Admissions Process for September 2024, US Graduate Programs
Recommended Post : Study Abroad Admissions for 2023-2024 and Scholarships
A. Overview
a. Admissions Criteria for September 2023, US Graduate Programs
b. Study Abroad Acceptance Essay
A. Overview
1. Understanding the Departments
⑴ Biophysics
① Direction 1: Cytoskeleton, cell morphology
② Direction 2: Theoretical biology
③ Direction 3: Medical devices (e.g., MRI)
④ Direction 4: Protein structure (cryo-EM, XRD, NMR, etc)
⑤ Direction 5: Sequencing technology
⑥ Direction 6: Biological deep learning, bioinformatics
⑦ Departments that mention ‘theory’ are essentially biophysics and physics.
⑵ Systems Biology
① Direction 1: Cell modeling
② Direction 2: Multiomics
③ Direction 3: Multicellularity and emergence
④ Direction 4: Organoids
⑤ Direction 5: Physiology : Compared to Swiss universities, US graduate programs do not focus extensively on this.
⑶ Physics
① Overview : Physics departments typically require completion of quantum mechanics in graduate school.
② Direction 1: Condensed matter and materials engineering
③ Direction 2: Theoretical physics (e.g., string theory)
④ Direction 3: System modeling
⑤ Direction 4: Aerospace science : Appears to be more popular due to SpaceX…
⑥ Direction 5: Theoretical biology
⑦ Direction 6: Quantum mechanics
⑧ Departments that mention ‘theory’ are essentially biophysics and physics.
⑨ The field of physics has undergone considerable changes, becoming quite distinct from the physics we were familiar with, as it is a field that is nearly completely saturated.
⑷ Computer Science (CS)
① Direction 1: Computer vision
② Direction 2: LLM
③ Direction 3: Information theory
④ Direction 4: Signal processing
⑤ Direction 5: Quantum computing
⑥ Direction 6: Bioinformatics
⑦ Application deadlines differ from other departments.
○ General departments usually have a deadline of December 1st.
○ The CS department usually has a deadline of December 15th.
○ This can be used to plan applications distinguishing between non-CS and CS departments.
⑸ Electronic Engineering (EE)
① Direction 1: Semiconductor design and systems engineering
② Direction 2: Healthcare devices
③ Direction 3: Medical devices (e.g., MRI)
④ Direction 4: Quantum computing
⑹ Structural Biology
① Direction 1: Structural determination experiments using biophysics tools like cryo-EM, NMR, X-ray crystallography
② Direction 2: AI modeling based on proteomics : Structure prediction is nearly complete (cf. AlphaFold2), now the issue is predicting binding affinity.
⑺ Biology
① Direction 1: Theoretical biology and evolutionary biology : Biology departments uniquely emphasize evolution-related topics.
② Direction 2: Behavioral experiments
③ Direction 3: Omics
⑻ Bioengineering
① Direction 1: Imaging : super-resolution microscope, imaging devices, etc.
② Direction 2: Sequencing
③ Direction 3: Modeling
④ Direction 4: Bio artificial intelligence
⑼ Bioinformatics vs. Computational Biology
① Bioinformatics (BI) : Similar to data science, it requires a significant background in biology. Feels relatively like humanities.
② Computational biology : Similar to computer science, it involves methods, deep learning, AI, etc. Feels more like natural sciences.
③ Various predictions about the trends in the future of bioinformatics (BI)
○ Argument 1 : Given the emergence of AI programs in Harvard BIG and the prospect that LLM can largely replace BI, there is a tendency for BI to become more like computational biology, and it is expected that even the term ‘bioinformatics’ might disappear in about 10 years. (Bioinformatics Dropping Factor)
○ Argument 2 : The mention of bioinformatics in fields such as biochemistry, developmental biology, regenerative medicine, and physics suggests that the scope of bioinformatics itself may expand. Academic disciplines that cannot build extensive omics fields like the “protein universe” may decline. (Bioinformatics Rising Factor)
○ Argument 3 : A trend that has become apparent recently is that while AI may not be very profitable, BI generates revenue, especially in the United States. Given the 400-year technology gap between Korea and the US in AI, BI is likely to be even more lucrative in Korea. (Bioinformatics Rising Factor)
○ Argument 4 : Every field is already trying to integrate with AI, and the adoption of AI in high-context areas such as quantum, bio, and space is observed to have its own uniqueness and industrial value. (Bioinformatics Rising Factor)
⑽ Biostatistics
① Often found in Public Health Schools.
