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How to Apply

Fall 2024 Timeline

Dec. 1, 2023 Priority deadline for all applicants
Jan. 2024 On-campus interviews for invited applicants
Feb. 2024 On-campus interviews for invited applicants
Apr. 15, 2024 Deadline to response to offers of admission

The graduate application process has the following steps:

Step 1:

Submit the online application to UI Graduate Admissions, including: 

  • Application fee is $60 by credit card for US applicants, $100 for international applicants 
  • If English is not your first language, report your English proficiency test scores (TOEFL, IELTS or DuoLingo). For more information on the English Proficiency Requirements, click here.
    • The strongest international applicants will have combined TOEFL scores greater than 100, IELTS scores greater than 7, or DuoLingo scores greater than 120.

All applicants to the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology program will have their application fee reimbursed if they receive an interview invitation and complete the interview.

Step 2:

After you submit your application, you will be sent a username (also called HawkID) and password to access your Admissions Profile on MyUI. You will use MyUI to upload the following supplemental documents.

  • Unofficial academic records/transcripts
  • Contact information for three writers of letters of recommendation. Letters must be received on official letterhead.
  • Curriculum Vitae or Resume
  • Research Statement
  • Personal Statement

Your Admissions Profile includes an electronic letter of recommendation feature. You will be asked to give the contact information of your recommenders including their email address. The recommender will then get an email with instructions on how to upload the recommendation letter.

All applicants must submit a curriculum vitae or resume that includes:

  • Research or relevant work experience. Please specify: (a) the institution where you performed research or relevant work, (b) the program (if any) that you were enrolled in, (c) the dates that you performed the research or work, (d) the name of your research mentor or work supervisor, and (e) provide a very brief explaination of your experience (more detail can be provided in your Research Statement).
  • Teaching or tutoring. If you have prior experience with teaching or tutoring high school or undergraduate students, please let us know.
  • Publications and presentations. If you are listed as an author on a paper puiblished in a scientific journal or avaiable on a preprint server, please proivde details of any such paper. Also, if you have given an oral presentation to a scientific audience, please tell us about it.
  • Conferences attended. If you have attended any scientific conferences, please list them. And, if you presented a poster or gave an oral presentation at any of these conferences, please also provide details.
  • Academic awards and prizes. If you have been the recipient of any academic awards during your academic career, we'd like to hear about it.
  • Professional memberships. If you are a member of a professional organization (e.g. the Biophysical Society, or the American Chemical Society), please let us know, listing your dates of membership.

For the research statement:

Please provide a narrative description (maximum of two pages) of any research or relevant work experiences that you have had. For each such experience, we would like to know: (a) where, with whom, and for how long you performed resesarch or work, (b) overall research focus of the laboratory in which you performed research or work, (c) specific goal of the project to which you contributed, (d) your particular role in the project, and (e) what experimental or computational techniques you attempted or were exposed to during your research or work. 

For the personal statement:

Please provide a personal statement (maximum of two pages) that tells us about you and your motivations for applying to our program. In particular, we would like to know: (a) your reasons for pursuing a PhD in scientific research, (b) your overall career goals (if known at this stage), and (c) your reasons for applying to an institution such as the University of Iowa. Also, if you have special reasons for wishing to attend the University of Iowa in preference to other, similar schools (e.g. family connections or previous experience here) we would like to know about them.

Checking Application Status

Use your HawkID and password to log into your Admissions Profile on MyUI. Check the status of your application frequently and follow-up with the appropriate institution(s) or person(s) to facilitate the timely submission of required materials. Applicants will be notified via email if invited for an interview.

Step 3 (if you are admitted):

  • You will need to provide official transcripts
  • If English is not your first language, you will need to provide an official score report from TOEFLIELTS, or DuoLingo. Prior to registering for classes, you may also need to take the on-campus English Placement Evaluation (EPE). Students required to take the EPE include: students who submitted an overall TOEFL score less than 100, and students who chose to submit DuoLingo scores. Students who chose to submit IELTS scores will need to contact the Admissions Office for information on whether they are required to take the EPE.