Graduate Education-Admissions and Application

Applications for admission are accepted throughout the year, with a target date of February 1 for completed applications. Normally, students are admitted for the fall semester. To be considered for admission, applicants must have a bachelor's degree with a good academic record in biology, chemistry, mathematics, and physics. Applicants should have at least a 3.0 grade point average and creditable scores on the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE).

Application Procedures

For this degree program, you will need to send some application materials to the Biosciences Program Application System and some to the Office of Admissions, which handles Graduate College applications.

Materials to send to the Biosciences Program at the following address:

Biosciences Centralized Application System
The University of Iowa
1178 Medical Laboratories
Iowa City IA 52242-1181

The Preliminary Application to the Department of Microbiology is to be submitted electronically via the Biosciences Application System. The electronic application system transmits your file directly to the Department of Microbiology Admissions Committee for evaluation. The Preliminary Application is free.

Materials to send to Admissions:

  • A second set of your official academic records/transcripts.
  • Your official GRE General Test scores from the Educational Testing Service (the University's institutional code is 6681).
  • International students must send their official TOEFL scores from the Educational Testing Service (the University's institutional code is 6681).
  • International students also must send a Financial Statement.
 

Apply

Once your Departmental Preliminary Application is approved, you will be invited to Apply Online for admission to the Graduate College. The $60 application fee ($85 for international students) is payable by MasterCard or Visa. If you cannot pay by credit card, you may Download and Print an Application* and pay the fee by check or money order in U.S. currency made payable to "The University of Iowa."

Presidential Graduate Fellowships

Each year, the Presidential Graduate Fellowship Program brings 30 of the most promising doctoral students to The University of Iowa. Presidential Graduate Fellows receive substantial financial support for five years (including summers), provided that they maintain an appropriate level of performance. Candidates for these Fellowships are nominated by the Department of Microbiology. Because these Fellowships are highly competitive and awarded on a rolling basis, eligible students are encouraged to submit their application materials by Dec. 15th.

Dean's Graduate Fellowships

The Dean’s Graduate Fellowship Program supports 30 outstanding students who will contribute to the diversity of the graduate community within their disciplines. These Fellows may be entering doctoral or master’s programs and will receive substantial financial support during their graduate training while making good progress towards the degree. No more than one-third of the Dean’s Graduate Fellowships will be awarded to Master’s candidates. For doctoral students, the Graduate College will provide first year and dissertation year support that are service free, as well four service free summers. The department/program will appoint Fellows as teaching or research assistants during years two and three. Candidates for these Fellowships are nominated by the Department of Microbiology. Because these Fellowships are highly competitive and awarded on a rolling basis, eligible students are encouraged to submit their application materials by Dec. 15th.

Contact Information

Please email questions regarding the Department of Microbiology program to grad-micro-info@uiowa.edu.

Please email questions regarding admissions to biosciences@uiowa.edu.

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