The Application

• $20.00 for applications submitted on or before October 31st
• $45.00 for applications submitted on or after November 1st

Eligibility for a fee waiver is assessed on submission of an application. Waivers are granted for a variety of volunteer service-based organizations, scholar programs, and academic programs (full list on application).  Waivers are also granted to trainees of DBBS alums, WashU/BJC employees, and for financial need (students enrolled in a U.S. institution of higher education only).

If you think you may qualify for a fee waiver based on one or more of these criteria, email dbbsphdadmissions@wustl.edu prior to submitting application payment. The application fee is nonrefundable.

Please Note:  International students residing outside the United States are not eligible for a fee waiver.

The application consists of the following components:

• Contact information
• Demographics
• DBBS program of concentration interest
• Three (3) letters of recommendation
• Academic history
• Test scores
  • GRE: neither required nor accepted
  • ELP: TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo, GATEWAY (if applicable)
• Two (2) DBBS specific essays
• Twenty-five (25) word description of current and/or recent research experience
• Twenty-five (25) word description of graduate research interest
• CV or Resume (optional)
• Listing of major coursework
• Research and/or professional  experience
• Awards, honors and pipeline program affiliations
• Publications and/or presentations (if any)

Although many peer programs ask for a general Personal Statement or Statement of Purpose, DBBS requires that you respond to two (2) essay prompts. Application readers are looking for characteristics that predict your ability to benefit from and contribute to biosciences discovery. These include academic ability, research experience, leadership, teamwork, communication skills, creativity, and other personal qualities that will see you through the challenges of graduate work. Applicants are strongly encouraged to give considerable time and thought to the two essays. Ask advice on drafts from trusted friends or advisors.

Essay 1: For one or more of your research experiences, a) describe your research project(s) and specific contributions to the work in the most comprehensive way possible, including the question, the approach, the results, and the interpretation; b) discuss your motivations for graduate study; and c) relate a fundamental biological, biomedical, or data science question that most intrigues you, highlighting potential Washington University DBBS faculty mentors.

Essay 2: Our training environment values diversity of experience as a driver of innovation. Drawing on your life experiences (personal and/or professional), please provide a statement showcasing examples of core strengths (e.g., courage, creativity, perseverance, determination) that forged your leadership characteristics and resolve. How will these traits enrich the diversity of our biosciences training community?

Please upload each essay as either a PDF or Word document. Submit no more than two (2) single-spaced pages per essay (or approximately 8000 characters, including spaces). DBBS does not accept a personal statement, CV or publication in lieu of the two essay questions.

Three (3) letters of recommendation must be submitted from research mentors, faculty advisors and/or employers acquainted with the applicant’s work in the major area of study. Upon submission of the recommender’s name and email address, an email will be sent to the recommender containing a web link. The recommender will then be able to complete the necessary recommendation. Please use the recommender’s professional email address. Do not use personal email addresses through services such as Gmail or Yahoo. Letters of recommendation must be submitted via the online application on or before the application due date of December 1st. Applications missing letters of recommendation are considered incomplete. Incomplete applications are not reviewed.

You may submit your application before all letters have been received in our system. We advise you to monitor the submission of letters of recommendation to ensure all letters are received by the deadline. If letter(s) have not yet been submitted, please contact the recommender(s) and remind them to submit the application by the deadline. If you need to resend the recommender request email or if you need to change the recommender, you can do so via the Application Status Portal. If you are concerned your letters will not be submitted on time, please reach out directly to dbbsphdadmissions@wustl.edu.

TIP: If your recommender has not received the request email, it may be blocked by a SPAM filter(s) that your school or recommenders are running. If your recommender uses a SPAM blocking tool, please be sure to have them add our email address to their known/safe addresses. Also verify via the Application Status Portal that the email address you submitted to us is the correct email address for your recommender.​

Applicants are asked whether they wish to waive the opportunity to view their recommendation letters. Selecting Yes indicates that you will not be able to view the content of the recommendation letter in the future. Selecting No indicates that you may wish to view it in the future. Your decision will be shared with your recommenders and designated program so that they understand whether you waived the ability to see the content of the letter. Once you make a selection, you cannot change it, so consider the choices carefully. 

Please note: recommendation letters are used to help reach decisions on admission and are not generally retained as part of the academic record of a student who matriculates at Washington University in St. Louis.

As part of your application, you are required to upload PDFs of your unofficial transcript(s) from each institution attended. The transcript must have your name, the institution name, and be translated to English when necessary. Make sure your transcript PDFs are of the highest image quality and verify that each page can be read before uploading them. Each individual university transcript must be uploaded as one file and not page by page.

