General Biology I & II with Lab for Vet School: Online Options That Count-
Can you take General Biology with the lab online and have it count for veterinary school? Here’s the honest, program-by-program answer — and how to do it right.
| Quick answerYes — at many veterinary schools you can complete General Biology I and II including the lab online and have it count, as long as the credit comes from a regionally accredited institution. Kansas State and Iowa State, for example, explicitly accept online coursework. But some top programs — Cornell among them — require the lab to be completed in a physical, on-campus laboratory. Always verify your specific schools before enrolling. Most programs require a full year (about 6–8 semester hours) of biology with lab, a grade of C or higher, and recent completion. |
General Biology is the single most universal prerequisite in veterinary medicine — virtually every DVM program requires a full year of it, with a lab. It’s also the course working adults and career changers most often need to complete or re-complete online. The good news is that online biology with a lab genuinely counts at many programs. The catch is that it doesn’t count everywhere, and knowing the difference before you enroll saves you time and money.
This guide answers the online-acceptability question directly, covers the standard credit, grade, and recency requirements, names programs on both sides of the online-lab question, and explains how PrereqCourses.com’s biology courses — delivered through Upper Iowa University, a regionally accredited institution — are structured to transfer. You can compare program requirements across schools through the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC).
The honest answer is: it depends on the school, and the deciding factor is almost always the lab, not the lecture. Vet programs broadly accept online lecture content; where they differ is whether they’ll accept a lab completed online or through a virtual/at-home format versus requiring a hands-on, in-person laboratory.
Three things determine whether your online biology will count:
Because the lab policy varies so much, the rule is simple: confirm acceptance with each target program before you enroll. The sections below give you the verified positions of several programs so you know what you’re looking for.
Several well-regarded DVM programs state plainly that online coursework — labs included — can satisfy their prerequisites when it comes from an accredited institution. Two clear, verified examples:
Kansas State’s College of Veterinary Medicine states on its prerequisites page that requirements “can be fulfilled by courses from any accredited institution, including online courses and labs.” That’s an explicit green light for online biology with a lab. K-State requires the courses to appear on an official transcript and applies a six-year recency rule to its science prerequisites — with a career-changer-friendly exception in which completing the upper-division sciences within six years allows older general biology to still satisfy the requirement.
Iowa State’s College of Veterinary Medicine accepts online coursework as well, noting that “online courses may be taken for credit and a grade” and must be completed at a regionally accredited college or university. Iowa State requires credit equivalent to its own course list and calculates a required science GPA, so strong grades matter.
| Why this works: regional accreditationBoth programs key their acceptance to regional accreditation. PrereqCourses.com courses are delivered through Upper Iowa University, which is regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) — the same tier of accreditation these vet programs require. That’s what makes the credit transferable in the first place. |
It would be easy to tell you online biology always counts. It doesn’t, and pretending otherwise would set you up to waste money. Some programs explicitly require the lab to be completed in a physical laboratory.
Cornell’s College of Veterinary Medicine is direct about this. Its admissions pages state that the program prefers science prerequisites completed in a real classroom setting, and that all lab components must be completed in a real laboratory — with labs ideally in person and on campus. Cornell permits non-lab courses (such as organic chemistry, biochemistry, and English) to be taken online, but a fully online general biology lab will not satisfy its requirement.
More broadly, university pre-health advising offices caution that many vet schools are hesitant to accept prerequisites in an online format, and some require science prerequisites — or at least their labs — to be done at a four-year, in-person institution. Selective and Ivy-tier programs are the most likely to insist on in-person labs.
| If your target program requires an in-person labPrereqCourses.com is not the right fit for that specific requirement, and we’d rather tell you so. If a school you’re set on — like Cornell — mandates an on-campus lab, plan to complete that lab at a local community college or four-year institution. PrereqCourses can still help with the non-lab and foundation prerequisites those same programs accept online. Use the right tool for each requirement. |
Across DVM programs, the General Biology requirement is remarkably consistent in shape, even as the online-lab policy varies. Here’s what to plan for:
| Requirement | Typical standard |
|---|---|
| Amount | A full year — two semesters (General Biology I and II), usually about 6–8 semester hours, with lab. |
| Lab | Required at virtually all programs. The variable is whether an online/virtual lab is accepted or an in-person lab is required. |
| Grade minimum | Usually a C or higher; some programs accept C-. Many advise repeating any science prerequisite below a B. |
| Recency | Many programs apply a window (commonly 6–10 years) to science prerequisites; some count older courses if upper-division sciences are recent. Verify per school. |
| Accreditation | Credit must come from a regionally accredited institution to transfer. |
| Grading basis | Must be taken for a letter grade; Pass/Fail generally not accepted. |
The headline planning point: treat this as a two-semester sequence from the start. A single biology course rarely satisfies the full-year requirement, so plan for both halves — General Biology I and General Biology II, each with its lab.
