Minimum Requirements
Plan A (Internship & Thesis):
- There are no minimum GRE requirements, but we generally do not accept students who have scores below 152 (Verbal), 152 (Quantitative), and 3.5 (Writing) unless the student has excellent strengths in other areas.
- There are no minimum GPA requirements, as these greatly vary across the world.
- For International STEP Plan A candidates, the minimum TOEFL is 100
- Minimum degree requirements: Students must have the equivalent of a four-year bachelor’s degree in a field related to biology.
- Personal interviews via telephone and videoconferencing are required.
Deadlines
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For fall semester (late August) matriculation, the deadline for applications is July 30. For students who require a new visa for study in the United States (e.g., F-1), the deadline is May 1. Admission is on a rolling basis.
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Teaching assistantships are awarded in March and April, so we encourage you to apply early in order to be considered.
Application Procedure
- Please see the Biology graduate admissions page for application information. NOTE THAT ENTREPRENEURIAL BIOTECHNOLOGY HAS DIFFERENT REQUIREMENTS AND DEADLINES THAN OTHER BIOLOGY PROGRAMS.
- Candidates who personally contact the STEP director will gain priority in the application review process.
- Admission is on a rolling basis.
General Information
Candidates are encouraged to apply to the program early for maximum award consideration. To be considered, applicants must check the Financial Aid box on the application. Approximately one half of the incoming class receives some amount of assistance in the form of a Teaching Assistantship. Financing a STEP Master’s degree is a serious commitment of resources for most students. Fortunately, nearly every student begins to feel the return on this investment immediately after graduation. Please see our FAQs for more information on return on tuition investment. We recommend that you pursue multiple avenues for financial assistance for your program. This includes seeking scholarships, grants, personal savings, employer support, federal and private loans, and part-time employment. To check for outside scholarships, visit fastweb.com. Tuition awards are disbursed at the time of tuition billing after enrollment, and are on an amount or percentage basis (as opposed to a per credit hour basis).