​We accept translations of transcripts by services (e.g., WES). Please be aware that translations alone are not acceptable, and the translations must bear an original ink signature and seal. Please upload both the English translation and the original transcript as a single PDF, with the English translation first, followed by the transcript in the original language.

Official transcripts are not required for the review process. If you are offered admission and accept, you will be required to submit an official final transcript noting degree confirmation from each degree-granting institution you have attended.

DBBS reserves the right to rescind any offer of admission if discrepancies are found between your uploaded transcript and the official transcript.

It is strongly recommended that you complete all testing (if applicable) within four to six weeks before you begin your application. It takes approximately 15 days to receive the test scores.

GRE General Test:
The GRE General test is no longer required nor accepted for admission to DBBS.

English proficiency test requirement for international applicants:
As part of the application review, we are required to verify that each nonnative English speaking applicant has sufficient English language proficiency to succeed in the academic program.

If you are required to provide proof of English proficiency, the application will prompt you to self-report English proficiency scores that are less than two years old at the time of application deadline or submission of application. Official test scores should be sent to Washington University in St. Louis on or before the application deadline of December 1. We do not accept super-scored results (a combination of the highest scored sections) such as TOEFL MyBest.

English proficiency tests accepted for the 2025-2026 application:

• Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) iBT – Minimum Composite Score 100: Send electronically through ETS to school code 6929. 
• International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic – Minimum Composite Score 7: Send electronically by selecting Washington University in St. Louis Graduate Programs
• GATEWAY English Test – Minimum Overall Score 525: Send electronically by selecting Washington University in St. Louis Graduate Admissions
• Duolingo English Test – Minimum Overall Score 130: Send via email attachment to dbbsphdadmissions@wustl.edu.

TIP: We encourage early submission of ELP scores (if applicable). It is better to have the official scores sent to us as soon as possible, but no later than the December 1 deadline date.

The English language proficiency test requirement is waived for applicants who have:

• Citizenship from or completed two plus years of study (before the applicant’s matriculation term) within the last five years at an English-medium institution in one of the following countries: Australia, Cameroon, Canada, Commonwealth Caribbean nations, Ghana, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Kenya, Liberia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Singapore, South Africa, Uganda, United Kingdom, United States, Zambia, or Zimbabwe
• Earned a bachelor’s degree* or equivalent within the past five years from an institution in a country where the official language is English based on the CIA World Factbook
• Two years or more of continuous full-time work experience in the U.S. within the last four years (current resume and an employment letter on company letterhead required stating the dates of employment for verification)

*For joint degree program between English-medium institutions and non-English-medium institutions, exemptions will be made for applicants whose studies were in English for a minimum of two year (within the past five years) regardless of physical location.

Students currently in a graduate program who wish to transfer to the Roy and Diana Vagelos Division of Biology & Biomedical Sciences at Washington University must submit an application. Transcripts from the current graduate institution and a letter of recommendation from the current Research Mentor are required to be uploaded in the online application.

Applicants who have previously applied must submit a new application.

Early submission of the PhD application is recommended. This allows each application to receive the greatest consideration for admission.

Once you submit your application to DBBS, you cannot go back and make changes to it.

However, supporting documents, such as recommendation letters and test scores, can be added to your application after you have submitted it. Supporting documents should be submitted on or before the application deadline of December 1.

The length of time it takes for review of an application varies due to a number of factors. A formal notice of the admission decision is sent to each applicant after the application and completed records are received and the DBBS Admissions Committee has made its recommendations. Most applicants are notified by the end of December regarding interview decisions. Interviewed applicants will be notified of a decision no later than mid-March.​

Once submitted, you may review the status of required supplemental materials through the Application Status Portal​. Timely receipt of these documents is necessary for the review of the application; incomplete applications will not be reviewed. Applicants will be notified via e-mail of decisions rendered and ready to view via the status portal.

DBBS does not have a set number of international students that we accept each year. The admissions committee reviews the applications, evaluates interview comments, and selects the most qualified applicants for our program. All accepted applicants receive the same funding and financial support.

Historically, international students comprise approximately 38% of the entering class. Outcomes are in correlation with the quality of the applicant pool of the application year.​

An applicant admitted to the Roy and Diana Vagelos Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences may request to defer admission for one year. Admitted candidates should submit a request for deferral to the DBBS Director of Admissions. The request should provide a general statement regarding the reason for the deferral. Deferred applicants are expected to contact the Division by April 1st to confirm their admittance for the following fall.​