② Strong background in statistics is required for admission.
⑾ Biomedical Informatics (BMI)
① While general bioinformatics is similar to CS and computational biology, BMI seems to focus more on health records.
2. Graduate School Life
⑴ Admission Offer
① Stage 1: Informal Admission Offer : The PhD program recommends the applicant to the graduate office.
② Stage 2: Formal Admission Offer : After the informal admission offer, the graduate office checks the accuracy of the documents and finalizes the confirmation of admission.
⑵ Dormitories
① Most graduate schools offer dormitory support for about 2 years.
② In cases like WashU, dormitory support is not provided.
③ At places like Stanford, Weill Cornell, and Sloan Kettering, dormitory support is available throughout the program.
⑶ Visas
① Typically, student visas are F-1 or J-1.
② Fulbright Scholarships may lead to J-1 visas, while other government scholars may receive G-1 visas.
③ If you want to secure a job in the US job market, you will need an H-1 visa.
④ US companies are often hesitant to sponsor visas for individuals without them for various reasons.
⑤ F-1 visas have longer validity compared to J-1 visas, which is advantageous when entering the job market.
⑥ To obtain US permanent residency (green card), it requires hiring an attorney, costs around 20 million KRW, and over a year of continuous US residency.
⑷ Rotation
① In the rotation, the department bears the cost.
② In cases like UCSD BISB, where the funding primarily comes from NIH grants, only domestic students are supported for rotations, so international students cannot participate in the rotations.
⑸ Salary
① Labs with sufficient funding typically offer full tuition fee funding plus a stipend.
② The stipend is up to 40,000 USD/year. Even in cases where it goes up to 48,000 USD/year, when considering living expenses, it amounts to a similar level (e.g., New York City).
③ Industry Internship
○ It is uncommon to do it in the first year of a Ph.D.
○ Internships typically take place from May to August.
○ Even if it’s not at the same place, it works to your advantage when finding a job after completing the Ph.D.
B. Support Plan
Application (✅❌), Application completed (💻👆), Interview offer (✈), Failure (☠), Acceptance (🏫)
1. ✅💻👆☠️ Stanford
⑴ Overview
① At Stanford, professors from different departments can also serve as advisors.
② In Stanford SOP, you can mention your interest in entrepreneurship.
③ One of the schools where interview and job offer come the latest.
⑵ ✅💻👆☠️ Bioengineering : GRE General Not considered. GRE Subject Not Considered. Deadline : December 1, 2023. Contact : bio_admissions@stanford.edu (ref) There is a tendency not to favor applicants who mention imaging and imaging devices currently, probably because many switch to other departments.
① Application for Fee Waiver (until 23.11.17; on a first-come, first-served basis)
⑶ Biomedical Physics : Related to nuclear medicine. Not eligible for dual application with other Stanford PhD programs. Average degree completion time is 5-6 years. Newly established in 2022. Highly competitive, admitting around 6 students per year.
⑷ Biophysics : Divided into theoretical biology, medical devices (e.g., MRI), high-resolution microscopy, and machine learning. Admits approximately 6 students per year, with very few international admissions.
⑸ Structural Biology : Focuses on research related to ligand-receptor interactions using techniques like cryo-EM, NMR, and X-ray crystallography.
⑹ Bioscience : Low foreign funding opportunities (e.g., NIH funding is not available to foreigners), resulting in a low acceptance rate for international applicants.
⑺ Bioscience - Genetics : Mostly selects candidates from the United States.
⑻ Bioscience - Biomedical Data Science (formerly Biomedical Informatics) : Rarely admits international students.
2. ✅💻👆 Harvard
⑴ Overview
① Except for the Biomedical Informatics program (requiring TOEFL 100), most programs require TOEFL 80.
② GSAS allows a maximum of 3 applications.
