Biosciences–

Admission to the Biosciences Ph.D. Programs

Completing Your Application

Applying and Deadline

All applications to the Stanford Graduate Studies in the Biosciences must be made through Graduate Admissions at http://gradadmissions.stanford.edu/ by Tuesday, December 1, 2009. All supporting documents must be submitted by the deadline in order for your application to be considered in the review process. In addition to the information below, please review and/or download the Guide to Graduate Admission prior to starting your application.

All transcripts and supporting documents should be mailed to:

Biosciences Ph.D. Admissions
Stanford University
300 Pasteur Drive, Alway M105
Stanford, CA 94305-5121
Phone: (650) 723-2460
Fax: (650) 725-3867
Email:

To check the status of your application materials, please click here.

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. Online application fee payment: Credit Card (Visa or MasterCard). Payments by check/money order must be received by Graduate Admissions two weeks prior to the application deadline.

Selecting Home Program(s)

When you are completing the “Application Information” section of the application, you will be asked to select a "Proposed Program”. Although Biosciences applicants can apply to up to 3 programs, at this point please select your first choice.  If you are interested in more than one Home Program, you will have the opportunity to select up to 2 additional programs while completing the “Biosciences Ph.D.” Supplementary Form.

Please study the information provided about each Home Program on the Biosciences home page very carefully. Apply to more than one Home Program if you feel you have a genuine interest in the fields covered by each of them.  The Admissions Committee will use the information you provide to match you with the Home Program that seems most suited to your background and research interests.  Please recognize that entering through a particular Home Program does not restrict your future access to the other Home Programs for laboratory rotations and your dissertation research. Providing the names of faculty whose work may be of interest to you will also provide guidance to the review committee as choices for interviews are made. 

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.  Please include specific information about your research experience in your Statement of Purpose.  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. 

Recommendations

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. Each recommendation should be from someone who knows you well. 

All recommendations should be submitted online.  When completing your application, you will be asked to submit the names and email addresses of your recommenders. Your recommenders will receive an email message directing them to the online evaluation form and instructions on how to upload their letter of recommendation. If your recommender(s) evaluation form and letter online, you must download a recommender form from the online application.   Your recommender must send the evaluation form and letter directly to the Biosciences Admissions Office.

Transcripts

Two official transcripts from every college and/or university 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 colleges and/or universities that are able to send Certified Electronic Transcripts (E-Transcripts), please have your Records/Registrars Office email your transcripts to biosci@stanford.edu. Please contact the Home Program(s) to which you are applying if you need further information on which transcripts may be required.

Optional: You may scan and upload a copy of your official transcript(s) from each college and/or university you have attended for one full academic year when completing the “Biosciences Ph.D.” Supplementary Form section of the Application.  Please remember to include the “key to transcripts”, “transcript interpretation” or “grading system” with your scanned document(s).  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 as described above by the application deadline for any further action to be taken on your application.

GRE Requirements

All programs in the Biosciences require the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test. In addition, some programs may also require the GRE Subject Test. Please consult the table below or the Guide to Graduate Admission 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. Please note that we only accept examination scores from tests taken within the last five years.

Biomedical Informatics (BMI) Ph.D. Applicants Only

MCAT scores accepted in lieu of GRE for U.S. physicians or medical students. Please contact the BMI program if your MCAT scores are older than five years. Applicants are required to complete an additional form described at http://bmi.stanford.edu/phdapp.html. M.S. applicants apply directly to the BMI program.

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.

If you are reading this in early November, you should have already taken the GRE Examinations so that your scores can reach us by mid-December. Since our initial reviews of all applications are virtually complete by the end of January, it is unlikely that scores from those who take the December tests will reach us in time for adequate review. For more information on registering for the Graduate Record Examination, you may call 1-609-771-7670 or review the online information at http://www.gre.org. The institution code for Stanford University is 4704, the department code is not necessary. 

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. 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 eighteen 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 Guide to Graduate Admission for minimum TOEFL requirements. For more information on registering for the TOEFL Examination you can review the online information at http://toefl.org/. The institution code for Stanford University is 4704, the department code is not necessary. 


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

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 data base 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 is not received, contact the Biosciences Admissions Office directly using the information provided above.

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

Your application will be evaluated in late December/early 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, March 3 and depart on Sunday, March 7, 2010, 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.

What happens if you apply to more than one Home Program?  In that case, the admissions representatives confer and attempt to determine which Home Program should serve as your host. The final decision will be related to the information you have provided about your choice of Home Programs and the list of faculty you provide. In some cases, a committee member may contact you directly to discuss with you which Home Program would be the best to host your visit. You will also have an opportunity to meet with faculty affiliated with other Home Programs during your visit.

In general, if one has not heard about a possible invitation by early 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 21, 2009 through Friday, January 1, 2010.

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

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