PrereqCourses.com offers the full two-semester sequence through Upper Iowa University, an HLC regionally accredited institution, with virtual lab components and an official transcript you can send to your programs:
| Course | Satisfies | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Principles of Biology I with Lab (BIO 135) | First semester of the General Biology sequence | Introductory biology with virtual lab; satisfies the first-semester requirement at programs accepting online labs. |
| Principles of Biology II with Lab (BIO 140) | Second semester of the General Biology sequence | Completes the full-year requirement together with BIO 135. |
What makes this work for vet-school applicants:
| Verify before you enrollSend the BIO 135 and BIO 140 course descriptions to each target program’s admissions office and confirm the online lab is accepted before enrolling. Acceptance is verified per program — Kansas State and Iowa State accept online labs; Cornell requires an in-person lab. A quick email up front ensures the credit will count. |
Biology is one half of the science foundation; general chemistry is the other, and it follows the same online-lab logic. Most vet programs require a full year of general chemistry with lab, and it’s the prerequisite chain into organic chemistry. See our companion guide, General Chemistry I & II with Lab for Vet School, for the program-by-program breakdown, and explore the full vet prerequisite hub to plan your complete sequence.
Can I take General Biology online for vet school?
Yes, at many programs — including the lab — when the credit comes from a regionally accredited institution. Kansas State and Iowa State accept online coursework and labs. Some programs, like Cornell, require the lab in person. Verify each target school.
How much General Biology do vet schools require?
Almost always a full year — two semesters (General Biology I and II), typically about 6–8 semester hours, with lab. A single biology course usually won’t satisfy the requirement.
Do vet schools accept online labs?
Some do, some don’t. Programs like Kansas State and Iowa State accept online labs from accredited institutions; selective programs like Cornell require an in-person, on-campus lab. The lab policy — not the lecture — is the deciding factor.
What grade do I need in General Biology?
Usually a C or higher, though some programs accept C-. Because admission is competitive and science GPA matters, advisors often recommend repeating any science prerequisite earned below a B.
How recent does my biology have to be?
Many programs apply a recency window — commonly 6 to 10 years — to science prerequisites, sometimes with exceptions if your upper-division sciences are recent. Confirm each program’s policy.
Will PrereqCourses.com biology transfer to my vet program?
It transfers to programs that accept online coursework and labs from regionally accredited institutions, since the courses are delivered through HLC-accredited Upper Iowa University. It will not satisfy programs that require an in-person lab. Confirm with your specific programs before enrolling.
General Biology I and II with lab is the most universal vet-school prerequisite, and online completion genuinely counts at many programs — Kansas State and Iowa State among them — as long as the credit is regionally accredited. It does not count everywhere: programs like Cornell require an in-person lab, and we’d rather tell you that up front than sell you a course that won’t transfer. Plan it as a full-year, two-semester sequence, earn strong grades, and verify acceptance with each target program before you enroll.
Ready to complete the sequence? Explore Principles of Biology I with Lab (BIO 135) and Principles of Biology II with Lab (BIO 140) — self-paced, online, and delivered through HLC-accredited Upper Iowa University. Confirm online-lab acceptance with your target programs first.
Plan your full science prerequisite sequence:
Program prerequisites, online-coursework and online-lab acceptance, credit-hour requirements, grade minimums, and recency windows vary by veterinary program and change frequently. Program policies cited here were drawn from each school’s published materials and should be re-verified against the program’s current admissions page before you enroll. This guide is general information only and is not a guarantee of acceptance or admission. Always confirm requirements directly with the veterinary programs you intend to apply to.
