How to Apply to Biology at Grand Valley State University: Biology Is Not on the List of Majors With Extra Declaration Requirements, Test-Optional Freshman Admission, No Undergraduate International Application Fee and a Scholarship Charging Michigan Tuition, for Domestic, International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Applicants

Grand Valley State University (GVSU) is in Michigan, with its main campus in Allendale. This guide follows the university’s admissions, tuition, scholarship and credit-by-exam pages and covers domestic applicants, international applicants, applicants from China and transfer students. The biology program page and course catalogue pages were not used, so the degree name, tracks (such as molecular biology, microbiology or ecology and conservation), college, required courses and graduation requirements for biology are marked as not published on the pages cited here; check GVSU’s program pages and catalogue. Chemistry and other majors are outside this guide, and health programs such as nursing and medical laboratory science, which have extra declaration requirements, as well as medicine and pharmacy, are also outside it.

1. Degrees and tracks

• Degrees and tracks: the pages cited here do not list biology degree names (B.S. or B.A.), tracks, credit totals or required courses; this is not published there. The only thing confirmed is course codes: the credit-by-exam tables list GVSU biology courses BIO 105, BIO 120 and BIO 121.
• College: not stated in the pages cited here.
• Extra declaration requirements: the catalog and the undergraduate application page each carry a list of majors and programs whose entry standards exceed the minimum for admission, which students must meet before declaring (including engineering, nursing, education, music, studio art, medical laboratory science and certain allied health emphases); biology is not on the list, and the pages cited here do not mention a seat limit or grade cut-off for biology.
• Honors College: the catalog says admitted high school students with a 3.75 or higher GPA are typically invited to the Frederik Meijer Honors College; transfer students with a 3.5 or higher college GPA may apply.

2. Apply to the university, then enter biology after enrolling

• What you apply to: the undergraduate application goes to GVSU, through GVSU’s online application or the Common App. The application page says review considers preparation for the intended major, which shows the application has an intended-major item; whether it is required and whether it can be changed later are not stated in the pages cited here.
• Entering biology after enrolling: when and how to declare, prerequisite grades and internal transfer conditions are not stated in the pages cited here; ask GVSU’s academic advising.

3. Prerequisites and AP/IB credit

• High school courses: see section 4; additional high school prerequisites for biology (high school biology, chemistry, mathematics) are not stated in the pages cited here.
• General credit-by-exam rules: the credit by exam page says students may earn advanced placement or credit by national exams; credits count toward graduation but not toward the GPA; AP, IB, Seal of Biliteracy and CLEP credit combined is capped at 32 hours (no limit for DSST); credit requires that the student has not registered for the course at GVSU or elsewhere; equivalencies apply from 2026 and minimum scores and equivalencies may change.
• AP Biology (the AP page; scores of 3, 4 or 5 earn credit): AP Biology 3 maps to BIO 120 (4 credits, life sciences with a lab); 4 or 5 maps to BIO 120 and 121 (8 credits). AP Environmental Science 3, 4 or 5 maps to BIO 105 (3 credits). Related exams: AP Chemistry 3 maps to CHM 109, 4 to CHM 125 and 126, and 5 to CHM 125, 126 and 127; AP Calculus AB 3 to 5 maps to MTH 201 and BC 3 to 5 to MTH 201 and 202; AP Statistics 3 to 5 maps to STA 215.
• IB Biology (the IB page; Higher Level only, score of 4 or above): HL Biology 4 maps to BIO 120 plus 2 credits of general BIO (6 credits, life sciences); HL Chemistry 4 maps to CHM 125, 126 and 127. The IB page says the equivalencies apply from spring 2026.
• Whether such credit replaces required biology courses: the pages cited here give only the GVSU course numbers and do not say whether they satisfy biology major requirements; ask the department. Treatment of A-Levels is not stated.
• Biology competitions: the pages cited here do not say how competitions are viewed in admissions.

