Admissions Requirements
GPA
It is expected that applicants to this program will have a minimum GPA of 3.00 (A = 4.0). A technical GPA (including biology, chemistry, math and physics courses) of 3.20 or higher is also required for admission.
Coursework
Students With Fewer Than 50 Transferable Credit Hours at Time of Application
If you’ll apply to Illinois with fewer than 50 transferable credit hours, you must complete transfer coursework equivalent to the following University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign courses before or during the term you’re submitting your application:
- CHEM 102, General Chemistry I
- and CHEM 103, General Chemistry Lab I
- CHEM 104, General Chemistry II
- and CHEM 105, General Chemistry Lab II
- MATH 220, Calculus
- MCB 150, Molecular & Cellular Basis of Life
Students With 50 or More Transferable Credit Hours at Time of Application
In addition to the above courses, if you’ll apply to Illinois with 50 or more transferable credit hours, you must complete transfer coursework equivalent to the following University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign courses before or during the term you’re submitting your application:
- CHEM 236, Fundamental Organic Chem I and CHEM 237, Structure and Synthesis
- or CHEM 232, Elementary Organic Chemistry I and CHEM 233, Elem Organic Chem Lab I
- MATH 231, Calculus II
Admissions Recommendations
Please note that completion of a two-semester sequence of introductory biology, designed for majors, is highly recommended. The MCB Placement Test should be completed prior to registration to determine the student’s level of biology proficiency.
Coursework
Although it isn’t required that you do so in order to be admitted, we also highly recommend that you complete transfer coursework equivalent to the following University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign courses before or during the term you’re submitting your application:
- MATH 241, Calculus III
- PHYS 211, University Physics: Mechanics
- RHET 105, Writing and Research (at most institutions, the equivalent requires a two-course English composition sequence)
- Humanities & the Arts
- Social & Behavioral Sciences
If the recommended coursework listed above is not completed prior to transfer, the length of time to degree completion may increase. Due to the nature of the biology sequence, a Junior-level transfer student should expect to complete six (6) semesters on campus to complete the Biochemistry program of study.
Graduation Requirements
To graduate, all students are required to complete at least 45 semester hours of credit at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. At least 21 of these credit hours must be at the 300 or 400 level.
General Education Courses
Included in our graduation requirements are general education (gen ed) courses. These classes allow you to gain and use broad knowledge beyond the specialized learning you’ll do through your major. Learn more about our general education requirements. You may be able to use Transferology to find gen ed courses that will transfer over from your institution to UIUC.
Language Other than English
Although this program doesn’t require you to complete our language graduation requirement for admission, we strongly encourage you do so before transferring.
| For Admission | For Graduation |
| No Requirement | Level 4 |
Learn More About This Major
To learn more about this program, including degree requirements and similar majors, we encourage you to check out the below resources.