How to apply to Macalester College for biology: a Bachelor of Arts college where the major is declared by the end of the second year and pre-enrollment credit (AP, IB and others) is capped at 32 semester credits, with admission and prerequisite guidance for U.S., international (including Chinese) and transfer applicants

Macalester College is a liberal arts college in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and students apply to the College as a whole. This guide follows the college’s website and covers undergraduate biology for U.S. students, international students and applicants from China, then transfer students, for fall 2027 entry. Chemistry, physics, mathematics, computer science and the health professions are not covered here.

What was and was not available: the college’s admissions pages (first-year, international, transfer, dates and deadlines, financial aid and tuition, merit scholarships) were read. The biology department’s own pages (degree structure, course requirements, prerequisite advice, research and senior requirements, AP/IB credit mapping) are not published on the pages read here, and the college catalog was not used. For anything about the biology major itself this article therefore says “not published on the pages read here”; please check the Academics section of the website.

1. Degrees and options

• Degree (international FAQ): the college awards only the Bachelor of Arts, with 39 areas of study for majors, 40 minors and 11 concentrations; students do not have to formally declare a major until the end of their second year. Whether biology is one of those majors, which tracks it has and whether it has professional accreditation is not published on the pages read here.
• Department and degree requirements: not published on the pages read here.
• Research projects, senior project, internships: not published on the pages read here.

2. How admission works: you apply to the college, not to a major

• Applying: apply to the College through the Common App (QuestBridge applications are also accepted). The page says the review is holistic, looking at academic performance in context, recommendation letters, essays, leadership and extracurricular involvement, with academic performance the most important part. There is no minimum GPA, class rank or test score.
• No separate admission to biology: the admissions pages read here give no separate admission line for biology and do not say whether it has limited places; the major is declared after enrolling, by the end of the second year at the latest (international FAQ).
• Course selection and advisors: in the summer before their first semester students register for a First-Year Course, which connects them to an academic advisor; after the first semester they may keep that advisor or choose one aligned with their area when they formally declare a major (international FAQ).
• Selectivity (U.S. first-year page): the college typically seeks to enroll 545 first-year students; for fall 2026 entry 10,048 students applied and 26% were admitted. The international FAQ says the international admit rate has ranged between 6% and 11% in recent years.

3. Prerequisites and course advice

• High school courses (U.S. first-year page FAQ): the best preparation is strong performance in a balanced and rigorous curriculum across the five core subjects: English, mathematics, history or social science, laboratory science and world language; take the advanced courses your school offers (honors, AP, IB); most applicants complete at least 20 academic core courses by graduation. Specific prerequisites for biology (high school biology and chemistry and math expectations) are not published on the pages read here.
• Credit earned before enrolling (U.S. first-year page FAQ): the college accepts a maximum of 32 semester credits earned before matriculation; college and summer-session credits, post-secondary programs, AP, IB and GCE A-Levels all count toward that 32-credit maximum; college courses are evaluated once an official transcript is sent.
• IB (international FAQ): Higher Level exam scores of 5, 6 or 7 may earn the equivalent of four or eight semester hours per exam; credit is decided by the appropriate academic department individually; the evaluation of Standard Level exams is said to be “available in the fall of 2026 on the Registrar’s webpage”.
• How AP / IB map to biology courses: the department’s rules for placing out of introductory biology are not published on the pages read here; ask the department and the Registrar.
• Labs, thesis or research requirement, honors: not published on the pages read here.
• Biology competitions: the pages read here do not say how competitions are viewed in admission, so nothing is claimed.

