Admission and Financial Support

The Department of Biology requests that students apply to the Department rather than to individual laboratories. Applicants are required to submit an online application, provide official college transcripts (including graduate transcript, if applicable), official scores on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), and three letters of recommendation. Letters must be on "official" letterhead and signed. The subject GRE is not required but highly recommended. International students are required to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). The GRE University code is 2928 and the Department code is 0203. The TOEFL Department code is 35. Although we do not have a minimum requirement, a combined score of 1200 on the GRE verbal and quantitative sections, a 4.5 on the analytical section, and a GPA of 3.0/4.0 are usually competitive for entry in the Ph.D. program. Transfer students are considered for admission using these same criteria. The Department seeks students who have a strong commitment to field or laboratory research in fundamental areas of biology.

The deadline for complete applications is January 1 for Fall admission. We do not admit Ph.D. students in the Spring semester. Once applications have been screened, candidates are invited to visit the campus for faculty interviews, chats with graduate students, tours of the facilities, and sojourns into the city. You will be notified by email when your application is complete. Expenses are paid by the Department. International students who reside outside of the U.S. are not interviewed in person, but may be interviewed by telephone.

All Ph.D students admitted to the program are offered a competitive annual stipend, Blue Cross/Blue Shield health insurance and a full tuition scholarship. Support is guaranteed for five years subject to satisfactory progress towards the degree. Students are awarded a research or teaching assistantship. The Department also awards Caspari and Holtfreter Fellowships. We encourage students to apply for outside funding from the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health and private agencies. Obtaining funding from outside sources brings distinction both to the student and the Department. Admission to the program is never contingent on students securing their own funds.

Please click here to apply to our graduate program.

There is no application fee.

If you have any questions about our graduate program or our admissions process, please email Cindy Landry at cyly@mail.rochester.edu.

Please send personal statement (include your name and date of birth on the statement), college transcripts, official GRE and TOEFL reports, and THREE letters of recommendation (with reference form) to:

Cynthia Landry
University of Rochester
Department of Biology
RC Box 270211
Rochester, NY 14627-0211

If mailing by special delivery, please use the following address:

Cynthia Landry
University of Rochester
Department of Biology
213 Hutchison Hall
Rochester, NY 14627-0211