How to Apply to Biology at Marquette University: A BS in Biological Sciences with Four Concentrations, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Environmental Science and More in the Klingler College of Arts and Sciences, and the Admission Route and Prerequisites for US, International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Applicants

Marquette University is a Catholic, Jesuit private university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Biology-related undergraduate majors are offered, or co-offered, by the Department of Biological Sciences in the Klingler College of Arts and Sciences. This article follows the University’s website and is organised for US applicants, international applicants and applicants from China, followed by transfer students. Medicine, nursing, pharmacy, dentistry, public health and other health-professions degrees are outside this article—see the website (the department’s pages list a Pre-Dental Scholars Program and a 3+3 Early Assurance PharmD program, which are health-professions routes and are not expanded here); chemistry, physics, mathematics and engineering are also not covered. Required-course lists sit in the University’s undergraduate bulletin, which was not read for this article, so check details on the website.

1. Degrees and tracks, and how you are admitted

• Overview of the department’s degrees: the department’s undergraduate page says it offers or participates in five majors, four leading to a BS and one to a BA, plus three minors.
• Biological Sciences BS: you may take it with no concentration or with one of four concentrations: Genetics, Genomics & Developmental Biology; Ecology & Evolutionary Biology; Molecular & Cellular Biology; and Neurobiology, Physiology & Animal Behavior. The department’s home page presents them as new (“Starting in fall”, with no year printed). The department also says stand-alone laboratory courses taught by faculty are a central component of the curriculum for each major.
• Biological Sciences for Education BS: listed among the department’s majors; its requirements are in the bulletin, which was not read.
• Biochemistry and Molecular Biology BS: the major page says it is a joint program of the Biological Sciences and Chemistry departments that draws on both departments’ strengths and labs, preparing graduates for fields such as biotechnology, pharmaceuticals or environmental research.
• Environmental Science BS and Environmental Studies BA: listed among the department’s majors; requirements are in the bulletin, which was not read.
• Minors and other programs: minors in Biological Sciences, Bioinformatics and Environmental Studies; an MBA accelerated program; and, as the website lists, the Pre-Dental Scholars Program and the 3+3 Early Assurance PharmD program (health-professions routes, outside this article).
• When you declare the major: the department’s pages read give no timing, GPA or prerequisite-grade condition and no quota; none is published on those pages.
• Choosing a major at application: see section 3; the first-year pages read do not state a rule for choosing a major when applying—ask Undergraduate Admissions. For internal transfer into a biology-related major, ask the department.
• College features: the major page says students in the College of Arts and Sciences can add at least one additional major or minor, and that 73% of its students do.

2. Prerequisites, course layout and research

• High school prerequisites: the pages only describe the programs as suited to students who are strong in science and math and enjoy lab work (the biochemistry and molecular biology page adds students who like biology and chemistry); they list no specific high school biology, chemistry or math requirements, nor A-Level, AP or IB subject requirements, on the pages read.
• First-year common courses and course sequence: not published on the pages read; check the undergraduate bulletin.
• Program objectives: the department’s undergraduate page lists core concepts including evolution, structure and function, information flow, exchange and storage, and pathways and transformations of energy and matter, and core competencies including the process of science, quantitative reasoning, communicating to diverse audiences and integrating knowledge across disciplines.
• Undergraduate research: the department’s page says its research spans developmental/cell biology, neurophysiology, genetics, biochemistry, microbiology, ecology and molecular biology. Juniors and seniors can conduct an independent project in a faculty lab (an application is picked up in the department office); BIOL 4956 (Laboratory Research in Biological Sciences) counts toward Disciplinary Honors. Students can also work as paid research or teaching assistants, and sophomores or juniors can apply to a 10-week, stipend-paid Summer Research Program that ends with a symposium and poster session. The page states a 12:1 student-to-faculty ratio in lab classes and mentions a semester or summer at the Duke University Marine Laboratory.
• Honors: the department has a Disciplinary Honors Program; the entry conditions are in the bulletin, which was not read.
• Internships: the department runs a Launch Internships program; the biochemistry and molecular biology page says internships can be in biotech/pharma companies, environmental and conservation nonprofits, and educational, government and scientific-policy organisations.
• Accreditation: no external professional accreditation for the biology-related majors is published on the pages read.
• Where graduates go: the department says its degrees prepare students for careers including medicine, dentistry, research, biotechnology, pharmacy/pharmacology, public health, and environmental and sustainability studies. The biochemistry and molecular biology page says many graduates go on to graduate and professional schools, and lists employers of recent graduates including Advocate Aurora Health, Caris Life Sciences, Eurofins Scientific, Northwestern Medicine and University of Wisconsin.

