PhD in bioinformatics @ UCSF

bioinfoprgrm
Deadline: Monday, December 1, 2014
The Bioinformatics pathway at UCSF provides a welcoming environment for a diverse student population, including students with disabilities. We encourage students with strong backgrounds in physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics, computer science, or engineering to apply. Read more about our three research areas.
Applicants interested in the emphasis should apply to the Integrative Program in Quantitative Biology (iPQB), which is an umbrella program for graduate studies in Biophysics, Bioinformatics, and Complex Biological Systems.

San Francisco, UCSF Celebrate Mission Bay Science

Admission is based on:

  • Academic excellence.
  • Letters of recommendation.
  • Research experience.
  • Personal interview.
  • Graduate record examination scores.

Dates

  • The application for fall 2015 opens in September 2014.
  • The deadline to apply and provide all supporting materials is December 1, 2014.
  • The Admissions Committee reviews all applications and extends invitations to interview. Our interview visit is February 5-6 and February 12-13, 2015. If invited to interview, your basic travel expenses will be covered by the program.
  • Final admissions decisions will be made by March 2015.

Application requirements

  • Prospective students can apply to only one graduate program at UCSF, with the exception of the Joint Graduate Group in BioEngineering, whose application is administered through the University of California, Berkeley.
  • The minimum requirement for application is a bachelor’s degree with a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.0.

General GRE

  • We urge you to take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) during the fall administration dates in order for us to receive scores by December 1. Scores are reported electronically to the UCSF Graduate Division.
  • Please have scores sent to institution code 4840; a department code is not required.
  • UCSF does not have a minimum GRE score requirement.

Subject GRE

  1. General and demographic information
  2. 3 letters of recommendation
  3. Statements
  4. Upload transcripts (instructions can be found on the application)
  • A non-refundable fee of $90 for U.S. citizens and permanent residents or $110 for international applicants is required to finalize your application.

UCSF Mission Bay: A San Francisco Success Story

International applicants

In addition to the information listed above, international applicants must submit TOEFL scores to institution code 4840. Exemptions to this requirement are available. Details: minimum scores and exemptions.
Due to funding restrictions, we're limited in our ability to accept international students—admission is extremely competitive.
Citizens of Mexico are invited to apply for PhD study at UCSF via our collaboration with UC MEXUS - CONACYT. Candidates must complete the UCSF application in addition to following UC MEXUS - CONACYT guildelines.

Student funding

  1. All students admitted to the Biological and Medical Informatics Graduate Program, and its pathway in Bioinformatics, are supported by funding that covers tuition and fees, as well as a stipend for living expenses.
  2. UCSF commits this support for the entire period of a graduate student's PhD training, as long as he or she remains in good standing. Typically it takes five to six years to earn a PhD degree, at a total cost of approximately $250,000.
  3. Of particular importance to students is the annual stipend they receive for living expenses, which is part of this total.
The graduate student stipend for 2014 is $32,500.
UCSF gathers support for graduate student funding in the basic sciences from the following sources, with the majority coming from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) through faculty grants and training grants.
  • National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) of the National Institutes of Health Bioinformatics Training Grant
  • National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) of the National Institutes of Health Integrative Program in Complex Biological System Training Grant
All matriculated students are encouraged to apply for pre-doctoral fellowships.
                                Sources of PhD student support
  • Faculty grants
  • Federal training grants (NIH)
  • UCSF Graduate Division funds
  • UCSF Chancellor's Office funds
  • Internal fellowships
  • External fellowships
  • Endowment gifts for program support and scholarship
  • UCSF School of Pharmacy/School of Medicine funds

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The Bioinformatics pathway at UCSF provides a welcoming environment for a diverse student population, including students with disabilities. We encourage students with strong backgrounds in physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics, computer science, or engineering to apply. Read more about our three research areas.