How to Apply to Biology at Florida Atlantic University: A Department of Biological Sciences with B.S./B.A. Biology and Medical Biology Degrees, a Voluntary Summer Biology Immersion Programme and Honors in the Major, SAT/ACT Required, for Domestic, International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Applicants

Florida Atlantic University (FAU) is a public university in Florida with its main campus in Boca Raton. Biology is offered by the Department of Biological Sciences in the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. Here is what you need to know, based on the College of Science’s undergraduate programs page, the department’s undergraduate pages and the admission office’s websites, organised for US domestic applicants, international applicants and applicants from China, followed by transfer students. Medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, nursing and other health-professions degrees are outside the scope of this article; please see the University’s website.

1. Degrees and tracks

• Undergraduate degrees listed on the department page: B.S. Biology, B.A. Biology, Medical Biology (B.S.), Neuroscience & Behavior (B.S.), the B.S./M.S. Biology Fast Track, and a minor in biology. The College of Science’s page says its biology degrees are B.A. and B.S.; B.A. programs have greater elective breadth with less specialization, and B.S. programs meet the requirements of professional science organizations and provide more intensive training.
• B.S. Biology: the department says it is recommended for students planning to be professional biologists in industry or governmental service or to pursue graduate work in the biological sciences; students interested in premed/pre-professional, marine biology, ecology, zoology, molecular biology, microbiology or biotechnology should pursue it. B.S. students can choose an area of emphasis in neuroscience and behavior. A minimum of 120 credits is required, with 47-51 core credits: Introduction to Biology at FAU, Biological Principles (BSC 1010), Biodiversity (BSC 1011) with labs, General Chemistry 1 and 2 with labs, Organic Chemistry 1 and 2, Methods of Calculus or Calculus 1, College or General Physics 1 and 2, physics labs, and Experimental Design and Statistical Inference or Introduction to Biostatistics; four courses chosen from physiology, genetics, cell biology, principles of ecology and evolution; and a minimum of 18 upper-division elective credits.
• B.A. Biology: the department says the B.A. gives maximum flexibility for interdisciplinary study such as environmental science or secondary school teaching, and also suits students planning to be expert biologists in academia, industry or government or to pursue medicine, dentistry or veterinary medicine; it requires 120 credits, 45 of them upper-division, with 40-41 core credits: Biological Principles and Biodiversity with labs, General Chemistry 1 and 2 with labs, Organic Chemistry 1 and 2, Methods of Calculus, Experimental Design and Statistical Inference and Physical Science (PSC 2121), plus four courses chosen from physiology, genetics, cell biology, principles of ecology and evolution.
• Medical Biology (B.S.): the department describes a rigorous, streamlined, pre-professional programme that prepares students for competitive professional training in the health sciences (medicine, veterinary science, pharmacology and more), with a highly structured course plan and research opportunities; it is also suited to students heading to master’s or doctoral study in biomedical sciences, neuroscience or psychology. Careers listed include biomedical research, clinical science, dentistry, education, health administration, industry and government, medicine, optometry, pharmacology, public health, science advisor in business and science journalism. Current FAU students contact their advisor; new students apply through the admission office.
• Neuroscience & Behavior (B.S.): listed as a separate degree on the department page, and B.S. Biology students can choose an emphasis in neuroscience and behavior; the requirements of that degree were not read for this article.
• B.S./M.S. Biology Fast Track: the page is marked “Under Construction at this time”. It describes a combined degree for students aiming for a position with a biotechnology-oriented company or institute, completed in five years by letting 12 graduate-level credits count for both degrees; students must maintain a 3.0 GPA and complete a 6-credit research project; applicants to the graduate programme need a minimum undergraduate science GPA of 3.0 and GRE scores of at least 151 (verbal) and 148 (quantitative).

2. How admission works: admitted to the University first, then follow the College of Science’s course requirements

• At application: the admission pages say most majors fall under the standard undergraduate admission requirements without a supplemental application. For the College of Science: a student’s overall academic GPA and performance in math courses weigh heavily in the admission decision. The pages read do not say whether the major entered on the application affects the decision; please ask the admission office.
• Biology Immersion Program: the admission page says first-year students entering in Summer Term 3 (the page gives 27 June-7 August, with no year) are strongly encouraged to take this newly designed biology course and field/lab experience: in person on the Boca Raton campus, one general education course and one Biological Sciences course with immersive, faculty-guided lab experiences (examples: observing tortoises and owls in the campus conservation area, visiting the nearby Gumbo Limbo marine laboratory to study sea turtles, and working with microscopes and interpreting scientific papers and graphs). Students progress into the fall term on completing the courses with a 2.0 GPA or higher and a C or better in each course. It is voluntary, not required; tuition and fees are billed as for any registered courses with no extra programme fee, and students are emailed about opting in after admission.
• Conditions to switch into or declare biology later: not stated on the department pages and not published there; please contact the Department of Biological Sciences or College of Science advising.