3. Rounds, materials and testing (common to US and international applicants)

• How to apply: you can use Marquette’s own application or the Common App; the website says there is no preference between them. The application page says students enrolled in high school (including dual-enrolment students) and full-time-seeking students without college credit apply as first-year students.
• Rounds: for fall entry there are Early Action (non-binding) and Regular Decision. The website gives an Early Action deadline of 15 November (decisions in late December) and a Regular Decision deadline of 1 February (decisions by 1 March); applications completed after that are reviewed on a rolling, space-available basis. The pages do not print a year, so check on the website that these dates apply to fall 2027 entry. The website also says students interested in the Honors Program should apply Early Action, and that first-year applications for spring entry are reviewed on a rolling basis from October.
• Materials: an official high school transcript, an essay and an extracurricular activities list are required; ACT/SAT scores are optional; an additional personal statement and letters of recommendation are not required but are considered if submitted. The website does not say whether a science-teacher recommendation is needed, and it sets no separate chemistry, physics or biology grade requirement on the pages read.
• Testing: the test-optional policy says domestic and international applicants may choose whether to submit ACT/SAT scores, that not submitting is not penalised, and that all applicants receive equal and full consideration for admission and scholarships, including the merit-based Père Marquette Scholarship. The page also prints average figures for admitted students: GPA 3.65, ACT 27.5, SAT 1250 (it does not say which entering class).
• Application fee: not stated on the first-year application page; the transfer page says you can apply for free through the Common App or Marquette’s application. Check the first-year fee on the website.
• Declaring a major at application: the first-year pages read do not say which major you must choose when applying, or whether chemistry or biology have a separate admission bar or quota; this is not published on those pages. Ask Undergraduate Admissions (the website lists (414) 288-7302 and admissions@marquette.edu).

4. US, international and Chinese applicants

US applicants

• Tuition: Marquette is a private university, and the tuition page read lists one standard rate with no in-state/out-of-state split. For 2026–27 it shows full-time undergraduate tuition (12 or more credits) of $53,890, housing and food of $14,380–$18,790 depending on the residence hall, and fees of $1,200, with a printed annual total of $69,470–$73,880 and a note that additional costs exist. Check the figures for 2027 entry on the website.
• Scholarships and aid: all undergraduate applicants are automatically considered for the Père Marquette Scholarship during admission review; the scholarship overview says there is no scholarship application, while also saying some scholars programs require extra materials after admission. Wisconsin-related awards include the Wisconsin Academic Excellence Awards, the Burke Scholars Program and the Wisconsin Hometown Dean’s Scholarships, and the Urban Scholars Program is for the Milwaukee area; see the website for conditions. The website recommends filing the FAFSA.
• Priority or guaranteed admission for Wisconsin residents is not published on the pages read.

