How to Apply to Biology at Georgetown University: Apply Directly to the College of Arts & Sciences and Choose a Science Major at Application, with a Biology Major and Sophomore Declaration of Global Health, Environmental Biology or Neurobiology, SAT or ACT Required, for Domestic, International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Applicants

Georgetown University is a private research university in Washington, D.C. Undergraduate biology is offered by the Department of Biology in the College of Arts & Sciences. You apply directly to one of six undergraduate schools, and biology sits in the College. Here is what you need to know, based on Georgetown’s website, organised for US domestic applicants, international applicants and applicants from China, followed by transfer students. The B.S. in Biochemistry is in the Department of Chemistry and is not covered here; degrees in the nursing and health schools and professional study after pre-medical preparation are also outside this guide (see the website’s schools and majors page).

1. Degrees and majors

• Four majors and a minor: the department’s degrees page says it offers four majors and a minor: Biology, Biology of Global Health, Environmental Biology and Neurobiology, plus a Biology minor. The degree title and credit requirements are in the Undergraduate Bulletin, which was not read, so please check it on the website; the global health page states that its version is a B.S. degree in natural sciences.
• The Biology major: covers ecology, evolutionary systems, behavior, genetics, microbiology, molecular and cellular biology, immunology, developmental biology and neurobiology. All students begin as Biology majors and may stay intentionally broad or choose a concentration: Biochemistry, Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology (BMCDB) or Ecology, Evolution, and Behavioral Biology (EEB). A concentration needs 15 credits and can be declared as late as the spring of senior year; it appears on the transcript.
• The three specialised majors: students declare in the fall of sophomore year as Biology of Global Health (biology, public health and social sciences, with chemistry, mathematics and computational requirements), Environmental Biology (population, whole-organism and evolutionary biology and environmental science, with chemistry and mathematics) or Neurobiology (molecular, cellular, developmental, cognitive and behavioral neurobiology). The global health page notes that the College, the School of Foreign Service and the nursing and health school each have a global health major, and that the biology version is a natural science degree in which study abroad is encouraged but not required.
• Research and the senior project: RISE (Research Intensive Senior Experience) lets seniors work on a year-long research project with a faculty mentor; juniors can earn credit through tutorial research (BIOL 4950, 3 credits). RISE is BIOL 4951 (fall) and 4952 (spring), 3 credits each at about 12 hours a week, by instructor permission, with products now manuscripts and posters presented at the department’s research symposium. The environmental biology page still gives BIOL-340 for tutorial research and BIOL-341 and 342 for RISE, which differ from the 4950/4951/4952 on the RISE page (possibly pre-renumbering codes); please confirm with the department.
• Pre-med: students can choose any of the department’s majors while following the pre-medical curriculum, which overlaps heavily; the typical requirements listed are a year each of biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry and physics with laboratory and a year of mathematics, with a note that these requirements are changing and many medical schools now also look for biochemistry, psychology and writing.
• Full course requirements: the credit requirements for each major are in the University catalog and are not in the pages read; see the website.

2. How admission to the major works: choose a science major at application

• Applying to a school: the website says applicants apply directly to one of the six undergraduate schools and are considered only for that programme; you cannot apply to more than one.
• Science majors are chosen at application: the academic offerings page says students who wish to pursue a major in the sciences have specific course sequencing and advising that begins in the first year, so a major needs to be selected at the time of the admissions application (the sciences listed include biology, biochemistry and chemistry); students admitted to a science major are expected to remain committed to it for at least the first year and officially select their major in sophomore year. The College’s FAQ likewise says first-years in sciences and languages enter with those majors declared; they may explore alternatives through core and elective work but remain in the entering major until sophomore year, when they may change to Undeclared or to a new major.
• Declaring within the department: all students begin as Biology majors and take Foundations of Biology I and II in the first year (BIOL 1203 & 1204, with labs 1213 and 1214); Biology of Global Health, Environmental Biology and Neurobiology are declared in the fall of sophomore year (the neurobiology page says students apply in the fall of their second year). The department’s degrees page also carries a notice that its major declaration deadline was 20 October 2025 and that later joiners complete a form, processed mid-March, and contact a named professor for entry into the “Gateway classes”; that notice is dated 2025, so check the current arrangements.
• Changing after entry: changing or adding a major after the first year means emailing the department’s Director of Undergraduate Studies for approval and an advisor, then submitting the Academic Program Changes Form to the College Dean’s Office.
• Separate admission line: the pages read do not describe a separate admission line or cap for biology.