3. Prerequisites, laboratories and research

• High school preparation (College of Science): the admission office says that to be best prepared for any major in the College of Science, foundational coursework is strongly encouraged: in math, Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra 2, Precalculus/Trigonometry, Calculus 1/AP Calculus and AP, AICE and/or IB math; in science, biology, anatomy and physiology, chemistry, physics and AP, AICE and/or IB science. This is “strongly encouraged”, not a hard biology-specific threshold.
• AP/IB credit: the University’s Credit by Exam page was not read for this article, and how AP/IB biology or chemistry scores map to the biology major’s required courses is not stated in the pages read; please check the website.
• Honors: Honors in the Major in Biological Sciences: students with at least 20 credits in biology and an overall 3.2 GPA may apply; there are two paths, the Honors Research Thesis Pathway (a written paper and seminar in the senior year) and the Honors Research Pathway (a grant proposal plus a poster or seminar at a research conference); students conduct independent, supervised research in their junior and senior years and need a GPA of 3.2 or higher at graduation to receive the transcript designation “Honors in Biological Sciences”. Students who need help finding a mentor can take BSC 3453 Introduction to Biological Research in spring. The FAU Max Planck Honors Program (MPHP) on the Jupiter campus is open to College of Science majors in biology, psychology, and neuroscience and behavior.
• Undergraduate research: the department page lists the honors programme, Directed Independent Research, the John Nambu Memorial Summer Research Experience and volunteering. The department’s facilities, research areas and funding are not stated in the pages read; please check the website.
• Thesis or capstone: a thesis requirement for the regular biology degrees is not stated in the pages read; the honors thesis pathway requires a thesis.

4. Deadlines and application materials

• How to apply: first-year students entering in fall or summer may use the FAU Online Application or the Common Application (one or the other, submitted once); spring applicants must use the FAU Online Application. Transfer and second-bachelor’s applicants use the FAU application. The application fee is $30, non-refundable and paid online by credit card; fee waivers from College Board, ACT and NACAC are accepted.
• First-year deadlines: Early Action application deadline 15 October, materials 22 October, last scores considered 20 November, decision 4 December; Rolling Decision (summer/fall) 12 March; spring 15 September; the website notes the dates are subject to change based on enrollment, and a student may be offered a different entry term from the one applied for. The pages show no year, so check that they apply to fall 2027 entry. Deposit deadlines: 1 May for summer/fall entry, 15 October for spring.
• Materials: the Self-reported Transcript and Academic Record (STARS), or official high school transcripts if already graduated; SAT, ACT or CLT scores (see below). The admission pages read do not mention recommendation letters or essays; please check the website.
• Test scores required: the website says requiring an ACT, SAT or CLT score is “not an institutional choice”: FAU, like Florida’s 11 other public universities, is subject to Florida Board of Governors regulation 6.002, which requires first-year applicants to submit a score. From the 2025-26 application cycle the ACT Science section is no longer required, and the ACT composite used for admission includes only English, Math and Reading. Codes: SAT 5229, ACT 0729.
• What admission is based on: the website says admission is selective and based on high school GPA, grades in academic core courses, course selection, college readiness in math, writing and reading, class rank, and ACT/SAT/CLT scores; in some cases special talents through audition, portfolio or tryout are also considered. The middle 50% of admitted first-year students for 2026: recalculated GPA 3.66-4.29, SAT 1090-1270, ACT 22-28, CLT 60-84 (the page notes the GPA is recalculated on academic core courses and requirements vary by major).
• Minimum high school units (18 in total): English 4 (3 with substantial composition), mathematics 4 (Algebra 1 level and above), natural science 3 (2 with lab), social science 3, foreign language 2 (the same language), academic electives 2. Honors, AP, AICE and IB courses receive additional weight.

