Requirements
The Biochemistry and Molecular Biology program is sufficiently flexible to accommodate students with a relatively wide range of backgrounds. Students with a bachelor's degree in any of the biological, biochemical, engineering or physical sciences who have a strong desire to pursue a research-oriented career are encouraged to apply.
The minimum requirements for admission to the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology PhD program are:
- A bachelor's degree from a Regionally Accredited American College of University, or an equivalent degree from another country as determined by the Office of Admissions.
- A minimum grade-point average (GPA) of 3.00/4.00, or the foreign equivalent as determined by the Office of Admissions.
- Appropriate academic preparation, including: organic chemistry, calculus, biology, and at least one course in biochemistry. In addition to coursework, prior research experience is strongly recommended.
Admission will be determined on the basis of academic record, letters of recommendation, and the applicant's statement of research experience and goals.
Additional Requirements for International Applicants
- Graduate College International Admissions
General minimum requirements for international admission to the Graduate College include:- A U.S. bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited college of university, or an equivalent degree from another country as determined by the Office of Admissions.
- A minimum grade-point average (GPA) of 3.00/4.00, or the foreign equivalent as determined by the Office of Admissions.
- English Proficiency Requirements & Waiver Eligibility, Graduate College
- Please review the Graduate College requirement for a financial statement. International applicants who receive and accept an offer of admission may use the following information for the statement.
- Tuition and applicable fees are paid by the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology department during the first year and the by lab in subsequent years.
- A stipend is provided to cover living expenses. For fiscal year 2025-2026, the stipend for our program students is $35,600/year.
- The department contributes a significant portion of health and dental insurance premiums cost (depending on the plan).
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology PhD Program International Admissions
- English Proficiency: The strongest international applicants will have combined TOEFL scores greater than 100, IELTS scores greater than 7 with no subscore less than 6.5, or DuoLingo scores greater than 120.
Interviews
After initial committee review of complete applications, selected applicants will be contacted by email and invited for interview. On-campus visits involve applicants individually interviewing with five or six faculty members, meeting with currently enrolled graduate students (and other applicants), attending research presentations, and touring the university and the downtown Iowa City area.
Interviews are conducted at the end of January and in early February.
If interviews are conducted on-campus, applicants' travel costs within the U.S. and their accommodation in Iowa City will be paid for by the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology department.
How do I apply?
Fall Admissions Timeline
| Dec. 1 | Priority deadline for all applicants |
| Jan-Feb. | On-campus interviews for invited applicants |
| Apr. 15 | Deadline to respond to offers of admission |
Step 1: Submit the Graduate College application.
Submit an online application for Graduate College admission, including:
- Application fee: $60 by credit card for U.S. applicants and $100 for international applicants
- U.S. applicants may be eligible for a fee waiver. Per Graduate College policy, international applicants are not eligible for fee waivers.
- If English is not your first language, report your English proficiency test scores (TOEFL, IELTS or DuoLingo). For more information on the English Proficiency Requirements, click here.
- The strongest international applicants will have combined TOEFL scores greater than 100, IELTS scores greater than 7, or DuoLingo scores greater than 120.
All applicants to the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology program will have their application fee reimbursed if they receive an interview invitation and complete the interview.
Step 2: Upload the supplemental documents required by Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
After submitting the Graduate College application, you will be sent a username (called your "HawkID") and a password to access your admissions profile on MyUI. You will use MyUI to upload the following supplemental documents.
- Unofficial academic records/transcripts
- Contact information for three writers of letters of recommendation. Letters must be received on official letterhead.
- Curriculum Vitae or Resume (view requirements)
- Research Statement (view requirements)
- Personal Statement (view requirements)
Your Admissions Profile includes an electronic letter of recommendation feature. You will be asked to give the contact information of your recommenders including their email address. The recommender will then get an email from the Graduate College with instructions on how to upload the recommendation letter.
Checking Your Application Status:
Please check the status of your application frequently on MyUI and follow-up with the appropriate institution(s) or person(s) to facilitate the timely submission of required materials. Applicants will be notified via email if invited for an interview.
Step 3: You received and accepted an offer of admission. What's next?
- You will receive instructions from the Graduate College about providing official transcripts. Check email often.
- English Proficiency: If English is not your first language, you will need to provide an official score report from TOEFL, IELTS, or DuoLingo. Prior to registering for classes, you may also need to take the on-campus English Placement Evaluation (EPE). Students required to take the EPE include: students who submitted an overall TOEFL score less than 100, and students who chose to submit DuoLingo scores. Students who chose to submit IELTS scores will need to contact the Graduate Admissions Office for information on whether they are required to take the EPE.
Requirements for Supplemental Documents
Curriculum Vitae/Resume:
- Research or relevant work experience. Please specify:
- (a) the institution where you performed research or relevant work,
- (b) the program (if any) that you were enrolled in,
- (c) the dates that you performed the research or work,
- (d) the name of your research mentor or work supervisor, and
- (e) provide a very brief explanation of your experience (more detail should be provided in your Research Statement).
- Teaching or tutoring. Include prior experience with teaching or tutoring high school or undergraduate students.
- Publications and presentations. If you are listed as an author on a paper published in a scientific journal or available on a preprint server, please provide the publication details. Also, please include any oral presentations to a scientific audience.
- Conferences attended. List any scientific conferences you have attended. If you presented a poster or gave an oral presentation at any of these conferences, include those details.
- Academic awards and prizes. Please list any academic awards received during your academic career.
- Professional memberships. Please list any memberships of a professional organization (e.g. the Biophysical Society, or the American Chemical Society), including the dates of membership.
Research Statement:
Please provide a narrative description (maximum of two pages) of any research or relevant work experience you have had. For each experience, include:
- where, with whom, and for how long you performed research or work,
- overall research focus of the laboratory in which you performed research or work,
- specific goal of the project to which you contributed,
- your particular role in the project, and
- what experimental or computational techniques you attempted or were exposed to during your research or work.
Personal Statement:
Please provide a personal statement (maximum of two pages) that tells us about you and your motivations for applying to our program. In particular, we would like to know:
- your reasons for pursuing a PhD in scientific research,
- your overall career goals (if known at this stage), and
- your reasons for applying to an institution such as the University of Iowa.
Additionally, if you have special reasons for wanting to attend the University of Iowa in preference to other, similar, schools (e.g. family connections or previous experience here), we would like to know about them.