Applicants interested in Penn's Cell and Molecular Biology Graduate Group should click here to go to the Biomedical Graduate Studies online application form.
All applications are due by December 8th. Applications will be evaluated in late December and early January. Most applicants who are selected for interviews will be invited, at our expense, for one of three interview sessions held in January, February and early March. Announcement of admission and fellowship awards to successful candidates will normally be made shortly after the interview session. International applicants will be interviewed by telephone. All CAMB students receive fellowships that cover tuition and fees, as well as a stipend of $28,500 per year.
We require the general GRE test and the TOEFL for applicants from countries where English is not the first language. Test scores must be submitted from ETS by the deadline. It is important for students applying to this program from outside the United States to realize that funding for overseas students is very limited, and thus the application process is extremely competitive.
All aspects of the application are important to us. We expect that all of our applicants will have had significant research experience. Please include specific information about your research experience in your personal statement. Please also be sure to ask at least one of your research mentors to provide a letter of recommendation; preferably, that should be the person who has been your mentor in your most recent research endeavor.
Admission decisions are e-mailed to all applicants no later than March 15. Decisions will not be released by telephone or fax. Admitted applicants will receive their admit packet in the mail. Please allow 10 to 14 business days for receipt of the packet.
The deadline to accept or decline the offer of admission is April 15. If your original admission reply form is not received by April 15, BGS has discretion to rescind the offer of admission and financial aid. The University of Pennsylvania subscribes to the policy of the Council of Graduate Schools (http://www.cgsnet.org/portals/0/pdf/CGSResolutionMay2009.pdf) regarding this reply date.
We had 576 applications to our program for entrance in Fall 2009, 283 from US citizens or permanent residents of the US and 293 from citizens of other countries. We interviewed 120 and accepted 111. Our incoming class will have 40 students (60% female, 12.5% under-represented minority and 12.5% international). The table below breaks down their GPA and GRE scores. Please keep in mind that these numbers are not the only thing that our admissions committee looks at. Research experience, publications and letters of recommendation play an important role in the selection process.
Average |
|
3.7 |
|
Verbal |
622 |
Quantitative |
748 |
Writing |
4.7 |