How to Apply to Chemistry at Michigan State University: A B.A. or a B.S. (the B.S. Meets American Chemical Society Recognition Requirements), Available Through the College of Natural Science or Lyman Briggs College, for Domestic, International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Applicants

Michigan State University (MSU) is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan. This guide covers the undergraduate Chemistry major only; biology, medicine, nursing and other professional programs are outside it, so please check the website. Please note first: the Department of Chemistry website, the College of Natural Science website and the Lyman Briggs College pages are not among the pages read for this guide, so the required course list, prerequisites and the department’s undergraduate research and scholarship information are not published in the pages read; please check the website.

1. Degrees and directions in chemistry

• B.A. and B.S. (chemistry major page): students can pursue either a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Science. The B.A. is for students who want a less specialized background than the B.S.; the page says students who want to teach chemistry in high school normally complete the B.A.
• B.S.: the page says the B.S. gives a thorough foundation in the various fields of chemistry and related sciences for students planning careers in the chemical industries or government laboratories or graduate work in chemistry; the degree satisfies requirements for professional recognition by the American Chemical Society (ACS), and most B.S. graduates continue to a doctoral program.
• College: the page says students pursuing the B.S. can also complete the major through Lyman Briggs College; the restricted-majors page says chemistry can be completed through the College of Natural Science or Lyman Briggs College. Lyman Briggs College’s own pages are not among the pages read.
• Four principal areas: the major page says students study the properties, composition and reactions of substances across analytical, inorganic, organic and physical chemistry.
• Pre-health: the page says chemistry is also a popular choice for students planning dentistry, medicine or optometry school, and the College of Natural Science offers pre-professional resources. Those professional degrees are outside this guide.
• The required course list, laboratory arrangements and any thesis or research requirement are linked only to the Registrar’s program pages (addresses with query parameters), which are not among the pages read; not published in the pages read.

2. Admission route: apply to the university and name a major preference

• Naming a major (first-year checklist): first-year applicants do not have to declare a major, but the application asks for a major preference; applicants who are undecided can choose “Exploratory preference”. Fall first-year applicants can change the preference in their account until 1 May; anyone who applies or is admitted after 1 May cannot change it until New Student Orientation (NSO). The first-year pages do not say whether chemistry has its own admission line; transfer requirements are in section 7.
• Admission criteria (first-year criteria page): the page says admission is competitive but there are no minimum requirements. The factors are high school performance, strength and quality of curriculum, recent trends, class rank, ACT/SAT results (optional) and leadership, talents, conduct and diversity of experience. MSU strongly encourages a college-preparatory curriculum; at a minimum: four years of English, three of mathematics (two of algebra, one of geometry), three of social studies, two of science (biology, chemistry, physics or earth science) and two years of a single foreign language. Applications lacking one area are still considered, but a less rigorous curriculum is a disadvantage. Honors, AP and IB courses are encouraged.
• Admitted-class profile (labelled Fall 2026 first-year, middle 50% of enrolled students): high school GPA 3.5–4.0; composite ACT 25–31; total SAT 1100–1320; entering class 9,657. This is the fall 2026 profile, not a 2027 cut-off. Profiles by major are not published.
• Testing: test optional. Applicants choose whether scores are included in the review, can self-report scores, and admitted students send official scores before NSO. MSU uses the highest composite ACT or total SAT from a single sitting and does not combine subscores from different sittings. ACT code 2032, SAT code 1465; the writing and science portions are recommended but not required.
• Materials: $75 application fee (waivers for eligible applicants); official high school transcripts, including dual-enrolment and early/middle-college transcripts, sent directly by the schools; one essay of 250–650 words chosen from the listed prompts; no letters of recommendation. Applicants may use the MSU application, the Common App or the Coalition application (Scoir), but should submit only one.
• Dates (first-year dates page, no year printed; please confirm they apply to fall 2027): early action (non-binding) 1 November, with an initial decision by 15 January; regular deadline 1 April, with a decision guaranteed by 31 March for complete applications received by 1 February (priority) and rolling review after that; accept the offer and pay the acceptance fee by 1 May. The page says the number of qualified applicants has exceeded available space in recent years and advises applying by 1 November.
• Transfer applicants must choose a major, and those with 42 or more transferable credits should check the additional requirements for restricted majors, as set out in section 7.

3. Prerequisites and credit

• High school preparation: see the university’s recommended college-preparatory curriculum above (at least two years of science: biology, chemistry, physics or earth science). The pages read do not state chemistry-specific requirements for high school chemistry, physics or calculus.
• Prerequisites and credit: the university’s general advice is above; the pages read do not give chemistry-specific requirements for high school chemistry, physics, biology or calculus. The advanced-credit page says strong scores in AP, IB, A-Level, CLEP and DSST exams can earn a course waiver or credit, with scores sent to the Office of Admissions by the testing agency; the equivalency tables sit on a separate transfer-credit site that is not among the pages read, so which exam score replaces which required course is not published in the pages read; please check the website. The page also says dual-enrolment courses may earn credit and that high school mathematics should extend through a pre-calculus-level class.
• Undergraduate research and competitions: not published in the pages read; the website does not say how chemistry olympiads are viewed in admission.

