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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

The next round of admissions, for Fall 2026, will open in January 2026. The application period will then open annually in January for the following fall semester.

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.

Application Components

Our admission committee has designed a holistic application process and will begin reviewing applications immediately following the submit deadline. The information below represents our application process used for the Fall 2025 cohort. This is meant to be informational only, as the application will change modestly for future cycles.

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 (4-5 questions, up to 200 words each)
  • Resume (1-2 pages)
  • Academic Planner (must complete page 1, other pages are optional)
  • Interview with the Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs and Director of Undergraduate Programs

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.