How to Apply

Admissions and Application Process

Students apply to the Biological Sciences Program (BISI) by completing an application to the University of Maryland’s Graduate School. On the supplemental form indicate the BISI Concentration Area(s) of most interest (select up to two). You can investigate potential faculty advisors and their research interests via the Biological Sciences Graduate Program home page.

All students applying to the Biological Sciences Graduate Program must have a bachelor's degree from a recognized undergraduate institution. Applicants are expected to have a strong academic record including coursework in advanced areas of biology as well as at least one year of calculus, general chemistry, organic chemistry, and physics. Able students with deficiencies in a particular area may be admitted and the deficiency corrected after enrollment.

What You Need to Submit for a Complete Application

1. University of Maryland application for graduate studies.  Submit your application by December 15.
2. Academic transcript(s)  Transcripts should be sent to:

1. Statement of research interests (fine to be reasonably broad at this point) and professional objectives (1-2 pages in length)
2. Three letters of recommendation from people familiar with the applicant’s abilities and aptitude for graduate work
3. Scores of the Graduate Record Exam General Aptitude Test (Maryland’s institutional code is 5814; no need to include a departmental code – just leave that box blank)
4. Scores of the Graduate Record Exam Advanced Biology Test (optional, but recommended)
5. International students must submit scores from either the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL, internet based exam, iBT) or the International English Language Testing Service (IELTS).  Maryland’s institutional code is 5814; no departmental code is needed.  Minimum and provisional scores required for admission can be found here.  If you take the iBT or IELTS exams you do NOT need to take the Test of Spoken English (TSE).
6. Applicants  to the BEES and PSYS Concentration Areas are encouraged to contact BISI faculty in the student’s area(s) of interest.  It is important to have support of faculty who may be potential advisors / mentors. To begin to explore matches of your interests with those of BISI faculty, you can use the search feature on the BISI website.  Applicants to the MOCB and CBBG Concentration Areas will have, in their first year,  the opportunity to rotate among labs to explore interests and approaches before they join a faculty member's research group.

Please read the FAQ page to get answers to your admissions questions!

Admissions for International Students

The BISI program welcomes applications from qualified international students.  The application process is the same as for U.S. citizens and the deadline for applications is December 15: all applications are submitted through the University of Maryland’s Graduate School.

International applicants must pay the same application fee.Fluency in spoken and written English is evaluated in several ways, including scores on the verbal GRE and the TOEFL or IELTS exams. Students must submit either TOEFL or IELTS scores if English is a second language and the student has not received a degree from an English-speaking institution.  The University of Maryland code is 5814; no department code is needed. The TOEFL and IELTS exams must have been taken within the past two years.  Maryland’s Graduate School guidelines require a TOEFL score above 100 (internet-based exam, iBT) or 575 (paper version) for admission. Minimum sectional scores must be achieved on the TOEFL or IELTS tests. International students must also complete a Certification of Finances form.

For more information on graduate admissions for international applicants, please visit the  Office of International Services website or email questions to: iesadv@deans.umd.edu.