Graduate Admissions

Timing of the Admissions Process

• The graduate degree programs in the Department of BBMB begin in late August each year.
• Application for admission can be made beginning September 15th of the preceding year.
• Candidates are evaluated as the applications are received, so applications should be made as early as possible.
• For international students the deadline for beginning the application process is January 1st of the year in which the program will begin. For US students the deadline for beginning the application process is April 1st, although February 1st is recommended.
  
  

Initiating the Application Process

• Application begins with submission of a preapplication form. There is no fee for submission and review of the preapplication!
  
• Please email us at biochem@iastate.edu for this free preapplication. Our online preapplication is currently under construction! We will send the preapplication to you via email as a Word and PDF file with instructions and information.
  
• Preapplications can be submitted without any need for official transcripts or letters of recommendation.
• Preapplications are reviewed promptly by our admissions committee, and applicants then receive a response with further instructions.
  
  

Criteria for Admission

• Owing to the volume of requests, international applicants must meet certain admission standards in order to be eligible for our degree programs.
• Admitted students must be graduates of accredited institutions and normally must rank in the upper half of their graduating class.
• Undergraduate preparation should include emphasis in chemistry, physics, mathematics. Biologial science emphasis is desirable but not required.
  
  

Completing the Application Process

Full application requires two different applications be submitted to the Department of BBMB in one complete package:
1. The Department of BBMB Application
2. The Iowa State University Graduate College Application

• The full application should be made only after being notified by the Department of BBMB that the preapplication information indicates a good chance of acceptance into the program.
  
• All of the information for both of these applications should be returned to the Department of BBMB at the mailing address shown below.
• Financial support decisions are made by the end of February. To have the best chance of qualifying for financial support, a complete application, including transcripts and letters of recommendation, should be received by February 1st. Applications received after that date, however, are still eligible for admission and financial support.
  
  

The Departmental Application

• Fill out and return the Departmental Application for Graduate Assistantship and the Research Interest Questionnaire. These documents will be sent to you once your preapplication is complete and positively reviewed.
• Request three letters of recommendation from three individuals familiar with your qualifications and scientific potential. Please have all three recommendations sent directly to our program. These three letters satisfy both the departmental application and Graduate College application requirements.
• Send transcripts of your undergraduate and graduate grades directly to BBMB. If you have attended more than one institution, transcripts from each institution are required. Copies of transcripts will be sufficient for the department to evaluate applications, but official copies of transcripts must be received before the admission can be finalized.
• Submit a personal statement that includes areas of research you are interested in and your career goals following graduation. Any pertinent professional or technical experience should be mentioned. This statement is important in evaluating the applicant and in beginning to identify potential home laboratories for each new student.
• Submit a resume listing your honors, awards, skills, publications and any pertinent information. Please do not send copies of award certificates or complete publications.
• Take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) and arrange with the Educational Testing Sevice (ETS) to have a copy of the scores sent to Iowa State University.
  • Test Dates and Contact Information -- The GRE can be taken in a computer-adaptive format at practically any time. To locate a testing center and schedule an exam, students may phone 800-GRE-TEST for locations in the U.S. or Canada, or visit the GRE web site for international locations. Note that there is usually a six-week wait for an open seat!
  • We require applicants to take the GRE general test, which includes the Verbal, Quantitative and Analytical exams. We also recommend, but do not strictly require, one subject test in biochemistry, cell and molecular biology; chemistry; biology; or physics.
  • Note thate we do not receive the scores until six weeks after the examination is taken, so we encourage you to take it as early as possible. Examinations taken after December will delay processing of your application
• The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is required for all applicants whose native language is not English, and who have not received a college/university degree in the United States. Please arrange with ETS to have a copy of the score sent to ISU. BBMB requires a minimum score of 550. Information on taking the TOEFL can be found on the TOEFL website.
• The department code for ETS is 0202; the Institution Code is 6306. Copies of the GRE and TOEFL results are sufficient for the department to evaluate applications, but official GRE and TOEFL score reports must be received by the department before admission can be finalized.
  
  

The Graduate College Application

• Download the Application for Graduate Admission form from the Graduate College website. Fill out this form and return it to the Department of BBMB.
• Specify your desired major as either Biochemistry or Biophysics.
• Request the registrar of your institute of education to fill out Form I-A (official statement of quartile ranking). To be eligible for admission, the student must ordinarily be in the upper half of the graduating class. To be eligible for an assistantship, the student should be in the top quartile.
• Request the registrar to fill out Form I-B (certification of degree granted by a qualified college or university).
• Send official transcripts of all course work and all institutions attended, including undergraduate and graduate.
• Fill out and send the Information Sheet for International Students (ISIS) which provides the university with educational and financial information on foreign applicants.
• Note: the fee for application to the Graduate College will be waived. It is not necessary to send any application fee to apply to the Department of BBMB.
  
  

Address to Return All Application Materials
Send all documents for both the departmental application and Graduate College application to the following mailing address:

Graduate Program Admissions
Department of Biochemistry, Biophysics & Molecular Biology
1210 Molecular Biology Building
Iowa State University
Ames, IA 50011

For correspondence contact Ms. Katie Blair, Program Assistant for Graduate Education:

Phone: (515) 294-2231 or (800) 433-3464 (toll free)
FAX: (515) 294-0453
Email: biochem@iastate.edu

Frequently Asked Questions

Admission to Interdepartmental Graduate Programs
For information about application to degree programs in the interdepartmental programs offered in the Department of BBMB, see the web sites of each individual program. The button to the right leads to the appropriate links.

Financial Support for Graduate Study
Admission to a Ph.D. program in the Department of BBMB almost always is coupled to an offer of financial support in the form of research assistantship. Tuition is waived for graduate students admitted with financial support. Similar financial support is also possible for students admitted to a M.S. degree program. The button to the right leads to a more detailed description of the levels of financial support and associated fringe benefits for BBMB graduate students.