Admission to study is offered to students having good undergraduate training in biochemistry, physics, organic chemistry, physical chemistry, biology, and mathematics. Students lacking preparation in a particular field, but otherwise qualified, may be admitted and given the opportunity to strengthen their backgrounds by taking the appropriate courses. The BMB program especially encourages applications from minority students.

Biomedical Graduate Studies (BGS) is the administrative home for all graduate groups that confer a Ph.D. in the basic biomedical sciences at the University of Pennsylvania. General admission information can be obtained from the BGS website: http://www.med.upenn.edu/bgs/applicants_phd.shtml.  BGS now accepts electronic applications only.

For additional information, please contact:

Ruth Keris
Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics
245A Anatomy-Chemistry Building
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6059
Tel: (215) 898-4639
Fax: (215) 573-2085
E-mail: keris@mail.med.upenn.edu

Completed applications will be screened by the BMB admissions committee based on: research experience, letters of recommendation, personal statement, grades and GRE General Test scores. GRE Subject Tests in biology, chemistry, physics, or mathematics are recommended but not required. In general, interviews are also required as part of the admissions process, and applicants invited to be interviewed will be notified at the beginning of January. Admissions decisions are made in late March/early April, with all decision finalized by April 15th.

Students accepted for admission into the Ph.D. program receive tuition and health insurance reimbursement, plus a twelve-month stipend for living expenses for the anticipated five to six years required to attain the Ph.D. The stipend for the 2007-2008 academic year is $26,520. In addition, applicants are urged to apply for scholarships from prestigious funding programs such as the National Science Foundation and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

Applicants whose native language is not English are required to take the TOEFL. Scores are valid for two years from the test date. Applicants who have satisfactorily completed at least two years of study in an English-speaking university do not need to submit scores.

It is important for students applying to this program from outside the continental United States to realize that positions for overseas students are very limited and extremely competitive. In the past 5 years, only 9 of the 61 students admitted into our program have been foreign nationals. This said, foreign applicants with exceptional credentials will continue to be given consideration for admission.