How to Apply to Chemistry at Harvard University: Apply to Harvard College, Declare Your Concentration in Sophomore Fall, and Chemistry Leads to a B.A., with Chemistry and Physics and Chemical and Physical Biology Nearby, for Domestic, International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Applicants

Harvard’s undergraduate education is carried out by Harvard College, which calls majors concentrations. The concentration list shows Chemistry as a B.A. in the Sciences. This guide follows Harvard College’s website and covers domestic applicants, international applicants, applicants from China and transfer students. Biology, physics, engineering, computer science and other concentrations are outside this guide except where they overlap with chemistry; medicine and law are postgraduate programs in the United States and not undergraduate concentrations. The chemistry department’s own website was not used, so details such as the number of required courses, labs, thesis and honors requirements are marked as not published on the pages cited here; check the Harvard chemistry department’s website.

1. Concentrations and tracks

• Chemistry (B.A., Sciences): the concentration list describes chemistry as the science of the structure, properties and reactions of matter, both a basic science fundamental to the world we live in and a practical science with many applications, and fundamental to understanding biology and biochemistry and parts of geology, astronomy, physics and engineering. Learning objectives include reading scientific papers, conducting experiments safely and ethically, and identifying and proposing solutions to novel and important problems; because research is a foundation of chemistry, the page says all concentrators should participate in an authentic research experience by the end of their senior year.
• Chemistry and Physics (B.A., Sciences): the page says the physics department has offered it for many years and that it ensures students learn the core subjects of chemistry (organic, inorganic, physical), physics (mechanics, electromagnetism, waves, quantum theory) and mathematics.
• Chemical and Physical Biology (B.A., Sciences): the page says it links classical approaches to studying biology with the chemical tools and physical methods needed to understand dynamic changes in complex biological systems. It sits at the interface with the life sciences and is only noted here; the page lists its gateway courses.
• Harvard’s system: the liberal arts and sciences page says Harvard offers more than 3,700 courses in 51 undergraduate fields of study (concentrations); students may pursue a double concentration, a joint concentration, or a special concentration by petition to a committee; there are also 49 secondary fields (similar to minors). About half of students choose an honors track within their concentration, and most of these write senior theses or complete research projects.
• Total credits, number of required courses, lab and thesis requirements: not listed on the concentration page cited here and not published there; check the chemistry department’s website.

2. How admission works: admitted to the college, declare in sophomore fall

• What you apply to: the applications described on the first-year page and the application requirements page go to Harvard College. The admissions statistics page classifies enrolling students by “intended field of study”, which shows the application has an intended-field item; the pages cited here do not say whether it affects admission or describe a separate admission process or seat limit for chemistry.
• When you declare: the advising page says students can talk to a department’s advisors at any time and declare their concentration during the fall of sophomore year, after which the department assigns a primary academic advisor. Concentration advising has three phases: introductory courses, advanced work, and, where applicable, a final project or thesis in senior year.
• Moving into chemistry: the declaration procedure and any prerequisite or grade conditions are not stated in the pages cited here; check the chemistry department’s website.

3. Prerequisites, gateway courses and AP/IB

• High school courses: see above; Harvard sets no specific courses and recommends four years of mathematics without requiring calculus. Recommended high school chemistry or physics is not published.
• First-year gateway courses (concentration page): the page says first-year students should take one introductory chemistry course in the fall and one in the spring, with an online joint open house over the summer to explore three courses. Fall choices: Life and Physical Sciences A (LPS A, i.e. LS1A, Foundational Chemistry and Biology); Life Sciences 1a (LS 1a, an integrated introduction covering chemistry, molecular biology and cell biology); and Chemistry 10 (Chem 10, Quantum, Statistical, and Computational Foundations of Chemistry, which fulfills two semesters of general chemistry for the concentration; students may not count both Chem 10 and PS11 for degree credit). Spring choices: Physical Sciences 11 (PS11, Foundations and Frontiers of Modern Chemistry) and Chemistry 20 (Organic Chemistry).
• Advice for Chemistry and Physics: the page says LS 1a or Physical Sciences 1 (PS1) is a useful general introduction to chemistry; Physical Sciences 10 (PS10) is strongly recommended because it combines statistical mechanics and quantum mechanics at an accessible level; Chem 10 is also listed. Most students begin physics with mechanics in Physics 15a, 16 or 19 and continue with Physics 15b and c, though Physical Sciences 12a/b or AP50a/b are possible starts, and those students should consult the Director or Co-Director of Undergraduate Studies. The page also advises improving math early, with two courses at the Math 21 level plus any needed prerequisites.
• AP/IB credit and placement: not stated in the pages cited here; check the Registrar and the chemistry department.
• Chemistry competitions: the application requirements page says national or international contests may be submitted as additional academic credentials; how they are weighed is not stated.

