How to Apply to Biology at Marshall University: A BS in Biological Sciences with Three Areas of Emphasis and a BA in the College of Science, a Capstone for Every Major, and the Admission Route and Prerequisites for US, International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Applicants

Marshall University is a public university in Huntington, West Virginia. Biology-related undergraduate degrees are offered by the Department of Biological Sciences in the College of Science. 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 College of Science page lists pre-professional pathways for health careers, which are not expanded here); chemistry, physics, mathematics and engineering are also not covered. The required-course lists are in the undergraduate catalog and the academic maps, which were 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 page says it offers a Bachelor of Science with three areas of emphasis, a Bachelor of Arts, accelerated graduate programs leading to a Master of Science or Master of Arts, and a minor.
• Biological Sciences BS: the department page says all majors require a minimum of 40 hours of coursework in the Department of Biological Sciences—20 hours of core courses, a 2-hour capstone (BSC 491) and a minimum of 18–20 hours of electives chosen with advisers—plus the College of Science requirements in humanities and social sciences and support courses in chemistry, physics and mathematics. The three areas of emphasis are General Biology; Cell, Molecular, & Medical Biology; and Ecology, Evolutionary, & Organismal Biology.
• Biological Sciences BA: the program page says it suits students who want to double major in a non-science discipline such as business, communication or education; students choose six upper-level biology electives, at least four at the 400 level, for example toward cell biology, human physiology or microbiology; the core covers genetics, ecology and chemistry and is integrated with the University’s core curriculum.
• Minor and accelerated master’s: the department lists a biological sciences minor and accelerated programs leading to a master’s degree (the graduate part is outside this article).
• Full requirements for each degree: in the undergraduate catalog and the academic maps, which were not read; they are not published on the pages read, so check them on the website.
• When you declare the major and conditions for transferring in: the pages read give no timing, grade condition or quota.

2. Prerequisites, course layout and research

• High school prerequisites: the department and degree pages do not list specific high school biology, chemistry or math requirements, nor A-Level, AP or IB subject requirements, on the pages read. The College of Science page says students with an ACT mathematics score of at least 21 and composite of at least 21, or an SAT math score of at least 530 and composite of at least 1060, are academically best prepared to start a College of Science major and graduate in four years.
• First-year common courses and course sequence: not published on the pages read; check the undergraduate catalog and the department’s course listing. The College of Science page says students must meet the University’s Core Curriculum (general education) and that a full-time student carries about 16 credit hours a semester to graduate in four years.
• Capstone: the department page says all undergraduate majors must complete a capstone project in their junior or senior year (senior year strongly recommended). It lists three options: (A) scientific literature and popular reporting (a special offering in Spring 2027 comparing popular science articles with the original scientific information); (B) a research capstone with a working scientist in the department (or, with justification, another department), completed in one semester, with at least 90 hours of hands-on research, a final project submitted and an oral presentation encouraged; and (C) a shadowing capstone with a mentor in a profession such as pharmacy, dentistry, medicine, veterinary medicine or the Parks Service, with at least 90 hours of supervised, unpaid shadowing, a daily log and a summary paper. Relatives and others with a conflict of interest cannot mentor, approvals must be completed before work begins, and experiences already completed cannot be credited retroactively.
• Independent study: students may devise specialised experiences with a faculty mentor (lab or field research, library investigations and so on) for 1 to 4 hours of independent study credit, with a deliverable such as a talk, poster or paper.
• Accreditation: no external professional accreditation for the biology-related degrees is published on the pages read.
• Departmental scholarships: the department page lists the Dr. Charles J. Gould Jr. Botany Scholarship / Travel Award ($800), the Donald Cain Tarter Biological Sciences Student Research Scholarship ($1,000, for juniors, seniors or graduate students actively involved in research) and the Charlie Viers ’64 Scholarship in Life Sciences ($1,000, GPA of at least 2.5, first priority to residents of Wayne County, WV). They are awarded annually, and an application needs unofficial transcripts, two faculty references and a one-page statement, submitted through the University’s scholarships portal.
• Where graduates go: the department page says life-science majors prepare students for careers in industry, government agencies and the basic and applied health fields, and for graduate study in the biological and health sciences. The BA program page cites the Bureau of Labor Statistics as saying 59% of those employed with a bachelor’s degree in biology also earned an advanced degree, and lists careers such as science educator, science writer, science policymaker, environmental technician, medical and environmental policy analyst and pharmaceutical sales representative.

