How to Apply to Biology at Harvey Mudd College: Three Semesters of Common Core First, a Major Declared by the End of Sophomore Year, and Biology, Molecular Biology, Joint and Mathematical and Computational Biology Programs, for Domestic, International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Applicants

Harvey Mudd College (HMC) is a science- and engineering-focused liberal arts college, and its undergraduate biology programme is run by the Department of Biology. Students apply to the College as a whole, not to the department. This guide is based on the College’s and the department’s websites, organised for US domestic applicants, international applicants and applicants from China, followed by transfer students. Chemistry, mathematics, physics, computer science and other majors are not covered here beyond a mention of the joint majors; the department also has a pre-med information page (pre-med is not a degree), which was not read.

1. Majors and options

• The department’s major programs: the “Biology Major Programs” page lists five: Biology, Molecular Biology, a Joint Major in Biology and Climate, a Joint Major in Chemistry and Biology, and Mathematical and Computational Biology. The department’s FAQ refers to molecular biology as an option within the biology major. A degree label (such as BS) and the course lists of the programmes are not stated on the pages read (the major requirements pages load dynamically and showed only “Loading…”); please check the department pages or the College catalog.
• Structure of the biology major: the department says the curriculum has five components: required core lecture courses (the FAQ lists Biology 54, 101, 108, 109 and 113, which must be taken at HMC); a required introductory laboratory course and at least two upper-level laboratories; at least one seminar-style course (discussion of primary literature, substantial oral presentations and a synthetic paper); a colloquium with weekly research talks by invited speakers; and a year-long senior research or team Clinic project.
• Upper-level labs and seminars: the FAQ says the two upper-level labs must be taken at HMC and chosen from Bio 103 (Comparative Physiology Laboratory), Bio 110 (Experimental Ecology Laboratory), Bio 111 (Molecular & Cellular Biology Laboratory) and Bio/Chem 184 (Methods in Biochemistry); seminars include Bio 121 (Marine Ecology), 122 (Cell & Developmental Biology), 164 (Genetics), 183 (Topics in Physiology), 189 (Topics in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology) and Bio 185/186 (Special Topics in Biology). Bio 189 is offered yearly; the others rotate every other year.
• Colloquium: biology majors complete four semesters; joint chemistry-biology and mathematical and computational biology majors complete two.
• Joint majors: the majors overview says the joint major in chemistry and biology covers biochemistry, molecular biology, chemical biology, bioorganic chemistry and related areas; the joint major in biology and climate emphasises systems thinking, computational skills and impact literacy; their requirement pages were not read. The chemistry part is not covered here.
• Courses across the Claremont Colleges: the majors overview says students may also draw on Pomona College, the Keck Science Department (Claremont McKenna, Pitzer and Scripps), Keck Graduate Institute and the California Botanic Garden; the FAQ, however, says biology core and seminar courses must be taken at HMC, while organic chemistry and some other chemistry courses can, with the advisor’s permission, be taken at Pomona or Keck (not for joint chemistry-biology majors). Pass/fail courses cannot count toward the major.
• Study abroad: the department says biology majors should plan to go abroad in the fall or spring of junior year; recent places include the University of Salamanca, the University of Edinburgh, the Organization for Tropical Studies (Duke) in Costa Rica, the University of Westminster and a Florence programme. Courses abroad are easiest to count as electives; counting one as a core course requires a petition in advance, labs and seminars generally cannot be replaced, and one semester of colloquium is waived. For molecular biology, going abroad in junior spring is easier because molecular biology and organic chemistry run only in the fall.

2. How admission works: apply to the College, declare later

• At application: the application FAQ says you do not need a major selected before arrival. Applicants are asked which majors they lean toward; the College says this matters “to some extent” as it is building a class eager to study across the curriculum, but students may change their minds. Biology is a department within the College; there is no separate school to apply to, and no separate admission line or capacity for biology was found.
• Declaring the major: all students complete the Core across departments (including a biology course and lab) in their first three semesters; students may not declare a major before the end of the first year and must declare before the end of sophomore year. A grade requirement or cap on places for the biology major is not stated on the pages read.
• Switching in: no separate conditions found; every student first takes the Core across departments.

