Future Students

UTHSC students must maintain health insurance coverage as a condition of enrollment. UTHSC’s mandatory policy requires students to provide documentation of insurance coverage (waive) or to enroll (elect) in the Student Health Insurance plan each year. The University will email your UTHSC email address with information regarding your status in the enrollment/waiver process. Failure to waive or enroll in the student health insurance will result in you being enrolled in and charged for student health insurance. The waiver period closes two weeks after the start of classes for both the fall and spring terms.

Additional information regarding student health insurance can be found at our Admissions Student Health Insurance page.

Identifying a research advisor is the single most important decision a student will make in graduate school. This is best accomplished by performing rotations through prospective laboratories. Students are expected to complete a minimum number of laboratory rotations, determined by each track, to identify a research advisor. All tracks adhere to a schedule of six 6-week rotations periods that occur throughout the first year. This allows students to choose when they rotate through a laboratory, and also allows students to rotate through laboratories in multiple research tracks. After completing rotations, students select a research advisor based on mutual consent.

Tuition is covered by the College of Graduate Health Sciences for the first 6 years. In addition, the College offers stipend support and coverage in the University's single-student health insurance plan to all incoming Biomedical Sciences students for the first 16 months. After that time, students receive an annual stipend and insurance coverage from their supporting mentor.

Currently, students receive a stipend of $30,000 in addition to payment of their health insurance premium of about $2,500 annually. Outstanding graduates of US institutions are eligible for Alumni Endowment Scholarships that contribute up to $3,000 of additional annual support.

The Biomedical Sciences participates in a dual degree program for students already enrolled in the UTHSC College of Medicine. Second and third year medical students are eligible to enter the dual degree program, and are expected to identify a research advisor prior to Biomedical Sciences matriculation or after completion of a limited number of abbreviated laboratory rotations. Typically, a student will perform one or two laboratory rotations during the summer of their M1 year to identify a mentor. During the beginning of the M2 year the student applies as a direct entry student to the graduate program. Students must be in good standing in the MD program, have a GPA of 3.0, MCAT scores in place of the GRE and 3 letters of reference. After completing the PhD, students then return to medical school to complete their final years in the MD program.

The minimum requirements for admission are a bachelor's degree. A documented grade point average of at least 3.0 is generally considered competitive. In addition, up to three letters of recommendation. The letters of recommendation may be waived for applicants when their abilities are known to the program. GRE scores are optional. International applicants must demonstrate proficiency in English.

• Graduate Health Sciences Admissions Policy

Our institution code for the GRE and TOEFL is 1850.

You can apply via our online application. Most students apply before December, and those applying before December 1 will be given priority status. The final application deadline is March 1. Applications are reviewed as received, and our top domestic candidates are supported for travel to campus for interviews beginning in January.

It is important that you complete the application and send all required materials as soon as possible. You can apply online, and it is free and easy. Most of the options on the Application Checklist are self-explanatory, but under Planned Course of Study, choose the Biomedical Sciences-PhD option. Then, select up to three tracks of interest using the drop down menus associated with the concentration options. We will assume that the first concentration you select is your preferred research track.

General requirements are a bachelor's degree with a grade-point average of at least 3.0 from an accredited college or university, previous research experience, a personal statement, and three letters of recommendation. The GRE is optional. For students whose native language is not English, a score of at least 79 on the TOEFL or 6.5 on the IELTS is required.

US Applicants

For US applicants, official transcripts and official test scores should be sent directly from the contributing source and not by the student. Three recommendation letters are required. Names and contact information of three referees will be entered on the application and the system will contact them with instruction on how to submit their recommendation.

Non-US Applicants

For non-US applicants, official test scores should be sent directly from the contributing source and not by the student. Official transcripts and three recommendation letters are required.

Online Application