3. Prerequisites and courses

• High school preparation (University expectation): the how-to-prepare page says all applicants are expected to have completed four years of English and a minimum of two years each of social studies, language study and mathematics, and one year of natural science; students planning a mathematics or science major should take four years of mathematics and at least three years of science.
• First year: Foundations in Biology I and II with labs (BIOL 1203 & 1204, labs 1213 and 1214); the chemistry department’s page says its biochemistry majors take the same courses. The other first-year courses for the biology major (chemistry, calculus and so on) are not itemised in the pages read; see the pre-med list above. The website notes that all main campus courses have been renumbered with 4-digit numbers since fall 2023.
• Concentration courses (examples): the BMCDB list includes Biological Chemistry (BIOL 1510), Genetics (BIOL 1520), Neurobiology (BIOL 1950), Microbiology (BIOL 3500), Genomics and Bioinformatics (BIOL 3615), Cell Biology (BIOL 3701), Molecular Biology (BIOL 3702), Immunobiology (BIOL 3703) and Developmental Biology (BIOL 3730), and not all courses are offered every year. The EEB list was not read in detail.
• AP / IB credit: the how-to-prepare page says AP credit varies by exam and undergraduate school, with the breakdown in the Undergraduate Bulletin, which was not read, so please check it on the website; IB credit is granted only for a 6 or 7 on a Higher Level exam; applicants are highly encouraged to submit AP scores.
• Biology competitions: how they are viewed in admission is not stated in the pages read.

4. Deadlines and application materials (first-year)

• Plans and deadlines: Early Action (non-binding) is due 1 November with decisions by 15 December; Regular Decision is due 1 January with decisions by 1 April; the financial aid application is due 1 February; the reply date is 1 May. Early Action applicants may not apply to binding Early Decision programmes but may apply to other non-binding early programmes. The timeline page shows no year, so check that it applies to fall 2027 entry.
• How to apply: the Georgetown Application or the Common Application; you apply to only one of the six undergraduate schools and are considered only for that programme. The application fee amount is not printed in the pages read; the website offers fee waivers.
• School-submitted materials: high school transcript, school profile and counselor letter of recommendation; a Midyear Report is due by 10 February.
• Recommendations: one counselor letter and one teacher letter (a second teacher letter is optional); applicants to science, health or mathematics programmes should have at least one recommendation from a science or math teacher.
• Essays: the Georgetown Writing Supplement has two short essays (250 words each) and two long essays (a 650-word personal or creative essay and a 500-word school-specific essay). For the College of Arts & Sciences the school-specific essay asks about your interest in studying in the College, and applicants interested in the sciences, mathematics or languages are encouraged to refer to their choice of major. The Common App personal statement is not required.
• Testing: SAT or ACT scores are required (at least one full test; superscores are not accepted); only the SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing and Math sections are considered, and the ACT writing section is not; ACT takers are highly encouraged to take the Science section; AP scores are highly recommended. SAT code 5244, ACT code 0668.
• Alumni interview: a key part of the process; the website says Georgetown aims to offer one to every applicant, interviews assigned must be completed, and some applicants outside the US may not be assigned one, with no negative effect.
• Review: the website describes a holistic review centred on academic performance.

5. US domestic applicants

• Cost (2026–27, first-year, living on or off campus): the financial aid office lists full-time tuition and fees of $74,732, average housing $13,944, food $8,236, books and supplies $1,000, transportation $780, personal expenses $2,132 and loan fees $40, a total of $100,864; the total for those living with parents is $87,740. One tuition figure is listed with no in-state or out-of-state difference. The rates for fall 2027 entry are not stated in the pages read.
• Aid: the website says Georgetown offers only need-based aid and no academic or merit scholarships; it meets 100% of demonstrated need for US citizens and permanent residents through grants, scholarships, employment and federal loans. The FAFSA and CSS Profile are due by 1 February, and applying for aid does not hurt admission chances. The aid page also states a minimum student contribution of $2,200 for first-year students, and says more than half of undergraduates receive some form of financial aid.
• In-state priority or guaranteed admission: not stated in the pages read.

