How to Apply to Biology at Holy Cross: Three Introductory Courses, Five Upper-Level Lab-Based Courses and Chemistry, Calculus and Statistics in a Jesuit Liberal Arts College, for Domestic, International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Applicants

The College of the Holy Cross is a Jesuit liberal arts college in Worcester, Massachusetts, and its undergraduate biology programme is run by the Department of Biology. Students apply to the College, not to a school or department separately. This guide is based on the College’s website, organised for US domestic applicants, international applicants and applicants from China, followed by transfer students. Chemistry, physics, mathematics, computer science and other majors are not covered here beyond the courses and joint programmes biology involves. Note that the College catalog (catalog.holycross.edu) was not read, so course descriptions and prerequisites should be checked there.

1. Degrees and options, and how admission works

• Degree: the biology program page lists a Major; it does not state a B.A./B.S. degree label, which is not published on the pages read.
• Three areas: the program page groups the major into Cellular and Molecular Biology, Organismal Biology, and Ecology and Evolution.
• Requirements for the major: the program page says the major includes three introductory courses (BIOL 161, 162 and 163); five upper-division laboratory courses across the three areas, “with at least three of these classes including accompanying labs” (as worded on the page; check the catalog for the exact meaning); two chemistry courses (CHEM 181 plus either CHEM 221 or CHEM 231, all with labs); Calculus 1 or the equivalent; a statistics course (BIOL 275 or STAT 220); and two cognate courses from an approved list (CHEM 221/222/231, CSCI 131/132/135, several GEOS courses, MATH 136/241, PHYS 115/116, PSYC 221), with an extra upper-division biology course allowed to replace one of them. Anatomy and Physiology 1 and 2 can now count as intermediate courses with labs in the Organismal Biology area. Of the minimum of eight biology courses, at least six must be taken at Holy Cross; one semester of research for credit may count toward an upper-division course with lab, and one geoscience course above the 100 level may replace an upper-division biology course.
• Biochemistry concentration: offered jointly by the biology and chemistry departments to biology and chemistry majors and described as competitive. Biology majors in it must include CHEM 181, 221, 222 and 231, a full year of biochemistry with lab, at least one upper-level molecular biology course with a lab, a semester of physics and a 300-level chemistry course; the concentration also requires a full year of research leading to a thesis defended at the Academic Conference and a 3.0 cumulative GPA in math and science courses. Students apply in the spring of the sophomore year and must already have declared a biology or chemistry major.
• Whether to name a major at application, when to declare, GPA thresholds, caps: the admission pages read do not ask applicants to choose a major, and no separate admission line or capacity for biology was found. When and how a student declares the biology major, and any grade requirement, is not stated on the pages read; please ask the department or the dean’s office. Conditions for switching into the biology major are likewise not published.
• Research: the department says students meet modern research techniques in laboratory courses and can do semi-independent research under a faculty member, often for credit; each spring students present posters at the Academic Conference, some projects are published with students as co-authors, and faculty often take students to national society meetings with full financial support from the College (all the department’s own descriptions). The department also runs the Schaeffer family seminar series with visiting scientists.
• Facilities and fieldwork: the department lists tissue and cell culture facilities, a microscopy facility with live-cell fluorescence, laser scanning confocal and scanning electron microscopes, real-time thermocyclers, surface plasmon resonance, a flow cytometer, growth chambers, a motorized jon boat and aquatic sampling equipment, and greenhouses; it also makes extensive use of nearby sites for field studies in ecology and evolution.
• Study abroad: the program page says many biology majors study abroad for one or two semesters in junior year; popular biology-focused programs include the Organization for Tropical Studies (OTS) in Costa Rica or South Africa, the School for Field Studies (SFS) at sites in the Caribbean, Africa, Central America and Australia/New Zealand, and SEA Semester in the Caribbean or Polynesia. How credit applies to the major is not stated on the pages read.

