About the Application Process
Access to BNS 305 is dependent on cohort admittance. Students admitted to the major spring 2024 will be provided access to register for BNS 305 winter quarter 2025.
Past Acceptance Data
Academic Year | % Acceptance Rate | Accepted Applicants Prerequisite GPA | Declined Applicants Prerequisite GPA |
AY 22-23 | 84% | 3.49 | 3.09 |
AY 21-22 | 79% | 3.58 | 3.46 |
AY 20-21 | 60% | 3.67 | 3.25 |
- If you have any concerns about your application or prerequisite GPA, contact the major advisor bns@wwu.edu or 360-650-2148.
- Students can apply to the program Fall, Winter or Spring quarters. The application opens the first day of classes, and the deadline for each quarter is Friday at 5:00 PM, the end of the second full week of classes.
- To see the specific dates and deadlines for this current academic year click on Major Application Flow Chart.
- Applicants will be notified of the admissions committee’s decision by the end of the fifth full week of classes.
- Successful applicants must declare their major upon acceptance, so that they can enroll in the program’s courses the following academic quarter.
- Students may apply to the major more than once, but to reapply they must meet with the major advisor as soon as possible after receiving their declination letter.
- Letters of recommendation are not accepted
Eligibility to Apply
Students applying to the Behavioral Neuroscience major must first meet the following requirements:
- Declared BNS Pre-major.
- Complete at least 75 undergraduate credits.
- Complete at least 12 credits at WWU.
- Complete the following courses with an average grade point of 2.9 or higher: CHEM 161, CHEM 162, CHEM 163; BIOL 204, BIOL 205, BIOL 206; PSY 101, and PSY 220.
To calculate your average GPA of the eight prerequisite courses use this downloadable excel spreadsheet.
You may retake one of these classes previously passed (C- or above), once in an attempt to raise your average GPA. If you retake more than one, we will only use the new GPA of the first class you retook. Repeating classes not passed with a C- or above, do not count as the one allowed repeat. If you have any questions, please contact the major advisor.
Application Short Answer Questions
Applicants must respond to the following questions on the application. We recommend creating responses for the short answer questions in a separate Word document, so that you may save your work and come back to it. There is a 4,000-character limit (including spaces) for each response. On average students submit 1-2 paragraphs for each question. Please be clear and concise.
- What are your career goals?
- How do you see the BS in Behavioral Neuroscience curriculum contributing to your career goals?
- Describe the area of behavioral neuroscience research that interests you. Identify the WWU Biology and Psychology faculty members whose research interests match yours.
- Describe any research experiences you have had. If you have conducted research, briefly describe the research and your role in the project.
- Describe volunteer, work, or other experiences that you feel have prepared you to succeed in the Behavioral Neuroscience major.
- Provide any additional information that you think will help us make an informed decision about your application.
- Reapplication Process. IF YOU ARE REAPPLYING, please clearly state how your application has improved from your original application.
Spring Quarter 2024 Application Will Open on Tuesday, April 2nd at 8:00am PST
Deadline to Apply is Friday, April 19th at 5:00pm PST