3. Prerequisites, the Core and credit

• Enrollment requirements: one year each of high school calculus, chemistry and physics. If you cannot complete them before graduating, the College may offer conditional admission, and you must complete a one-semester college course with a B or better to enrol. The FAQ adds that students are not penalised for not taking honors, AP or IB courses their school does not offer, and need not take every advanced course available.
• AP / IB credit: the College is explicit that it does not grant credit for AP/IB scores or for college courses taken during high school (including toward the humanities, social sciences and arts requirement); scores may be submitted so the rigor of the programme can be considered. How AP/IB results affect placement after enrolment, or map to specific courses, is not stated on the pages read; please check with the College.
• Common Core: all students take the Common Core in their first three semesters: one course each in computer science and engineering; one biology course and a lab; two semesters of mathematics; one and a half semesters of physics and a lab; one semester of chemistry and a lab; a half-semester of college writing; a critical inquiry course from the Department of Humanities, Social Sciences and the Arts (HSA); and a course on the impact of our work on society.
• Introductory biology placement: the department’s FAQ mentions that a student who received “placement for Bio 52” may count a core course or elective taken as a substitute; how Bio 52 placement works, and whether there is an exam before arrival, is not stated on the pages read; please check with the College.
• Labs and seminars: see Section 1; majors take the introductory lab and at least two upper-level labs, and Chemistry 111 (organic lab) cannot replace an upper-level biology lab.
• Senior capstone: the department’s capstone page says all biology majors complete a year-long, 6-unit senior project: biology department research (Bio 193-194, a year-long course at 10–12 hours a week, with a written proposal and oral presentation in the fall and a final report and presentation in the spring; grade and credit are given only at the end of the full year), a Clinic related to mathematical and computational biology (run from the computer science and mathematics Clinic programs), or a thesis or Clinic in another department. Students choose in the spring of junior year. Intensive Research (Bio 195-196, 6 units a semester) is by permission only.
• Competitions: the admissions pages read do not say how competitions such as the biology olympiad are viewed.

4. Deadlines and application materials (per the College’s dates table)

• Deadlines: Early Decision I (binding) Nov. 15, decision Dec. 15; Early Decision II Jan. 5, decision Feb. 15; Regular Decision Jan. 5, decision Apr. 1; reply dates Jan. 8, Feb. 26 and May 1. Merit scholarship deadline: Feb. 1 in all three rounds. The table prints no year; please check that the dates apply to fall 2027 entry.
• How to apply and fee: the Common App; application fee $70, with fee waivers available, including those from ACT, College Board and NACAC.
• Recommendations: a school report (counselor), one recommendation from a STEM teacher and one from a humanities, social sciences or arts teacher; the page does not say the STEM teacher must teach biology. A personal essay, plus two additional writing pieces: Q1 how an experience or community has shaped the problems you want to solve (500 words or less); Q2 a time when asking for help made a difference (250 words or less).
• Interview: optional, with deadlines Nov. 15 (ED I) and Dec. 15 (ED II and RD); the FAQ says students are not penalised for not having one.
• Testing: test optional for fall 2027, with standardized testing required for everyone again from the fall 2028 cycle. Applicants choose in the Common App whether to have ACT/SAT scores considered; scores may be self-reported; the SAT essay and ACT writing are not considered; only depositing students who asked that scores be considered must send official reports.
• Admission figures (as printed, Class of 2030): 4,971 applications, 654 admitted, 232 enrolled; middle 50% SAT Math 770–800, SAT ERW 740–770, ACT composite 35–36.

5. US domestic applicants

• Costs (2026–27): the cost of attendance page lists one price, with no in-state or out-of-state distinction: tuition $76,879, student body fee $401; on-campus housing $13,293, food $11,489 (19-meal plan), personal expenses $1,400, books and supplies $800, new student orientation fee $250, for an on-campus total of $104,512; $90,912 off campus and $83,793 off campus with family (transportation extra). Figures for fall 2027 entry are not published; check when released.
• Aid: the application FAQ says admission is need-blind for domestic students and need-aware for international students. Need-based scholarships are available only to US citizens and permanent residents (the Harvey Mudd College Scholarship, federal grants and state grants). Aid dates: CSS Profile Nov. 15 (ED I), Jan. 5 (ED II), Feb. 1 (RD); FAFSA the same.
• Merit scholarships: first-year applicants may be considered, primarily on academic achievement, with financial need and test scores not used; transfer students are not eligible. The awards are the President’s Scholars Program, Harvey S. Mudd Merit Award, National Merit Scholarship, FIRST Robotics Scholarship, RIF Scholarship, Esterbrook Merit Award and VEX Scholarship; recipients must maintain satisfactory academic progress and full-time enrollment (at least 12 credits) to renew.
• Preference or guaranteed admission for state residents: not stated on the pages read.

