Admissions
The Cell and Molecular Biology Graduate Group (CAMB) is part of Biomedical Graduate Studies (BGS), an umbrella organization administered through the Perelman School of Medicine that includes CAMB and other biomedical-related graduate groups. Within this integrated graduate group are six discipline program areas: Cancer Biology (CB); Cell Biology, Physiology, and Metabolism (CPM); Developmental, Stem Cell, and Regenerative Biology (DSRB); Genetics and Epigenetics (G&E); Gene Therapy and Vaccines (GTV); and Microbiology, Virology, and Parasitology (MVP). You can apply for one of the six CAMB programs through the Biomedical Graduate Studies (BGS) Admissions process. BGS also offers certificate programs in medicine, public health, and environmental health sciences. Please see Life at Penn for information about campus life.
Our holistic evaluation process considers all components of the application. In the personal statement you may share how your personal history, identity, and experiences motivate your pursuit of the PhD, and the challenges overcome to get to this point. Describe your meaningful research experiences in the research statement. In the community statement describe how your personal perspectives will shape and be shaped by engagement with the Penn community. The letters of recommendation should include at least one from a research mentor, preferably the most recent one. More information and FAQs can be found here.
As of July 2018, we no longer require or accept the general GRE test. Applicants whose native language is not English are required to take an English proficiency exam (either the TOEFL or the IELTS); this requirement is waived for applicants who have or will have obtained a degree from a US or other approved English-instructed institution. There are no minimum score requirements. In order for your application to be considered complete, official TOEFL or IELTS score reports must be received by the BGS office by the application 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.
2024 Admissions Season
We had 1798 applications to our PhD program for entrance in Fall 2024; 843 from US citizens or permanent residents of the US, and 955 from international citizens. 129 were accepted. Our incoming class has 74 students (73% identify as female, 19% economically disadvantaged, and 12% international). The average GPA was 3.79.