4. US domestic applicants: costs and aid

• 2026–2027 estimates (cost and aid page; rates for the following year are finalized each July): Michigan-resident first-year student: tuition $17,656, fees and taxes $466, food and housing $13,574, books and supplies $1,420, personal $3,930, travel $1,300, total about $38,346 as printed; non-resident first-year student: tuition $45,040, fees and taxes $466, the same other items, travel $2,600, total about $67,030 as printed. The estimate assumes 12–18 credits a semester, a double room and the Silver dining plan. The page also warns that tuition moves to junior and senior rates after a student earns the 56th credit. The 2027–2028 figures are not published in the pages read; please check.
• Cost after aid (page figures): the average in-state tuition, food and housing cost after aid is about $22,034, and in 2024–25 61% of in-state first-year students received grants or scholarships averaging $8,268; out-of-state, about $42,138, with 94% receiving aid averaging $15,548.
• First-year scholarships (first-year scholarship page): four groups—criteria-specific, high-achieving, Michigan-resident and out-of-state-resident scholarships—plus a Native American scholarship. Review uses the 9th–11th grade GPA (weighted if available) and, if submitted, only the best ACT or SAT score, with no superscoring; applicants without scores are reviewed on high school performance and the whole application, and the essay may also be used. Amounts and thresholds sit on second-level pages that are not among the pages read; please check the website.
• Early action and scholarships: applying by the 1 November early action deadline gives automatic maximum scholarship consideration.

5. International applicants

• Who counts as international: applicants who are not US citizens or permanent residents and hold or need a visa. Anyone who has taken college classes after high school applies as an international transfer student (section 7).
• Fee and materials (international checklist): $75 application fee; original or attested copies of transcripts, mark sheets, certificates and diplomas sent directly by each secondary school, college or examination board; an official translation of any document not in English; one essay; do not send letters of recommendation, photographs, portfolios or extra essays, which will delay processing. International applicants may choose whether to submit ACT/SAT scores, but those without them must provide another English test score.
• English proficiency (English proficiency page): required of applicants who are not US citizens or permanent residents and whose first language is not English. Regular admission: TOEFL iBT taken before 21 January 2026, 79 with no subscore below 17; taken on or after 21 January 2026, 4 with no section below 4 (3.5 for speaking); IELTS 6.5; Duolingo 110; SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing 510 with a composite of 1110 or higher; ACT English 18 with a composite of 23 or higher; PTE Academic 53 with subscores of 48; MSUELT average 80 with no subscore below 80 (or an average of 85 with none below 78); AP English Language 4; and certain A-Level and IB English results (IB English A at 5 or higher). Provisional admission: TOEFL 60–78 (3.5 on the new scale), IELTS 6.0, Duolingo 95–105, PTE average of at least 46, MSUELT 65–79; provisionally admitted students take the MSUELT on arrival and are placed in full-time academic courses, a mix, or full-time English language courses. Three consecutive years of full-time US high school (from ninth grade, GPA 3.0 or higher) can also satisfy the requirement. TOEFL code 1465. Whether chemistry has a higher English requirement is not stated in the pages read.
• Dates: as for first-year students—early action 1 November, regular 1 April (priority 1 February), acceptance fee by 1 May (no year printed; please confirm for fall 2027).
• Visa and funds: after admission, students upload a signed affidavit of support and a bank statement with the account holder’s name in English through the admissions account; do not send paper financial documents with the application. The cost page gives a 2026–2027 international first-year estimate: tuition $45,040, fees and taxes $1,966, food and housing $14,146, books and supplies $1,420, personal $3,930, medical $3,998, travel $2,600, total about $73,100, noting that this is also the basis of the financial proof needed for the I-20.
• International scholarships (international scholarship page): every admitted international student is automatically considered for the MSU Non-resident Scholarship, in six levels of $18,000, $15,000, $12,000, $9,000, $5,000 and $3,000 (President’s, Provost’s, Dean’s, 1855, Beaumont Tower and Global Community Scholars), announced by mid-February; only a limited number receive offers and meeting the criteria does not guarantee one. There are also, for Honors College invitees, the Honors College Excellence Scholarship ($13,000 a year over eight semesters) and the Professorial Assistantship (a stipend of about $3,500 a year), plus the Red Cedar Scholarship for children and grandchildren of alumni ($1,250 a year) and a Presidential Study Abroad Scholarship ($3,000 or $5,000); conditions are on that page.

6. Applicants from China

• Transcript requirements (international transcript requirements page, China entry): currently in upper secondary school—official transcripts from upper middle school (gaozhong, grades 10–12) in both Chinese and English, with courses in progress or the grade 12 curriculum, plus an official study certificate confirming enrolment; completed—the final official gaozhong transcript (grades 10–12) in Chinese and English and the diploma in Chinese and English.
• The Gaokao: the pages read do not mention whether the Gaokao is considered or how it would be used; not published there, please contact the admissions office.
• Other requirements are as in section 5: the fee, the essay, an English score (TOEFL, IELTS, Duolingo and others) and the proof of funds after admission. The pages give no separate guidance for chemistry applicants from China.
• The page reminds applicants that they must certify all documents are authentic, and that they remain responsible for the application even if a consultant is used; falsification or omission may lead to cancellation of admission.

