Department of Biology
Graduate Admissions and Financial Support

Admission
Graduate Student research For full consideration, applications need to be submitted by January 15th.

Successful applications typically have:

  • Combined GRE General Test score of 1200 or greater (Verbal and Quantitative).
  • Undergraduate GPA of 3.00 or greater (on a 4.00 scale).
  • Experience in conducting independent research.
Selected candidates residing in the U.S. will be invited for an interview weekend in February, at the expense of the Department of Biology. U.S. applicants may be notified about acceptance and financial support at any time, typically by April 1st. International applicants may be notified as late as May 15th. Offers made by April 1st require students to notify the Department of their decision by April 15th.

Financial Support
All Ph.D. students in the department are guaranteed full financial support, provided they make satisfactory progress toward their degree. Students are expected to complete a Ph.D. program in four to six years. Compensation in 2008-2009 includes:

  • Graduate stipend of $23,500 for 12 months per year,
  • Full-Tuition Scholarship,
  • Low-cost health insurance plans
First-year Ph.D. students are fully supported by Research Assistantships. In subsequent years, Ph.D. students are fully-supported by a combination of Fellowships, Research Assistantships and Teaching Assistantships.

Graduate Program Application Process
For Ph.D. Program applicants:
Step 1:   As an auxiliary to our on-line application, we ask that you complete the Graduate Information Form, and then go to the on-line Preliminary Application System (see Step 2). The auxiliary information page is critical for us to provide you with more information about our program and the status of your application.
Step 2:   After submitting the Graduate Information Form in Step 1 above, click here to complete the Preliminary Application.
Step 3:   After the Preliminary Application is approved, click here to complete the University Application. 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 made payable to "The University of Iowa".

Alternatively, if you cannot complete the on-line University Application, click here to download a paper-version of the University Application. This is an Adobe PDF file and you will need at least Adobe Acrobat Reader to open it. If you need the reader, click on the Adobe Reader logo below.
NOTE: Be sure to enter "Department of Biology" in Question B.3 "List your intended department or graduate program of study", and enter "02A" for the "Program Code". This will ensure your application's safe routing to the Department of Biology.
For MS Program applicants only:
Step 1:   Click here to complete the University Centralized Application. 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 made payable to "The University of Iowa".

Alternatively, if you cannot complete the on-line University Application, click here to download a paper-version of the University Application. This is a Adobe PDF file and you will need at least Adobe Acrobat Reader to open it. If you need the reader, click on the Adobe Reader logo below.
NOTE: Be sure to enter "Department of Biology" in Question B.3 "List your intended department or graduate program of study", and enter "02A" for the "Program Code". This will ensure your application's safe routing to the Department of Biology.
Step 2:   Fill out additional forms for admission:
Application Checklist
Reference Letter Form
Statement of Interest
Graduate Awards

The application fee ($60 for U.S. citizens and permanent residents) can be waived for Ph.D. students who meet the appropriate criteria and/or for those to whom the fee would a financial hardship. One method is to request an application fee waiver prior to application. The other is to seek reimbursement from the Department after applying. Click here to download the Application Fee Waiver Request Form. Limited to the first 100 domestic requests. Contact Phil Ecklund at phil-ecklund@uiowa.edu.


Adobe Acrobat

The University of Iowa

Department of Biology
143 Biology Building
Iowa City, Iowa 52242-1324


Phone: 319-335-1050
Fax: 319-335-1069
Email: biological-sciences@uiowa.edu
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Biology Webmaster
Last Modified: February 8, 2008
Copyright © 2006. All rights reserved.