College of Medicine Biomedical Sciences

To meet minimum University admission requirements, an applicant must have:

• A bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution, or a comparable degree from an international institution.
• A minimum 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale in all upper-division undergraduate coursework.
• Or a graduate degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution, or a comparable international institution.
• Acceptable standardized graduate admission test scores for the program, or an approved GRE waiver.
• Good academic standing at the last institution attended.

Admission to graduate study is a two-part process. The Office of Admissions determines eligibility for admission to the University, and the academic department determines admissibility to the degree program.

Final admission to the University is subject to approval by the Florida State University Online Application 

Applicants must submit an official transcript from each college or university attended to the Office of Graduate Admissions. Transfer credit posted on another institution’s record does not replace the need for original transcripts.

Official transcripts must bear the appropriate seal and signature and must be sent directly from the issuing institution to Florida State University. FSU transcripts already on file will be obtained by the Office of Admissions.

For institutions outside the United States, original documents or officially certified photocopies may be submitted by the student only when the institution will not send records directly. All academic records not issued in English must include certified English translations.

Transcript evaluations from a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) are required for all non-U.S. records. The evaluation must include degree equivalency, a course-by-course review, and a U.S. equivalent GPA. The evaluation must be sent directly from the agency to Florida State University.

Electronic delivery is preferred. Do not send transcripts to the Department of Biomedical Sciences or the College of Medicine. All transcripts must be sent directly to the Office of Graduate Admissions.

Have the issuing institution send transcripts directly to graduateadmissions@fsu.edu.

Mailing Address

Office of Graduate Admissions
222 South Copeland St
Westcott Building, Room 314
Tallahassee, FL 32306-1410

Unofficial Transcripts and Score Reports

To help expedite the admissions process, upload a copy of your unofficial transcripts and score reports with your application.

The Statement of Purpose is an important part of the application. It gives you the opportunity to highlight your qualifications, academic background, training, and educational path.

Some elements that should be in your Statement of Purpose include:

Research Experience and Interests

It is very important to us that there is an ideal match between the research interests of our faculty and those of the graduate students in our program. Please be sure to describe your past research experiences and explain how those experiences shaped your current interests and long-term goals.

Be specific about the following:

• the aims of the research and work
• the types of data collected and analyzed
• research outcomes
• presentations or publications
• techniques learned
• time spent in research
• and the institutions where the work was completed

Faculty of Interest

New students complete at least three laboratory rotations in the first year. These rotations are meant to provide students with scientific training and opportunities to become familiar with faculty research projects, new techniques, specific lab environments, and lab personnel. Students match to their thesis lab after the final rotation.

Your Statement of Purpose should include the names of at least three faculty members whose work interests you, along with specific reasons why.

• Behavioral and Systems Biology
• Biochemistry and Biophysics
• Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology

Teaching Experience

Applicants with teaching experience are encouraged to describe that experience and explain how teaching, training, or outreach fits into their career goals.

Three letters of recommendation are required for admission to the Ph.D. program in Biomedical Sciences. These letters should ideally come from faculty or others who can assess your scholarly potential.

Letters are submitted electronically through the University application. Applicants must enter each recommender’s name and email address in the online application.

If you are an author on published work, include the PubMed ID for each publication. This helps the admissions committee locate and review your work.

Publications in press or in preparation should be included in a separate uploaded document using a standard citation format.

Official scores are required from a nationally standardized graduate admission test, such as the GRE revised General Test or an equivalent exam such as the MCAT, unless an approved waiver applies.

Scores are considered official only when sent directly to the Office of Admissions by the testing agency. If your test scores are older than five years, you must retake the test to have official scores sent directly to FSU from the testing agency.

GRE Waiver

Applicants to the Biomedical Sciences Ph.D. program who meet both academic and research background criteria may request a GRE waiver. Please see the below minimum criteria:

Examples of relevant research fields include (but are not limited to): biology, biochemistry, biomedical sciences, chemistry, genetics, engineering, medicine, neuroscience, and pharmacology/pharmaceutical sciences.

Extenuating Circumstances

Applicants may also request a GRE waiver based on extenuating circumstances and should provide supporting documentation. An approval of a GRE waiver does not guarantee admission. Applicants must still complete the graduate application and meet all University and departmental requirements.

International applicants whose native language is not English must submit official English Language Proficiency results by the application deadline unless they qualify for a University-level waiver.

The requirement may be waived for applicants who have completed at least a bachelor’s degree in the United States or in an English-speaking country.

The department values the contributions of international students and encourages students to use FSU language support resources when needed. English competency courses do not count toward degree requirements.