⑵ Biomedical Informatics
① Previously known as the BIG (Bioinformatics and Integrative Genomics) department but changed its name in the 2024 admissions cycle.
② Track 1. Artificial Intelligence in Medicine (AIM)
③ Track 2. Bioinformatics and Integrative Genomics (BIG)
⑶ Organismic & Evolutionary Biology (OEB)
① OEB generally requires contacting PIs in advance.
② The author attempted to contact Prof. Martin Nowak but encountered resistance to accepting students due to personal reasons.
⑷ Harvard Medical School Department of Systems Biology
⑸ Harvard-MIT Health Sciences and Technology Medical Engineering and Medical Physics
① Requires an IELTS score of 7 or higher or TOEFL iBT 100 or higher (ref)
⑹ ✅💻👆 Biophysics : GRE General Not Accepted. GRE Subject Not Accepted. (ref) Leading in the field of image-based multiomics research. Admits around 12 students per year. Virtual Interview : February 6-9, 2024 (ref). You can apply for an application fee waiver in the application portal.
① GRE General and GRE Subject are no longer required (ref)
② Minimum TOEFL score of 80 or IELTS 6.5 (ref)
3. ❌ Caltech
⑴ DBBS (Division of Biology and Biological Engineering) : An umbrella program with a strong emphasis on experimentation overall.
4. ❌ Yale
⑴ Public Health : Offers MPH, MS, and PhD degrees. To apply for a PhD, it must be done through GSAS.
⑵ Public Health - Biostatistics : Strong focus on statistics.
5. ❌ University of Pennsylvania (UPenn)
⑴ Overview
① Do not include GPA and other information in the CV for UPenn applications.
② Timeline
○ October 1, 2023 : Application portal opens
○ December 1, 2023 : Application deadline. No application fee.
○ December 2023 or January 2024 : Interview notification
○ Late January to early March 2024 : Interviews
○ Late February to early March 2024 : Admission decisions
⑵ Biology : Strong emphasis on theoretical biology and mathematical biology.
⑶ Genomics & Computation Biology
① No minimum TOEFL or IELTS requirements.
② GRE scores are not required.
③ Highly competitive for international applicants (ref)
6. ❌ Columbia University
⑴ Public Health - Biostatistics : Strong emphasis on statistics.
7. ❌ Princeton University
⑴ Ecology & Evolutionary Biology (EEB)
① EEB generally requires contacting PIs in advance.
② Strong emphasis on math-based research due to the nature of evolutionary biology.
8. ✅💻👆🏫 University of Michigan in Ann Arbor
⑴ Overview
① Can apply to two or more programs within PIBS
② International applicants face very low acceptance rates (ref)
○ Admission to PIBS is extremely competitive. PIBS accepts only 5% or less of the international applications received each year. In addition, not all programs accept international students.
○ The following programs utilize federal training grants to fund students; students appointed to these grants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Therefore, these programs do not accept international applicants through PIBS:
- Cancer Biology
- Cellular & Molecular Biology
- Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology
○ Due to funding limitations and budgetary restraints for international travel, Microbiology & Immunology will only accept applications from international students if they are currently undergraduate or graduate students in the U.S. with an F1 visa.
○ Once you have an interview, the competition is not that high.
③ A very cold place
④ Generally the F-1 visa is given.
⑤ The department says that, for F-1 visas, the first year is at one’s own expense (ref) for international students. But, the students are expected to be funded by the department according to admission score.
⑥ The stipend was originally $38,970 USD, but it increased by 6%.
⑦ It seems there are about 80 Koreans within PIBS.
⑵ Public Health - Biostatistics
① Strong emphasis on statistics
⑶ ✅💻👆🏫 Bioinformatics (PIBS)
① TOEFL minimum follows the general standard of Michigan (ref). GRE not required (ref).
② Approximately 8 - 15 new students join the Ph.D. program each year. Two-thirds are PIBS, one-third are direct admits.
③ International applicants cannot apply directly to Bioinformatics, only through PIBS.
④ You can find information about the application fee waiver in the apply portal.
⑤ The average graduation period is 4 ~ 5 years.
⑥ The general bioinformatics program has rotation offer and direct offer.
⑦ PIBS is required to rotate 3 times. Each rotation is for a month.