5. US domestic applicants

• Tuition and costs (2026-27): the cost of attendance page lists undergraduate tuition and fees per credit hour of $203.29 for Florida residents and $799.72 for non-Florida residents. Estimated nine-month budgets for full-time students: for Florida residents living on campus $31,030 in total (tuition and fees $5,984, books and supplies $1,368, housing $10,524, food $5,308, transportation $3,090, miscellaneous $4,756); for non-Florida residents living on campus $47,934 in total (tuition and fees $22,888, the other items the same). These are the University’s estimates and actual costs vary.
• First-year merit scholarships: eligibility is determined at admission with no separate scholarship application, but a complete application (application, fee or waiver, STARS and test scores) must be on file by 15 January; awards are limited, competitive and not guaranteed, are generally not stackable, and renew with an FAU GPA of 3.0, 30 credits per year and full-time enrollment. Florida residents: 4.00 GPA with SAT 1410/ACT 32/CLT 101, $20,000 in total ($5,000 a year for four years); 3.90 with 1340/29/96, $8,000; 3.85 with 1270/27/90, $4,000; 3.7 with 1200/25/83, $2,000; plus the Benaquisto Scholarship (National Merit Finalists naming FAU first choice by 1 May, covering full cost of attendance). Non-Florida residents (must be US citizens or permanent residents): 4.00 with 1410/32/101, $40,000 in total (including the HOOT scholarship); 3.90 with 1340/29/96, $32,000; 3.85 with 1270/27/90, $4,000; plus an out-of-state tuition waiver for students with a Florida-resident grandparent (1330/29/96; ten places).
• Florida residency: classified for tuition purposes; the process is described on the website’s residency page, which this article did not read.

6. International applicants

• How to apply: international first-year students may use the Common Application; international transfer and second-bachelor’s applicants use the FAU application; the fee is $30.
• Credential evaluation: first-year international students not educated in a US curriculum must have their high school records evaluated by a NACES-accredited agency, with a course-by-course list of subjects and grades, exam results, an overall US GPA and a separately calculated mathematics-only GPA.
• Test scores: applicants with fewer than 60 transferable credits submit official SAT/ACT scores, sent directly by the testing agency, from test dates within the last five years.
• English requirements: applicants whose first language is not English are exempt if they meet at least one test’s section minimums (SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing 490, or ACT Reading 19 and English 17). Otherwise they must meet one of: at least three years at a high school with a full English-language curriculum, in the US or abroad; at least three years at a high school in a country where English is the majority native language or the primary language of instruction from primary school; at least 30 post-secondary credits including ENC 1101 and ENC 1102 or equivalents with a C or higher; or at least 60 post-secondary credits or an associate degree or higher. Everyone else submits an exam; the minimums listed are TOEFL (the page prints “iBT (4.5)/PBT (550)”, where the iBT figure does not match the usual score scale, so please check with the admission office), IELTS 6.5, Cambridge English 180, PTE 55, Duolingo 110, ELS 112, HKDSE 5, International GCSE English C/4 and IB English Higher Level 6, or completing the Academic Track of FAU’s Intensive English Institute (Level VI). Applicants who do not meet the English requirement can use the Conditional Admissions Track (CAT).
• Scholarships: the President’s International Scholarship is for students on F-1 or J-1 visas: $6,000 a year renewable up to four years for first-year students (3.5 GPA or higher on a 4.0 scale, SAT/ACT/CLT scores and proof of English proficiency) and $6,000 a year renewable up to three years for transfer students (3.5 transfer GPA or higher, two years of university study of up to 60 credits or an associate degree, and proof of English proficiency); eligible admitted applicants are considered automatically. Fall deadlines: 15 January (priority) and 15 March (regular); spring: 15 August (priority) and 15 October (regular). There are also Florida Linkage Institutes tuition waivers for specific countries and regions. Applicants must first be admitted as degree-seeking students and hold a high school diploma or equivalent by the first day of classes.
• Proof of finances, visa documents and international student insurance: not stated in the pages read; please check with the admission office.
• Tuition for international students: the cost of attendance page does not list international students separately; it uses Florida-resident and non-Florida-resident rates. Which rate applies to an international student is not stated there; please ask the admission office.