4. Deadlines and materials (fall 2027 entry)

• Deadlines (dates and deadlines page and the first-year page, which says “for a Fall 2027 start”): Early Decision I November 1, financial aid priority November 9, notification December 6, reply December 21; Early Action November 1, aid priority November 9, notification December 19, reply May 1; Early Decision II January 1, aid priority January 8, notification January 31, reply February 15; Regular Decision January 15, aid priority January 22, notification March 14, reply May 1. QuestBridge applicants have different dates. The notification and reply dates are printed without a year on the dates page, so check that they are for fall 2027 entry.
• Platform and fee: the Common App (QuestBridge applications are also accepted); the first-year application page read here does not print a fee amount, so check in the Common App.
• Materials (U.S.): the Common App application; official high school transcripts (9th grade through junior year); two recommendation letters, one from a counselor or school official and one from a teacher in a core academic subject (English, social studies, world language, mathematics or science); Early Decision applicants sign the Early Decision Agreement and self-report in-progress senior grades; optional items are ACT/SAT, AP/IB scores, an online interview (domestic applicants only), an additional recommendation and an art portfolio. The Common App member section has two optional Macalester essay prompts.
• Testing: test-optional; not submitting scores does not disadvantage you. Codes: ACT 2122 and SAT 6390 (one place in the international FAQ gives 6390 for the ACT, which conflicts with 2122 on other pages; check the website).

5. U.S. students: costs and aid

• 2026–2027 costs (financial aid and tuition page): tuition $74,394, residence hall $9,268, meal plan $8,162 and activity fee $230, listed on the page as a comprehensive fee of $92,154.
• Need-based aid: the college commits to meeting 100% of demonstrated need for every admitted student; the page says 59% of students receive need-based grants from Macalester and the average need-based package is $67,609 (the page prints no year for it); students must indicate interest in aid when they apply, as aid cannot be awarded after an offer of admission.
• Macalester Promise: admitted U.S. students with a family income of $100,000 or less and typical financial assets receive a full-tuition scholarship.
• Merit scholarships: every applicant is automatically considered, with no separate application and no need to apply for need-based aid; up to $40,000, awarded for eight semesters with no minimum GPA for renewal; applicants are told at the same time as admission and no merit awards are added afterward. The merit scholarship page says 4 out of 5 students receive a merit scholarship, while the financial aid and tuition page says more than half do; check the website. National Merit Finalists who name Macalester as their first choice can receive the Macalester National Merit Scholarship.
• Scholarships and undergraduate research funding of the biology department: not published on the pages read here.
• Priority or guaranteed admission for in-state residents: not stated on the pages read here.

6. International students

• Materials: the Common App; official transcripts and (if applicable) exam result certificates, normally with grades for years 9 through 12/13 and any available external exam scores, decided case by case; applicants who have not yet sat final exams include predicted results; two recommendation letters (one counselor or school official, one teacher from your primary academic courses). Transcripts submitted by the student are not official. Non-English transcripts need an English translation with the translator’s name and position, and official transcripts carry the school seal and an official signature.
• A-Level / exam-based systems: students who have completed only O-Levels will not be considered; A-Level students submit final O, AS (where available) and A-Level results, or predicted scores if finals are not yet available; the same applies to similar exam-based systems. IB students must submit IB exam scores.
• English: English proficiency testing is optional. The pages recommend it for applicants whose first language is not English and who have spent fewer than two years in secondary schooling taught mainly in English: TOEFL, TOEFL Essentials, IELTS, Duolingo English Test, or third-party interviews such as InitialView and Vericant. There is no minimum score; the pages say students scoring the following are the most successful: ibTOEFL taken after January 2026, 5.0 or higher; ibTOEFL before January 2026, 100 or higher; IELTS 7.0 or higher; Duolingo 130 or higher. Superscores are not considered, and self-reported TOEFL and IELTS scores are accepted.
• Interviews: the college cannot offer evaluative online interviews to international applicants (those who would study on a non-immigrant visa); you may submit an InitialView or Vericant interview instead; interviews are optional and not having one does not lower your chances.
• Proof of funding: applicants for need-based aid who would study on a non-immigrant visa submit the CSS Profile or the 2027–2028 International Student Application for Financial Assistance (ISAFA) plus the Macalester Financial Declaration Form, and the application is not reviewed until both are in; the college gives no CSS Profile fee waivers to international applicants and accepts the free ISAFA if the fee is a burden. International students not applying for aid must submit the Financial Obligations Agreement or they will not be considered. Aid deadlines (international aid page): November 9 for ED I and EA, January 8 for ED II, January 22 for RD and March 15 for transfer applicants.
• Admission and aid (international FAQ): financial need plays a role in admission decisions; international applicants with the highest need (a family contribution of less than $40,000) face the greatest competition; in recent years the college has given extra consideration to international students needing significant aid who apply in an Early Decision round, which the page says can give “a small edge”. Aid can only be requested at the time of application, not after admission or enrollment.
• International aid and scholarships: admitted international students who qualify for aid can expect a four-year package of scholarships (gift aid), a small Macalester College International Student Loan and campus employment; campus work is about 9 hours a week, and the international aid page says about $3,600 (after taxes) in the first year while the international FAQ says up to $4,500 (before taxes) for 2026–2027, so check the website. The Charles J. Turck Presidential Honor Scholarship goes to a limited number of international students with special academic potential, up to $40,000 a year; every international applicant is automatically considered and no SAT/ACT is needed.
• International share: roughly 14% to 18% of each entering class is international; the international FAQ says about 90% of the international students who enroll complete their degree.

