How to Apply to Biology at Michigan Tech: A Department in the College of Sciences and Arts with Biological Sciences BS, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology BS, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology BS, Computational Biology BS and Human Biology BS, for Domestic, International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Applicants

Michigan Technological University (Michigan Tech) is in Houghton, Michigan, and undergraduate biology is offered by the Department of Biological Sciences in the College of Sciences and Arts. Here is what you need to know, based on the university’s website, organised for US domestic applicants, international applicants and applicants from China, followed by transfer students. Medical Laboratory Science, Nursing and the pre-health tracks (pre-medical, pre-dental, pre-pharmacy and others) are outside this article, so see the university’s website.

1. Degrees and areas

• Degrees in the department: the department’s home page lists Biological Sciences BS, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology BS (biology focus), Computational Biology BS, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology BS and Human Biology BS, plus Medical Laboratory Science BS and Nursing BS (the last two are outside this article). Biochemistry and Molecular Biology is shared with the Department of Chemistry, which has a chemistry-focus version (see the chemistry pages). The math placement page’s major list also includes programs such as Wildlife Ecology and Conservation and Applied Ecology and Environmental Sciences, whose pages were not read.
• Biological Sciences BS: the page says you learn the basics of cells, genes and organisms and apply them through laboratory investigation, field research and one-on-one work with professors. The typical four-year outline totals 120 credits: General Biology I–II with labs, University Chemistry I–II with labs, Organic Chemistry I–II with labs, College Physics I–II, Biostatistics, Genetics with lab, Ecology and Evolution, Biochemistry, Microbiology, Cell Biology, a writing practicum, an organismal biology lab course (choose Anatomy I, Botany or Zoology), approved major electives and an experiential learning capstone.
• Biochemistry and Molecular Biology BS (biology focus): described as a collaboration between the two sciences; the program offers paid research work experience and requires 3 credits of BL4995 research. The typical four-year outline is 120 credits: Calculus I, General Biology and University Chemistry in the first year; then Principles of Computational Biology, organic chemistry, University Physics, Genetics, Genomics, Microbiology, Biochemistry I–II, Biochemistry Techniques, Cell Biology, Biostatistics, Molecular Biology with techniques and Biophysical Chemistry.
• Ecology and Evolutionary Biology BS: studies ecological and evolutionary systems, and you can specialise in molecular biology, genetics, field techniques and analysis of ecological and evolutionary data. The typical four-year outline is 120–122 credits: General Biology I–II, University Chemistry I–II, Calculus for Life Sciences, Genetics, Biostatistics, Principles of Ecology and Evolution, Foundations of Evolutionary Biology, a field experience course and many major electives; the page highlights the Keweenaw Peninsula’s field settings and the Great Lakes Research Center.
• Computational Biology BS: biology fused with information technology, using computational methods to analyse genomic and other molecular data; the page mentions a genomics lab.
• Human Biology BS: understanding people from molecules to the whole organism, spanning anatomy, physiology, genetics, nutrition, ecology, evolution and anthropology; taught with Anatomage tables in the H-STEM complex; the page says students can train as EMTs with almost all the cost covered in exchange for a year of service on the campus emergency medical team.
• Other: the website also has biology minors, a pre-health page and a study abroad page (including a Bahamas program), which were not read.

2. How admission works: apply to the university; the biology admission line is not published

• Who you apply to: the university’s undergraduate application or the Common App (international students must use the Common App, see below); the requirements page says admission requirements vary by major.
• Biology-specific requirements: the admissions and department pages read give no GPA or course threshold for the biology majors; this is not published, so contact Admissions (mtu4u@mtu.edu, 888-688-1885).
• Undecided: the College has a General Sciences and Arts option, up to three semesters to explore without delaying graduation, with a one-credit course, SA 1000.
• Changing into a biology major: the pages read do not state conditions, GPA or limits; ask the department’s advisors. The department page names Teresa Pinhero as the first-year advisor.
• Graduation credits: the Biological Sciences and Biochemistry and Molecular Biology outlines total 120 credits and the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology outline 120–122, including 37 credits of Essential Education requirements, of which up to five can overlap with major courses.

