BS Bioinformatics and Computational Biology at Iowa State University

Programme overview

Undergraduate study in BCBIO is jointly administered by the Department of Computer Science, the Department of Genetics, Development, and Cell Biology, and the Department of Mathematics. The undergraduate B.S. degree is offered through the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Bioinformatics and Computational Biology is an interdisciplinary science at the interfaces of the biological, informational and computational sciences. The science focuses on a variety of topics.

Faculty: College of Liberal Arts and Sciences | Duration: 120 credits | Study mode: full-time | Location: Ames, IA, United States

What you will study

Curriculum totals 120 credits. Required and core courses listed in the curriculum include COMS 2300 Discrete Computational Structures; COMS 3110 Introduction to the Design and Analysis of Algorithms; BCBIO 3220 Introduction to Bioinformatics and Computational Biology; BCBIO 4010 Bioinformatics of Sequences; BCBIO 4060 Bioinformatics of OMICS; BCBIO 4900 Independent Study.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Admission is to Iowa State University and its college, not to the individual major (Iowa State does not make admission decisions by major). First-year applicants are admitted on the Regent Admission Index (RAI = ACT composite x 3 + cumulative GPA x 30 + years of high school core courses x 5); an RAI of at least 245 with the minimum high school course requirements (4 years English, 3 years mathematics including algebra, geometry and advanced algebra, 3 years science, 2 years social studies) receives automatic admission, and applicants below 245 may be considered through individual review. Iowa State is test-optional for first-year applicants. The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences additionally requires a third year of social studies and two years of a single world language.

Tuition is charged per credit, so the total depends on the modules you register for each year. Current fees are listed in the official fee schedule.

Entry terms for first-year applicants include Fall 2026, Spring 2027 and Summer 2027. International undergraduate applications are reviewed on a rolling basis and may be submitted up to one year before the intended start date; applying at least six to eight weeks in advance is strongly recommended.

International undergraduate applicants pay a nonrefundable application fee of $65 by credit card through the online application system; fee waivers are not offered. SAT/ACT are not required for applicants educated abroad or for transfer students. First-year applicants: Iowa State is test-optional for ACT, SAT or CLT scores; admission is based on the Regent Admission Index. Apply with the institutional application or the Common App.

Apply through the official page: https://apps.admissions.iastate.edu/apply/online/

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