Biosciences–

Admission to the Biosciences Ph.D. Programs

Completing Your Application

Applying and Deadline

All applications to the Stanford Biosciences Ph.D. Programs must be made through Graduate Admissions by Monday, December 3, 2012. All transcripts and supporting documents must be submitted to the address below by the deadline in order for your application to be considered in the review process. In addition to the information below, please review the Graduate Admissions web site prior to starting your application. When you are ready to start your online application, please click here.

Application Status

To check the status/activity of your application materials, please log into your application account. There you will find the most current status of all your application materials. You will also be able to send reminders to those recommenders who have not yet submitted their letter of recommendation.

Contact Information

Biosciences Ph.D. Admissions
Stanford University
1265 Welch Road, MSOB X2C34
Stanford, CA 94305-5421

(650) 723-2460
(650) 725-3867 (fax)
[email protected]

Eligibility for Admission

To be eligible for admission to graduate programs at Stanford, applicants must meet one of the following conditions:

    1. completion of a bachelor's degree from a U.S. college or university accredited by a regional accrediting association; or
    2. completion of an international degree that is equivalent to a U.S. bachelor's degree from a college or university of recognized standing.

Application Fee

The Application Fee is $125.00 for all applicants. Acceptable form of payment is by credit/debit card (Visa or MasterCard only). Stanford University does not accept electronic check payments or checks by mail. The application fee is non-refundable and must be received by the application deadline. 

Selecting Home Program(s)

Please review the information about each Home Program on the Biosciences web site very carefully before starting your application.  When completing the "Program Selection" section of the application, you will be asked to select a "proposed program".  Although Biosciences applicants can apply to up to three programs, at this point please select your top program choice.

When completing the "Biosciences Ph.D. Admissions Supplemental Form", which is part of the "Supplemental Information" section of the application, you will have the opportunity to select up to two additional Home Programs. Only select additional programs if you have a genuine interest in the fields covered by each. You will be required to answer additional questions related to your Home Program selection(s) on the supplemental form. The information you provide in this section will help the Admissions Committee match you with the Home Program that seems most suited to your background and research interests.

Please recognize that being admitted through any particular Home Program allows you full access to faculty in all of the other Home Programs for laboratory rotations and potential thesis work.

Statement of Purpose

Please include specific information about your research experience in your Statement of Purpose. Because each program requires significant original research activities in fulfillment of the requirements for the Ph.D. degree, we are interested in obtaining as much information as possible about your previous research experiences. Those who already have such experience are in a better position to know whether they are truly interested in performing laboratory research as part of a graduate program.  You may also use the Statement to amplify your comments about your choice of Home Program(s), and how your past experiences and current interests are related to your choice. Personal Statements should not exceed two pages in length (single spaced).

Letters of Recommendation

Three letters of recommendation are required. Please be sure that you ask for a recommendation from at least one individual who can address your potential for original and creative research. In most cases, that individual would be the person in charge of or guiding your most recent research activities. It is very important that you contact your recommenders before submitting their information in the online application. You must choose whether or not you waive your right to see a recommendation before you submit the recommender's information. Some recommenders may not submit a recommendation if you have not waived the right to see it. This should be discussed in advance.

All recommendations must be submitted using the online application system. As part of the online application, you will be required to register the names and contact information, including e-mail addresses, of your recommenders. Recommenders will then receive an e-mail with directions on how to proceed. Letters of recommendation cannot be emailed or faxed.

Transcripts

Two official transcripts from every postsecondary institution you have attended one full academic year should be submitted directly to the Biosciences Admissions Office. In the case in which you took one or more summer or intersession courses from another school, and those grades are recorded on your transcript from the school awarding your degree, a corresponding transcript is not necessarily required. For those postsecondary institutions that are able to send Certified Electronic Transcripts (E-Transcripts), please have your Records/Registrars Office email your transcripts to [email protected]. Please contact the Home Program(s) to which you are applying if you need further information on which transcripts may be required.

In addition, you will also be required to scan and upload a copy of your official transcript(s) from every postsecondary institution you have attended for one full academic year when completing your online application.  The Admissions Committee will use these documents in their initial review process. Please note that you are still required to submit two official transcript(s) to the Biosciences Admissions Office by the application deadline for any further action to be taken on your application.

GRE Requirements

Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test:

All applicants to the Biosciences are required to take the GRE General Test. Scores must be from an examination taken within the last five years. The Educational Testing Service (ETS) administers the GRE. Be sure to take the GRE in time for official scores to be received by the application deadline. For information on test dates and registration please go to the ETS web site at https://www.ets.org/gre. If you are reading this in early November, you should have already taken the GRE Examinations so that your scores can reach us by the application deadline. Since our initial reviews of all applications are virtually complete by mid-January, it is unlikely that scores from those who take the December tests will reach us in time for adequate review.
 