3. Prerequisites and course placement

• High-school courses recommended: for the College of Sciences and Arts the requirements page recommends 3–4 years of English, 3–4 of math, 3 of science and 3 of social science; for natural and physical science majors, a year each of physics and chemistry, and “for any biological sciences majors, we also recommend including a year of biological sciences.” These are recommendations, not admission requirements.
• Math placement: the math department’s placement page gives MA1135 (Calculus for Life Sciences) as the recommended first math course for Biological Sciences, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Human Biology, and MA1160 (Calculus with Technology I) or MA1161 (Calculus Plus with Technology I) for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (both foci) and Computational Biology. Placement: ACT math 26–28, SAT math 610–670 or ALEKS 76–85 for MA1135 (and MA1161); ACT 29 or above, SAT 680 or above or ALEKS 86–100 for MA1160; ACT 22–25, SAT 540–600 or ALEKS 61–75 for MA1032 (Precalculus). An AP Calculus AB score of 3 allows placement into MA2160.
• AP biology and related (2027-28 credit table): Biology 5 earns BL 1100, 1110, 1200 and 1210 (8 credits); 3 or 4 earns BL 1400 and 1410 (4 credits). Chemistry 4 or 5 earns CH1150, 1151, 1153, 1160, 1161 and 1163 (10 credits), and a 3 earns CH1150, 1151 and 1153 (5 credits); Calculus AB 4 or 5 earns MA 1160 (4 credits); Calculus BC 4 or 5 earns MA 1160 and MA 2160 (8 credits); Statistics 3 or higher earns MA 2710 (3 credits); Physics 1 at 4 or 5 earns PH 1110 and 1111, and Physics 2 at 4 or 5 earns PH 1200 and 1210 (4 credits each).
• IB (2027-28): Higher Level only, score 5 or better; Biology HL earns BL 1100, 1110, 1200 and 1210 (8 credits), Chemistry HL earns University Chemistry I–II with labs (10 credits), Mathematics HL earns MA 1160 and 2160 (8 credits) and Physics HL earns PH 1110, 1111, 1200 and 1210 (8 credits). Standard Level earns no credit. Cambridge A-levels may earn credit once you are admitted, based on results. To waive AP/IB/CLEP credit or course placement, contact the Registrar’s Office (906-487-2319, schedule@mtu.edu).
• Chemistry prerequisite: the three outlines read (Biological Sciences, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology) have University Chemistry I (CH1150/1151) in the first year; the chemistry department’s first-year placement table (high-school chemistry and algebra grades and math placement decide between CH1000 and CH1150) and its FAQ (one to two years of high-school chemistry with a B or better for college-level chemistry) are the only guidance on choosing a first chemistry course among the pages read, and they do not say whether it applies to biology students, so confirm with the biology advisors.
• Honors: the program pages link to the Pavlis Honors College, which was not read; entry conditions are not published on the pages read.
• Competitions: the pages read do not say how competitions such as the Biology Olympiad are viewed in admission.

4. Research and laboratory work

• The department’s research page encourages undergraduates to join a faculty-led project; students often consider it after the foundational courses at the start of junior year, but you can begin at any time. The routes are paid work experience, arranged by emailing a faculty member (positions vary with faculty needs); credit courses BL4000 (Research in Biology) or BL4995 (Research in Biochemistry), with Biochemistry and Molecular Biology students required to take 3 credits of BL4995, about three hours a week per credit, after meeting a professor and getting permission and filling in the research credit request form; and the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF, about 10 weeks, up to USD 4,000) or the Undergraduate Research Internship Program (September to March, up to USD 1,600, with a presentation at the Undergraduate Research Symposium). The department also runs a workshop series on finding a research mentor. A Pavlis Honors Research Scholars Pathway page is linked but was not read.
• Facilities: the pages mention advanced DNA analysis, confocal microscopy, cell sorting, chromatography, the Great Lakes Research Center and the H-STEM Engineering and Health Technologies Complex.

5. Deadlines and materials (first-year, domestic)

• Application system: the university’s online application or the Common App; choose one and submit only one. Application fee: the requirements and FAQ pages read do not say; this is not published there, so check the application page.
• Deadlines: the FAQ says to apply by 1 November for priority consideration and by 1 February for regular decision, and applications are still accepted afterwards; priority applicants hear by 15 January, regular applicants by 1 March, and later applicants within 2–3 weeks. The pages do not print an entry year, so check that they apply to fall 2027 entry.
• Materials: an official high-school transcript (sent by the school or through a transcript service such as Parchment); a final transcript within 30 days of graduation, which the university reviews and a significant decline may affect enrollment. The pages say most majors need no letters of recommendation or essays; the programs listed as needing extra materials are audio production, sound design and theatre technology (the FAQ also lists pre-nursing), and the biology majors is not among them.
• Testing: SAT/ACT is not required but recommended, for scholarships and later course placement. The pages say homeschool students and students with a GPA below 3.0 may be asked for scores or other documentation; there is no superscoring and the best single sitting is used. The requirements and FAQ pages still carry older wording about 2025 applicants; check the latest statement for 2027.
• In-state applicants: the pages do not describe guaranteed or priority admission for Michigan residents; tuition and scholarships differ for residents and non-residents (see below).
• Admission standard: the requirements page says admission requirements vary by major and the Admissions Committee reviews the high-school transcript, courses and grades; it prints an average first-year high-school GPA of 3.83 (4.0 scale) and average SAT total of 1221, while the FAQ says an average GPA of 3.8 and ACT composite of 26.7 (about 1260 SAT). These are university-wide figures, not an admission line for the biology majors.

