Prospective MCB Graduate Students
Candidates interested in one or more of the departmental programs in MCB (Biochemistry, Cell and Developmental Biology, Microbiology, or Molecular and Integrative Physiology) should apply directly to the School of MCB. Admission to the MCB Ph.D. program requires a bachelor's degree in biological or physical sciences. Students are only admitted for the fall semester. International students seeking admission into our Ph.D. program MUST first submit a pre-application.
MCB is also affiliated with three robust interdisciplinary graduate-degree programs, in the Center for Biophysics and Computational Biology, the Neuroscience Program, and the Medical Scholars Program (MSP). The MSP leads to an M.D./Ph.D. through the most degree-diverse program in the nation. All three programs have significant MCB faculty participation. Interested students should apply directly to these programs, some of which offer training grant funding.
Apply to MCB
Application fee: $70 for domestic applicants, $90 for international applicants.
Admission Procedure
- Apply Online—The Graduate College Apply Yourself Online Network takes you through each step of the application.
Important Note: Applicants will need to select Molecular and Cellular Biology as the Ph.D. department and then indicate their departmental preference under Field of Specialization (Biochemistry, Cell & Developmental Biology, Microbiology or Molecular & Integrative Physiology). This preference should reflect which department has the most ongoing research of interest to the applicant. The Field of Specialization is not a commitment – admitted students are eligible to rotate in any of the four MCB departments.
- Transcripts from all previous undergraduate and graduate institutions are required to be uploaded as part of the application procedure. These transcripts should be a scanned version of your official transcripts. You do NOT need to submit official paper transcripts via postal mail to our program as part of the application process.
International Applicants who may have already received their degree, will need to upload their degree certification or diploma with the transcripts. Diploma and/or certificate of degree are not required to be uploaded if degree is still in progress or pending.
- Three Letters of Recommendation are required for consideration. Forms and instructions are available in the Apply Yourself Application System. Recommendation letters should be submitted electronically for quick and efficient processing. Should your recommender have no alternative but to send via postal mail, the address is listed below.
- Official GRE and TOEFL Test Scores should be sent to the Office of Admissions and Records, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, using campus institutional code 1836 and program code 0206 (GRE) and 74 (TOEFL). Please note that the subject GRE is not required.
MSP Applicants: Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) scores will be accepted in lieu of GRE scores for applicants to the Medical Scholars Program only.
TOEFL Note: A minimum score of 590 (paper-based test) or 96 (internet-based test) on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is required of applicants from countries where English is not the primary language. Please note that we do NOT accept the IELTS in lieu of the TOEFL.
Additional Information for International Students
Pre-Application: International students must first submit a pre-application form. Should you pass our pre-application requirements, we will need the following to process your official application. Pre-application deadline is December 1.
Declaration of Finances: International students do not need to declare their finances in order to apply for MCB since we offer a stipend and tuition waiver.
Passport: Please make sure to upload the requested passport information in Apply Yourself. Should you be admitted to our program this will help to ensure that your name is correct on the I-20.
Application Deadline
International pre-application deadline is December 1.
To ensure full consideration of your application, please submit your application and all materials by December 31.
Mailing and Contact Information
MCB Graduate Program
School of Molecular and Cellular Biology
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
B103 CLSL, MC 110
601 South Goodwin Avenue
Urbana, IL 61801-3709
Tel: (217) 333-1737
Fax: (217) 244-6697
gradinfo@mcb.uiuc.edu
PLEASE DO NOT MAIL COPIES OF YOUR APPLICATION OR MATERIALS