Admission Requirements

• GPA of at least a 3.0 or higher
• Required undergraduate courses: Genetics, Calculus, Organic Chemistry, Evolution, Physics and Ecology (will accept C or higher for 3 out of 6 of the course options listed)
• Required documents: Letter of Intent, Curriculum Vitae, three letters of recommendation, official transcripts
• TOEFL or IELTS scores (international students only)

Please note that DBS no longer requires or reviews GRE scores

Application Instructions

• 1. 1. Create an account and complete the online application at the following link:
        graduate.auburn.edu/prospective-students/application-instructions 
        
        
     2. Mail your official transcripts to the following address:
        
        The Graduate School
        106 Hargis Hall
        Auburn University, AL 36849-5122
        
        Official electronic transcripts from domestic institutions (non-international) may be sent to graduatetranscripts@auburn.edu
        
        The Graduate School will accept unofficial transcripts to serve as a placeholder until your official transcripts are received. However, you will not be eligible to register or accept your enrollment offer until the Graduate School receives your official transcripts.
        
        
     3. Submit your IELTS or TOEFL scores to the Graduate School if you are an international applicant (school code: 1005)
        
        
     4. Invite three references to submit their letters of recommendation within the online application system
        
        
     5. Upload your Curriculum Vitae and Letter of Intent by using the document upload section of the application
        
        
     6. The document upload section can also be used to upload unofficial transcripts if you choose to submit an unofficial version as a placeholder instead. Please remember, this option allows applicants to be reviewed for admission based on their unofficial transcripts. However, you will still need to submit an official version of your transcripts if you are selected for admission to the graduate program.

   

  Application Deadlines:

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  • February 1st for Fall semester admission with guaranteed GTA support
  • 45 days before the start of the semester for domestic students with no guaranteed GTA support (must have a DBS faculty member sponsoring your application if applying outside of Feb. 1^st deadline)
  • 90 days before the start of the semester for international applicants with no guaranteed GTA support (must have a DBS faculty member sponsoring your application if applying outside of Feb. 1^st deadline)

   

  Special Considerations:

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  • It is always encouraged that applicants have a faculty advisor willing to sponsor their application. Please refer to our guide here for tips and examples of how to contact prospective faculty sponsors.
  • See here for a list of prospective faculty advisors in the Department of Biological Sciences at Auburn University: Faculty Directory
  • DBS is one of the few departments at Auburn University that does not require GRE scores for graduate admissions decisions. Unfortunately, this means that the system always marks the applications as incomplete since all graduate programs at the university use the same application system through the AU Graduate School. Please disregard the incomplete status message for standardized test scores if you have completed the requirements noted in “Admission Requirements” section.
  • Applicants will be prompted to select one of the following program names as your planned course of study:
    • Biology/ MS (Thesis)
    • Biology/ PHD

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  Additional information can be found at:

• AU Graduate School Admission requirements
• AU Graduate School Admission FAQs
• Department of Biological Sciences Faculty Directory