How to Apply to Biology at the University of Memphis: A BS in Biology with 36 Hours of Biology Courses and an 18-Hour Core, AP Biology Credit, and the Admission Route and Prerequisites for US, International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Applicants

The University of Memphis (UofM) is a public university in Memphis, Tennessee. The biology undergraduate program is offered by the Department of Biological Sciences. This article follows the University’s website and is organised for US applicants, international applicants and applicants from China, followed by transfer students. Medicine, nursing, pharmacy, dentistry, public health and other health-professions degrees are outside this article—see the website; chemistry, physics, mathematics and engineering are also not covered. The University’s undergraduate catalog was not read for this article, so check course descriptions and formal degree requirements on the website.

1. Degrees and tracks, and how you are admitted

• Biology Major (BS): the undergraduate page says BS graduates should have a fundamental understanding of biology from the subcellular to the ecosystem level, the ability to compete for admission to graduate and professional programs or for entry-level employment, and skills in analysis, synthesis, quantitative reasoning and written and oral communication. The department pages read do not list other biology degrees or separate named tracks such as biochemistry or neuroscience.
• Hours required: the degree requirements page says the BS needs at least 36 hours in biology—an 18-hour core (BIOL 1110/1111 General Biology I, BIOL 1120/1121 General Biology II, BIOL 3130 Cell Biology, BIOL 3072/3073 Genetics with lab and BIOL 4100 Evolution) plus 18 upper-division hours; one elective must be an “organismal” course (the page lists the course numbers), another must have a laboratory component, and at most 5 research credit hours (BIOL 4000, 4001, 4570) may count.
• Supporting courses: 16 hours of chemistry (CHEM 1110/1111, 1120/1121, 3310/3301, 3511/3501), 8 hours of physics (trig-based 2010/2011 and 2020/2021 or calculus-based 2110/2111 and 2120/2121), and Elementary Calculus or Calculus I (MATH 1830 or 1910); plus a 3-hour science ethics course (PHIL 3512, 3514 or 3515), 6 hours of skills courses (two consecutive foreign-language courses or two skills electives) and a 3-hour biologically relevant upper-division social science elective.
• Grade rules: the department says a grade of at least C- is required in all biology courses applied toward the major or minor and in all required chemistry, physics and mathematics courses; C- is needed in BIOL 1110/1111 and 1120/1121 before any upper-division course; and C- in CHEM 1110/1111 is required before starting BIOL 1110/1111 or any other major-level biology course. A course may be repeated once; a second repeat needs special permission from the department’s Undergraduate Studies Committee, and a third is not allowed.
• Minor: the biology minor requires 18 hours of biology including BIOL 1110/1111, 1120/1121 and 10 upper-division hours; no more than four hours of research and practicum may count.
• Advising: the department has a Biology Advising and Resource Center (BARC); biology majors who have completed CHEM 1110/1111 go to the BARC, while those who have not yet passed it are generally seen by the University’s Academic Advising Center.
• When you declare the major and conditions for transferring in: the pages read give no timing, grade condition or quota.
• Choosing a major at application: see section 3; the admissions pages read do not say whether you must choose a major when applying—ask Undergraduate Admissions.

2. Prerequisites, course layout and research

• High school prerequisites: beyond the minimum high school curriculum for all freshmen in section 3, the department pages set no separate high school biology or chemistry requirement. The chemistry department says an ACT MATH sub-score of at least 24, or credit for MATH 1710 (College Algebra) or higher, is required to register for CHEM 1110; because biology majors must pass CHEM 1110/1111 first, this condition is relevant, but that link is drawn from two departments’ pages, so confirm with the department.
• AP credit: the department’s Advanced Placement page says students scoring 3 on the AP exam receive credit for BIOL 1010/1011 and 1020/1021 (non-major biology), and those scoring 4 or higher receive credit for BIOL 1110/1111. Students should tell their adviser and have AP scores sent to the University; transfer students may need to send AP scores because AP credit does not transfer between institutions. IB credit for biology courses is not published on the pages read.
• Undergraduate research: the department says faculty encourage research and many students earn credit for it. BIOL 4000 (Research I, 1–2 credits) and BIOL 4001 (Research II, 2–3 credits, with a formal paper and a presentation at a professional meeting or departmental seminar); BIOL 4570 (Practicum, 3 credits) for research or an internship off campus. No more than five total hours of these can count toward degree requirements. Students wanting to do research should contact a suitable faculty sponsor before meeting their adviser.
• Accreditation: no external professional accreditation for the biology major is published on the pages read.
• Departmental scholarships: the department page lists the Botany Scholarship (biology major, preference for botany interests; application with essay, two recommendations from department faculty and an undergraduate transcript) and the Goldye Feinstone Scholarship (biology major with preference for microbiology or molecular cell sciences; sophomore to senior; cumulative GPA of at least 3.25 or demonstrated potential; full-time 12 credit hours), and others such as the Dr. Virginia M. Norton and Dan Norton Scholarship, with conditions on the website; freshman scholarships are covered in section 4, with applications through the Tiger Scholarship Manager.
• Where graduates go: the pages read give no employment-rate or salary data.