⑧ One can start from the summer semester, but it is not official rotation
⑨ Gives the impression of being similar to the biostatistics department.
⑪ It is possible to double major in a master’s and doctoral program in a different field.
⑷ Biomedical Engineering
① International : TOEFL recommended score of at least 110 iBT (ref)
② We recommend a statement length of up to 2 pages. (ref)
③ Areas:
○ biomimetics and bioadhesives
○ biomechanics
9. ✅💻👆☠️ Johns Hopkins University (JHU)
⑴ Whiting School of Engineering
① No minimum TOEFL score
⑵ ✅💻👆☠️ Biomedical Engineering : Has a computational biology or computer science-like feel.
① GRE optional
② 54% of applicants are international (ref)
③ Offers two types of offers: rotation offers and direct-match offers (ref)
④ Areas
○ Biomedical Data Science
○ Computational Medicine
○ Genomics & Systems Biology
○ Imaging & Medical Devices
○ Immunoengineering
○ Neuroengineering
○ Translational Cell & Tissue Engineering
⑤ The school of public health clearly displays the fee waiver, but the school of medicine does not make the fee waiver readily visible.
10. ❌ UCB
⑴ Overview
① Very few Koreans are admitted.
② Recently, UC system schools have faced financial constraints, leading to a tendency to not admit foreign students.
① Strong focus on cell biology, although not exclusively molecular biology.
② Various fields like MRI and microscopy are mixed,
making it challenging to decide where to focus in the SOP.
11. ✅💻👆✈️ UCLA
⑴ Overview
① Maximum of 1 application allowed. Cannot apply to more than 2 departments at once.
③ Due to recent financial constraints in the UC system schools, there is a tendency not to admit foreign students.
④ Each TOEFL section has a cut-off score. Even if you pass the program’s requirements, the UCLA Grad Office can impose restrictions.
① Highly competitive. It may be advisable to choose a target PI and strategically apply to other departments.
⑶ ✅💻👆✈️ Biochemistry, Molecular and Structural Biology (BMSB)
① GRE scores are not required this year for admission and are optional for all students.
② Internationals are not eligible to apply for a fee waiver.
12. ✅💻👆 NYU
⑴ ✅ Vilcek Institute of Graduate Biomedical Sciences
① Similar to a self-designed undergraduate major, there are the following divisions:
○ Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Biomedical Imaging
○ Population Health, Epidemiology, Biostats, Computational Biology
○ Molecular Oncology and Tumor Immunology
○ Microbiology, Immunology and Inflammation
○ Cell Biology, Stem Cell Biology, Developmental Genetics
② Neuroscience applications must be submitted through the NYU Graduate School of Arts and Science portal
③ Key Q&A
○ We do not require the TOEFL or any English proficiency test.
○ We do not have acceptance rates per training track since we are an open program and consider all applications regardless of their research area of interest.
○ Applications are reviewed after December 1, which is our application deadline, and not before.
○ We accept unofficial transcripts, but if your transcript is not on the 4.0 scale, you would need to have that evaluated.
○ We consider all applications regardless of GPA.
④ Apply for a fee waiver through the fee waiver request form (until 23.11.24).
⑤ Admission Statistics: Annually, about 1,300 people apply. Around 200 are invited for interviews. Of those, 45% are admitted. The average admitted GPA is 3.67 / 4.0. 59% of admittees are female. One-third of the admittees are international students.
⑥ Announcement: This year’s interviews will be virtual. The average duration of the degree is 5.8 years. If you have a master’s degree, you can transfer up to 40 credits.
⑵ NYU Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
13. ✅💻👆☠️ UCSD
⑴ Overview
① Minimum TOEFL score of 85 points
② Recent financial conditions of UC schools are not favorable, and there is a tendency for these schools to not admit foreign students.
① Focus on healthcare records
⑶ Biomedical Sciences
① Preliminary application abolished from the 2024 application cycle (ref)
⑷ ✅💻👆☠️ Bioinformatics and Systems Biology
① Admission : There are routes for admission through the admission committee and direct offers.
② Internationals cannot apply for a fee waiver.
