Admissions

Use the links to the left to access information about admissions to the Interdisciplinary Program in Biomedical Sciences, as well as online admissions web pages and other information about the University of Florida, the College of Medicine, and Gainesville.

Applications are now being evaluated for Fall of 2012 admission.

DEADLINE: The deadlines for submitting new applications have closed.  If you need to update material to your existing application, please use the links that you used previously.  If you have any questions, please email idp@ufl.edu.

Admissions Standards

Research Experience. An essential factor for admission to our Ph.D. program is prior research experience.  Most applicants have a year or more of undergraduate research experience.  If you are studying at an institution with limited research opportunities, you should seek out summer research experiences at other research institutions.  Research experience is initially evaluated based on a personal statement and letters of recommendation.  Although some of our admitted students have earned a Master’s degree, most students are admitted after earning their Bachelor’s degree.

GPA. The minimum requirements for graduate admission at the University of Florida include a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university, a minimum grade point average of 3.0 for all upper division (Junior/Senior) undergraduate work.  Please use the “Self-Reported GPA Computation and Worksheet for Graduate Applications” to calculate your junior-senior GPA.  Official transcripts must be received from all colleges or universities attended.  Applicants are expected to have taken general biology and chemistry including organic chemistry and biochemistry. If you do not take biochemistry before obtaining your Bachelor’s degree, you will need to take it over the summer before enrollment.  Advanced course work in the physical or life sciences sufficient to provide evidence of an interest and aptitude for graduate work in biomedical science is necessary.  Applicants are strongly encouraged to take courses in genetics, cell biology, and physiology.  Please be sure to identify your college major in your personal statement.

Although the university minimum GPA for admission is 3.0, the mean junior-senior GPA of entering classes of our program is about 3.5.  Applicants with weak undergraduate academic performance should consider pursuing a year of postbaccalaureate studies or obtaining a master’s degree before applying, with the goal of demonstrating an ability to achieve satisfactory academic progress in graduate level courses.

GRE. Applicants must submit a satisfactory score on the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) general exam.  Subject exam scores are not required.  Mean GRE scores for successful applicants each year are in the range of 1220-1280.  The GRE exam must have been taken within the past five (5) years.

Applications are evaluated based on an overall assessment of research experience (personal statement and letters of recommendation), undergraduate course load, GPA, and GRE scores.  Selected domestic applicants will be invited for personal interviews and students overseas will be interviewed by Skype in February and March.

International students – International students comprise about one third of the IDP student body, and bring a rich diversity of cultural backgrounds, knowledge, and expertise to our graduate program.  The applicant pool varies in composition (i.e., number of applicants from each country) each year, but most international applications come from students in India, China, and South Korea.  We welcome applications from a diverse pool of qualified applicants, and seek no predetermined number of students from any one country.  We simply seek the best students for biomedical science research training.  As of Fall 2011, international students comprise 33% of currently enrolled international students.  The composition of our enrolled international student population varies from year to year.  During the 2010-11 academic we had students from Bangladesh, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Columbia, Ecuador, Estonia, Greece, Guyana, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Iran, Italy, Jamaica, Russia, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, Uganda and Viet Nam.

Due to the enormous number of international inquiries we receive and the large number of applications reviewed, the following information about the review process for international applicants is provided.  Most successful international applicants have a basic science B.S. degree with extensive research experience as evidenced by letters of recommendation from research mentors and/or publications, and many have a research M.S. degree.  Our initial evaluation of international applicants residing outside of the United States is based on the the online application.  UF faculty members native to and/or familiar with the educational systems of other countries assist the Admissions Committee with this initial review.

TOEFL. International students whose native language is not English and who have not studied at an institution in the United States or other English-speaking country for one year or longer must have a score of at least 600 on the written version of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), or 250 on the computer version of the exam, or 100 on the internet-based TOEFL.  The TOEFL exam must have been taken within the past two (2) years.  Exemptions to the TOEFL score requirement are granted per University of Florida policy for English proficiency.

Due to the large number of inquiries we receive, we cannot offer an indication of how competitive your application will be before you apply.  If you are confident that a completed application will demonstrate exceptional strength as described above, we encourage you to submit your application.

Applications

Please note that beginning in 2011 we will only accept online applications.  No paper applications will be accepted, and the only paper documentation accepted will be transcripts.  Letters of recommendation, c.v.’s, personal statements, and all other materials must be submitted online, either via the University of Florida application system or the IDP online application page.

Note that an essential component of applying to the IDP is applying to the University of Florida Graduate School.

 IDP application materials

 Transfer Students

The IDP generally accepts transfer students only when they are accompanying a faculty member who is moving to the University of Florida.  All other applicants must apply for regular fall semester admission and provide a letter from their current adviser or program director stating that they are in good academic standing and the reasons for seeking a transfer.  Transfer of credits from another institution to count toward a UF Ph.D. degree is subject to the limits and conditions set forth by the UF Graduate School.

Admissions Procedure

Completed applications undergo a preliminary review by a subset of the Admissions Committee.  The application is presented to the Committee, and a decision is made to reject, hold, or grant the applicant an interview.  Domestic applicants who pass the preliminary review are invited to Gainesville for an all-expenses-paid interview visit (Sunday – Tuesday).  During the interview visit, applicants also have ample opportunity to meet with current students and to tour Gainesville and the University of Florida campus.  Selected international applicants residing outside of the United States are interviewed by video call (Skype).

The invited applicants will interview with four IDP faculty members.  Every effort is made to ensure that applicants can meet with faculty representing their advanced program of interest.  The interview process provides an excellent opportunity for applicants to obtain a first-hand perspective on the IDP faculty and students, and on the University of Florida and Gainesville.

To inquire about the status of your application, or if you have been invited for an interview and have any problems or questions about your travel arrangements, please contact Valerie Cloud-Driver by e-mail at idp@ufl.edu or by phone (352-273-8600).

Within a few days of the interviews, the Admissions Committee meets to reconsider each application and the interview reports, and a decision is made whether to admit the applicant into the IDP program.  All interviewed applicants are informed of the committee’s decision by the week following their interview.

As a member of the Council of Graduate Schools, the University of Florida Graduate School abides by the April 15 deadline for students to accept offers of admission (or the next business day, if the 15th falls on a weekend).  For more information about the April 15 deadline, please link to the Council of Graduate Schools.

The IDP Admissions Committee begins meeting in the Fall Semester, so applicants are encouraged to submit their application materials as soon as possible.

IDP Admissions Calendar

U.F. Graduate School – Information & Requirements

For general information about admission to the UF Graduate School and links to the UF Graduate Catalog, please see the Graduate Admissions webpage.