IMPORTANT NOTE: The deadline for the receipt of all application materials for the Ph.D. in Biomedical Science program is December 1.
There are two steps in applying:
- You will need to complete an application form
- Application to the program is made on-line. The application fee ($75 USD) must be paid with a credit card (Visa, MasterCard or Discover). The on-line application form is used for several programs and campuses for the UConn system, so it is important to indicate the correct enrollment information in order to ensure that your application is routed to our program. This information is filled out on the online application on the “Enrollment Information” section of the application.
In the section labeled “Enrollment Information” please use the following information:
- In “Admission requested for” please select the FALL semester from the drop-down menu (our program does not have rolling admissions, and matriculates students for the Fall semester only following the application deadline (for example, a candidate applying by December 1, 2017 is applying for admission to the Fall 2018 semester)
- In “Field of study and degree” choose Biomedical Science (Health Center) (PhD) from the drop-down menu.
- In “Concentration,” choose one of the seven areas of concentration from the drop-down menu. If you are unsure which area of concentration to pick, choose the one you feel best matches your research interests (your choice of an area of concentration at this point is not binding, but is for internal use). You may also select “Undecided.”
- In “Campus of intended registration” choose Farmington from the pull-down menu (this should be the only choice available).
- You will need to submit the following materials:
- Transcripts (two steps)
- Upload into your application an unofficial transcript from the school where you received your bachelor’s degree and any courses taken beyond that degree, regardless of whether or not a degree was received. You can upload your unofficial transcripts using the “Upload All Documents here” link on the online application. (International students see below for more specific requirements).The most common reason for delayed consideration of graduate school applications is missing transcripts. Be sure to include all transcripts with your admissions materials; failure to provide transcripts from all educational institutions, regardless of whether or not a degree was received, may be grounds for cancellation of admission.
- AFTER you complete your application, request official transcripts from each college or university that you have attended. Official transcripts are issued by the college/university attended and bear the impressed or colored seal of that institution. Do not open the sealed transcripts you send to us.Unofficial, scanned, faxed, or notarized copies will not be accepted as official transcripts.If your University sends official transcripts electronically, they should be sent directly to the following email address only: GradAdmissions@uconn.edu (Do NOT send them to the BiomedSci email address)Transcripts become the property of the University.
Official transcripts/degree certificates only should be sent directly to the main campus at Storrs:
The Whetten Graduate Center
Second Floor
University of Connecticut
438 Whitney Road Extension, Unit 1152
Storrs, CT 06269-1152
If you are selected for admission, all official transcripts, mark sheets, or degree certificates/diplomas (international) are required to finalize your admission to the program.
Your transcript(s) must meet the following criteria:
–a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 for your entire undergraduate career, or
–a grade-point average of at least 3.0 for your last two undergraduate years, or
–exceptional work in your entire final undergraduate year (3.5 or better)
–graduate work with a minimum grade-point average of 3.0 or better even if the undergraduate grade-point average meets the above criteria.
You must hold a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent from a regionally accredited college or university. We do not consider 3 year bachelor’s degrees from India, Canada, or Australia to be equivalent to a U.S. bachelor’s degree. However, additional graduate level course work after earning a 3 year bachelor’s degree may be considered for equivalency.
International Students-Additional Information:
The application system may ask you to upload both transcripts and course grades. This is because some international schools separate these documents. If your school transcript contains your grades, please upload your transcript in both locations. You must also include official degree certificates/diplomas for all degrees received at international colleges/universities.
If you attended an international college/university, we require transcripts in both English and the native language of the university. Individual/yearly mark sheets or transcripts (course grades, not hours) are required for students who completed their education in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, or Sri Lanka and official documents should be sent as well as uploaded into the online application system.
We will accept outside credential evaluations from NACES members (such as WES, ECE, etc.), but they are not required to apply.
If you attended an international college/university and have one set of original documents or diploma, you can mail them to The Graduate School and we will make a copy and return the original document(s) to you. Please attach an International Transcripts Cover Sheet.pdf with your submission. If you submitted these documents when applying for admission to a university in the US which you currently attend, we will accept copies from the registrar or graduate school if they certify that these documents from your prior university were made from the originals.
If you have questions about what documents can be accepted for official transcripts, please contact the main campus at Storrs directly, where transcript evaluations are performed for all programs. Their email address is: GradAdmissions@uconn.edu.
All other admissions inquiries should be directed to our campus at BiomedSciAdmissions@uchc.edu.
