Graduate Admissions, Bioengineering, University of Maryland

Bioengineering Graduate Admissions

The overwhelming majority of our students are admitted to the Ph.D. program for a fall semester start. Because of the structure of the first year curriculum, students are rarely admitted to begin the Ph.D. program in the spring semester. Students who fail to meet the Ph.D. program requirements are allowed to pursue a terminal master's degree (M.S.).

We rarely admit students who only wish to pursue a terminal master's degree in bioengineering. Applicants are strongly encouraged to apply to the Ph.D. program for fall admission.You may contact the Graduate Program Academic Coordinator (bioe-grad @umd.edu) with any questions about our admissions policies.

The following information is for applicants to the Graduate Program in Bioengineering only. Students interested in the M.S./M.D. program should apply to the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

Admission to the Graduate Program in Bioengineering requires a Bachelor of Science degree in an engineering discipline from a recognized undergraduate institution. Admission may also be granted to students with a degree in another scientific discipline, such as biology, chemistry, physics, or mathematics. In some cases students may be required to take undergraduate courses to rectify deficiencies in their background before they are given permission to enroll in the required core graduate courses.

Admissions criteria include overall academic and research record, strength of recommendations, GRE scores, and adequacy of preparation. Applicants are competitively judged by a faculty committee, and those who appear suitably qualified to successfully complete requirements for the intended degree program are selected for admission subject to available resources. Applications are made to the Graduate School. We require applicants to apply on-line.

Students must apply online at the University of Maryland Graduate School web site, where they can also learn more about the application process. Official transcripts should be submitted to:

Enrollment Services Office
Graduate Admissions
Mitchell Building
University of Maryland
College Park, MD 20742

Letters of recommendation must be submitted online beginning with applications. You will receive email instructions on how to submit online recommendation letters once you have completed the online application. You will also receive instructions on how to check the status of your application online. Due to the volume of applications, this online method for checking the status of your application is strongly encouraged.

For more informaiton, please visit:

All applicants must submit:

A completed application form
A non-refundable application fee
One complete set of official transcripts reflecting all undergraduate and graduate work completed or in progress
Three letters of recommendation (on-line submission required)
Statement of Goals and Research Interests and Statement of Experiences (on-line submission required)
An official score report from the GRE General Test
A Maryland In-State Status Form, if you wish to apply for Maryland resident status

Entrance Exams

All applicants must take the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) Aptitude Test. For information, visit the Educational Testing service web site at www.ets.org.

Foreign students, whose native language is not English, must also take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Under the new IBT TOEFL, a total of 100 is required for unconditional admission. For information, visit www.toefl.org.

The University of Maryland's institutional code is 5814. Official score reports sent to that institutional code will be forwarded to the Graduate Program in Bioengineering.

Because the reporting of GRE and TOEFL scores may be several months after the tests are taken, applicants are advised to arrange to take these tests well in advance of the application deadlines that are mentioned below.

Application Deadlines

Fall Admission Deadlines:

January 15: Deadline for all applicants for first-consideration regarding financial aid and admissions. Applications received after that date will not be considered in the initial evaluations by the admissions committee. Applications completed after January 15th will only be considered if the Fall Semester admissions spots have not been filled by applicants who submitted their application before January 15th.
International Applicant Final: February 1. ALL applications for first-consideration must be received by January 15th. Additional applications that MAY be considered later, still must be completed before February 1st. If applications are completed or received after February, the committee will not consider them at all.
U.S. Citizen or Permanent Resident Final: May 1. ALL applications for first-consideration must be received by January 15th. Additional applications that MAY be considered later still must be completed before May 1st. If applications are completed or received after May, the committee will not consider them at all.

Deferral

Decisions on deferral are made on a case-by-case basis, and we cannot guarantee that a request to defer admission will be approved.