Graduate Record Examination (GRE) Subject Test:

Some Home Programs may also require the GRE Subject Test. Please consult the table below for specific program Subject Test requirements. If you should have any questions regarding the “encouraged” or “recommended” GRE Subject Test requirement(s), please contact the Home Program(s) to which you are applying to for further information. Scores must be from an examination taken within the last five years.

Home Program
GRE Subject Test Requirement
GRE Subject Test encouraged but not required.
GRE Subject Test not required.
GRE Subject Test not required.
GRE Subject Test encouraged, but not required, in one of the following areas: Biochemistry, Biology, Cell and Molecular Biology, Chemistry or Physics.
GRE Subject Test encouraged but not required.
GRE Subject Test encouraged but not required.
GRE Subject Test encouraged but not required.
GRE Subject Test encouraged but not required.
GRE Subject Test not required.
GRE Subject Test not required.
GRE Subject Test encouraged but not required.
GRE Subject Test encouraged but not required.
GRE Subject Test encouraged, but not required, in one of the following areas: Biochemistry, Biology, Cell and Molecular Biology, Chemistry or Physics.

TOEFL Requirement

Adequate command of spoken and written English is required for admission. Scores are required of all applicants whose first language is not English (Stanford does not accept IELTS scores). Exceptions are granted for applicants who have earned a U.S. bachelor’s or master’s degree from a college or university accredited by a regional accrediting association in the United States, or the equivalent of either degree from a non-U.S. college or university of recognized standing where all instruction is provided in English. This exception does not apply if the courses were completed in a country where English is spoken but not all courses were provided in English. Being a U.S. citizen does not automatically exempt an applicant from taking the TOEFL; if the applicant’s first language is not English, the applicant must meet the exception above or submit TOEFL scores. Scores must be submitted from a test taken within the last 18 months. Applicants are urged to take the TOEFL by November to be eligible for admission for the following Autumn Quarter. Evidence of adequate English proficiency must be submitted before enrollment is approved by Graduate Admissions. Please consult the table below or the Exam Requirements for International Applicants webpage for minimum TOEFL requirements. For more information on registering for the TOEFL Examination you can review the online information at https://toefl.org/.

Minimum TOEFL Requirement
Computer- Based
Paper- Based
Internet- Based
Doctoral Programs: All Fields
250
600
100

Submitting GRE and TOEFL Test Scores

Scores must be reported directly to Stanford from the Educational Testing Service (ETS). The institution code for Stanford University is 4704, the department code is not necessary. Test scores received by Graduate Admissions prior to September 1, 2011 are no longer retained on file. If you had ETS send test scores to Stanford, but you did NOT submit an application, you must request that ETS resend the scores if you submit an application in the future.

Please Note: Official GRE and TOEFL test scores can take up to 3 weeks for receipt from the Educational Testing Service. Once received, scores are connected to your application in Stanford's database after approximately 7 business days from the date the on-line application is received.  If after checking your application status you find that the test information has not been received, contact the Biosciences Admissions Office directly using the information provided above.

Biomedical Informatics (BMI) Ph.D. Applicants Only

MCAT scores are accepted in lieu of GRE scores for U.S. physicians or medical students. Please contact the BMI program if your MCAT scores are older than five years. BMI applicants are also required to complete an additional supplemental form which is available at https://tinyurl.com/bmisupplement. The completed form must be uploaded in the "Document Uploads" section of your online application under "Additional Information".  If you will be submitting a CV and/or other documents, you will need to combine all of your documents into a single uploadable file (PDF or Word file, max. 5MB).  Please combine the files with the completed supplemental form first, followed by your CV and/or other documents. 

Other Supporting Materials

For most applicants, the credentials described above should be sufficient to allow an admissions committee to reach a decision regarding an interview or further action on the application.  Please do not send additional materials or information to us if they have not been requested. For example, reprints of recent publications, copies of master's degree dissertations, etc. are not used by the Admissions Committee. 

Application Review and Interview Process

The Admissions Committees will start to review applicant files a few days following the application deadline through January.  The committee will create a list of top-ranked applicants to be invited, at our expense, for a four-day visit to the Stanford campus. The selected applicants will be invited to arrive on Wednesday, February 27, and depart on Sunday, March 3, 2013, our only interview session. Highly qualified applicants residing in other countries and for whom a visit would not be possible may be selected for a telephone interview.

In general, if one has not heard about a possible invitation by late February, it is unlikely that you will be invited to Stanford or admitted. Applicants who are not selected for an interview will receive a letter which states that no further action will be taken on their application by the Committee on Graduate Admissions and Policy.

Please note the Biosciences Admissions Office will be closed Monday, December 24, 2012 through Friday, January 4, 2013.

Thank you for your interest in the Biosciences at Stanford University.

 

Last Update: June 26, 2012

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