- Letters of Recommendation
Three letters of recommendation are required. Recommenders should indicate the capacity in which they know you (instructor in a course, supervisor in a lab, etc.) and assess your skills and potential success as a doctoral student.A list of your recommenders should be provided through the “Recommendations” link in the online application. Once you have saved the recommender information in the system, it will automatically send an email to him/her with an access code and instructions on how to submit his/her online recommendation. Recommenders may upload their letter from a separate file or cut and paste directly into the online system.Please be sure to complete and save the recommender information portion of your application as soon as possible, as recommenders can begin submitting letters prior to the completion of your application. Applications are often incomplete because they are missing one or more letters of recommendation due to recommenders not being provided access in a timely manner.
- Personal Statement
There is no specific form used for the personal statement. This document should explain your reasons for undertaking graduate work, your ultimate plans, and how you happened to select the field in which you hope to concentrate. Details about your preparation, your strengths and weaknesses as a student, any academic honors, scholarships, or fellowships you have received will all be helpful. The committee wants to know those things about you that cannot be expressed quantitatively. Personal statements should be no longer than two pages. Upload your Personal Statement using the “Upload All Documents here” link on the online application.
- Residence Affidavit
Download and complete the Residence Affidafit (see online application). (NOTE: please leave the sections “Student ID” and “Net ID” blank as you have not yet been assigned these codes.) You can upload your Residence Affidavit using the “Upload All Documents here” link on the online application.
- Official GRE Scores (requested from ETS to be sent directly to UConn Health)
The Ph.D. program requires official scores from the General GRE exam (verbal, quantitative and analytical); unofficial GRE scores are not accepted. You should request that ETS send your official score report directly to UConn Health using code 3931; a department code is not necessary.The GRE should be taken well in advance of the admission deadline to assure consideration for the requested admit term. Keep in mind that it generally takes at least 2 weeks from the time you take your exam for your scores to be reported, thus you should plan on taking the exam prior to mid-November of the year you apply. Scores on exams taken on or after the December 1st admission deadline will not be considered. GRE scores are valid for 5 years from the date of the exam. Only valid scores will be considered for the program.While we do not have a strict cut off for the GRE General exam, a score of least a 4.0 on the Analytical portion and scores in the 50th percentile or higher are considered competitive. We do not require nor do we review the Subject Tests.
- English Proficiency (International Applicants ONLY)
The Graduate School requires applicants whose native language is not English to submit evidence of English proficiency through MINIMUM qualifying scores as listed below on one of the following standardized tests taken within the last 2 years:–a score of 79 (internet based- iBT) or 550 (paper-based test-PBT) or higher on the TOEFL
–a score of 6.5 or higher on the IELTS testHowever to be considered for financial support, the Biomedical Science Ph.D. program requires a score of at least 600 PBT or 100 iBT (TOEFL)/7.0 (IELFT).The TOEFL should be taken well in advance of the admission deadlines to assure consideration for the requested admit term. Scores on exams taken after the December 1st admission deadline will not be considered. TOEFL scores should be sent from ETS using institution code 3915 (this is the code for the main campus at Storrs where our TOEFL scores are processed). Official score reports are required from ETS.
International applicants qualify for a waiver of the English proficiency testing requirement for the following:
–the applicant holds permanent resident status, or
–the applicant’s native language is English, or
–the applicant has received a degree from an international post-secondary institution whose language of instruction is English; official documentation is required from the institution’s Registrar’s Office stating that the medium of instruction for the degree received was English, or
–the applicant has completed one year or more of full-time coursework at a post-secondary institution in the United States; the total amount of academic work completed must be officially graded by the Registrar of that institution and have a cumulative GPA value of 3.0 or higher.
- Optional Writing Sample/Additional Materials
Applicants have the option of uploading a brief writing sample to be considered with their application materials. This may include an abstract from a published or submitted article, a synopsis of a presentation, etc. Submissions in this section should be no longer than 3 pages total (for example, you may submit one page abstracts from three different publications or a three page synopsis of a project or presentation). Submissions longer than three total pages will not be considered.Applicants may also upload a copy of their CV. Both items may be submitted using the “Upload All Documents here” link on the online application.
Application and all materials are due in our office by DECEMBER 1.
We value diversity and actively encourage applications from women and underrepresented minorities.
Inquiries should be directed to:
The Graduate School Office
Ph.D. in Biomedical Science Program
UConn Health
263 Farmington Avenue, MC 3906
Farmington, CT 06030-3906
Phone: 860-679-4509
Email: BiomedSciAdmissions@uchc.edu