International Students

International students comprise about one third of the BMS 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 from 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.

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.

It should be noted that almost all of our current international students resided in the United States at the time of application, and, hence, could be interviewed in person.  Because of the extremely strong domestic international pool of applicants, it is extremely rare that international students residing overseas will be considered for admission.

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 online application.

  • University of Florida faculty members native to and/or familiar with the educational systems of other countries assist the Admissions Committee with this initial review.
  • After consideration by the Admissions Committee, highly qualified overseas applicants will be interviewed by Skype.

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.