3. How to apply, materials and testing

• Where to apply: the application page sorts applicants into freshman, transfer, graduate, international, online (UofM Global), returning, dual enrollment, law and non-degree types; first-time freshmen may use the University’s own application or the Common App (dual-enrolment applicants should not use the Common App). The page says applications open in the first week of your senior year of high school, and that you must be fully admitted to be eligible for scholarship consideration.
• Fee and materials: freshmen pay a non-refundable $25 application fee, and provide an official transcript with at least three years of high school work and a standardized exam result (ACT or SAT). The requirements page says all students must provide a standardized exam result, valid if taken within five calendar years of the entry term; sub-scores are used for placement; no score alone guarantees admission, and scores are weighed with other factors. The freshman page adds that the University allows self-reported GPA and ACT/SAT scores (with sub-scores) for faster decisions, with a final high school transcript required after admission.
• Minimum high school curriculum: English 4 units; visual and/or performing arts 1; mathematics 3 (at least Algebra I, Geometry and Algebra II); natural and physical science 2 (at least one unit of biology, chemistry or physics); social studies 2 (one of them US History); foreign language 2 (the same language). This is the minimum for all freshmen; any additional high school subject requirements for chemistry or biology are not published on the pages read.
• Deadlines (domestic applicants): fall application deadline 1 July with file completion by 1 August; spring 1 December and 1 January; summer 1 May and 15 May. The priority deadline for scholarship consideration is 1 December for admitted students, and the University urges those who may be scholarship-eligible to apply before 1 November of the year before enrollment. The pages do not print a year, so check on the website that these apply to fall 2027 entry.
• Admission thresholds: the pages read give no minimum GPA or ACT/SAT for first-year admission (they link to “Guaranteed Admission Pathways”, which were not read); they only say applicants not admissible on self-reported data are placed in supplemental review and asked for more information such as a seventh-semester transcript. There is no separate admission bar for chemistry or biology on the pages read, and they do not say whether you must pick a major at application; ask Undergraduate Admissions.

4. US, international and Chinese applicants

US applicants

• Tuition (undergraduate, 2026–27): the fee schedules are by credit hours. Tennessee residents pay $406 tuition per credit hour plus an $84 university service fee, capped at 12 hours: $4,872 tuition plus $1,008 service fee, $5,880 in total per semester. Non-Tennessee residents pay $610 tuition per credit hour plus the $84 service fee—$8,328 for 12 hours and $10,158 for 15 hours (no cap on the per-hour tuition; the service fee caps at $1,008 from 12 hours). A different page says non-resident students are charged in-state tuition rates on credits over 12, which does not match the schedule’s continuing $610 per credit hour from 13 hours—check the latest schedule on the website. The tuition overview page has a separate note for residents of five bordering counties; see the website’s border-county page, which was not read.
• Scholarships: the value page says academic scholarships begin at a 3.25 GPA and a 22 ACT or equivalent SAT. The first-time freshman page says scholarships are assessed from the admissions application on two paths—GPA plus test score, or high school GPA only—with priority for applications by 1 December and updated GPA and test scores accepted until 1 March; academic scholarships are renewable for up to three additional years with 12 credit hours a semester, good standing and required service hours. Separate programs include Emerging Leaders ($5,500 a year; minimum 21 ACT or 1060 SAT and a 3.0 GPA; separate application due 1 February) and First Scholars ($5,000 a year, for first-generation students; due 1 February). Tennessee residents may receive the Memphis Promise last-dollar scholarship, which fills the gap between financial aid and tuition.

