Admissions

Go To: How to Apply | Deadlines | Requirements for Admission | Graduate Record Examination Requirements | International Applicants | Additional Admissions Policies

How to Apply

Click here to apply online. You will find it very helpful to print the instructions before beginning the application. Printable instructions are available from the menu on the left of the screen.

Applicants who are already students in another program at UNT Health Science Center should request a PDF application to complete by e-mailing gsbs@hsc.unt.edu.  Students at University of North Texas (UNT) requesting enrollment for classes to transfer to UNT for their degree programs should e-mail their request to gsbs@hsc.unt.edu rather than completing an application.

Supporting documentation such as recommendation letters, transcripts, and application fees should be mailed or delivered to:

Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
UNT Health Science Center at Fort Worth
3500 Camp Bowie Boulevard
Fort Worth, Texas 76107-2699
817-735-2560 or 800-511-GRAD

Questions may be directed to:

Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
817-735-2560 or 800-511-GRAD
gsbs@hsc.unt.edu

Applicants applying for the first time to the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences must pay a non-refundable application fee of $25. All fees must be paid in U.S. currency. This application fee is valid for one year from the application date. An additional $50 foreign transcript evaluation fee is assessed to all applicants who have attended universities outside of the United States. These fees are subject to change at any time.

McNair Scholars are not required to pay application fees but must provide documentation of participation in a McNair Program.

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Deadlines

The deadlines listed below are not postmark deadlines. All application materials must be received by 5:00 p.m. on deadline day. All application materials submitted become the property of UNT Health Science Center and cannot be returned.

Assistantships are awarded to entering doctoral students once each year. To be considered for this award, applications for admission in the fall semester must be completed by February 1 of the same year.

It is highly recommended that non-U.S. citizens apply well in advance of these deadlines to allow preparation of immigration documents.

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Requirements for Admission

General Admission Requirements

All applicants for admission to the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences must meet the following requirements, whether or not admission to a specific degree program is sought:

1. Applicant must hold a bachelor's degree or its equivalent with a major in biology, biochemistry, chemistry or equivalent field from a regionally accredited institution.
2. Specific grade point average (GPA) requirements for both non-degree and degree-seeking students follow. The GPA is calculated by dividing the total number of grade points earned by the total number of semester hours attempted. The applicant must have at least a 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale on the last 60 undergraduate semester hours of course work before receiving the bachelor's degree, or on all undergraduate work, in order to receive unconditional admission to the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. Applicants who have already completed a master's degree must have at least a 3.0 GPA on the master's or meet the undergraduate GPA standards listed above in order to be admitted unconditionally. Non-degree seeking students will be allowed to take a maximum of 12 semester credit hours.
3. All applicants seeking admission to a degree program are required to take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). Applicants to certain programs are allowed to substitute the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT).
4. The applicant may be required to take entrance examinations, either oral, written, or both, before admission to the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences is granted.
5. The health science center requires an applicant from a foreign country to demonstrate satisfactory proficiency in oral and written English before being granted admission in addition to supplying official documentation of minimum scores for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) exam. Upon acceptance, if it is determined that a student is not proficient in the English language, he/she will be required to complete an approved English as a Second Language (ESL) course at his/her own expense.
6. To be considered for admission, the applicant must file the following official credentials with the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences:

• an application for admission to the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
• complete official transcripts from all colleges or universities attended
• official scores on the required entrance test or tests
• the $25 application fee and a $50 transcript evaluation fee (if applicable)
• two letters of evaluation by individuals in positions to comment on the applicant's potential as a graduate student and future professional
• a written statement of personal career goals
• a personal essay describing one recent scientific discovery, explaining why or how it is of interest to the applicant

Admission to the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences does not imply candidacy for a graduate degree.

Applicants for admission are furnished written notification of their admission status by the dean of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. Statements by other health science center personnel concerning the applicant's admissibility are not valid until confirmed by the dean in writing. Admissions decisions are also available online at http://my.hsc.unt.edu.

Students who are admitted to a graduate degree program and do not enroll in the semester for which they have applied must contact the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences to have their file re-evaluated.

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Entrance Examination Requirements

All applicants seeking admission to a graduate degree program are required to take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). Applicants to the D.O./M.S and D.O./Ph.D. degree programs may substitute an appropriate Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) score. Applicants to the Master of Science in Medical Sciences are required to submit an MCAT score. Applicants to the Medical Sciences program are also encouraged to submit a GRE core as supporting documentation. Only official score reports are acceptable. The GRE and TOEFL reporting code is 6909.

