Phase 2: Application

Welcome!

Thanks for your interest in the EBIO graduate program! We are always looking to recruit students from a diverse range of backgrounds to join our department. A key part of the admissions process involves student applicants directly contacting potential faculty advisors to discuss opportunities in their lab. Information about our faculty and their interests can be found here. We encourage you to review this information and then reach out. Formal admission into the program depends upon at least one faculty member requesting that an applicant be admitted. Check our our "Step-by-Step: How to Apply to EBIO" section below for details about the application process.

How to Apply

Important deadline(s): Applications must be submitted by December 1st of the preceding Fall semester. (Example: To apply for entry during Fall 2022, the deadline is December 1st 2021). Notifications of acceptance or non-acceptance will be issued by mid-April.

  1. Contact potential faculty advisor(s)

In most cases, students in EBIO do not do rotations. Instead they apply to work in a particular lab or research group. For that reason, your acceptance depends very heavily upon the recommendation of a potential faculty advisor, so be sure to contact a potential advisor before the application deadline. Take a look at faculty member's research interests, websites, and publications. Email faculty whom you are interested in working with to let them know of your interest and learn more about their lab and current research. This email is a great time to ask what they are looking for in a student and start determining whether their lab is a good fit for you. In your introduction email, it is helpful to include information about what degree you are interested in pursuing and why, your own research interests, and why you are interested in working with that particular faculty member.

 

  1. Graduate Application

Apply online through the Graduate School's application. These applications will be forwarded to the department Graduate Committee and your chosen faculty member for review.

 

  1. EBIO Specific Information

You will be asked to choose one or more faculty of interest in the application.  Please select your prospective faculty advisor(s) on this list. These are the faculty who will read and evaluate your application. They will determine if you are a good prospect for their research program and hopefully nominate you to the EBIO Graduate Committee for admission. You should also contact your prospective faculty advisor(s) and begin communicating with them now if you have not already begun to do so.

Include a statement of intent (essay). The statement of intent or essay may also be called the personal statement in the application. The prospective faculty advisors on the supplemental application will review this statement of intent/essay. It is a good idea to ask your prospective advisor what they look for in prospective students, and tailor your statement of intent/essay so that it is easy for the prospective advisor to evaluate you in your essay.

 

  1. Application fee

$60 – Domestic applicants

$80 – International applicants

Credit card payment option available in the graduate school's Online Application.

 

  1. GRE Scores – not required.

Although the Graduate School Online Application may ask for GRE scores, they are not required, nor will any scores you enter be used in decision making for admission to the EBIO Graduate Program. (The GRE was required prior to Fall 2019 admissions, and not all web pages may be updated yet to reflect the fact that GRE scores are no longer necessary.)

 

  1. TOEFL Scores – International Applicants only

Please see here for the University's TOEFL guidelines and requirements - Note that depending on country of origin and/or native speaker status not all international applicants may be required to take the TOEFL

There are three test options for the TOEFL test: computer based, internet based or paper based. Only one of these options must be completed to apply to EBIO

Minimum required scores:

213 - Computer Based Test

79 - Internet Based Test

 

  1. Transcripts

Upload one transcript from every college and university you have attended. You may scan a copy of an official transcript or use an unofficial electronic transcript as long as it is an actual transcript and not simply a list of courses.

For review and decision purposes you are required to upload an unofficial copy of your transcript(s) in the online application. We require one copy of the scanned transcript from each undergraduate and graduate institution that you attended. This includes community colleges, summer sessions, and extension programs. While credits from one institution may appear on the transcript of a second institution, unofficial transcripts must be submitted from each institution, regardless of the length of attendance, and whether or not courses were completed. Please make sure to complete this step carefully since failure to list and submit transcripts from all institutions previously attended is considered to be a violation of academic ethics and may result in the cancellation of your admission or dismissal from the university.

 

  1. Three Letters of Recommendation

The letters of recommendation can be submitted as part of the online application or by paper copy.

 

  1. Check email for updates

Applicants will be notified several weeks after the application deadline if any materials are missing. Typically, prospective students are invited to visit ¾«Æ·SMÔÚÏßӰƬ in mid-February for an on-site interview and visit. Final notifications of acceptance or non-acceptance will be issued by mid-April.

 

Submitting Print Materials With the Application

Domestic Applicants:

Please send any print materials, such as transcripts or letters of recommendation to the following address:

Graduate Admissions
¾«Æ·SMÔÚÏßӰƬ
553 UCB
Boulder, CO 80309-0553

For overnight or express mail send to:

Graduate Admissions
¾«Æ·SMÔÚÏßӰƬ
3100 Marine St. Bldg RL3
Boulder, CO 80303-1058

 

International applicants should send matterials to:

Office of Admissions
¾«Æ·SMÔÚÏßӰƬ
3100 Marine Street
65 UCB
Boulder, CO 80309-0065
USA

Colorado Advantage Program

The Colorado Advantage Graduate Preview Weekend provides an opportunity for underrepresented students who are US Citizens to visit campus and preview doctoral programs in science, math, and engineering departments at CU-Boulder. Additional information is available from the  website. If you are interested in this program, but aren't sure where to start in EBIO, click here to get in touch with an EBIO faculty member about our admissions process and how we interface with the Colorado Advantage program.

Want More Information?

To sign up for emails from the Graduate School Admissions office, and to register your email with our Graduate Program Manager at ebiograd@colorado.edu, you can fill out the form below. (Note that this form is NOT the application to the department and is not required for admission to the program, it will simply put you on an email list to receive more information about graduate applications from the Graduate School).