How to Apply to Biology at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo: B.S. Biological Sciences, Microbiology and Marine Sciences in the Biological Sciences Department, Admission by Major with Applicants Competing Within the Same Major, for Domestic, International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Applicants

California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly) is part of the California State University (CSU) system. Undergraduate biology is taught by the Biological Sciences Department in the Bailey College of Science and Mathematics. This guide follows Cal Poly’s admissions site, the college’s major pages and the department’s website, and covers domestic applicants, international applicants, applicants from China and transfer students. Where the official pages say nothing, we write “not published” or “not stated in the pages we read” and point you to where to check. The Biochemistry degree belongs to the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and is not covered here; medicine, pharmacy and nursing degrees are outside this guide, so see Cal Poly’s website.

1. Degrees and tracks

• The department’s undergraduate degrees: the degree page lists the B.S. in Biological Sciences, the B.S. in Marine Sciences and the B.S. in Microbiology; the major pages also list minors in biology, biotechnology, environmental studies and microbiology. Required-course lists and credit totals are in Cal Poly’s course catalog and are not given in the pages we read, so check the catalog.
• Biological Sciences B.S.: the degree page describes a broad education in biology from molecules to ecosystems that prepares students for biomedical and teaching careers and for certification as an Associate Ecologist, Fisheries Biologist or Associate Wildlife Biologist. The major page says courses span all levels from cells to ecosystems with hands-on laboratory and field training, including anatomy, botany, microbiology, marine science and animal physiology, plus independent research with a senior project requirement; more than three-fourths of courses include a lab section, for example animal anatomy and physiology, cell and molecular biology, ecology and evolution, environmental physiology, plant ecology and wildlife ecology.
• Concentrations: the undergraduate concentrations page lists four areas: Anatomy and Physiology (for medicine and health careers); Ecology, Evolution, Biodiversity and Conservation (recommended for students seeking certification from bodies such as The Wildlife Society and the Ecological Society of America); Molecular and Cellular Biology (for biotechnology and biomedical research, and also for health professions); and the General Curriculum in Biology, which is not a concentration, is the default for students who do not declare one, and is the most flexible, useful for students considering teaching biology at the secondary level. The department’s pages contradict each other here: its degree page says “five concentrations” (anatomy and physiology, ecology, marine biology and conservation, molecular and cellular biology, wildlife and biodiversity) plus General Biology, and in another sentence says “six concentrations,” while the college’s major page lists three concentrations. Check the catalog for the current names and number.
• Microbiology B.S.: described as laboratory-intensive, preparing students for graduate school, professional studies or careers in industrial, food and dairy microbiology, biotechnology, public health microbiology, epidemiology or clinical laboratory scientist programs. Freshmen take foundational biology (organismal, cellular and molecular biology, evolution, ecology and biodiversity), sophomores get hands-on training in handling microorganisms and study microbial structure, metabolism, genetics and ecology, and juniors and seniors take medical microbiology, immunology, microbial physiology, genetics, virology and cell biology plus electives chosen with a faculty advisor.
• Marine Sciences B.S.: described as a broad foundation across marine science areas, with community-oriented ocean-literacy outreach required and flexibility to focus on marine biology, chemistry, oceanography or engineering; upper-division core courses include Marine Ecology, Biological Oceanography, Marine Chemistry and Ocean Sampling, plus courses on marine organisms, conservation and community involvement. The major page mentions an independent capstone project and resources such as a private research pier at the Center for Coastal Marine Sciences in Avila Beach and research vessels.
• Minors: the major pages list minors in Biology (for non-majors), Biotechnology, Environmental Studies and Microbiology.

2. How admission works: by major, at the time you apply

• Choose your major on the application: as section 4 explains, Cal Poly requires a major on the application and admits by major, with applicants competing only within the same major; list an alternate major. Biological Sciences, Microbiology and Marine Sciences are separate majors, so choose among them when you apply.
• Concentrations are declared after you enroll: the concentrations page says students declare a concentration through a link on that page; students who do not default to the General Curriculum.
• Thresholds inside the major: the department pages we read give no major GPA requirement, seat limit or conditions for changing majors after enrollment; changing majors is prohibited after the application change deadline (31 January) and not guaranteed after admission (admissions “impaction” page).

3. Prerequisites, high school courses and AP/IB credit

• High school courses: see the A–G list in section 4. Cal Poly requires two years of laboratory science, including one year of biological science (four recommended), and three years of mathematics (five recommended, with two further years of advanced math suggested). The department’s own high school biology, chemistry or mathematics requirements are not published.
• AP/IB credit and first-year courses: the pages we read do not say how Cal Poly awards AP or IB credit or list the first-year required courses; check with Cal Poly admissions and the department.
• Biology competitions: the pages we read do not say how competitions such as the Biology Olympiad are viewed in admissions.

