ADMISSIONS POLICY

Applications for admission to the Graduate School of Basic Medical Sciences (the Graduate School) are reviewed by the faculty in each of the basic science programs. We seek to accept students who are best prepared for the educational programs of the Graduate School and who, upon graduation, hold the best promise of becoming outstanding teachers, researchers, and practitioners of science.

The number of positions in Graduate School programs, particularly our Ph.D. programs, is limited. The Admissions Committees consider many factors in reaching their decision on each applicant. Objective criteria such as academic record and standardized test scores are important. Equally important, however, are more subjective assessments of factors such as the candidate’s intellectual curiosity, stability, integrity and motivation.

In order to be considered seriously for admission to any of the degree programs of the Graduate School, candidates must demonstrate above-average academic achievement at the undergraduate level and in any previous work undertaken at the graduate level. Performance in courses in mathematics and the sciences is particularly important. Since it is a major goal of our degree programs, in particular the Ph.D. programs, to produce graduates who are capable of pursuing careers involving active scientific investigation, candidates for these programs must also possess certain other abilities and skills of several varieties. These include abilities and skills related to observation, communication, and fine motor skills. The potential for high-level conceptual, integrative and quantitative thinking must be present. Candidates must possess behavioral and social abilities and skills commensurate with the interactive nature of modern science. While technical compensation can be made for some handicaps in certain of these aforementioned areas, the Graduate School must be fully satisfied that a candidate can perform in a reasonably independent manner, and be able to complete all aspects – intellectual and physical – of the entire curriculum of required courses, electives, and training activities. The use of a trained intermediary is not acceptable since this would subordinate the candidate’s judgment to the influence of someone else’s powers of observation and selection.

The Graduate School actively recruits applicants of both sexes and members of minority groups that are under-represented in the biological sciences. No person shall be denied admission to any educational program or activity on the basis of any legally prohibited discrimination involving, but not limited to, such factors as race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, sex, age, or handicap.

All policies regarding admissions, employment, and education programs and activities are established and administered in conformity with the Education Practices Act of New York State, as well as state and federal civil rights laws, specifically including Title IX of the Educational Amendments Act of 1972 and its associated regulations, prohibiting practices or policies in admissions, education programs, or employment that are in any way discriminatory on the basis of sex.

All applicants should be aware that official acceptance into any of the degree programs of the Graduate School of Basic Medical Sciences is conferred by a letter of acceptance from the Dean of the Graduate School. Informal and non-binding indications of an applicant’s acceptability for a program may be conveyed by a program director, but the Dean’s letter is the official notice of admission.

Records Retention

All application materials become the property of the Graduate School of Basic Medical Sciences and cannot be returned either as an original or as a photocopy. Under the 1974 Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), access to this material is limited. Application materials for those who are not admitted, and those who do not submit complete applications, are held for only one year and are then destroyed.