3. How to apply, materials and testing

• Where to apply: the application page groups first-year, transfer, transient, early admission, non-degree, college-graduate and readmitted students under the undergraduate application; international applicants have a separate international application and are told to read the international undergraduate admission requirements first.
• No separate College of Science admission: the College of Science admissions page says regular admission to the University constitutes admission to the College of Science for first-year students and transfers, with no separate process. It also says students with an ACT mathematics score of at least 21 and composite of at least 21, or an SAT math score of at least 530 and composite of at least 1060, are academically best prepared to start a College of Science major and graduate in four years; students with lower scores will need additional preparatory coursework that may delay graduation.
• Testing and conditional admission: the first-year page says applicants who qualify for admission without test scores are reviewed with added emphasis on previous academic performance and offered general, conditional admission to the University; by submitting test scores later they can be considered for admission to the academic program of their choice, for guaranteed merit-based scholarships and for the Honors College. The detailed first-year admission standards (GPA and ACT/SAT thresholds) and domestic application deadlines are in the University’s undergraduate catalog, which was not read for this article; they are not published on the pages read, so check them on the website.
• Application fee: the first-year page mentions submitting an application fee; the amount is not published on the pages read.
• Recommendations, essays and prerequisites: the pages read do not require recommendation letters or an essay, and set no single physics, chemistry or biology grade requirement; the departments’ high school course advice is in section 2.

4. US, international and Chinese applicants

US applicants

• Tuition: the 2026–27 tuition table has three residency tiers. For the College of Science line, a full-time student’s total per semester is $5,004 for West Virginia residents (university tuition $3,982, fees $827, college fee $195), $6,850 for Metro residents and $10,451 for non-residents (university tuition $9,392, fees $827, college fee $232). Per credit hour the totals are $417.50, $571.50 and $871.75. The page says the Metro rate and merit scholarships are offered to residents of 50 neighbouring counties, and the first-year page lists those counties in Kentucky and Ohio. The table on the website governs; check the next year’s table for 2027 entry.
• Scholarships: the John Marshall Scholarship is for incoming first-time freshmen and is based on high school GPA and, where applicable, ACT/SAT, with amounts varying by residency: Level 1 (GPA 3.9 or above, ACT 30 or SAT 1360) $5,500 for West Virginia residents, $8,000 Metro and $14,000 non-resident; Level 2 (GPA 3.8) $3,000, $4,200 and $9,000; Level 3 (GPA 3.5) $2,000, $3,000 and $7,000; Level 4 (GPA 3.0) $1,250, $2,000 and $5,000 (the ACT/SAT column is blank for levels 2 to 4 on the page). The page describes it as a four-year scholarship, renewable if you enrol full-time each semester, complete 30 credit hours each year and keep a cumulative GPA of 2.5 at the end of the first year and 2.75 afterwards, and says it is awarded on a last-dollar basis and may be adjusted for other aid. An Alumni Legacy tuition-reduction program exists for children and grandchildren of Marshall graduates.
• Federal and other financial aid applications and the net price calculator are on the University’s student financial assistance website.