4. Timeline, selection and materials

• Application window (first-year and transfer alike): apply through Cal State Apply, the application for all CSU campuses, from 1 October to 30 November, with a 11:59 p.m. Pacific deadline and no late applications; the last day to request changes is 31 January; admission decisions are sent by 1 April; and you must accept or decline on the Application Status Portal by 1 May. The pages show no year, but they give 31 January 2027 as the music and art and design portfolio and supplement deadline, which indicates the 2027 entry cycle; check it anyway.
• Fee and aid timing: $70 per campus unless you qualify for a fee waiver (the application tells you at submission). The California Dream Act application opens on 1 October and the FAFSA should be filed early; scholarships are awarded from April through August.
• You must choose a major: the selection page says Cal Poly requires a major on the application and applicants compete only against others in the same major; admission is competitive in all majors. The impaction page says the threshold differs by major, depending on capacity and the number of applicants; applicants are encouraged to list an alternate major, which may be considered if space is available; changing majors is prohibited after the application change deadline and not guaranteed after admission.
• Multi-Criteria Admission (MCA): the selection page lists the intended major, college-prep coursework (including 12th-grade courses in progress or planned, based on self-reported information; do not send official transcripts unless asked), the 9th–11th grade weighted GPA (weight for honors, college-level, AP or IB courses for up to eight semesters), activities and work experience, and other variables; it stresses that GPA and test scores “when applicable” cannot predict a result alone. Whether SAT or ACT scores are required or accepted is not spelled out in the pages we read; check Cal Poly’s admissions pages.
• High school courses (A–G): history/social science 2 years (one of world history, cultures or historical geography and one of U.S. history; or half a year of U.S. history plus half of civics or government); English 4 years (5 recommended); mathematics 3 years (5 recommended; algebra 2 years covering Algebra 1 and 2, geometry 1 year; Cal Poly recommends two further years of advanced math such as trigonometry, pre-calculus, calculus or statistics for better chances); laboratory science 2 years (one physical and one biological science; 4 recommended; covering two of biology, chemistry and physics); language other than English 2 years (4 recommended); visual and performing arts 1 year; electives 1 year. Seventh- and eighth-grade math and language courses can be entered on the application.
• Admit profile: the first-year profile (2025 preliminary data, not by major): College of Science and Mathematics 15,276 applied, 4,624 selected, target 786, GPA 4.11–4.25; whole university 71,171 applied, 20,513 selected, target 5,500, GPA 4.04–4.25. The page does not explain the “Target” column further.
• Impaction and local preference: the CSU considers Cal Poly impacted at the campus level and for all undergraduate programs (more qualified applicants than spaces), so meeting minimum CSU requirements does not guarantee admission; preference goes to local applicants who graduate from high schools in San Luis Obispo County, northern Santa Barbara County and southern Monterey County; all applicants are encouraged to apply to an alternative CSU campus offering their major.

5. Domestic applicants

• Costs (2026–27 estimate, students enrolling for the first time in fall 2026, College of Science and Mathematics): California residents—tuition and fees $14,682; housing $12,682 (residence hall), meals $7,656, books and materials $1,160, miscellaneous $2,586, transportation $1,466 and loan fees $72, with listed totals of $40,304 living in a residence hall, $43,106 off campus and $34,342 living with family. Non-residents also pay non-resident tuition of $14,130 (30 units at $471 per unit) and an opportunity fee of $8,804, with listed totals of $63,238 in a residence hall and $66,040 off campus. These are for fall 2026 entrants; figures for fall 2027 entry are not published in the pages we read, so check the costs page.
• Residency for tuition purposes: whether you pay in-state or out-of-state tuition is separate from being a California resident and follows state rules; Cal Poly decides after admission and asks for documents only when needed.
• Financial aid: the first-year cost and aid page says most aid and scholarships require the FAFSA, and that Cal Poly offers scholarships, grants, loans and work-study depending on funds, enrollment status and financial need.
• Local preference: see “Impaction and local preference” above.

6. International applicants

• Overall requirements: the international selection page says international students educated in the United States meet the general first-year requirements; those educated outside the U.S. must meet country-based entry requirements; all must meet the minimum English exam scores. The application window is the same as for domestic applicants (1 October to 30 November, Cal State Apply), with an international file completion deadline of 15 February (31 January for art and design, music and transfer architecture), and an earlier submission is recommended; decisions are due by 1 April.
• Transcripts: the transcripts page says first-year applicants have every school attended in grades 9–11 (including in-progress or fall coursework) send transcripts directly to Cal Poly, which will say whether an independent evaluation of the international credentials is required, at the applicant’s cost; IB students also need official predicted IB scores; documents must be in the native language with a certified English translation; do not send transcripts until you have submitted the application.
• English: applicants whose native language is not English need the TOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo. TOEFL iBT minimum 80 if taken before 21 January 2026, or 4.5 if taken on or after that date (institution code 4038); IELTS minimum 6.5, taken within two years; Duolingo minimum 115, taken within two years. Undergraduate applicants educated for at least three years in an institution whose language of instruction is English may request a waiver, with a form and official transcripts; it is reviewed as an appeal, with a letter within about three weeks. The page also lists citizenships (for example Australia, Canada except Quebec, Ireland, New Zealand and the United Kingdom) with an automatic waiver.
• Funds and aid: the international tuition page says Cal Poly does not provide financial aid to international students, applicants must show they or a sponsor can pay their expenses, and they should not count on a job; work opportunities in San Luis Obispo are limited and subject to visa regulation.
• Costs (2026–27 estimate, College of Science and Mathematics): on top of the non-resident total, international students pay an international student fee of $900 and mandatory health insurance of $1,533, with a listed total of $68,473 (the same figure in the on-campus and off-campus columns). The page says the undergraduate full-time average for an international student is 45 units per academic year.