6. US domestic applicants: costs and scholarships

• 2026-27 estimate (cost page): tuition USD 20,396 for Michigan residents and USD 46,294 for non-residents; required fees USD 382; lab and course fees USD 668; housing and food USD 15,321; books USD 1,200; personal expenses USD 640; transportation USD 1,474; loan origination fee USD 64; the page’s annual totals are USD 40,145 (resident) and USD 66,043 (non-resident). 12 to 18 credits a semester are charged at a plateau rate, fewer than 12 per credit (resident USD 769, non-resident USD 1,714). Students with 60 or more credits (including transfer, dual enrollment or AP/IB/CLEP) pay upper-division tuition. 2027-28 costs are not on the pages read. The FAQ says the university does not participate in tuition reciprocity programs.
• Automatic merit scholarships: admitted first-year students are considered automatically by GPA, and official test scores may raise the amount. Michigan residents (Presidential Scholars, GPA-only table): 4.00+ USD 5,000 a year, 3.90–3.999 USD 3,000, 3.75–3.899 USD 2,000, 3.50–3.749 USD 1,000; another passage values the program at USD 1,000 to 7,500 a year, renewable for eight semesters. Non-residents (National Scholars, GPA-only table): 4.00+ USD 19,000 a year, 3.90–3.999 USD 17,000, 3.75–3.899 USD 15,000, 3.35–3.749 USD 12,000; another passage values the program at USD 12,000 to 21,000 a year, renewable for eight semesters.
• Awards needing a separate application: the Leading Scholar Award (apply by 15 November of the senior year; for Michigan residents it is valued at full-time tuition, housing and food plus USD 1,000 a year, and for non-residents at full-time non-resident tuition); the FIRST/VEX Robotics scholarship (USD 1,500 or 4,000 a year, by 1 February); Summer Youth Scholars and others; see the scholarships page.
• Federal and state aid: complete the FAFSA (the FAQ says between October and 1 March); the scholarships page also lists the Michigan Achievement Scholarship, up to USD 5,500, for students who graduated from a Michigan high school after 2023, lived in Michigan at least a year and filed a FAFSA with an SAI of 30,000 or less.

7. International applicants

• Applying: all undergraduate international students (except exchange students) must apply through the Common App with a one-time, non-refundable USD 35 processing fee; fee waivers are not approved. Do not send recommendations, essays or portfolios unless your portal checklist asks for them. Transcripts must be sent directly by your school, covering the most recent three years, with English translations.
• Deadlines (the page says “Fall (August start)” with no year; check fall 2027): application due 1 April, documents due 1 May, post-acceptance I-20 documents due 1 June, last day I-20 documents are issued 15 June. Spring (January start): 1 October, 15 October, 1 November, 15 November.
• English proficiency (one test is enough): TOEFL iBT, minimum 79 for exams before 21 January 2026 and 4.5 for exams on or after that date (new scoring); IELTS overall 6.5 with at least 6.0 in speaking and writing; SAT evidence-based reading and writing 510; ACT 18 in both English and reading; Pearson 53; Duolingo 120 (accepted only for international undergraduate admission). Scores must be within two years of the intended enrollment date.
• Exemptions and conflicting wording: one passage of the English requirements page says English waivers are not accepted, while another says applicants from certain countries are exempt and study at a US high school or college may also waive it (decided once official transcripts arrive); the FAQ also says applicants from certain countries may be exempt and mentions conditional admission if a score falls below the minimum, referring to the English page, which does not contain that detail on the version read. The exempt list includes the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, Nigeria and the Philippines, among others.
• Proof of funds: after admission, the I-20 requires an Affidavit of Financial Support (F-1) and proof of funds for at least one full year (bank statements, scholarship or loan letters), dated within 12 months of the semester start, plus a passport photo page.
• Costs and aid: tuition is charged at the non-resident rate, and international students pay a USD 250 per-semester surcharge (excluding summer). New international first-year students are automatically considered for the International Ambassador Scholarship, which the page values at USD 11,000 to 14,300 a year; the FAQ says international students are not eligible for need-based aid. Other awards need separate applications, such as Summer Youth Scholars (up to USD 4,000 a year, due 1 December) and the FIRST Scholarship.
• Academic documents: the application page lists secondary-school transcripts (or attested mark sheets) and English results; the exact checklist appears in your portal after you apply. Country-specific documents (for example CBSE for India, WAEC for Nigeria, GCSE/IGCSE and AS or predicted A-level results for Cambridge-curriculum schools) are listed on the application page.

