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Major Admissions

Current W&M students wanting to declare a major in coastal and marine sciences will be required to apply to the program. The intention is to start small and slowly increase the class size in the coming years by balancing student demand and the Batten School's high-engagement approach. We anticipate most students will apply to the major program in the spring of their sophomore year for entry in fall of their junior year.

Freshmen and sophomores are strongly encouraged to review the curriculum to ensure the necessary marine science proficiency courses (those courses that are prerequisite courses for required immersion semester courses) will be completed prior to the start of their junior fall immersion semester experience.

Program Admissions Timeline

Applications from current W&M students are now being accepted for Fall 2026 admission. We anticipate sending out acceptance letters by the start of Spring Break annually. 

  • Deadline - Sunday, February 1, 2026 at midnight

Transfer students planning to matriculate to W&M in Fall 2026, and who will meet the eligibility requirements listed below, will not submit an application to the Batten School & VIMS until late May. All transfers must first be accepted to W&M before applying to our major program.

Eligibility for Program Entry

Current W&M students must meet the following criteria to be eligible to apply for entry to the major program, which requires participating in the immersion experience at the Batten School & VIMS Gloucester Point campus the following fall.

  • Achieve junior academic standing (54 earned credits as reflected on your W&M transcript) by the summer after they apply.
  • Complete MSCI 230 (Introduction to Marine Science), or an approved equivalent, by the end of the summer after they apply.
  • Complete CHEM 103 (General Chemistry I), or an approved equivalent, by the end of the summer after they apply.

Application Components

Our admission committee has designed a holistic application process and will begin reviewing applications immediately following the submit deadline. 

To apply, students must upload the following documents to a Qualtrics survey. Documents may be uploaded as a single pdf packet or may be uploaded as individual pdf files.

  • Unofficial W&M Transcript 
  • Essay Question Responses (5 questions, up to 200 words each)
  • Resume (1-2 pages)
  • Academic Planner (must complete page 1, other pages are optional)
  • Recommendation letters are not part of the application, and will not be accepted 

Interviews

Similar to last year, the admission committee will conduct student interviews. However, the committee anticipates only a portion of the applicant pool will progress to the interview stage. Those interviews will be scheduled to take place in late February.

Questions?

We are happy to help! Please direct questions related to course planning or the application to the Batten School & VIMS Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs, Jennifer Dahnke.