7. Applicants from China

• Country-based entry requirement: the table lists China as “Required: Senior Middle School Diploma; Preferred: Gaokao.” So the gaokao is listed as preferred; how it is used and how scores are viewed is not published, so ask Cal Poly admissions (admissions@calpoly.edu).
• Transcripts and evaluation: see above; transcripts from Chinese schools need the original language plus a certified English translation, and Cal Poly says after receiving them whether an independent evaluation is required. Requirements for Chinese school-exam documents are not stated in the pages we read.
• English: see above; TOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo, with a possible waiver for undergraduate applicants who spent at least three years in an English-medium school.
• International curricula: IB students must submit official predicted IB scores. How AP or IB credit is awarded is not described in the pages we read.

8. Undergraduate research, senior project and outcomes

• Research and senior project: the department’s student research page says that, in keeping with Cal Poly’s Learn by Doing tradition, undergraduates are required to participate in research and complete a senior project in order to graduate, as across the College of Science and Mathematics; projects are faculty-directed and range from field ecology and natural resource management to molecular biology and biotechnology. Facilities dedicated to student research include the Center for Coastal Marine Sciences’ Avila Pier facility and the Center for Applications in Biotechnology (CAB). Projects are funded by private, state and federal agencies, including the National Science Foundation, the Office of Naval Research and the National Institutes of Health.
• Outcomes: the major page says many graduates go on to Ph.D. and M.D. programs in California and across the country, while others work in teaching, laboratory technology, public health, biotechnology research and manufacturing, wildlife management, consulting, agriculture, and park and forest services. The Microbiology page mentions Clinical Laboratory Scientist or Public Health Microbiologist certification, and the Marine Sciences page mentions academic research, advocacy and conservation, science education, government and the private sector. No employment or graduate-study figures are given.
• Facilities: about three-fourths of courses include a lab section; students can take specialized anatomy classes usually offered to first-year medical students, and the major page mentions a cadaver lab.

9. Transfer students

• Who counts as a transfer student: the transfer selection page we read does not define the term; transfers follow the same window as first-year applicants—1 October to 30 November through Cal State Apply, with a $70 fee, some changes allowed until 31 January, and an update of fall grades and planned winter/spring courses requested in January; decisions come by 1 April and acceptance is due 1 May. Applicants from California community colleges can use the CSU Transfer Planner.
• Selection: the transfer selection page says applicants also declare a major and compete only within it. Most majors require at least 60 transferable semester units (90 quarter units) before transfer, completed by the end of the previous spring for fall entry; applicants must complete four general education courses (the “Golden Four”: critical thinking, with some engineering majors excluded; mathematical concepts/quantitative reasoning; oral communication; written communication), each with a grade of C- or better. The CSU requires an overall college GPA of at least 2.00, but Cal Poly is highly impacted and admitted students typically have higher GPAs; applicants must be in good standing at their last school, and activities, work experience and residence are also considered. Each major has its own transfer criteria and required coursework, shown only after selecting a major on the “major-specific transfer criteria” page; the content for chemistry or biology is not in the pages we read, so select the major on that page to check.
• International transfers: the international selection page says they must meet the general transfer requirements and the English exam requirements, and a university abroad must be recognized by the International Association of Universities; the transcripts page adds that transfer applicants who attended an international school must submit an evaluation from World Education Services in addition to official transcripts.
• Department-specific transfer information: the pages we read give no transfer requirements for Biological Sciences, Microbiology or Marine Sciences (such as required prerequisite courses or GPA); select the major on the admissions “major-specific transfer criteria” page to check, or contact the department.

Sources: California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, Biological Sciences (Cal Poly major page); Microbiology (Cal Poly major page); Marine Sciences (Cal Poly major page); Biological Sciences: degree programs; Biological Sciences: undergraduate concentrations; Biological Sciences: prospective students; Biological Sciences: student research; Bailey College of Science and Mathematics; Undergraduate admissions; Impaction; First-year selection criteria; High school course requirements; First-year student profile; First-year dates and deadlines; First-year how to apply; First-year cost and aid; International selection criteria; Country-based entry requirements; English exam requirements; International transcripts; International dates and deadlines; International how to apply; International tuition and fees; Transfer selection criteria; Major-specific transfer criteria; Transfer dates and deadlines; Transfer how to apply; Residency for tuition purposes; Undergraduate costs 2026-27. The admissions pages show no year for most dates, so check that they apply to fall 2027 entry. Costs are the 2026-27 estimates shown; check Cal Poly for the latest details.