6. International applicants

• Admission: the international FAQ says all applicants are reviewed within the context of the high school and educational system in which they study, with no quotas based on where students attend high school; citizenship does not affect admission but does play a role in financial aid.
• Testing: international applicants must also submit SAT or ACT scores.
• English proficiency: for students whose school does not teach in English, Georgetown recommends but does not require a test, and accepts the Duolingo English Test, IELTS and TOEFL (PBT, iBT and IPT Plus); no minimum scores are printed.
• Interview: InitialView interviews are accepted but not required and do not factor into the alumni interview process.
• Aid for international students: admitted students who requested aid and are not US citizens or permanent residents are considered for a “limited number” of need-based scholarships; they must indicate their intent to apply on the application and submit the CSS Profile. The financial aid office says aid for international students is “extremely limited” and that students not offered a scholarship in the first year will not be offered one in later years.
• Transcripts, credential evaluation and proof of funds: not stated in the pages read; check the international applicants page.

7. Applicants from China

• Gaokao: whether it is considered and how is not published on the pages read; please contact the admissions office.
• Transcripts and school-leaving materials: no China-specific requirements are published in the pages read; the general requirements are in sections 4 and 6 (SAT or ACT required, English test recommended).
• International curricula: AP scores are recommended and AP credit is decided by each undergraduate school; IB credit is possible only for a 6 or 7 on a Higher Level exam. The detailed tables are in the Undergraduate Bulletin, which was not read.

8. Costs, scholarships and outcomes

• Costs: see section 5.
• Department scholarships and summer research: the pages read do not mention biology-specific scholarships; the department lists a summer research page, which was not read.
• Outcomes (the website’s own words): the department’s careers page says biology graduates are well prepared to enter a broad spectrum of disciplines, with careers or advanced study in business, law, science, government or medicine; it lists jobs open with a B.S. (such as pharmaceutical researcher and developer, medical laboratory assistant, and government agency researcher or administrator) and careers requiring advanced degrees (such as doctor, dentist, professor, lawyer and veterinarian), compiled from information on Georgetown graduates and national data. The pages read print no employment or graduate-school percentages.

9. Transfer students

• Deadlines: the fall 2027 transfer deadline is 1 March 2027, with decisions by 1 June and a reply date of 15 June; there is also a separate spring round for January 2027 entry, due 1 November 2026, open to current first- and second-year students, with no alumni interviews in that round.
• How to apply: transfer applicants apply only through the Georgetown Application, apply directly to one of the six undergraduate schools, and must select a major when applying.
• Materials: the Georgetown Transfer Application and Supplement; a secondary school report (only an official high school transcript is required); official transcripts from all colleges attended; a Dean’s Report; a Professor’s Report (ideally from the proposed area of study); SAT or ACT scores if you graduated from high school within the past five years; the aid application is due 1 March for fall.
• International transfer applicants: the website says international citizens applying for transfer admission are not eligible for need-based financial aid.
• Biology transfer requirements and credit transfer: GPA or prerequisite-course requirements for entering Biology and the credit transfer rules are not stated in the pages read (the website adds that spring admission is generally reserved for rising sophomores because Georgetown requires four semesters on campus); please contact the biology department’s Director of Undergraduate Studies or the admissions office.
• Internal transfer into the College: students already in another Georgetown undergraduate school (business, foreign service, nursing or health) must complete a year in their admitted school first; the College page says the fall 2026 round is closed and the spring 2027 application opens on 9 November 2026.

Checklist

US domestic applicants:

• EA 1 November or RD 1 January; apply to the College of Arts & Sciences and choose biology; SAT or ACT required; one counselor and one teacher recommendation (science or math teacher); writing supplement; alumni interview
• FAFSA and CSS Profile by 1 February (need-based aid only)

International applicants (including China):

• As above; English test recommended (Duolingo, IELTS or TOEFL); to be considered for aid, indicate intent on the application and submit the CSS Profile

After entry:

• Take Foundations of Biology I and II in the first year; officially select the major in sophomore year and declare Global Health, Environmental Biology or Neurobiology in the fall if wanted; consider a concentration and RISE research

Transfer students:

• Fall 1 March; choose a major when applying; college transcripts, Dean’s Report and Professor’s Report; confirm biology entry conditions with the department

Sources: Georgetown University, Biology degrees and courses; Biology major; Concentrations; Neurobiology; Environmental biology; Biology of global health; Pre-med; RISE; Careers; Schools and majors; First-year applicants; Application requirements; How to prepare; International applicants FAQ; Financial aid policies; 2026–27 cost of attendance; International student aid; Transfer applicants; Transfer requirements; Declaring a major in the College; Internal transfer to the College. The first-year timeline page shows no year; see Georgetown’s website for the latest and check that the dates apply to fall 2027 entry.