separately; mathematics, physics, engineering and computer science are not covered here.

1. Degrees and options in the department

• Degrees: the department page says it has six undergraduate majors and lists the BS in Biology, BS in Biomedical Science, BS in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, BS in Exercise Physiology, BS in Microbiology and the BSED in Secondary Education - Biology; graduate programs are the MS and PhD in Biology, plus a wildlife certificate. Molecular biology, genetics, neuroscience, marine biology, zoology and plant science are not listed as separate undergraduate degrees; biochemistry is not listed as an undergraduate degree in this department or in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. How the majors differ and whether they have concentrations are not published on the cited pages; see the catalog. Exercise Physiology and Biomedical Science lean toward health and are not covered in detail here; medicine, nursing, pharmacy, dentistry, public health and other professional degrees are outside this guide, so see the official site.
• What the department says about itself: biology is taught through immersive labs and fieldwork, covering how organisms function, how ecosystems interact, genetics, evolution and physiology; faculty act as research partners, field guides and mentors and, from the first year, connect students with research opportunities, funding and internships. Learning outcomes: identify, describe and apply major biological concepts and empirical findings using the principles of the natural sciences; apply scientific and quantitative reasoning to biological data; communicate evidence-based findings to technical and non-technical audiences; and synthesize core concepts about organisms, habitats, ecosystems or human health questions.
• Clubs: the page lists the Biological Graduate Student Association, the student subunit of The Wildlife Society and Beta Beta Beta (Epsilon Eta chapter), a biological honor society.
• Outcomes: the page only lists directions (conservation, health, biotechnology, wildlife management, environmental agencies, research labs, education, and emerging fields such as genomics and bioinformatics); it prints no employment or graduate-study rates.
• Labs, field work and capstone requirements: not published on the cited pages; see the catalog. The department page says students do field work in diverse ecosystems and lab-based research, build skills in data analysis, scientific communication and experimental design, and can present at conferences, contribute to publications and complete internships.
• Contact: Department of Biological Sciences, 928-523-2381, biology@nau.edu, 715 South Beaver Street, Flagstaff, AZ 86011.

2. How admission works: applying to the university or to a major

• The pages cited show a university-wide standard: students who have completed their junior year and are on track to graduate with a core GPA of 2.5 or higher (4.0 scale) get guaranteed admission. How you choose a biology major on the application, whether the department has its own admission line or cap, when you declare the major and any GPA threshold for entering it are not published; contact Admissions (admissions@nau.edu) or the department (biology@nau.edu, 928-523-2381).
• Testing: the first-year page uses ACT/SAT only as alternative ways to meet the English, math and lab science course requirements; it does not state a separate test requirement for biology.
• Moving into a biology major from another NAU major: not published on the cited pages.

3. Prerequisites and preparation

• High school core courses (first-year page, 14 courses): 4 years of English (or ACT English 21+, SAT Critical Reading 580+, or one 3-credit college English composition course); 4 years of math (or ACT math 24+, SAT math 570+, or a 3-credit college math course with at least intermediate algebra as a prerequisite); 3 years of lab science (or ACT science 20+, or SAT chemistry 600+, biology 590+ or physics 620+, or three transferable four-credit college lab science courses); 1 year of American history; 1 year of social science; and 1 year of fine arts or Career and Technical Education. A second language is not required. Up to two course deficiencies can still be admitted. The page uses one description for all first-year applicants, with no split by country or major.
• The department’s expectations for high school biology, chemistry and math, math placement, and the first-year common and lab courses: not published on the cited pages.
• AP / IB credit toward required biology courses: not published on the cited pages; ask Admissions or the Registrar. On IB, the freshman scholarship page lists a President’s International Baccalaureate award of USD 5,000 per academic year for Arizona residents and non-residents (including WUE students) with an IB diploma of at least 24 points, renewable with a 2.0 cumulative GPA; this is a scholarship, not a credit equivalence.

