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Admissions
The Department of Biological Sciences offers a very personalized approach to graduate recruiting. Applicants are encouraged to contact faculty members and/or the Graduate Programs Manager at any time during their undergraduate education if they identify a potential research interest at the University of Southern California. We sometimes develop relationships with potential students a year or more prior to enrollment. We will invite a number of applicants to visit the program, usually in January. We will make all arrangements (purchase plane tickets, provide accommodations, etc.) for any applicant invited by the admissions committee. Usually, a complete application is required before visits will be arranged.
It is the policy of the program to support each student we admit. This support comes in many forms: teaching assistantships, research assistantships, and fellowships. All awards include full tuition remission, a monthly stipend for living expenses (currently $2,063 per month), and payment of student health insurance and student health center fees.
Required Materials
- Transcripts from all colleges and universities attended
- Three letters of recommendation
- GRE scores
- TOEFL scores (for all International Students)
- Application (see below)
To apply to the university, please use the online application system found at the Graduate Admissions Website. In order to be considered for competitive fellowships at the university level, applications should be completed by December 1.
Electronic Application
We require you to complete your admission application online. We no longer accept paper applications.
The application fee is $85 for this program.
Please attach an unofficial transcript, statement of purpose, and any other supplemental application materials as supplemental documents in your online application. Please mail official transcripts to the address at the bottom of the page.
Your statement of purpose for the Graduate School application should explain both why you wish to pursue graduate study in Integrative & Evolutionary Biology and, more specifically, why you wish to do so at USC. We admit a small number of students each year in order to offer them full financial support; we therefore seek to find applicants whose interests best suit our program.
Unofficial copies of GRE (and TOEFL) scores are acceptable for evaluation purposes, but if offered admission, an applicant will be required to send official documentation.
We encourage you to have your letters of recommendation sent to admissions electronically.
NOTE: When listing undergraduate/graduate GPAs (grade point averages) on the application, please use the system of your university. If you received a percentage grade, provide the average percentage. If you were graded on a scale other than 4.0 (with 4.0 equal to an "A"), please indicate the average grade AND indicate the scale (for example, 8.5/10).
When you have submitted the online application, arrange for your transcripts, GRE (and TOEFL) scores, and three letters of recommendation to be sent directly to us by mail to the address below.
Additional Information
The USC Graduate School requires that the sum of the Verbal and Quantitative scores on the GRE be a minimum of 1000. We do not require a GRE Subject Test. Applicants with undergraduate grade point averages below 3.0 will be considered only under unusual circumstances including evidence of recent improvement or clearly outstanding potential as a researcher.
Contact and Mailing Address
Adolfo dela Rosa
Administrative Assistant
Department of Biological Sciences
University of Southern California
AHF 107E, MC 0371
Los Angeles, CA 90089-0371
Phone: (213) 821-3164
Fax: (213) 740-1380
E-mail: ieb@usc.edu