7. Applicants from China

• Country requirements page: the University’s academic credentials page has a China entry: high school records must be evaluated by a NACES agency, with an equivalent GPA of at least B (3.0 on a 4.0 scale); the page reads “an 80 or B on the 5-point scale or a 75 or B on the 4-point scale”; applicants should submit the Certificate of Results of the General Examination for High School Graduates (HUIKAO); first-year applicants submit ACT or SAT scores. For transfer applicants: an equivalent GPA of at least C (2.5 on a 4.0 scale) for all transferable courses, good standing at the previous institution, and official transcripts from all colleges attended.
• Gaokao: the pages read do not mention the Gaokao. Whether Gaokao results are accepted and how they would be used is not published there, and first-year applicants must still submit SAT/ACT/CLT scores. Please ask the admission office (admissions@fau.edu).
• English scores: see section 6.

8. Costs, scholarships and outcomes

• Costs and scholarships: see sections 5 and 6. Biology-specific scholarships are not stated in the pages read; the department page links to a College of Science scholarships page that this article did not read.
• Outcomes (department pages): the B.S. is recommended for students planning to be professional biologists in industry or governmental service; the B.A. suits careers in academia, industry, government, medicine, dentistry or veterinary medicine; the Medical Biology page lists biomedical research, clinical science, dentistry, education, health administration, industry and government, medicine, optometry, pharmacology, public health, science advisor in business and science journalism. The College of Science page adds that FAU has no designated “pre-med, pre-vet or pre-dentistry” majors: students can choose any major, though most focus on sciences such as biology, chemistry and neuroscience, and pre-health students should focus on a strong GPA and the prerequisites for their target programme. The pages print no employment numbers or salary data.

9. Transfer students

• Deadlines: for transfer, second-bachelor’s, returning students and international applicants educated outside the US: summer 15 April, fall 1 July, spring 1 November; applications are reviewed on a rolling basis and decisions come about four weeks after all materials are received. Deposit deadlines: 1 May for summer, 1 August for fall, 15 November for spring.
• Materials: the FAU online application and the $30 fee; official high school transcripts; official transcripts from all colleges; official SAT/ACT/CLT scores (listed in the application process).
• GPA and credit requirements: applicants with an Associate of Arts degree from a Florida public college or university should present a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher; other transfer applicants are placed by earned credits, all needing a cumulative college GPA of 2.5 or higher and good standing: fewer than 30 credits must also meet freshman admission requirements; 30-59 credits must meet freshman requirements or have completed one English composition and one college-level math course with a C or higher; 60 or more credits should have eight to ten credit hours of sequential foreign language (or two high school units); applicants with more than 90 attempted credits are reviewed course by course, should have completed the prerequisites for the program, a 2.5 GPA and 67% or more of attempted coursework; students who attempted and failed core or prerequisite courses more than twice will not be admitted.
• College of Science: the transfer page says the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science is selective with additional requirements: science core courses must be completed with a C or higher, and a competitive GPA is preferred for most science majors. Prerequisites for each program are on the University’s “Academic Program Prerequisites” page, which this article did not read.
• International transfers: foreign post-secondary coursework is evaluated by a NACES agency (preferred) or internally by FAU (with a certified English translation); evaluations must be course by course and include a GPA.
• How transfer credits map to the required courses of the biology major, and transfer scholarships, are not stated in the pages read; please check with the Department of Biological Sciences and the admission office.

Checklist

US domestic applicants:

• Early Action 15 October; Rolling Decision 12 March; $30 fee; STARS transcript; SAT/ACT/CLT required; complete application by 15 January for merit scholarships
• Resident and non-resident tuition differ widely; see section 5

International applicants (including China):

• NACES evaluation of high school records; SAT/ACT; proof of English proficiency or an exemption; Chinese applicants also submit the Huikao certificate; Gaokao use is not published

After entry:

• Choose the B.S. or B.A. in Biology, Medical Biology and so on; core and elective courses on the department pages; Honors in the Major needs a 3.2 GPA and 20 biology credits

Transfer students:

• Summer 15 April / fall 1 July / spring 1 November; cumulative GPA 2.5 (Florida A.A. 2.0); science core courses with a C or higher

Sources: Florida Atlantic University, Biology: undergraduate degrees; B.S. Biology requirements; B.A. Biology requirements; Medical Biology; B.S./M.S. Fast Track; Biology Honors; Undergraduate research; Biology Immersion; College of Science: undergraduate programs; Apply to FAU; Freshman admission requirements; Science admission requirements; Freshman deadlines; Application fee; Freshman scholarships; International: how to apply; English proficiency tests; International academic credentials (incl. China); International scholarships; Transfer requirements; Transfer: Science; Transfer deadlines; Cost of attendance. The dates on the admission pages show no year, so check that they apply to fall 2027 entry and see the University’s website for the latest.