4. Timeline and materials

• How to apply: the first-year applicants page says all first-year applicants, international and U.S., use the Common Application with Harvard’s supplements; Harvard is also a QuestBridge partner. You apply to Harvard College, not to a major. Required: the Common Application (with activities list and personal essay), five short-answer Harvard questions (150 words each), the $95 fee (or a fee waiver), the SAT or ACT, the School Report (including a counselor letter) and high school transcript, two teacher recommendations, and the Midyear School Report; admitted students who enroll also send a Final School Report.
• Rounds: Restrictive Early Action is due 1 November with a mid-December decision; Regular Decision is due 1 January with decisions at the end of March; admitted students reply by early May with no deposit. REA is non-binding, but applicants may not apply to other private institutions under Early Decision, Early Action or Restrictive Early Action, or to a binding early program at a public university. Harvard says applying early gives no advantage. The pages do not print a year, so check that these dates are for fall 2027 entry.
• Teacher recommendations: the application requirements page says to ask two teachers in different academic subjects who know you well. It does not say that either must teach a particular subject.
• Testing: Harvard requires the SAT or ACT. Only in exceptional cases where those tests are not accessible can AP results, actual or predicted IB scores, actual or predicted GCSE/A-Level results, or national leaving exam results or predictions meet the requirement. Scores may be self-reported, with official scores required at enrollment. There are no cut-offs and Harvard does not admit “by the numbers”. Official codes: SAT 3434, ACT 1840.
• Mathematics and preparation: the page says there is no “one size fits all” high school curriculum; four years of mathematics are recommended, but calculus is not required and no specific course is required. Students heading into engineering, computer science, physics, mathematics, statistics or other calculus fields may benefit from high school calculus, but can still start with an introductory calculus course at Harvard that has no high school calculus prerequisite. Recommended high school chemistry or biology is not published.
• Supplementary materials and contests: the page says scholarly articles or research of which you are the primary author can be uploaded through the Applicant Portal with your mentor or lab identified, and that AP, IB, A-Levels, national or international contests and other academic credentials may be submitted. How contest results are weighed is not stated.
• Admit data (class of 2030): the admissions statistics page reports 55,104 applicants, 2,037 admitted, 1,648 enrolling and 103 admitted from the waiting list; intended fields of study among enrolling students were Natural Sciences 26%, Engineering 23%, Social Sciences 38% and Humanities 11%. It gives no data by concentration.

5. Domestic applicants

• Costs (2026-2027): the financial aid page lists tuition $62,226, fees $6,216, housing $14,250 and food $8,942, a billed subtotal of $91,634; estimated personal expenses $2,500, books $1,000 and transportation $0 to $5,000, for total billed and unbilled costs of $95,134 to $100,134; health insurance of $4,954 is also required unless covered by a family plan.
• Aid: Harvard says admission is need-blind, aid is need-based only (not merit), and it meets 100% of demonstrated need; families with annual incomes below $100,000 have an expected parent contribution of zero, aid covers at least full tuition for families with incomes up to $200,000, and higher incomes are assessed individually; home equity and retirement assets are typically not counted.
• State residency: the pages cited here make no in-state/out-of-state distinction and describe no state-resident priority or guaranteed admission.