6. International applicants

• Who counts: anyone who is not a US citizen or permanent resident applies as an international student; the procedures are the same as for domestic first-year and transfer applicants.
• English proficiency: Duolingo English Test (160-point version) minimum 130, TOEFL iBT (Home or Paper Edition) 100, IELTS Academic 7.5, or Cambridge C1 Advanced 190 / C2 Proficiency 200. Scores may be self-reported or sent officially; only enrolling students must send official reports. If the school uses English as the primary language of instruction, the requirement is waived, and a waiver can be processed only after the application is submitted.
• Materials: English translations of any credentials not in English; a school profile (course system, grading scale, rigor) is recommended.
• Aid: in the College’s own words, international students are not eligible for federal or state aid (except under the California Dream Act); the College provides need-based International Student Scholarships for a limited number of students; funding is limited, need may affect admission, and it can meet 100% of demonstrated need for only a handful of international students. International students can also apply for some merit awards, including the So Scholarship, which is exclusively for them. A student who does not apply for or receive aid in the first year will not be considered in later years. Scholarships exceeding tuition, fees, books and supplies are subject to US federal income tax withholding, and international students must join the Claremont Colleges’ Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP).

7. Applicants from China

• Gaokao: the website does not say whether or how the gaokao is used; it is not published. Contact admission@hmc.edu.
• Transcripts and school-leaving exam materials: no China-specific requirements are published; see Section 6 for the general requirements (translations, school profile, English proficiency).
• International curricula: AP and IB scores can be self-reported for the application but earn no credit after enrolment (Section 3).
• Biology department: the department pages read contain no China-specific guidance.

8. Costs, scholarships and outcomes

• Costs: see Section 5.
• Department scholarships and programmes: the department has pages on awards and summer research opportunities, which were not read; a biology-specific scholarship for entering students is not described on the pages read.
• Small classes: the department says advanced biology classes are typically limited to 12 students, with an emphasis on individual instruction and active learning. This is the department’s own description.
• Outcomes (as printed): the major programs page says that after graduation “the majority” of its students go on to PhD programs in the life sciences or into technical jobs; the majors overview and department home page list areas including molecular genetics, computational biology, biotechnology, mathematical ecology, medicine, vaccine research, pharmacology, neurobiology, conservation biology and science teaching. The pages read give no counts or percentages for biology. At the whole-College level, the alumni outcomes page says about 60 percent of seniors enter the workforce with a median starting salary of $112,500, and close to 30 percent pursue postgraduate degrees; these are not biology-only figures.

9. Transfer students

• Conditions: at least one year of full-time academic work in good standing by the term applied for; at least two years as a full-time student at HMC (a requirement); no one who already holds a bachelor’s degree; no mid-year transfers (all new students start in the fall); international transfer students may apply only if they are not seeking financial aid.
• Deadlines and materials: application March 15, decision May 5, reply June 1; CSS Profile and FAFSA March 2. The table prints no year; please check. Fee $70; Common App, mid-term report, college/transfer report, two college instructor recommendations (one math or science, one humanities or social sciences), all college and high school transcripts and the additional writing (as in Section 4); no transfer interviews.
• Credit and the major: applicants should try to take courses that correspond to the HMC Core; course compatibility with the Core is “almost always more important than the intended major”; the College assesses preparation for the intended major and seeks feedback from the department; most majors can be completed in four semesters at HMC, a few with sequenced courses may need a fifth. The registrar gives a credit estimate a few days after admission, faculty make official placement decisions at orientation, and transfer students may take placement exams; credit is not evaluated in advance. Only college courses completed after high school graduation are considered; AP/IB and college courses taken in high school earn no credit. The FAQ adds that need-based aid is available to transfer students (“we meet 100% of every student’s demonstrated financial need”) and that merit aid is not. Transfer GPA or prerequisite requirements specific to biology are not stated on the pages read.

Checklist

US domestic applicants:

• ED I Nov. 15; ED II and Regular Jan. 5; $70 fee; one STEM and one humanities/social science/arts teacher recommendation; test optional (fall 2027)
• CSS Profile and FAFSA (dates in Section 5); merit scholarship deadline Feb. 1

International applicants (including those from China):

• TOEFL 100, IELTS 7.5, Duolingo 130 or Cambridge C1/C2 (or a waiver if eligible); translations of non-English documents
• If you need aid, say so in the application; places are very limited

After admission:

• Complete the Core in three semesters (including a biology course and lab); no declaring before the end of the first year, and declare by the end of sophomore year, then choose the biology major (optionally the molecular biology option) or a joint major; choose the senior research or Clinic project in the spring of junior year

Transfer students:

• March 15; at least a year of full-time college work; at least two years at HMC; take courses that match the Core

Sources: Harvey Mudd College, Department of Biology; Biology major programs; Why study biology; Biology major FAQs; Senior capstone experience; Biology study abroad; Majors overview; Common Core Curriculum; Apply and deadlines; First-year applicants; International applicants; Transfer applicants; Application FAQ; Cost of attendance; International student financial aid; Merit-based scholarships; Need-based scholarships; Alumni outcomes. The dates table on the apply page prints no year, but its testing policy is stated for fall 2027 entry; please check that the dates also apply to fall 2027 and see the College’s website for the latest.