2. Prerequisites, course choices and undergraduate research

• High school course requirements: the admission pages read (How to Apply, international, transfer) do not say which mathematics or science courses are expected, nor any biology-specific high school requirement; please ask the admission office.
• Introductory courses and mathematics/chemistry choices: the introductory sequence is BIOL 161, 162 and 163, and chemistry starts with CHEM 181; the program page does not describe a placement exam or advice for choosing the first course, and course descriptions and prerequisites are in the catalog, which was not read.
• AP / IB credit: the program page says biology majors with AP scores in biology do not receive credit toward the minimum number of required major courses nor advanced standing; non-major students with AP Biology scores of 4 or 5 receive natural science common credit. The treatment of IB results is not stated on the pages read.
• Honors and undergraduate research: see Section 1 for research; the entry point to any honors track is not described on the pages read.
• 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 website)

• Deadlines: Early Decision I (binding) Nov. 15, notification Dec. 15; Early Decision II Jan. 15, notification Feb. 15; Regular Decision Jan. 15, notification mid-March. The College says it offers no non-binding Early Action. The tables print no year; the financial aid page on the same site states that aid for 2027–2028 is based on 2025 tax-year income and shows the same dates, but please still check that the dates apply to fall 2027 entry.
• How to apply and fee: the Common Application or the Coalition Application with Scoir (choose one); application fee $65; the site lists many fee waivers (Common App and Coalition criteria, community-based organizations, Catholic high schools, Jesuit or Cristo Rey high schools, natural disaster relief, residents of “Gateway Cities”, Worcester public schools and others).
• Required: high school transcript; two letters of recommendation, one from a school counselor and one from a teacher (the page does not say the teacher must teach biology); Early Decision applicants also submit the Early Decision Agreement Form. The pages read do not list a supplemental essay requirement; please check with the College.
• Interview: a personal interview is “strongly recommended” but optional; interview deadlines are Nov. 15 (ED I) and Dec. 5 (ED II and RD); off-campus alumni interviews are not available for Early Decision applicants.
• Testing: SAT/ACT scores are completely optional with no disadvantage for not submitting; if submitted they may be self-reported, and the College superscores both the SAT and the ACT; College Board code 3282, ACT code 1810.
• Optional materials: supplementary portfolios and similar, and Schoolhouse.world certifications in subjects such as calculus, computer science and statistics (uploadable to the applicant portal).

5. US domestic applicants

• Costs (2026–27): the tuition and fees page lists one price, with no in-state or out-of-state distinction: tuition $70,220, standard housing $11,500, resident food plan $9,090, health service fee $470 and activity fee $460, for $91,740 with housing and food and $71,150 without; other fees listed include a $150 graduation fee and $2,921 for health insurance (full year). Figures for fall 2027 entry are not published; check when released.
• Aid: the College says it meets 100% of demonstrated need, determined from the FAFSA and CSS Profile (FAFSA code 002141, CSS code 3282); the aid page dates: CSS Profile, FAFSA and tax forms to IDOC due Nov. 15 (ED I) and Jan. 15 (ED II and RD). The scholarships page says families earning $100,000 or less with reasonable assets receive a full-tuition grant; nearly 450 first-year students are offered a Holy Cross Grant each year, ranging from $2,500 to more than $60,000; institutional funding is primarily need-based with a limited number of merit scholarships (such as Magis; the Faber Scholarship combines academic achievement with demonstrated need), and the Ellis Scholarship gives full tuition to a Worcester resident. Some scholarships are tied to majors such as music, classics and theatre and do not apply to biology.
• Preference or guaranteed admission for state residents: not stated on the pages read. For residents of Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Vermont, the College expects students to apply for their state grants.

