Ph.D. in Biomedical Science Program Admissions Process

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:

1. 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 (Please note that this 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, 2012 is applying for admission to the Fall 2013 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).

****Proceed to on-line application form****

2. You will need to submit the following materials:

• Transcripts (two steps)
  1.) Please upload an unofficial transcript for each college/university you have attended into the application system. You can upload your unofficial transcripts using the "Upload All Documents here" link on the online application.
  
  2.) 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. ONLY transcripts/degree certificates should be sent directly to the main campus at Storrs:
  
  University of Connecticut Graduate School, Unit 1152
  438 Whitney Road Extension
  Storrs, CT 06269-1152
  
  IMPORTANT: The most common reason for delayed consideration of graduate school applications is missing or unofficial transcripts. Your application will not be considered until all official transcripts are received. Transcripts become the property of the University. Unofficial, certified, or notarized copies are not acceptable.
  
  INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS:
  The application system may ask you for both transcripts and course grades.  This is because some foreign schools separate these documents.  If your school transcript contains your grades, please upload your transcript in both locations.
  
  You must include official degree certificates for all degrees received at foreign colleges/universities. If you attended an international university and have one set of original documents or diploma, you can mail them to the Graduate School main office in Storrs (address above) and they will make a copy and return the original document(s) to you. Include a request to return the documents and provide a mailing address. 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
  There is not a specific form for letters of recommendation. Your recommenders must cite your full name, the program to which you are applying (Ph.D. in Biomedical Science), and their relationship to you (professor, advisor, co-worker, supervisor, etc.). Their letters should 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.
  
  Three letters of recommendation are required.
• 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.
  
  You can upload your Personal Statement using the "Upload All Documents here" link on the online application.
  
• Residence Affidavit
  If you are a Connecticut resident, download and complete the Residence Affidafit (see online application).
  
  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 the UConn Health Center)
  The Ph.D. program requires official scores from the General GRE exam (verbal, quantitative and analytical); we do not require nor do we review the Subject Tests.

  
  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 is considered competitive. 

  IMPORTANT: unofficial scores are not accepted. You should request ETS to send your official score report directly to the Health Center using code 3931; a department code is not necessary. The GRE 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 (International Applicants ONLY)
  Applicants whose native language is not English must submit English proficiency scores on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). A minimum TOEFL score of 550 (paper), 213 (computer), 80 (internet), or 6.5 (IELTS) is required for admission, however to be considered for FINANCIAL SUPPORT, a score of at least 600/250/100/7.0 is required by the program. 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 can be sent from ETS using institution code 3915 (this is the code for the main campus at Storrs where our TOEFL scores are sent). Copies of TOEFL score reports sent to students are acceptable.
• Optional: Writing Sample
  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.
• Financial Declaration (international applicants only)
  Because our program provides an annual stipend to matriculated students, we do not require the financial declaration page. If the system will not let you submit your application without this document, you may upload a blank form.

All information is due in our office by DECEMBER 1.

We value diversity and actively encourage applications from women and underrepresented minorities.

Inquiries should be directed to:

Graduate Admissions Office
Ph.D. in Biomedical Science Program
University of Connecticut Health Center
263 Farmington Avenue, MC3906
Farmington, CT 06030-3906

Phone: 860-679-4509
Email: BiomedSciAdmissions@uchc.edu

rev. 11/12