Application Procedure



Our application procedure is divided into two stages, starting with the department's ONLINE APPLICATION FORM.  For this first screening stage, there is no initial application fee.  This method ensures that we do not charge for students not admitted, and it allows us to offset the application fee levied by the Auburn University Graduate School for our incoming students once they arrive on campus.

While there is no strict deadline, the review of applications for a given fall semester will begin on December 5 of the previous year and will continue until available positions are filled.  In order to adequately process international applications, we should receive them as soon as possible.  See below for more details.

NOTE: If you submit application materials to the Graduate School prematurely through ApplyYourself or Slate, we will not necessarily be able to reimburse you for that application fee.  Only materials submitted through this online form will be reviewed in our initial screening.

 

In the first stage, please submit the required responses and materials using the department's ONLINE APPLICATION FORM.  The following information will be required:

  • Standard biographical information
  • Academic performance (GPA or equivalent)
  • Names and email addresses for at least 3 references familiar with your ability to conduct research and/or succeed in a graduate program (3 letter writers)
  • Personal statement
  • Statement of accomplishments and qualifications
  • Copy of official transcripts
  • Optional: GRE scores, resume or CV


Additional Requirements for International Students:

  • English proficiency scores (unless primary instruction was already in English)


For more detailed information about stipends, tuition waivers for all admits, TOEFL score requirements, etc., please visit our FAQ site below.

Once your complete application is received, it will be reviewed by the Graduate Admissions Committee. If your application is favorably reviewed and you are extended an offer from the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, you will be given instructions for the second stage of your application to the Graduate School.  Importantly, once you are accepted by the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, your application and acceptance to the Graduate School is typically a mere formality.

** While the online application is strongly preferred, if for some reason you are not able to use the online form, you may download and complete our former application form (MS Word document).  Upon completion of this application, please submit it by e-mail to the Graduate Admissions Committee in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry (chemPhD@auburn.edu).

    

Below we have included more details about the information and materials you will need to complete your stage 1 application to the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry:

  • Application Form
    • Full Name
    • Email address
    • Phone number
    • City, State, and Country of residence; also Country of citizenship
    • Ranking of interest in fields of chemistry, selection of sub-fields of interest
    • Summary of all post secondary education
    • Optional GRE scores (Neither the General Test nor the Chemistry/Biochemistry Subject Tests are required, but they are accepted as supplemental material.)
    • English proficiency is required, see below (TOEFL iBT and IELTS accepted)
    • Grade point averages (Chemistry GPA, Math and Sciences GPA, and Overall GPA)
    • Names, addresses, and e-mails of three references familiar with your ability to conduct research and/or be successful in a graduate program.
    • A personal statement expressing your reason for pursuing advanced studies in chemistry.  (We recommend that you specify the research program(s)/faculty members with whom you are interested in working.)
    • A Statement of Accomplishments and Qualifications describing the features of your background that prepare you for graduate study in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry (e.g., previous employment, honors and awards, research experience, record of published work, talks and/or posters presented).
  • English proficiency rules:
    • For admission, one of the following is required:
      • TOEFL iBT: at least 79 overall, at least 16 on speaking section
      • IELTS: at least 6.5 overall (no speaking section requirement)
      • Degree from an accredited college/university in the U.S.
      • Degree from a university with English as the primary language of instruction
    • For teaching (GTA), one of the following required:
      • TOEFL iBT: at least 23 on the speaking section
      • IELTS: at least 7 on speaking section
      • iTEP test (administered by AU): at least 4.4 on speaking section
      • Degree from accredited college/university in the U.S.
      • Degree from a university with English as the primary language of instruction
      • If none of the above requirements are met, the student will enroll in INTL 1820 (Classroom Communication Skills for International Teaching Assistants) for their first semester, then will become GTA eligible after passing the course.
      *Note: The DuoLingo test was temporarily allowed during the pandemic, but Auburn University will no longer accept these scores.
  • For those who elect to submit GRE General and/or Subject Test scores (not required), and for international students who are required to submit TOEFL scores, the Educational Testing Service code for Auburn University is 1005.
  • Please note that while Master's students are admitted on occasion, we do not require a Master's degree to join our Ph.D. program, and our department typically focuses on admission and mentoring of Ph.D. candidates.
  • For our stage 1 review, copies of official transcripts (uploaded within the application) are acceptable. However, be advised that official transcripts for all post-secondary education must be received from the relevant universities and verified by our School of Graduate Studies before you can be officially admitted to the University.
  • The online application system will automatically notify your recommenders to write and send a letter on your behalf, although we encourage you to remind them as well.
    • If a recommendation upload from your reference is somehow not possible, an emailed copy may be sent directly to chemPhD@auburn.edu.  Alternatively, a hard copy may be sent to the mailing address below.  Keep in mind that we must have received your letters of recommendation in some form in order to consider your application.

  

Review of applications for a given fall semester will begin on December 5 of the previous year and will continue until available positions are filled.  In order to adequately process international applications, we should receive them as soon as possible. 

There is no strict deadline, as we encourage applications at any time of the year.  However, a typical application review will take place about 6-8 months prior to the start of the first semester, and international students should try to submit earlier to avoid visa issues. Spring semester start dates are less common and will be reviewed as they are received.

NOTE: While it is best to receive applications before the date noted above, we will continue to process applications on a rolling basis throughout the months that follow.  Usually, fall applications are reviewed through March or April of the admission year.  In fact, we encourage applications at any time!

 

Graduate Admissions Committee
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Chemistry Building, Room 179
Auburn University
Auburn, AL  36849-5312  
Email: chemPhD@auburn.edu

or Graduate Program Officer
Email: chemgpo@auburn.edu