4. Dates and materials

• Deadlines: most undergraduate programs have rolling admission, so you can apply any time. The dates page currently shows only 2026–27: enrollment fee May 1 for fall 2026 and December 1 for spring (January 2027 entry), scholarship application April 15, and final transcripts July 1 (January 5, 2027 for spring). The equivalent dates for fall 2027 are not published; confirm them.
• Enrollment fee: USD 325 for first-year students and USD 250 for transfers (paying it unlocks housing, onboarding and visa documents).
• Application fee: USD 50 for international undergraduates, paid with the application. The fee for domestic applicants is not stated on the cited pages.
• Essays and recommendations: the international overview says a personal statement or letters vary by program; whether the biology majors ask for either is not published.
• FAFSA: priority date April 15; NAU school code 001082.

5. U.S. domestic applicants

• Tuition: for 2026-27 at the Flagstaff campus, Arizona residents pay USD 12,000 in tuition plus USD 1,620 in fees, for USD 13,620. The site says Arizona resident tuition stays at USD 12,000 for 2027-28.
• Non-residents: tuition is USD 30,000 for 2026-27 (USD 31,620 with fees). From fall 2027, eligible non-residents pay USD 16,000 a year at Flagstaff (the Flagstaff Advantage Rate, FAR); the basic conditions are being a non-resident of Arizona, an undergraduate, and attending the Flagstaff campus. Residents of western states can apply for the WUE discount (USD 18,000 tuition, USD 19,620 with fees, in 2026-27; WUE benefits also change from fall 2027, and the new figures are not published on the cited pages).
• Scholarships (2027-28 new students): first-years are automatically considered for tuition scholarships by high school core GPA, with no separate application. Arizona residents: 3.75–4.00, USD 11,000 a year; 3.50–3.74, USD 9,000; 3.4–3.49, USD 6,500; 3.00–3.39, USD 5,000; other admitted students, USD 2,500. Access2Excellence covers full tuition for eligible Arizona residents with household income up to USD 65,000, and for members of Arizona’s 22 federally recognized tribes. Out-of-state (WUE and FAR): 3.75–4.00, USD 6,500 a year; 3.50–3.74, USD 6,000; 3.00–3.49, USD 5,000; other admitted students, USD 2,500. They last four years if you keep a 2.0 cumulative GPA and enroll full time (12+ credits); one condition is living in NAU Campus Living housing with a meal plan in the first year; they apply to fall and spring tuition only, and require accepting admission, paying the enrollment fee and submitting final high school transcripts after graduation. Students entering in spring 2027 are pointed to a 2026-27 scholarship page that is not covered here.
• Departmental support: the Department of Biological Sciences page does not give names, amounts or conditions of department scholarships. The freshman scholarship page says many NAU colleges offer scholarships and points to the university’s ScholarshipUniverse site (which lists the College of the Environment, Forestry, and Natural Sciences); that site is not covered here. The department page says faculty help students navigate funding and internships.
• Any priority or guaranteed admission for Arizona residents specific to the biology majors is not published; only the university-wide guarantee (core GPA 2.5) appears.

6. International applicants

• Grades: the first-year page does not list a separate GPA requirement for international applicants; the university-wide standard is a core GPA of 2.5 for guaranteed admission. The international grade requirement is not separately published.
• English (any one): TOEFL iBT or iBT Home Edition 70 (NAU code 4006; MyBest Score accepted); IELTS 6.0 overall; Duolingo 95; Pearson PTE 56; ACT English and Reading 21; SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing 350; IB English A score of 5 (HL) or 6 (SL); IB English B score of 7 at both levels; one 3-credit English composition course from a U.S. college; B2 level for European exchange students; four years of English at an English-taught high school with verification; citizens of English-speaking countries need no extra proof. Those who do not meet the requirement may need an English placement test on arrival and/or the Program in Intensive English (PIE).
• Materials: the online application with the USD 50 fee; official transcripts from every school attended (high school, college, vocational and English programs; certified translations if not in English); English scores; a passport copy; and proof of financial support (a bank statement and financial sponsor form covering estimated tuition and fees, with USD 6,000 more per dependent). Transcripts must be sent by the institution from a verifiable email address to studynau@nau.edu or mailed to the Center for International Education. The cited pages do not require a designated credential evaluator.
• Timing: NAU recommends undergraduates apply at least 4–6 months before the start date; the I-20 is issued after you accept the offer and pay the USD 325 enrollment fee, and onboarding takes place 1–2 weeks before classes. Specific international priority deadlines are not published on the cited pages.
• Costs: for 2026-27, international tuition is USD 30,000 plus USD 1,620 in fees, for USD 31,620. The page also lists books (USD 900), college fees (USD 500, which the page calls a median that varies by program), food (USD 7,298), personal (USD 2,000), transportation (USD 2,500) and housing in two columns, USD 8,506 and USD 11,856 (the page has On Campus and Off Campus sections), giving estimated international totals of USD 53,324 and USD 56,674. Whether the fall 2027 non-resident tuition of USD 16,000 also applies to international students is not stated (the fee page lists international students separately, also at USD 30,000 for 2026-27); ask admissions.
• Scholarships: the international admissions page says international applicants are automatically considered for scholarships with a complete NAU international application; amounts and conditions are not published on the cited pages. The freshman tuition scholarship page does not address international students, so whether they can receive it is not published.
• Work: the international page mentions on-campus employment and tuition payment plans; work-authorization rules for internships are not published; ask the Center for International Education.