4. Timeline and materials (domestic freshmen)

• Timeline: the undergraduate application page says admission is rolling, with files reviewed as they are complete; freshmen entering in the fall are advised to complete the application and all documents at least 30 days before the start of the term, though any term may close early without notice. A fixed deadline for fall 2027 is not stated in the pages cited here.
• Materials: the completed undergraduate application (GVSU’s own online application, or the Common App) and an official high school transcript, sent by the counselor or an electronic delivery service such as Parchment, Naviance or SCOIR, or emailed to the admissions office; the final transcript showing the graduation date is due by 30 June. The pages cited here do not list essays or recommendation letters, or say whether a science teacher’s letter is needed.
• Testing: ACT/SAT scores are optional and not submitting them does not affect admission review; they are required for the top scholarships and encouraged for students who want to show strong math proficiency. GVSU’s ACT code is 2005 and SAT code 1258. Applicants admitted before the Friday prior to the start of fall term are considered for merit scholarships whether or not they submit scores, and may still send scores until that Friday for additional consideration.
• Application fee: the international application page and the transfer page say there is no application fee for undergraduates; the freshman application page itself does not state one, so check the website.
• Review: holistic, considering academic performance and GPA (including course rigor and preparation for the intended major), GPA trend, secondary school record, personal data on the application, involvement, service and talents, and personal statements.
• High school courses: the catalog says 20 units are required (one per year of work), with exceptions weighed against other credentials, and recommends four years of English (including composition), three of science (two with lab), three of college preparatory mathematics (including two of algebra), three of social science and two of a single foreign language, strongly recommending a fourth year of mathematics and more science; the application page calls these recommended but not required. The wording differs, so follow the website. Additional high school prerequisites for chemistry or biology are not stated in the pages cited here.

5. Domestic applicants

• Tuition (2026–27, printed per year across fall, winter and summer): the tuition page lists Michigan residents at $16,520 a year for lower division (0 to 54 credits earned; $8,260 per semester for 12 to 15 credits, $692 per credit hour for 1 to 11 credits and for each credit above 15) and $17,252 for upper division (55+ credits; $8,626 per semester, $727 per credit). Non-Michigan residents pay $23,492 a year for lower division ($11,746 per semester, $985 per credit) and $24,184 for upper division ($12,092 per semester, $1,019 per credit). Active-duty military, reservists, veterans and their spouses or dependents are treated as residents.
• Freshman merit scholarships (fall 2027, reviewed automatically with the admission application): the scholarship page lists: GV Meridian, up to 20 awards covering full undergraduate tuition and mandatory fees (up to 15 credits a semester) plus housing up to a traditional double room, dining up to the 14+ meal plan and a one-time $6,000 study abroad scholarship, requiring a complete application by 1 December, a 3.75 high school GPA and participation in the January selection experience, with no ACT/SAT required or considered; Presidential, $11,000 a year, needing a 3.8 GPA with ACT 32+ or SAT 1430+; Faculty, $6,000 a year, 3.75 GPA; Award for Excellence, $5,000 a year, 3.5 GPA; Laker, $1,000 a year, 3.3 GPA; plus Urban Schools, Early Awareness and others. Non-Michigan residents receive the resident/non-resident tuition difference on top; awards renew for three more years (four in total) with satisfactory academic progress and a 2.5 cumulative GPA. National Merit Finalists receive an extra $2,000 on the Presidential and Faculty awards.
• Other scholarships: after admission students can apply through myScholarships for departmental and endowed scholarships; named chemistry or biology scholarships and their conditions are not stated in the pages cited here.
• Honors College: the catalog says admitted high school students with a 3.75 or higher GPA are typically invited to the Frederik Meijer Honors College; transfer students with a 3.5 or higher college GPA may apply.
• Priority or guaranteed admission for state residents: not stated in the pages cited here.

