Admissions FAQs

For the Biomedical Sciences Umbrella and Clinical and Population Health Research programs, a bachelor’s degree is required. One may apply while completing their degree, if it is earned prior to matriculation. 

For the Post-Baccalaureate Research Education Program (PREP), it is required to be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, received a bachelor’s degree within 3 years or less of applying, and be an underrepresented student in the sciences as defined by the NIH.  

For the Millennium PhD and the MS-Clinical Investigation, a bachelor’s degree is required, and one must be an affiliate of UMass Chan Medical School. An affiliate may include medical students as well as residents, fellows or postdocs who hold an MD, DO, PhD, DNP, PharmD or other relevant degree, or with permission of the Program Director and Dean. Those not affiliated with UMass Chan Medical School are not eligible to apply.  

Applications are reviewed holistically, considering cognitive and non-cognitive variables, as well as fit for the program. Admissions Committees look for strong academics, prerequisite coursework, research and other relevant experience, and career aspirations and research interests that align with the program.  

For the Biomedical Sciences Umbrella program, please see prerequisites information here.

For the Clinical and Population Health Research program, one year of graduate level biostatistics and one year of epidemiology or other research methods training with a B or better is required prior to matriculation. 

No, the GRE is not required nor considered for any program. 

All international applicants are required to submit a course-by-course evaluated transcript from a NACES member and TOEFL iBT or IELTS Academic scores. Original transcripts are not required, and unofficial transcripts and test scores can be used to apply in lieu of official ones.  

The Admissions Committees look for a 100 total TOEFL score and 17 or higher on each subsection, or a 7 or higher overall IELTS score, with no subscore lower than a 6.5. 

All programs, with the except of Millennium PhD, begin once each Fall semester. The Millennium PhD can be started in the Spring or Summer with permission of the Program Director. 

While transfer credit is not available, prior graduate coursework may be considered for waiving certain requirements. Course waivers are granted only after matriculation. 

Programs are only offered full-time and as such, are not built to support working outside of graduate school.  

All programs are fully funded, with a competitive annual stipend for the duration of the program, a full tuition and fees waiver and health insurance is provided. Please see our funding page for details.

For the PhD in Biomedical Sciences Umbrella program only, applications are processed through BioMedCAS. Please note students enter an umbrella program, rotating in varied research areas before committing to one toward the end of their first year. For this reason, one does not apply directly into a specific graduate program. No supplemental application or fee is required.  

For all other PhD and MS programs, please find the application here. 

All applicants are required to submit the application and fee, all unofficial transcripts from any college or university attended, a resume, personal statement, and three letters of recommendation. International applicants are required to submit a course-by-course evaluated transcript and unofficial TOEFL or IELTS scores. Please note all official transcripts, and English test scores if appropriate, are required prior to matriculation

Applicants applying to the umbrella program will submit materials via BioMedCAS.

All other program applicants, upload the documents as part of the application here.

Applications must be submitted by 11:59pm (EST) on the dates indicated below.

• Biomedical Sciences Umbrella: December 1st
• Clinical and Population Health Research: January 1st priority, May 1st final  
• PREP: February 28th  
• Master’s in Clinical Investigation: July 1st
• Millennium PhD: June 1st  

Qualified candidates will be contacted via email for an interview following an application review process. Please check your status on the online application in the meantime. 

Upon acceptance, with the permission of the Program Director, one may defer their acceptance for one academic year.  

Please reach out to the Admissions Office at GSBSAdmissions@umassmed.edu and visit Connect with Us to schedule a meeting. 

For questions related to BioMedCAS, including document receipt, please reach out to BioMedCAS directly at biomedcasinfo@liaisoncas.com or 857-304-2085.