The test score requirements may be waived by the graduate dean for the individual applicant only in exceptional cases and only on petition by the applicant to the graduate dean.

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Admission Requirements for International Applicants

Applicants who are not U.S. citizens should apply for admission at least six months before the anticipated enrollment date. If transferring from a college or university they must meet all UNT Health Science Center transfer admission requirements. Specific requirements are detailed below.

The health science center will not issue immigration papers for student visas until all admission credentials have been received and approved. A $25 application fee is required and must be submitted with the application for admission. These fees are subject to change at any time.

Applicants who are graduates of foreign colleges or universities must present the following for application:

• application for admission to the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
• the $25 application fee and a $50 transcript evaluation fee (if applicable). All fees must be paid in U.S. funds.
• official reports from Educational Testing Service (ETS) on the Graduate Record Examination (use reporting code 6909)
• official reports from ETS showing a minimum score of 213 on the computer-based Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or evidence of successful completion of a non-credit intensive course in English (use reporting code 6909)
• official transcripts from each college or university attended both in English and the native language as well as official degree certificates.
• proof of available financial resources, filed with application for admission
• transfer credit from foreign universities. The amount of such credit that can be applied to a degree earned at the health science center will be determined by the graduate dean on recommendation of the student's advisory committee and major department or division. Recognition by the health science center of graduate credit earned elsewhere does not imply that transfer credit will be allowed automatically.
• two letters of evaluation from individuals in a position to comment on the applicant's potential as a graduate student and future professional.
• a written statement of personal career goals
• a personal essay describing one recent scientific discovery, explaining how or why it is of interest to the applicant.

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Additional Admission Policies

Admission of Applicants to Non-Degree Status

The health science center recognizes that some students may wish to be admitted to the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences for the purpose of taking courses not necessarily leading to an advanced degree. Admission to the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences may be granted, subject to the following provisions.

1. The applicant must meet all of the general admission requirements described above and must meet all application deadlines.
2. The student in this status is required to receive credit in all graduate courses taken, and must maintain a GPA of 3.0 on all such courses attempted.
3. A student who is admitted to non-degree status has no assurance that work completed under this status will be applicable toward degree requirements should he or she subsequently be admitted to a degree program at the health science center. A maximum of 12 semester hours may be taken. Exceptions to this policy can be approved only by the graduate dean. Completion of departmental graduate courses by non-degree students does not obligate the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences to grant admission to a degree program at a later date, unless all general and specific requirements for admission to that program have been met.
4. A student who wishes to change from non-degree status to degree status must have satisfactory GRE scores on file in the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences.
5. International applicants are not eligible for non-degree admission.

Admission of Applicants to Probationary Status

UNT Health Science Center admits students on a probationary basis in cases where one of the credentials is below the average of the applicant pool, providing that all other admission criteria are met or exceeded. Students admitted on probation must earn a 3.0 GPA during the first semester of study. Students may be continued on probation for one semester should these requirements not be met at the discretion of the dean.

Admission of Continuing Students

A continuing student is defined as a student who enrolls one time during three consecutive semesters. Example: enrolls Summer 2006; no enrollment Fall 2006 or Spring 2007; re-enrolls Summer 2007.

Continuing students do not need to reapply to the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences to enroll if they meet all of the following conditions:

1. The student has not received a degree from the health science center since last enrollment.
2. The student does not have any current blocks on his or her record, i.e., fiscal or academic.
3. The student has not attended any other academic institution during his/her absence from the health science center.

Students who are unsure that they meet all of the above conditions for re-enrollment should contact the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences prior to the registration period.

Readmission of Former Graduate Students

Students who previously have been admitted to the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences but have not enrolled here once during the last three consecutive semesters (i.e., Fall, Spring, and Summer) must follow these re-enrollment procedures:

1. File an admission application; and
2. Submit transcripts from all colleges attended (if any) since leaving the health science center, showing eligibility to re-enroll at each institution. Former students who have not enrolled elsewhere since leaving the health science center and are in good academic standing are required only to submit an admission application. The application will be processed in the same manner as first-time applications.

Courses Taken for Doctoral Credit by Students Completing the Master's Degree

Students completing the master's degree at the health science center who plan to continue work toward the doctorate degree are required to submit application for admission to the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences in doctoral status. Those who wish to begin taking courses to be credited on the doctorate before receiving the master's degree must declare this intention in the office of the graduate dean at the time of registration for doctoral status, so that doctoral work may receive proper credit. Final acceptance of such work will not be granted until the student has secured full admission to a specific doctoral program of study.

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Updated 7/21/6