Students usually apply in the fall or winter and begin their studies the following summer. The application deadline is January 15th, but your application will be considered by the Admissions Committee as soon as it is complete. Your application will have several key components:

Research Experience

Experience performing original research is strongly recommended. This might stem from an undergraduate honors thesis, summer research internships, or a technical position after graduation. Please mention your contribution to any abstracts, posters or manuscripts.

You will want to choose research mentors to prepare letters of recommendation that describe your experience, training and promise in science.

Undergraduate Coursework

You'll need fundamental coursework to succeed in biomedical graduate study, but your background will be unique. In general, biology, organic chemistry and mathematics through calculus are required, and biochemistry and molecular biology are strongly recommended. This background prepares most students for success in our programs.

We also seek students with strong quantitative training who may have majored in physics or math and are interested in our Systems Biology and Bioinformatics Program and Structural Biology track. Depending on your preparation, we may suggest additional biology coursework once you start graduate training.

Exams

The GRE general test is required. Recent matriculants have earned an average of 70th percentile in each area. A GRE subject test is desirable, but is not required. The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is required for foreign students unless they are from an English-speaking country or have a degree from a university program where the instruction is primarily in English.

Interview

The Admissions Committee reviews applications when they become complete. Successful applicants are invited to CWRU to visit our program in the Winter/Spring at our expense. This visit allows you to:

• meet with faculty whose research you would like to explore
• interview with faculty advisors
• experience the research power at CWRU
• meet current graduate students
• meet other prospective graduate students
• experience life in Cleveland

Foreign Applicants

Our program has limited financial resources for supporting students who are not citizens or permanent residents of the United States. As a consequence, only a small number of foreign students is admitted each year. We give preference to foreign applicants who have fellowships that can partially support their graduate education, who have strong research experience and publications, or who have completed some of their education in a university in North America. Because of these financial constraints, foreign applicants who do not satisfy one of these criteria will have a small chance of admission.