6. International applicants

• Who counts: anyone who is not a US citizen or permanent resident; ED or RD are both open, with the same deadlines as domestic first-year applicants; the application is completed in English, and secondary records and recommendations are submitted as originals or notarized copies with certified English translations if necessary.
• English proficiency: applicants who did not attend an English-speaking high school and are not native English speakers submit TOEFL (including Home Edition), IELTS (including Indicator) or the Duolingo English Test; the College says its “most competitive applicants” score 100+ on the TOEFL, 7+ on the IELTS or 120 on the DET.
• Financial documents: the Holy Cross Certification of Finances form (completed in the applicant portal after applying, in US dollars, listing funding for all four years) and a bank letter or financial affidavit in English. The I-20 is issued only after admission; an F-1 visa is required.
• Interview: optional but strongly encouraged; a limited number of virtual interviews are provided after applying through the International Interview Request form; the Duolingo English Test can also stand in for an interview.
• Aid: the aid page says the College meets 100% of demonstrated need for all admitted international students, but funding is limited and aid for international applicants is “very competitive”; international applicants complete the CSS Profile for International Students. The international page also says limited funding is available for international students.

7. Applicants from China

• Gaokao: the website does not say whether or how the gaokao is used; it is not published. Contact admissions@holycross.edu.
• Interviews: the international students page says “our most successful applicants from China” submit interviews via the online platforms InitialView or Vericant.
• Transcripts and school-leaving exam materials: no China-specific requirements are published; see Section 6 for the general requirements (translations, English proficiency, finances).
• International curricula: for how AP and IB results are treated after enrolment, see Section 3.

8. Costs, scholarships and outcomes

• Costs: see Section 5.
• Department scholarships: the major-specific scholarships on the scholarships page are for music, classics and theatre; a biology-specific scholarship for entering students is not described on the pages read.
• Outcomes (as printed): the department page says more than 80 percent of graduates attend graduate school in some area of biology or a health-related professional school (medical, dental, veterinary, etc.) within four years of graduation; the program page adds that graduates enter careers in biotech, science communication, wildlife conservation, ecology and environmental science. The pages give no year or graduate counts.

9. Transfer students

• Who may apply: the transfer page says first-, second- and third-year transfer students are welcome; the How to Apply page says second- and third-year transfers are welcome; the two statements differ slightly, so please confirm with the admission office. There is no application fee for transfers.
• Deadlines: fall entry April 1, spring entry November 1, with rolling notification; materials are due one month after the application deadline (May 1 for fall, December 1 for spring). Financial aid: CSS Profile, FAFSA and tax documents April 1 (fall) and December 1 (spring). The tables print no year; please check.
• Materials: the Common App Transfer Application; final high school transcript; official transcripts of all college work; a midterm progress report for courses in progress; two professor recommendations (high school or personal recommendations are accepted if two professors are not available); course descriptions for all college courses; the College Official’s Report; an interview is strongly recommended (fall transfer interview deadline May 1, spring December 1); test scores are optional.
• Credit and the major: a credit evaluation is carried out during application review, and accepted transfer students receive it within 24 hours of the decision letter. Transfer requirements specific to biology (credits, grades or prerequisites) are not stated on the pages read; please ask the admission office and the department. Transfer students are eligible for need-based aid and merit scholarships.

Checklist

US domestic applicants:

• ED I Nov. 15; ED II and RD Jan. 15; $65 fee; one counselor and one teacher recommendation; SAT/ACT optional; interview strongly recommended
• CSS Profile, FAFSA and tax forms (dates in Section 5)

International applicants (including those from China):

• TOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo (for non-native English speakers not attending an English-speaking high school); Certification of Finances form and bank letter; original or notarized records with certified English translations
• If you need aid, complete the CSS Profile for International Students; funding is limited

After admission:

• Start the introductory sequence with BIOL 161 while planning chemistry (from CHEM 181), calculus and statistics; if you are interested in the biochemistry concentration, apply in the spring of sophomore year

Transfer students:

• April 1 (fall) or November 1 (spring); no application fee; two professor recommendations; course descriptions for all college courses; credit evaluation within 24 hours of the decision

Sources: College of the Holy Cross, Biology program; Biology department; Biochemistry concentration; How to apply; International students; Transfer students; Tuition and fees; Scholarships and grants; Financial aid. The dates on the application pages show no year, so check that they apply to fall 2027 entry. The College catalog (catalog.holycross.edu) was not read; see the College’s website for the latest course rules.