6. International applicants

• Process and treatment: the international applicants page says admission and financial aid processes are the same for all applicants regardless of nationality; there are no quotas or limits at any point, and everyone is in the same pool. “International admissions” generally means applicants from schools outside the United States.
• Testing and English: the SAT or ACT is required (with the exceptional-case alternatives above); TOEFL, IELTS and Duolingo cannot replace it but may be submitted. First-year and transfer applicants are not required to take an English proficiency exam; Visiting Undergraduate Student applicants must take the TOEFL or IELTS.
• Financial aid: international students are eligible for exactly the same aid as American students, and admission is need-blind; students on aid receive a travel allowance in their award.
• Application fee: waivers are available for hardship, through the Common Application or as the page instructs, and do not disadvantage the application; non-U.S. citizens at schools outside the U.S. are typically not eligible for SAT/ACT fee waivers.
• Admit data: the statistics page reports that 15% of the class of 2030 is “international”, defined by permanent address at the time of application rather than citizenship.
• AP/IB credit: the pages cited here do not describe Harvard’s credit or placement for AP and IB; this is not published there, so check the Registrar and the departments.

7. Applicants from China

• Gaokao: the pages cited here do not mention the gaokao. They say national leaving exam results (externally assessed) or predictions can meet the testing requirement only in exceptional cases; whether and how the gaokao is used is not published. Contact the admissions office (617-495-1551) with questions.
• Transcripts and school-exam documents: for IB and A-Level students schools send predicted grades; requirements specific to Chinese transcripts or school-exam documents are not published.
• English: no English proficiency exam is required, but scores may be submitted; the SAT or ACT is required.
• International curricula: AP, IB and A-Level results can be submitted as additional materials (see above); the admissions page warns that taking too many advanced courses can backfire.

8. Research, honors and funding

• Research: the learning objectives say all concentrators should take part in authentic research by the end of senior year; the department’s specific research projects, thesis and honors standards are not published in the pages cited here.
• Honors and theses: the liberal arts and sciences page says about half of students choose an honors track and most of these write a senior thesis or complete a research project supervised by professors and departmental tutors; chemistry’s own honors requirements are not stated in the pages cited here.
• Master’s pathway: the same page says students can apply to the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences for a master’s degree in select fields during their fourth year through the Concurrent Master’s Program; whether chemistry is included is not stated in the pages cited here.
• Outcomes: the pages cited here give no outcome or employment data for chemistry.

9. Transfer students

• Scale and timing: the transfer page says Harvard admits about 12 transfer students on average each fall and has recently received more than 2,000 transfer applications a year; it admits for the fall semester only. 1 March is the deadline for all transfer application and financial aid materials, with decisions by June. The page does not print a year, so check that this is for fall 2027.
• Eligibility: the transfer application is for students who have completed at least one continuous academic year and not more than two in a full-time, in-person liberal arts degree program; courses must be analogous to Harvard’s liberal arts curriculum; you may not relinquish credit to restart; applicants with a bachelor’s degree are not eligible.
• Materials: the Transfer Common Application, Harvard College questions and writing supplement, the $95 fee (or a waiver request by email), the SAT or ACT (same exceptional-case alternatives), a College/Dean’s/Registrar’s report, official college transcripts, two college instructor recommendations, and an official high school transcript. The page says the committee looks for strong preparation in the expected field of specialization and a clearly defined academic need to transfer.
• Credit: the Registrar’s Office evaluates credit individually for each admitted transfer student; the admissions office keeps no list of transferable courses. No credit is given for online or hybrid courses, night or extension courses, part-time coursework, technical or professional courses, dual-enrollment courses counted toward a high school diploma, or any credit earned by examination (CLEP, AP/IB), even if the original college credited it.
• Aid: transfer applicants, including international students, can apply for need-based aid.
• Department requirements: the transfer page cited here gives no chemistry or biology requirements for transfer students; contact the relevant department.

Sources: Concentrations; Liberal arts and sciences; Advising; First-year applicants; Application requirements; International applicants; Transfer applicants; How aid works; Admissions statistics. The first-year and transfer deadline pages do not print a year, so check that the dates are for fall 2027 entry; costs are for 2026-2027; the gateway course lists on the concentration page carry no term labels, so check what is currently offered. The departments’ own websites (concentration requirements, labs, theses, honors, AP credit and so on) were not used here, so check each department directly. Check Harvard’s website for the latest.