International applicants

• Deadlines: international applicants must submit all required documents by these dates to guarantee consideration: spring semester 15 October, summer semester 15 March, fall semester 15 June. No year is printed, so check on the website that these apply to fall 2027 entry.
• Freshman documents: official coursework and proof of completion for all secondary school coursework (grades 9–12), which may include transcripts, marksheets and final exam results sent directly from the issuing source; optionally an official NACES or AICE evaluation if the school is outside the US; a minimum GPA of 2.00 (on the US transcript, or converted by the International Admissions Office for coursework outside the US); proof of English proficiency; and “official ACT/SAT scores may be required, depending on your chosen major”. The international page adds that official ACT/SAT scores are only required for direct entry into some programs, giving the College of Science, the College of Engineering and Computer Sciences and Nursing as examples, with details in the undergraduate catalog.
• Application fee: the page says application fees for degree-seeking programs are currently waived for international applicants; if a fee applies to your program it will appear on your checklist.
• English requirement (undergraduate minimum): TOEFL iBT—61 for exams taken before 21 January 2026, and “4.0 or 72” for exams after that date; IELTS Academic 6.0; Duolingo 90; PTE Academic 57; Cambridge English 169; ACT English/Reading 18; SAT ERW 480 (2016 and later); MELAB 79%. Meeting one exemption removes the need for exam scores—for example, completing a US-high-school-equivalent diploma in an approved English-speaking country, one year at a US high school with a C or higher in English, a C or higher in IGCSE or O-Level English First Language, an approved ESL program, or one year of full-time study at a US-accepted university.
• Proof of funds and aid: the international student services page says international students are treated as non-residents for scholarships and links to the undergraduate merit-based scholarships (the non-resident level of the John Marshall Scholarship above) and the transfer scholarships. The specific proof-of-funds requirements are not published on the pages read; ask the International Admissions Office (international@marshall.edu).

Applicants from China

• The international pages read do not single out applicants from China: they do not say whether or how the gaokao is considered, what huikao materials are needed, how a Chinese high school transcript should be formatted, or whether there is any China-specific guidance. The general rule is that official coursework and proof of completion for all secondary school coursework must be sent directly by the issuing source, with an optional NACES/AICE evaluation; ask the International Admissions Office how Chinese credentials should be sent.

5. Transfer students

• Size and credits: the transfer page says you can transfer up to 72 credit hours toward your degree; it prints an average of 53 credits transferred and 760 new transfer students in 2025–26. No more than 72 credit hours from community colleges can transfer. The University has articulation agreements, course equivalency agreements and takes part in the West Virginia Core Coursework Transfer Agreement (the state’s general-education core transfers as a block). Some degree requirements cannot be fulfilled with transfer courses, and the transcript evaluation in the official admission review is authoritative. The transfer overview gives no GPA threshold; transfer admission standards are in the undergraduate catalog, which was not read, so they are not published on the pages read.
• International transfer applicants: the international page requires an official NACES or AICE evaluation of university coursework outside the US (with a cumulative GPA), US college transcripts if applicable, and proof of English proficiency; the minimum GPA is 2.00. Applicants with 30 or more earned university credit hours from an accepted, accredited institution may not need secondary coursework; those with fewer than 30 must meet the freshman requirements. Official ACT/SAT scores may be required depending on the major.
• Transfer scholarships: the scholarships page says full-time transfer students pursuing a first bachelor’s degree can receive transfer scholarships by residency: Tier 1 for a GPA of 3.75 or above with at least 30 transferred credit hours, Tier 2 for a GPA of 3.5 to below 3.75 with at least 30 credit hours; Metro awards of $2,665 and $1,770 per academic year, non-resident awards of $3,000 and $2,000 (the in-state amounts were not read clearly; check the website); renewal needs an overall GPA of 3.0 and 30 credit hours completed at Marshall after the first year.
• GPA and prerequisite expectations for transfers into chemistry or biology are not published on the pages read; ask the department and Undergraduate Admissions.

6. AP/IB credit

The admissions pages read do not describe AP or IB credit tables or how they count toward chemistry or biology courses; this is not published on those pages, so check the undergraduate catalog and Undergraduate Admissions.

Sources: Marshall University, College of Science; biological sciences undergraduate page; biological sciences degrees; biological sciences BA program; capstone and independent study; biological sciences scholarships; College of Science admissions; first-year students; how to apply; transfer students; international undergraduate admissions; international deadlines and documents; English proficiency; international financial information; 2026–27 undergraduate tuition; merit and transfer scholarships. Figures and dates should be checked against the latest website pages.