8. Applicants from China

• Gaokao: the international application pages read do not say whether the gaokao is considered or how, and there is no China-specific page; this is not published, so email international@mtu.edu. The application page asks only for secondary-school transcripts (the last three years) or attested marks sheets; which documents Chinese schools should send is given by the portal checklist after you apply.
• English: China is not on the exempt list, so submit one of TOEFL, IELTS, SAT/ACT, Pearson or Duolingo (scores above). The pages do not say whether gaokao English can substitute.
• International curricula: AP and IB Higher Level students can use the credit tables in section 3; A-level credit is decided after admission from results.
• Interviews and evaluators: the pages do not say whether first-year international applicants are interviewed or name a credential evaluator for Chinese records (course-by-course evaluation is required only for international transfer, below).

9. Costs, scholarships and outcomes

• Costs: see sections 6 and 7.
• Departmental awards: the biological sciences pages read list no scholarships specific to the department; this is not published there, so check the department and scholarship pages.
• Outcomes: the Biological Sciences BS page prints “94% of biological sciences graduates achieve positive career outcomes within 5 years” (the page does not define the measure), lists career areas (academia, environmental consulting, forensics, government agencies, healthcare, nonprofit, pharmaceuticals, product development, quality assurance, secondary education) and employers or schools that have hired or taken graduates (for example Abbott Labs, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Mayo Clinic and the US Fish and Wildlife Service). Other program pages print industry job-outlook figures with different bases, which are not quoted here.

10. Transfer students

• Who counts: applicants who graduated from high school and took at least one college course afterwards (even if not completed or not graded well); students in early or middle college programs count as first-year.
• Deadlines: spring (January) 1 December, summer (May/June) 1 April, fall (August) 28 July; the page says applications are being accepted for spring, summer and fall 2027.
• Materials: apply with the university’s undergraduate application or the Common App, listing all colleges attended; official college transcripts sent directly to Admissions; and an official high-school transcript unless you hold an associate degree or higher. SAT/ACT scores are not required for transfers.
• Credit: appropriate courses from accredited institutions with a grade of C or better can transfer; after acceptance the Registrar’s transfer services staff review transcripts, and you can contact transfer@mtu.edu before applying. The pages read set no GPA or prerequisite requirement for transfers entering the biology majors; the department page links a Transfer Course Equivalencies page, which was not read, so check the website.
• International transfer: also through the Common App, USD 35; deadlines as in section 7. Transcripts from colleges outside the US and Canada go first to a pre-approved evaluator (Scholaro, World Education Services or The Evaluation Company) for a course-by-course evaluation, paid by the student. For international transfer credit you submit English syllabi or descriptions (course name, number, dates, topics, textbooks) at least four months before the start; credit is evaluated only once you are admitted and the deposit is paid, and only courses comparable to Michigan Tech courses with a US-equivalent grade of C or higher are eligible, decided by the relevant academic department. The FAQ says students who attended a university in their home country apply as transfer students even if they do not want credit.
• Scholarships: transfer students with at least 12 college-level credits are considered automatically by cumulative college GPA: Michigan residents USD 6,000 a year (3.50–4.00) or USD 4,000 (3.00–3.49); non-residents USD 12,000 (3.50–4.00) or USD 7,000 (3.00–3.49).

Checklist

US domestic applicants:

• University application or Common App; priority 1 November, regular 1 February; official high-school transcript; test scores not required but recommended
• FAFSA; GPA-based merit scholarships considered automatically (resident and non-resident)

International applicants (including China):

• Common App only, USD 35; fall deadlines 1 April (application) and 1 May (documents); transcripts for the last three years; one of TOEFL, IELTS, SAT/ACT, Pearson or Duolingo
• Gaokao use is not published; ask international@mtu.edu; proof of funds after admission for the I-20

After entry:

• Choose MA1135 or MA1160/1161 from math placement; take General Biology and University Chemistry in the first year; to do research, email a faculty member or apply to SURF

Transfer students:

• 1 December (spring), 1 April (summer), 28 July (fall); courses with C or better can transfer; colleges outside the US and Canada need a course evaluation first

Sources: Michigan Technological University, Department of Biological Sciences; Biological Sciences BS; Biochemistry and Molecular Biology BS; Computational Biology BS; Ecology and Evolutionary Biology BS; Human Biology BS; Biological Sciences four-year outline; Biochemistry four-year outline; Ecology and Evolution four-year outline; Undergraduate research; Math placement; General Sciences and Arts; Admissions requirements; Admissions FAQs; International first-year; English requirements; English exemption countries; Transfer applicants; International transfer; 2026-27 tuition and fees; Scholarships; Aid for international students; AP/IB/CLEP; 2027-28 AP credit guide; 2027-28 IB credit guide. The international deadline table does not print an entry year, and the requirements and FAQ pages still contain older “2025” wording; costs are 2026-27 figures. Check Michigan Tech’s website for the latest.