International applicants

• Applying and fee: apply online and pay the non-refundable $50 application fee; upload your secondary (or college) transcript or marks sheet to the portal for an initial assessment, with official records required before enrolment; decisions typically come by email within 5–7 business days. The international page says freshman admission is competitive, with the primary factors being the secondary school GPA and demonstrated English proficiency. It does not list ACT/SAT as required, while the requirements page says all students must provide a standardized exam result—the two differ, so confirm with Undergraduate Admissions.
• Deadlines: for first-time F-1 applicants outside the US: fall application 1 July and file completion 15 July; spring 1 November and 1 December; summer 1 April and 1 May (summer is not recommended for those needing a visa). For international applicants already in the US: fall 1 August, spring 1 December and 1 January, summer 1 May and 1 June. No year is printed, so check that these apply to fall 2027 entry.
• English proficiency (any one): citizenship of an English-speaking country with English as native language, or English as the language of instruction in high school or college; TOEFL iBT 61 (the page says “61 Prior to 2026 / 4 after 2025”), IELTS 6, PTE 50, Duolingo 95, iTEP 3.7; SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing 540, ACT English 21, IB Higher-Level English A1 grade 5, GED 450 / HiSET 45, Cambridge GCE/GCSE/IGCSE English Language or First Language at B or higher; completing the University’s Intensive English for Internationals (IEI) program; one semester of English Composition with a C or better at a US or approved English-speaking-country college, or at least two years at a high school in the US or an approved English-speaking country; or a letter from your school stating the language of instruction (which the Admission Committee may reject). Test scores expire after two years; submit unofficial scores with the application and have official scores sent directly.
• Aid: the University selectively awards competitive merit-based scholarships to newly admitted degree-seeking international students on F-1 or J-1 visas studying on campus; they are for first-time entering students only, and dual citizens and permanent residents are not eligible. Applicants are assessed on GPA plus test score, or GPA only. The amounts are in an image on the page, which was not read, so check them on the website.

Applicants from China

• The University publishes a China-specific requirements PDF (dated 9 September 2026 on its face): submit at least one of the following—the high school graduation exam results certificate (HUIKAO), verified directly by the China Qualifications Verification Authority (CDGDC), or the graduation certificate; GCE/GCSE/IGCSE (O-Level, A/AS-Level) and IB certificates are also accepted. Documents must be submitted in English and in the native language. Applicants who did not sit any of these exams should notify Undergraduate Admissions. Proof of English proficiency is as above.
• Whether and how the gaokao is considered is not published on the pages read; ask Undergraduate Admissions (admissions@memphis.edu).

5. Transfer students

• Materials: first-time transfer applicants pay a non-refundable $25 fee and provide official transcripts from every post-secondary institution attended, with a cumulative GPA for all work attempted. Those who will not have completed 15 transferable hours by enrolment must also send a final high school transcript and ACT/SAT results and meet the freshman requirements; those with 15 or more credits do not need the high school transcript or test scores. The page says a cumulative college GPA of 2.0 is typically expected, with a comprehensive review, and applicants on academic suspension at the last school attended will generally not be admitted.
• International transfer applicants: a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0 across all institutions, domestic and international; coursework from outside the US needs a course-by-course evaluation from a NACES or AICE member agency; evaluated credits post first as unassigned electives and must be matched to degree requirements with course descriptions or syllabi through your adviser; applicants with fewer than 15 transferable hours must send secondary transcripts.
• Deadlines: the pages read list no separate transfer application deadlines; check the website.
• Course and GPA expectations for transfers into chemistry or biology are not published on the pages read; course equivalencies are in the undergraduate catalog, which was not read.

6. AP/IB credit

The department’s AP credit rule for biology is in section 2; IB credit for biology courses is not published on the pages read, so ask the department and Undergraduate Admissions.

Sources: University of Memphis, biological sciences undergraduate page; degree requirements; AP credit; undergraduate research; departmental scholarships; chemistry programs (math requirement for introductory chemistry); how to apply; admission requirements; deadlines; freshmen; international undergraduate; international requirements; English proficiency; requirements by country; China requirements (PDF); transfer; transfer requirements; tuition overview; resident fee schedule (PDF); non-resident fee schedule (PDF); international fee schedule (PDF); freshman scholarships; international scholarships. Figures and dates should be checked against the latest website pages.