The Biology Program welcomes transfer students, whether they are internal or external. We have an orientation class (BIOL 1120) designed just for you to help you connect with the major, your fellow biologists, and learn about program opportunities.
Internal Transfer Students
Internal transfer students are those who are currently attending Iowa State and decide to change their major to Biology. Before making that decision, you may wish to run a “what if” degree audit in AccessPlus for Biology in LAS and/or AgLS. It is important to remember that these “what if” degree audits are not the last authority on how your courses will count within Biology. We often make adjustments to student degree audits to ensure you are getting credit where it is due. Make an appointment to discuss our program with a Biology advisor, and we can go over this with you one-on-one. You can schedule an appointment by calling our main office (294-1064) or by dropping by our office in 103 Bessey Hall.
External Transfer Students
External transfer students attended another college or university, such as a community college or a 4-year institution, prior to coming to Iowa State. Our student services staff can help you understand how credits will transfer in to the Biology Program, and we recommend making an appointment with one of our advisors to discuss this. The tools we describe below will give you a rough idea of how things apply, but we make adjustments to ensure your credits are being correctly applied within your Iowa State degree program.
If you have attended a community college in Iowa, Illinois, or Minnesota, there are course equivalency guides available for easy reference. If your institution isn’t listed, or if you’d like to run a preliminary degree audit using your transfer credits, TRANSIT is another resource to look at.
Maybe you’re still working on coursework at your current institution and would like to plan ahead for your move to Iowa State? We have transfer plans for Iowa community colleges available below. We also have some general advice on what sorts of courses to take if you’re thinking about doing two years at a community college before coming to Iowa State.
The University has a few general guidelines on how transfer credits may be applied to your program. Check out this page for guidelines on how transfer credits may be applied to your program.