Admissions and Application Information

The online application will be available on September 4, 2024, for students applying for entry in the Fall 2025 semester.  We will continue to accept applications until the application deadline of December 11, 2024 (3pm, EST).

We welcome students from various backgrounds, including life sciences, computer sciences, physical sciences, mathematics, statistics or engineering majors. We especially welcome students with interdisciplinary backgrounds (e.g., with undergraduate (or Master’s) degrees in computational biology or bioinformatics), or multi-disciplinary backgrounds, for example, double major or major/minor in biology and a quantitative science. All our students take five core courses (described here) after which they may select one of our four different paths (specialization areas), depending on their background and interest area: bioimage informatics, computational genomics, computational structural biology, and cell & systems modeling. Compensating courses at the undergraduate level will be tailored to the needs/interests of individual students.

GRE scores are no longer required for admission*. If applying to the CPCB program causes financial hardship, you may submit an application fee waiver request as early as September 4th, but no later than December 4th, 2024, 3pm, EST. We will not accept waivers after this date. 

*When it prompts you to enter a GRE date, please just enter the date of your application.

DEADLINES

The final application is due no later than December 11, 2024 (3pm, EST).  Your application will not be considered complete until ALL supporting data, TOEFL scores, transcripts, and recommendation letters, have been received. We do not have a rolling admission application process; however, it is always better to submit your application as early as possible.

REQUIRED MATERIALS – Deadline December 11, 2024 3pm EST

1. The Online Application
2. Statement of Purpose – Prepare a concise one or two page essay in PDF or Word format that describes your primary areas of interest, your related experiences, and your objective in pursuing a graduate degree from the Joint Carnegie Mellon University - University of Pittsburgh PhD Program in Computational Biology (CPCB). Your essay should be specific in describing your research interests and motivations. When describing your interests, you should explain why you think they are important areas of study and why you are particularly well-suited to pursue them. 
   
   You should describe any relevant education, research, commercial, government, or teaching experience. You should also explain your selections of potential faculty advisors and how they align with your research interests and objectives.
   
   We welcome descriptions of leadership, community building, and/or teaching experiences. You are also invited to include an optional paragraph describing your contributions to outreach efforts and/or promoting diversity, equity and inclusion..
3. Three letters of Recommendation (but no more than five accepted)
4. Unofficial Transcripts. If your university or college issues the academic documents in a language other than English, you must submit the certified copy of the original documents in the ORIGINAL LANGUAGE PLUS A CERTIFIED ENGLISH TRANSLATION. Do not submit a translation only. All translations must be complete and literal translations of the original records.(submitted online)
5. Unofficial TOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo Scores (submitted online)
6. Application Fee
   1. The application fee is $100 per program. If you apply before the early deadline of November 20, 2024 (3 p.m. EST) then the application fee is $80 per program.
   2. Fee waiver requests may be submitted for those who qualify. Requests will not be considered after December 4th, 2024, 3pm, EST.

Please keep in mind that the entire application process is completed online.  It is the sole responsibility of the applicant to make certain that their application is completed and submitted in a timely manner.

Applications and all supporting documents, including letters of recommendation, must be received by the final deadline of December 11, 2024.  You may submit your application by 3pm EST November 20, 2024, to avoid higher application fees. The early deadline does not imply an early decision. No changes can be made once your application is submitted.

If you are in another time zone, it is your responsibility to recalculate your deadline to reflect Eastern Standard Time (EST).