③ 85% of the department is American
④ NIH funds are only given to Americans, so internationals are supported through lab funding
⑤ Internationals must be directly admitted by the PI
⑥ Typically, there are no rotations for internationals, but changing labs is possible
⑦ Funding is not given through teaching, so there are no TA positions, but there is teaching experience
⑧ It is also possible to contact PIs directly
⑨ Admission is possible from PIs not listed in the SOP
⑩ Competing for 1st or 2nd place among bioinformatics PhD programs.
⑪ The proportion of experiments is higher than expected.
14. ✅💻👆✈️🏫 University of Wisconsin-Madison
⑴ Overview
① Can apply to a maximum of 3 programs
② Fee Grants are available only to U.S. citizens or permanent residents (ref).
③ A very cold place
⑵ ✅💻👆✈️☠️ Biomedical Data Science (BDS)
⑶ ✅💻👆✈️🏫 Medical Physics
① Personal contact is recommended: “You may reach out to faculty and indicate your interest in their lab. This gives faculty a chance to advocate for you if qualified, or to let you know they are not seeking students for their lab at this time.”
② Even if you receive an interview offer, interviews are conducted only with professors who have not received an interview offer and who have successfully established contact.
③ Currently, the international student ratio is 43%.
④ Stipend: $35,000 / year.
⑤ UW housing: https://gradlife.wisc.edu/housing-and-transportation/
⑥ Typically, 85-90% of students receive an RAship, and there is also the opportunity to apply for an AOF fellowship.
⑦ Additional Q&A: https://medphysics.wisc.edu/graduate-program/admissions/#faq
15. ✅💻👆 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC)
⑴ ✅💻👆 Computer Science
① Strong in theoretical computer science.
② CS departments especially recommend a TOEFL Speaking score of 22 or higher. (ref)
③ Generally, financial documentation is required for UIUC admissions, but the Computer Science department is an exception.
④ Computer Science Applicants: No financial documentation is required prior to application submission. If admitted without departmental support or if you will be bringing dependents, you may provide financial information after being admitted.
16. ✅💻👆✈️🏫 Georgia Tech
⑴ Overview
① Can apply to a maximum of 2 programs
② The Bioinformatics program awards you a degree in Bioinformatics regardless of the department.
⑵ ✅💻👆✈️🏫 College of Computing (Bioinformatics) : Fee waiver conditions are as follows
⑶ ✅💻👆✈️🏫 Biomedical Engineering (Bioinformatics)
① Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering : A joint department with Georgia Tech and Emory university.
② Only U.S. citizens or permanent residents can apply for a fee waiver (ref).
③ There is no specific requirement for TA to students. But there is a teaching training course for graduate student.
17. ✅💻👆✈️☠️ University of Washington (UW)
⑴ Overview
① In the Biosciences: Very low acceptance rates for Korean Ph.D. candidates, around 2 in 5 years. They explicitly require 1 year of research in the US.
② In CS: 0-2 Korean students admitted directly from Korea each year.
⑵ ✅💻👆✈️☠️ Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering
① Admits about 60 students each year : The number of applicants is 3000 this year.
② Many tech companies like Microsoft and Amazon, so having a CS background is beneficial
④ In 2023, we saw over 3,000 applications and send offers to 150 students. The average GPA of admits is 3.8.
18. ✅💻👆 UCSF
⑴ Overview
① Very few international students are admitted
② There is a PhD program with a deadline of November 15th, so be aware
③ Recent financial conditions of UC schools are not favorable, and there is a tendency for these schools to not admit foreign students.
⑵ ✅💻👆 Biological and Medical Informatics (BMI) : Interviews are on January 22-23, 2024 (ref)
① Due to funding restrictions, we’re limited in our ability to accept international students, thus admissions is extremely competitive. (ref)
② The application portal has information regarding fee waivers.
19. ✅💻👆 Washington University in St. Louis (WashU)
⑴ Overview
① High-ranking in bioinformatics
② Among other PhD programs, it had the highest English cutoff in terms of perceived competitiveness
③ You can receive an application fee waiver if you participate in the Virtual Open House
⑵ Division of Biology & Biomedical Sciences (DBBS)
① Application Period: September 1, 2023 - December 1, 2023
② Highly competitive
③ TOEFL minimum of 100 (ETS code: 6929) or IELTS minimum of 7.5 (Washington University in St. Louis Graduate Admissions)
④ GRE General is no longer required.