7. Transfer students

• Who counts as a transfer student: anyone who has taken college classes after high school; those who only took college classes during high school or the summer right after graduation still apply as first-year students.
• Admission criteria (transfer criteria page): a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher with strong grade performance; 24 or more transferable credits earned after high school; applicants with fewer than 24 transferable credits also send final high school transcripts, with ACT/SAT optional; all courses attempted count toward the GPA. Applicants are encouraged to meet the criteria at least one full semester (16 weeks) before enrolling. A major must be chosen on the application; with 42 or more transferable credits, Exploratory, pre-nursing and pre-veterinary cannot be chosen.
• Transfer requirements for chemistry (restricted majors page; its opening text addresses transfer and early/middle-college applicants with 42 or more transferable credits, and the page does not say whether the same thresholds apply to applicants with fewer credits, so please check with the admissions office): chemistry can be completed through the College of Natural Science or Lyman Briggs College, and the requirements differ. College of Natural Science: course work equivalent to College Algebra (MTH 103) or College Algebra and Trigonometry (MTH 116) must be completed before applying. Lyman Briggs College: course work equivalent to MTH 103 must be completed before applying, and applicants are advised to apply by 1 November of the fall semester before the academic year they want to start; later applications are considered as space allows. The page adds that the Lyman Briggs fall transfer deadline is 15 January, on a first-come, first-served basis, that the college suits students transferring fewer than 24 credits, and that it has its own graduation requirements. Courses in progress do not satisfy a requirement; they must be completed at the time of application.
• Dates (transfer dates page): the fall (August start) transfer application for 2027 opened on 1 August 2026; the page says the fall 2026 application closed on 1 May 2026, and the text read does not print a closing date for fall 2027. The spring 2027 application opened 1 June 2026 and the summer 2027 application opens 1 November 2026 (international transfer students cannot apply for summer). Admission is rolling and the application may close early if space fills; decisions are typically made 8–12 weeks after all materials are received.
• Materials: $75 application fee (international transfer students cannot receive a fee waiver); official transcripts from every institution attended; one essay; no letters of recommendation; AP, IB, A-Level or CLEP scores for credit sent by the testing agency.
• Credit (transfer credits page): transfers from two-year institutions may bring a maximum of 60 semester credits; courses need a grade of 2.0 or higher; admitted students see their official credit evaluation in the student information system shortly before NSO; MSU does not cooperate with third-party summer programs for transfer credit.
• Transfer scholarships (transfer scholarship page; amounts vary each year): the Spartan Transfer Scholarship, $1,500 or $2,500 a year (at least 28 transfer hours and a cumulative GPA of 3.5); the Associate Achievement Award, $1,500 a year (an associate degree with a 3.0 GPA); Michigan-resident awards such as the Community College and Trustee scholarships; and a Phi Theta Kappa scholarship (GPA 3.5 or higher, 42 credits or more). Credits earned during high school are not counted and applicants with a bachelor’s degree are not eligible. International transfer students are not eligible for MSU scholarships.
• International transfer students (international transfer page): the same criteria (GPA 2.5, 24 credits); $75 fee; transcripts from institutions outside the US must be sent sealed by each institution, with course descriptions and syllabi for any university coursework completed outside the US; proof of English as in section 5. MSU cannot guarantee transfer credit before admission.

8. Career outcomes

• The major page says graduates work at colleges and universities, consulting firms, forensic laboratories, high schools and middle schools, pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology companies and private research labs, in roles such as biochemical engineer, chemical patent lawyer, food scientist and technologist, forensic scientist, educator, technical editor and scientist. The page gives no employment data; not published.

Checklist

US domestic applicants:

• Early action 1 November or regular 1 April (confirm the current year’s dates); $75 fee; high school transcript; a 250–650 word essay; ACT/SAT optional; no recommendation letters

International applicants (including China):

• $75 fee; high school transcripts (Chinese and English for Chinese applicants); essay; English score (TOEFL, IELTS, Duolingo, etc.); affidavit of support and bank statement after admission; whether the Gaokao is considered is not published

Transfer students:

• Cumulative GPA of 2.5 and 24 or more transferable credits; choose a major and check restricted-major conditions; international transfer students are not eligible for scholarships

Sources: Michigan State University Office of Admissions, Major page: Chemistry; First-year checklist; First-year dates; First-year criteria; Test optional; Advanced credits; International checklist; International dates; English proficiency; Transcript requirements; International transfer; Transfer checklist; Transfer dates; Transfer criteria; Transfer credits; Restricted majors; Cost and aid; First-year scholarships; International scholarships; Transfer scholarships. Anything not stated on these pages should be checked with the MSU Office of Admissions; where a date carries no year, please confirm it applies to fall 2027 entry.