How to Apply to TCU Neeley School of Business: Choose Business on Your Application, Then Meet First-Year Course and 3.0 GPA Requirements Before Declaring a Major, With Requirements and Timelines for Chinese and Canadian High School Students and Transfer Students

Texas Christian University (TCU) is in Fort Worth, Texas. Undergraduate business is taught by the Neeley School of Business, and the degree is the Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA). Here is what you need to know for fall 2027 entry, based on TCU’s official information, for students at high schools in China, students at Canadian high schools (including BC and Vancouver students), and transfer students.

1. Degree and majors

• Format: four years, in person, starting each fall.
• Seven majors: Accounting, Business Information Systems, Entrepreneurship & Innovation, Finance (with an optional Real Estate concentration), Management & Leadership, Marketing, and Supply Chain Management.
• Choosing a major: you do not need to decide on entry; you explore areas through coursework before selecting one with your advisers.
• Computer: business students must have a Windows laptop; TCU says Mac and Chromebook devices may not support required coursework.

2. How you get into Neeley

• Choose business when you apply: select business as your intended major on the TCU application. The TCU Office of Admission makes the decision, and Neeley describes admission as highly competitive.
• First-year requirements: business-intended students must, in their first year:
  • complete the required English, economics and maths courses;
  • keep a cumulative GPA of at least 2.75 and reach 3.0 to declare a major;
  • complete 24 credit hours;
  • pass Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint certifications;
  • take part in academic advising.
• AP credit for the prerequisites: on TCU’s credit-by-exam table, AP Macroeconomics 4 gives ECON 10233, AP Microeconomics 4 gives ECON 10223, and AP Calculus AB 3 gives MATH 10283 (Applied Calculus), all first-year business requirements.
• Changing into business (current TCU students):
  • a TCU cumulative GPA of at least 3.25, in the second semester or later;
  • an application and essay;
  • ENGL 10803, ECON 10223, ECON 10233 and MATH 10283 with at least a 2.75 GPA, taken for letter grades (no pass/no credit);
  • windows: opens 21 September 2026 and closes 4 December 2026 (notification by 11 January 2027); 29 March to 30 April 2027; and 1 June to 23 July 2027.
  • TCU notes that changing majors may delay graduation.

3. First-year application and deadlines

• Applications: the TCU App, Common App, Coalition App or ApplyTexas, all read equally.
• Materials: a US$50 fee; an official high school transcript sent by the school; a 250–650-word essay; counselor and teacher recommendations.
• Testing: TCU is test-optional for students graduating high school through 2028, with a “do no harm” policy.
• Deadlines:
  • Early Action (non-binding) and Early Decision I (binding): 1 November, decisions by 1 January;
  • Regular Decision and Early Decision II: 1 February, decisions by 1 April and 1 March respectively.
• Chancellor’s Scholarship: apply to TCU by 1 November and to the Honors College by 15 November.

4. Students at high schools in China (Gaokao, A-level, IB, AP)

• English: TCU’s Chinese-language guide lists TOEFL 80, IELTS 6.5, Duolingo 110, or at least three years at an English-medium high school.
• Gaokao and A-levels: TCU does not publish how Gaokao or A-level results are used; contact international admission (frogworld@tcu.edu).
• AP and IB: credit is awarded under the credit-by-exam table; AP economics and calculus can cover first-year business prerequisites (see above).
• Finances: TCU is need-aware for international applicants. Those who can contribute at least US$40,000 a year are the most competitive; applicants seeking need-based aid must submit the CSS Profile and will not get a decision until it arrives.
• Conflict: the Chinese-language guide gives a 300–500-word essay, while the current first-year page says 250–650 words; follow the first-year page.

5. Students at Canadian high schools (including BC and Vancouver)

• Apply as an international student with the same deadlines and materials.
• Three years at an English-medium high school meets the English requirement.
• TCU publishes no specific grade requirements for Canadian or BC curricula; contact international admission.

6. Costs and scholarships

• 2026-27 direct costs for international students: tuition US$66,520 (12–18 credit hours per semester), Student Government fee $90, housing and food $18,780, health insurance $2,846 and books $700, about US$88,936 in total; plus about $1,374 travel and $2,278 personal expenses.
• Business differential tuition: since 2024-25, Neeley undergraduate business courses carry a per-credit differential set each year by the Board of Trustees; a Neeley degree takes about 70 business credit hours. The amount is not given on Neeley’s page; see TCU tuition rates.
• International aid: academic scholarships are reviewed automatically; need-based aid ranges from US$2,000 to $41,570 and requires the CSS Profile (by 1 February for first-years, 15 April for transfers). The international aid page also says students with less than US$21,000 a year in personal resources will not be admitted and that TCU does not offer “full funding”; that page still shows a 2020-21 cost figure, so rely on the current cost estimate.
• Neeley scholarships: for example a US$3,000 annual entrepreneurial leadership scholarship for full-time business students; most are for current students.

7. Transfer students

• TCU basics: at least 12 transferable credits from a regionally accredited college in a long semester after high school, with a transfer GPA of 2.7 or higher (some majors require more); a 300–500-word essay and a US$50 fee.
• Business transfers: a GPA of at least 3.0 from a four-year institution or 3.25 from a community college, with business as the intended major; Neeley progression requirements still apply.
• International transfers: TOEFL 80 or IELTS 6.5, which may be waived with strong SAT/ACT scores or 24 transferable credits (including English composition) from a US college; plus the TCU Financial Statement.
• Deadlines: fall Early Action 1 February; the final deadline for international summer and fall entry is 15 April, with decisions by 1 June.

Checklist

Students at high schools in China:

• Apply by 1 November (EA/ED I) or 1 February (RD/ED II) with business as your intended major
• TOEFL 80, IELTS 6.5 or Duolingo 110; testing optional
• Prepare financial documents; file the CSS Profile if seeking aid
• AP Macro and Micro at 4 and Calculus AB at 3 cover business prerequisites

Students at Canadian high schools (including BC and Vancouver):

• Same deadlines; three years at an English-medium high school meets the English requirement
• In the first year, reach a 3.0 GPA and finish the prerequisites and Excel/PowerPoint certifications before declaring

Transfer students:

• GPA 3.0 from a four-year college (3.25 from a community college) with business as your intended major; international applicants apply by 15 April for fall

Sources: Texas Christian University, Neeley undergraduate admission; Neeley admission and change-of-major requirements; Major in Business; Neeley tuition and aid; First-year application and deadlines; Testing policy; Credit by exam; Chinese-language application guide; Cost estimate; International scholarships and aid; Transfer application; Transfer requirements. Information is for fall 2027 entry (costs are 2026-27 rates). Check TCU for the latest details.