⑶ ✅💻👆 Physics
① The minimum acceptable score for the TOEFL is 90 and the minimum acceptable IELTS score is 7.
② Students are selected by the admission committee but must specify their interested PI when applying
③ GRE Physics scores can be used
④ Specializations in Biophysics, Astrophysics, Particle Physics, Quantum Physics, etc.
⑤ Approximately 70 students are admitted each year
⑥ In the second year, there is a qualifying exam: Research presentation based, but pass/fail is determined considering previous course grades
20. ✅💻👆☠️ The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI)
⑴ Overview
① Strong in organic chemistry, chemical biology, and neuroscience
② Most labs are experimental-focused, making it difficult for students with a specific computational domain like the author
⑵ ✅💻👆☠️ Doctoral Program in Chemical and Biological Sciences
① It seems like about twice as many people applied this year compared to last year.
21. ✅✈️ Salk Institute for Biological Studies
⑴ After receiving an interview offer from UCSD, there was also a separate interview request from a professor at the Salk Institute.
22. ✅✈️ La Jolla Institute for Immunology
⑴ After receiving an interview offer from UCSD, had an interview with a professor at this institute.
23. ✅💻👆✂️ Gerstner Sloan Kettering Graduate School (GSK)
① The interview is conducted one-on-one : dean + 2 faculty
② GSK is a part of MSK (Memorial Sloan Kettering).
③ Stipend : $48,000 USD
④ Full funding for the first 3 years → stipend paid by the lab or internal / external fellowship
⑤ Average graduation period : 6.5 years
⑥ Student housing provided throughout the Ph.D. (not a dormitory). (example)
⑦ Approximately 50% are international.
⑧ 2 rotations: Possibility of doing more
⑨ The number of students is quite small, around 14-15
⑩ The department has a large budget: For example, providing laptops to students.
⑫ Classes are conducted for 5 subjects over the course of a year, which may result in a decline in the quality of the classes (ref1, ref2).
⑬ Career after graduation: Professor, Post-doc, Pharmaceutical Company, Investment Company, Patent Corporation, Start-up
⑵ ✅💻👆✂️ Cancer Engineering : Newly established in August 2023 (ref).
① no Toefl minimum, GRE optional
② International students with degrees from universities that do not use a 4.0 scale should upload a copy of their WES converted transcript onto the index page.
③ no application fee
④ obtaining an F-1 student visa
⑤ admission timeline
24. ❌ Weill Cornell Medicine
⑴ Overview
① Rotation cannot be skipped
② It is possible to enter Weill Cornell and work with Professor Sloan, but the reverse is not allowed
③ Approximately 20-30% of students are international each year (relatively high)
25. ❌ Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
26. ✅💻👆✂️ Tri-institutional PhD program
⑴ Overview
① Approximately 20-30% of students admitted each year are international (relatively high)
② We welcome applications from international students and they receive full funding regardless of citizenship status.
⑵ ✅💻👆✂️ Computational Biology
① No TOEFL minimum. GRE optional
② SOP words limit of 1500
③ Transcripts from institutions outside of the U.S., including Canada, must be transcribed and evaluated by World Education Services (WES), SpanTran, or a similar evaluation service. Evaluations are accepted only from current members of the National Association of Credit Evaluation Services (NACES). Official evaluations are required for application review. (ref)
④ Apply for a fee waiver through the Fee Waiver Request Form.
⚑. Michigan Technological University
① Fall Semester : January 15
② Spring Semester : September 15
④ International Students : Recommended TOEFL Score of 85 iBT
⑤ Prospective students are strongly encouraged to contact individual faculty members.
⚑. University of Minnesota
⑴ Bioinformatics and Computational Biology (~ January 15, 24)
① It is said that it is better to submit by December 15.
② Faculty
③ Contact is recommended.
⚑. University of Maryland
⑴ Bioinformatics and Computational Biology (~ 24년 3월 15일)
① Letter of Recommendation (1) (optional)
Input : 2023.06.16 14:56
Modified : 2023.10.21 18:57