Application Instructions

Students are admitted beginning Autumn Quarter only, with an application deadline of December 15. The Genome Sciences Admissions Committee reviews applications during January and February and invites selected applicants to visit the department during February and March.

Because delays can happen - a recommender may forget to submit a letter, etc - we strongly encourage you to submit your application well in advance of the December 15 deadline. Waiting until the deadline or the day immediately prior to submit your application leaves little time to resolve unforseen problems.

Admission is quite competitive, however, those applicants selected to join the program will receive full funding, including a tuition waiver (which covers all tuition except for student fees, generally about $360 per quarter including the cost of a bus pass), health insurance, and a stipend for living expenses (currently $27,348 per year).

Please note that because much of our funding comes from NIH grants applicable only to US citizens and permanent residents, our funding for international students is quite limited. International applicants who have their own funding source should clearly state this in a separate note added to their application.

Application Questions: We encourage you to read through the Frequently Asked Questions section before submitting your application. This will answer many of your questions. You are welcome to contact Brian Giebel in the Department of Genome Sciences with any questions: bgiebel [ a t ] u.washington.edu , (206) 616-7297. Please direct questions to Brian rather than to the UW Graduate Admissions office.

All application materials may now be submitted online. We encourage you to use the online application if at all possible. The Department of Genome Sciences does not need hard copies of any items you submit online.

  • Please apply online: https://www.grad.washington.edu/applForAdmiss/
    In addition to filling out the application form, you will be asked for the following items:

  • a 1 - 3 page personal statement describing your academic & scientific background, research goals, and motivation for applying to this program.

  • resume / CV

  • transcripts
    These do not need to be official. We prefer that you submit copies (PDFs, web printouts, etc are fine) online or email these to us if this is easier for you. If you choose to upload a web transcript of some sort, please be sure it lists the course names. A transcript which gives course numbers without actually indicating what the course is will not help our admissions committee evaluate your application.

    If it is easier for you to have your university send a hard copy to our department, this is fine, but not required.

  • GRE scores (and TOEFL scores, for international applicants, if need be). The UW code is 4854 (no dept code necessary). If you designate the UW as a recipient of your scores, it isn't necessary to send in a hard copy. If it's easier for you to send us a scanned copy of your score report (rather than designating the UW as an official recipient of scores), you are welcome to do so. These may be emailed to bgiebel [ a t ] u.washington.edu

    International students who have completed a bachelor's degree in the US, Australia, the Bahamas, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, Singapore, Trinidad and Tobago, or the United Kingdom do not need to submit TOEFL scores.

  • Three letters of reference from professors or others who are able to provide insight on your qualifications. Reference letters may now be submitted online.  Your referees are encouraged to take advantage of this component of our online application, but if need be they may send in letters via email (bgiebel [ a t ] u.washington.edu).

  • If you are still in school and will be taking additional courses not yet listed on your transcript, please send (via email if possible, bgiebel [ a t ] u.washington.edu) a list of additional courses you will be taking before you graduate.

  • If you are unable to submit items online, you may also send materials via email to:
    bgiebel [ a t ] u.washington.edu

    or via postal mail to:

    Brian Giebel
    Genome Sciences Graduate Admissions
    Box 355065
    Seattle WA 98195-5065
    (if a street address is needed, substitute "3720 15th Ave NE, Foege Building S-340" for the Box number)

  • The Department of Genome Sciences doesn't charge a fee. The only fee involved is charged by the UW Graduate School and is payable online. Please do not send any money to the Department of Genome Sciences.

  • US citizens and permanent residents do not need to send hard copies of the application or any supplemental items to UW Graduate Admissions. If you are offered admission and choose to accept our offer, you will eventually need to send in official copies of your transcripts to them, but there is no need to do this at this point.

  • International applicants do not need to submit hard copies of any application materials to UW Graduate Admissions unless you are offered admission. If you are offered admission, you will at that point receive an email with instructions on which additional materials should be sent in to UW Graduate Admissions.

  • If you have any questions about applying to the program, please contact Brian Giebel at bgiebel [a t] u.washington.edu