7. Applicants from China

• Gaokao: the international pages do not say whether gaokao results are considered or how; not published on the pages read here, so email the international admissions office to confirm.
• Transcripts and huikao materials: the website only asks for official transcripts plus external exam scores, decided case by case; it lists no huikao materials and no China-specific note; transcripts are sent directly by a school official and need an English translation if not in English.
• English: English proficiency testing is optional (benchmarks above); the website sets no separate requirement for applicants from China.
• International curricula: IB students must submit IB scores and the HL credit rule is in section 3; A-Level students see section 6.
• Testing: SAT/ACT are optional; the international FAQ says that for the Class of 2029, 63% of international applicants and 61% of admitted international students had no ACT or SAT score considered.

8. Outcomes

• The pages read here print no placement rate, salary or further-study data for biology graduates. Check the college website and the biology department pages.

9. Transfer students

• Eligibility (transfer page and FAQ): applicants must have completed at least one full semester or trimester of college as full-time and/or degree-seeking students by the transfer deadline; students taking college courses while in high school apply as first-year students.
• Deadline (fall entry): the application deadline and financial aid priority date are both March 15, with notification May 2 and reply May 30; the same dates apply to U.S. and international transfer applicants. There is no application fee.
• Materials: the Common App; official transcripts of all college-level coursework (student-issued copies are not official); a final high school transcript (IB scores are required for international applicants and for U.S. citizens who attended IB programs outside the U.S.); one recommendation letter from a college instructor; an optional transfer essay; the College Report for currently enrolled students; test scores optional.
• Credit transfer (transfer FAQ): up to 64 credit hours may transfer; to earn a Macalester degree you must complete two full years (64 credit hours) at Macalester; credit is generally awarded for liberal arts courses at regionally accredited institutions; the official transcript evaluation comes after an offer of admission. How biology courses transfer is not published on the pages read here; ask the department.
• Housing: transfer students who have not completed the equivalent of four semesters of college must live on campus.
• Aid: all transfer applicants are considered for merit scholarships with no separate application; to be considered for need-based aid, indicate interest when you apply.
• Conditions for transferring into biology (prerequisite courses, GPA, limited places): not published on the pages read here.

Checklist

U.S. students:

• Apply by November 1 (ED I / EA), January 1 (ED II) or January 15 (RD) through the Common App; high school transcript; two recommendation letters (one from a core-subject teacher); testing optional
• Take the five core subjects including laboratory science in high school; declare a major by the end of the second year, and confirm biology-specific requirements with the department

International students (including applicants from China):

• Same rounds and deadlines; for aid, the CSS Profile or ISAFA plus the Financial Declaration Form (by November 9 / January 8 / January 22); transcripts with English translation and predicted results; English test optional
• How the gaokao is used and biology-specific requirements are not published, so confirm with admissions; IB students must send IB scores

Transfer students:

• Common App by March 15; at least one full semester of college; college transcripts and one college-instructor recommendation; no application fee; biology transfer conditions are not published

Sources: Macalester College, Apply; Dates and deadlines; U.S. first-year applicants; International admissions; International first-year applicants; International FAQ; Transfer applicants; Transfer FAQ; Financial aid and tuition; Merit scholarships; International financial aid. Costs are for 2026-2027 and application dates are for fall 2027 entry. Check the Macalester website for the latest.