6. International applicants

• Deadlines: the international application page says fall (August) 1 June with the I-20 financial verification form due 1 July; winter (January) 1 November with the form due 15 November. All materials must arrive by 11:59 p.m. Eastern. The catalog says applicants are “encouraged” to submit by 1 November (winter) or 1 June (fall); the wording differs, so follow the website. No year is printed, so check that these are for fall 2027.
• Fee and method: there is no application fee for undergraduates; apply through the GVSU international application or the Common App; a Laker Portal checklist follows.
• English scores (any one): TOEFL iBT 4.5 (86 on the prior scale; Home Edition accepted, MyBest and Essentials not; TOEFL code 1258); IELTS 6.5; Duolingo 105; PTE 53; Cambridge C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency 180; SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing 470; ACT English 15; AP English Language 3; IB Higher Level 5 (English A literature, language and literature, or English B); Michigan English Test 52.
• English exemptions: a diploma or degree from an accredited U.S. high school, college or university; 30 or more U.S. college credits including English with C or higher; at least two years at an accredited U.S. high school; citizenship of listed countries (including Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and South Africa); or confirmation from a previous school that English was the language of instruction.
• Transcripts and essay: English official transcripts are sent directly by the previous school (email preferred), with official English translations if needed. The catalog’s international list also asks for a one- to two-page personal statement, while the steps on the international application page do not mention one; the two differ, so confirm with admissions. For countries with national exams, official results must come from the testing board or the previous school.
• Estimated costs (international tuition page): undergraduate tuition and fees $23,848, housing and meals $12,737 and health insurance $2,154, with a printed total of $38,740; all international students must buy health insurance, which is included. The page notes that all admitted undergraduates receive an International Student Scholarship reducing tuition to the Michigan resident rate. Specific proof-of-funds amounts are not stated in the pages cited here.
• Scholarships: the international scholarships page says undergraduates admitted on E2, F1, H4, K2, L2, R2, TN or TD visas automatically receive the GVSU International Scholarship covering the extra non-resident cost so they pay the Michigan tuition rate; it is valued at approximately $6,700 per academic year and renews for up to four years (the international tuition page says approximately $6,500; the figures differ). The International Merit Scholarship is for undergraduates admitted for a fall term on E2, F1, H4, K2, L2, TN or TD visas: $2,500, renewing automatically for up to four years for first-time college students, decided by committee from October, with 15 February recommended for applying, and it can be combined with the International Scholarship. After admission, students can apply for hundreds of scholarships through myScholarships, most with deadlines between 15 February and 1 March.

7. Applicants from China

• Gaokao: the pages cited here do not mention the gaokao; how it is used is not published. The catalog says that for countries with national exams, official results must come from the testing board or the previous school; whether this covers the gaokao is not stated, so confirm with admissions ((616) 331-2025).
• Transcripts and school-exam documents: English official transcripts come directly from the previous school, with official translations if needed; whether Chinese school-exam documents are required is not published.
• Chinese-language material: the international student page links a one-page PDF in Chinese on why to choose Grand Valley, which was not downloaded.
• English: IELTS 6.5, TOEFL iBT 4.5 (86 on the prior scale), Duolingo 105 and others; see above.
• International curricula: AP and IB results can show English proficiency and earn credit (see the prerequisites section); treatment of A-Levels is not stated in the pages cited here.
• Credential evaluation: for transfer credit GVSU does not accept evaluations by other institutions or private credential services; whether first-year applicants need one is not stated.

8. Undergraduate research and outcomes

• Undergraduate research, internships and capstones: arrangements for biology are not published in the pages cited here.
• Outcomes: the pages cited here give no outcome or employment data for biology.

9. Transfer students

• Application and materials: the transfer page says to submit the undergraduate application and official transcripts from every college attended (sent directly by the colleges, email preferred); applicants with fewer than 12 semester hours must also submit a high school transcript and are reviewed under the first-year standards. Applications must arrive at least 30 days before the final day of registration, and the university says applicants hear within about three weeks. The minimum GPA for transfer admission is not stated in the pages cited here.
• Credit transfer: the catalog says courses with a D from an accredited institution generally transfer if the overall GPA of all previous work, as calculated by GVSU, is C or better; transferred credit counts toward credit totals but grades do not transfer; admitted students receive a course-by-course Transfer Credit Statement. Transfer students must complete at least 12 hours in the unit conferring the major, with some programs requiring more; the requirements for chemistry and biology are not stated in the pages cited here, so see the major requirements. The Course Equivalencies tool on the transfer page shows how courses map.
• Michigan community colleges: completing the MTA or MACRAO agreement satisfies the Foundations categories of the General Education Program and one supplemental writing course, though other general education requirements remain; the transfer page also lists transfer plans, MiTransfer pathways and reverse transfer agreements.
• International transfers: the international application page asks for official course catalogs or syllabi for non-U.S. coursework (with English translations); GVSU does not accept credit evaluations by other institutions or private services; this step is not required for admission.
• Transfer scholarships: the scholarship page lists a separate 2027-2028 transfer merit scholarship page, which was not used here.

Sources: 2026-2027 catalog: Admissions; Undergraduate application; International application; International students; International scholarships; International tuition and fees; 2026-2027 tuition and fees; Incoming freshman and transfer merit scholarships; 2027-2028 freshman merit scholarships; Transfer students; Credit by exam; AP credit; IB credit. The international undergraduate deadlines (1 June, 1 November and so on) do not print a year, so check that they are for fall 2027 entry; tuition is for 2026-2027 and the freshman merit scholarships are for 2027-2028 (fall 2027 entry). The degree pages and course catalogue pages for chemistry and biology on the GVSU website were not used here, so check the website directly. Check Grand Valley State University’s website for the latest.