When is your application deadline?

Our application deadline is March 1 for the following fall. Only applications which have ALL supporting documentation in place by March 1 will be evaluated for admission.  Incomplete applications will not be read. Applications received after the deadline will be placed on a waiting list and evaluated on a space-available basis.

What are the prerequisites for entering the program?  Are they different for international students?

Like all programs offered through the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, we require all applicants to have a minimum of a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution.  We welcome students from a wide variety of backgrounds; students most commonly come to us with degrees in biological science, medicine, nursing, other health science, social science, computer science, mathematics/statistics, or law.

Students wishing to apply to the program must complete the Graduate Arts and Sciences application form and submit all supporting documentation:  a statement of purpose (rationale for pursuing graduate study in this field), transcripts of all college and university coursework completed, a minimum of two letters of recommendation, and GRE/MCAT/GMAT/LSAT/PCAT scores as applicable. 

International students without green cards must meet these same criteria and additionally must demonstrate satisfactory English proficiency by satisfactory performance on the TOEFL.  An official TOEFL score report should be submitted with the application.  All international students enrolling at UVa must have valid, appropriate visas and guarantees of financial support while in the US--contact the International Studies Office for specifics.

When will I find out whether I've been admitted?

Our office does not have a rolling admissions policy.  All applications are evaluated after our March 1 application deadline.  We then send our recommendations to GSAS, and their office generates the official notification letter.  U.S. students whose applications are complete as of March 1 can expect to receive notification by mid  April.  We will not announce final admissions decisions to students prior to release of the official letter from GSAS.

International students' applications are subject to additional review by the International Studies Office, which can incur delays, especially if visa status is in question or a student's financial documents are incomplete.  For guidance on how best to ensure a trouble-free review, contact Richard Tanson, International Student Advisor.

Do I have to be an MD to qualify for admission to the program?

No. While we do count many MDs among our enrollees, anyone who holds at least a Bachelor's degree can apply for admission to the program, and we are very proud of our students' great diversity of backgrounds. We have designed the program to be of use to nurses, administrators, drug and device evaluators, and recent undergraduates as well as clinical fellows and other MDs.

Can I be admitted during the spring semester?

No. Spring semester admission is awkward because most PHS courses offered in the spring have one or more fall courses as prerequisites, so you would not be able to complete the program in one year. Enrolling in spring does not save you any time and it  is also costlier in the long run. .

Do you require an admission interview?

No; however, pre-admission interviews are encouraged for those who wish to tour the grounds and meet one-on-one with faculty members before deciding whether to accept admission.  In addition, we occasionally call students in for interviews when we feel we need more information to evaluate their applications.  We are happy to speak to applicants or prospective students at any point in the application or admission process.

I would like to apply for the program, but my GPA is lower than average. Is there anything I can do to improve my chances?

If your overall GPA is lower than 3.0, we recommend that before applying for admission you take a college-level math (preferably college algebra) or statistics course, or a computer programming course. If you can show us that you can excel in this type of coursework, we will take this into account when evaluating your application.  Please bear in mind that our program is very quantitatively demanding as well as time-intensive; students who have struggled with math skills or time management priorities in the past tend to flounder in our program.  Furthermore, as our applicant pool grows, competition for admission is growing more intense.