International applicants

• Deadlines: the international pages match the first-year page: fall entry Early Action 15 November and Regular Decision 1 February (again, check the year), with Early Action decisions by 20 December. The page also lists spring-entry dates: application 1 November, supporting materials 15 November, deposit 1 December (the page lays out spring and fall side by side; confirm which applies to you on the website).
• Materials: transcripts from every high school attended; exam results or certificates appropriate to your education system (the website’s examples include the Chinese graduation certificate, GCSE, IGCSE, AS/A levels, HKDSE and IB). You may upload unofficial copies first, but official transcripts and certificates must arrive before the I-20 is issued and before enrolment. Documents not in English need an official, exact English translation.
• English requirement (non-native speakers, any one of): TOEFL—for tests taken before 21 January 2026 a total of at least 86 with at least 20 in each section; for tests taken on or after 21 January 2026 a total of at least 4.5; IELTS 6.5 or higher in each section; Duolingo English Test 120 overall (preferably no subscore below 115); SAT Evidence-Based Reading of at least 560; ACT English at least 24 and Reading at least 20; or a US or Canadian university transcript showing at least two semesters of in-person study, or a US or Canadian high school transcript showing at least four semesters. Applicants who meet everything except English can request conditional admission, which becomes full admission once qualifying English evidence arrives; the website says the English studies needed cannot be completed at Marquette, and you would apply to an English program separately.
• Proof of funds: the website lists this under optional materials, for students on an F-1 or J-1 visa: a financial sponsorship form (PDF) and a recent bank statement from the sponsor showing adequate funds for the first year; government-sponsored students provide a letter of support from their government; the documents must arrive before the I-20 and enrolment.
• Costs and aid: the international page gives 2026–27 estimates: tuition of $26,945 in each of the fall and spring terms and living expenses of $24,950, with a printed annual total of $78,840; living expenses include a residence hall room, food, 12 months of health insurance (mandatory for F-1/J-1 holders) and more. The page says the University cannot award need-based scholarships and that merit scholarships cannot cover all costs. The scholarship overview says international students are eligible for no scholarships outside the Global Scholars Award and the scholars programs listed, and lists a “Global Scholars – Full Tuition” award.

Applicants from China

• The international pages read list the Chinese graduation certificate as an example of the exam/certificate documents, and, for transfer applicants, require a CHESICC transcript verification report for transcripts from Chinese universities, based on the same transcript sent to Marquette.
• Whether and how the gaokao is considered, requirements for huikao materials, and the expected format of Chinese high school transcripts are not published on the pages read; ask Undergraduate Admissions.

5. Transfer students

• How to apply: anyone who has taken college coursework after high school applies as a transfer student, for direct admission into one of the undergraduate colleges, using the Common App or Marquette’s transfer application; the website says it is free. After the file is complete the review takes about three weeks, with an official credit evaluation, and applicants are considered for the Père Marquette Award.
• Deadlines: the transfer page gives spring entry 1 December (scholarship priority deadline 15 October; decisions start in September) and fall entry 1 July (scholarship priority deadline 15 March; decisions start in January), with decisions 3 to 4 weeks after the application is complete. No year is printed, so check that these apply to 2027 entry. The international transfer page instead says transfer applications are reviewed on a rolling basis with no deadline, fall decisions from December and spring decisions from September—the two pages differ, so rely on the latest information on the website.
• Materials: official college transcripts from each institution attended; applicants with fewer than 30 earned college credits must also send a final high school transcript. ACT/SAT scores, personal statements, activity lists and recommendations are not required but are evaluated if submitted. International transfer applicants need a credential evaluation from an approved agency (such as ECE or WES) and English-translated course descriptions for each subject.
• GPA and prerequisite expectations (general chemistry, organic chemistry, biology and so on) for transfers into chemistry or biology are not published on the pages read; ask the department and Undergraduate Admissions.

6. AP/IB credit

The credit page says Marquette awards credit for AP exam performance, and students may take the credit or take the equivalent course at Marquette; IB and CLEP have separate credit and placement charts. AP and IB scores must be sent directly by the College Board or the International Baccalaureate and are available to Marquette after the student confirms intent to enroll; Marquette does not accept AP scores or AP-awarded credit shown on other colleges’ transcripts. The page advises pre-medical and pre-dental students to consult a pre-health adviser before accepting AP credit. Which AP/IB scores exempt which chemistry or biology course is in the charts, whose contents were not read for this article; check them on the website.

Sources: Marquette University, biological sciences undergraduate page; biological sciences home page; biological sciences undergraduate research; biochemistry and molecular biology major page; Arts and Sciences departments; first-year application; first-year timeline and materials; test-optional policy; AP/IB credit; transfer overview; transfer application and deadlines; tuition and aid; undergraduate scholarships; international undergraduates; international process and deadlines; international materials; conditional admission; international costs; international scholarships. Figures and dates should be checked against the latest website pages.