7. Applicants from China

• Gaokao: how Gaokao results are used is not published; ask Admissions or the Center for International Education.
• Transcripts and Huikao records: the site only asks for official transcripts with certified translations; requirements for Huikao records are not published.
• China-specific information: the cited pages have no China country page, interview requirement or designated credential agency; not published. Contact Admissions (admissions@nau.edu, 928-523-5511) or studynau@nau.edu. The international admissions page says NAU has more than 700 international students from more than 70 countries, without naming countries.
• English: China is not in the English-speaking-country category, so one of the listed scores is needed.

8. Costs and departmental support

• Tuition and scholarships are above. The tuition page lists a USD 500 “College Fees” item and says it is a median that varies by program; the figure for biology majors is not published.
• Research and internships: the department page says students can do faculty-guided field and lab research and complete internships, preparing for work in healthcare, conservation, biotechnology, government labs and wildlife preservation. Specific programs and places are not published.
• Assistantships and department-specific scholarships: not published on the department page.

9. Transfer students

• Who counts as a transfer: you completed 12 or more college credits after high school (not counting dual enrollment).
• Admission routes (meet one): complete AGEC-A, AGEC-B, AGEC-S or IGETC with a cumulative GPA of 2.5; earn an associate degree with a cumulative GPA of 2.0; complete 24 or more transferable credits with a GPA of 2.0; or complete 12–23 transferable credits with a college GPA of 2.0 and a core high school GPA of 2.0. After an AGEC, IGETC or CSUGE you still need upper-division writing and major-specific courses.
• 2NAU: a pathway from partner community colleges with personalized advising. Non-resident transfer scholarships exist; the conditions are on a page not covered here.
• Entry to the biology majors: the biology, chemistry and math sequence and the GPA for transferring into each major are not published on the cited pages; contact the department. For international transfers, one 3-credit English composition course from a U.S. college meets the English requirement.

Checklist

U.S. domestic applicants:

• Core GPA of 2.5 for guaranteed admission; FAFSA (school code 001082) and scholarships by April 15
• Out-of-state students: note the USD 16,000 tuition from fall 2027 and the first-year campus housing condition for scholarships; ask the department and ScholarshipUniverse about scholarships

International applicants (including China):

• Prepare TOEFL 70, IELTS 6.0 or Duolingo 95; USD 50 application fee
• Have your school send transcripts to studynau@nau.edu, with certified translations if not in English; apply 4–6 months before the start date
• After admission pay the USD 325 enrollment fee and submit a bank statement and sponsor form for the I-20
• Ask admissions how Gaokao results are used, what international tuition will be from fall 2027 and whether international students get the tuition scholarships; ask the department about course and progression requirements for the biology major you choose

Transfer students:

• Check which of the four admission routes you meet; ask the department about the biology, chemistry and math sequence for transfers

Sources: Northern Arizona University, Department of Biological Sciences; College of the Environment, Forestry, and Natural Sciences; First-year application steps; Transfer application steps; International application steps; International how to apply; International admissions; Important dates and deadlines; Undergraduate tuition; Flagstaff Advantage Rate; Freshman tuition scholarships. The course requirements, total credits and prerequisite sequence of the biology degrees are in the university catalog, which is not covered here. The deadline page currently shows only 2026–27 dates, the tuition table is for 2026-2027, and non-resident tuition changes from fall 2027. Check NAU’s website for the latest.