Ph.D. Admissions

Apply to the Ph.D. in Tumor Biology Biology program by submitting an online application through the Georgetown Graduate School of Arts & Sciences portal.

Info Sessions

Want to learn more about the Georgetown Tumor Biology program? Join one of our virtual information sessions to meet us.

Register Here:

Monday, September 30th 1:10pm EST

Wednesday, October 23rd 10:00am EST

Tuesday, November 5th 10:15am EST – Meet & greet, Q&A with current students!

Wednesday, November 13th 11:10am EST

Admission to our program is highly competitive. To learn more about us, please contact us or fill out our Request for Information form.

Deadline

December 1

Final Deadline for Summer Admission

International applicants are encouraged to apply early to allow sufficient time to submit all application materials and apply for a U.S. visa if admitted.

The program starts July 1.

Application Requirements

Applicants are to submit all required credentials and supporting documentation no later than the application deadline.

Applicants do not need to arrange a position in a laboratory prior to admission. Any prospective students who currently have positions in departmental laboratories must apply to the program through the same procedure as all other applicants, and will not receive special consideration.

A 4-year bachelor’s degree or equivalent with a GPA of 3.0 or higher (across all undergraduate coursework and/or institutions attended).

List your postsecondary institutions in your application, and upload a transcript for each institution. Applicants are required to list/upload copies of official transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate institutions where more than 15 credits of coursework were completed and/or where program prerequisites were completed (any number of credits). This gives the admissions committee a more complete picture of your academic preparation for graduate study.

WES  or NACES  credential evaluation services are required for international transcripts.

Follow the transcript instructions in Admissions FAQ  to ensure you upload proper documentation.

Recommendation letters may be from previous professors, research mentors, or employers in a position to appraise your potential for graduate study.

The Academic Statement of Purpose should be at least one page, but not more than two pages long, and should cover:

  • Factors (such as personal background, professional past experiences, or academic interest regarding department faculty or faculty research) that motivated you to apply for to our program
  • Research background/experience, if applicable
  • Long-term goals you wish to achieve during or after your PhD studies

Your CV/resume should include relevant professional (such as research, volunteer and intern experiences) and academic experiences with dates and descriptions/responsibilities. When applicable, items in each section should be in reverse chronological order, with the most recent experiences listed first. For experiences involving research, please note clearly the name of the principal investigator of the lab. Include citations for your publications, abstracts and presentations (if applicable). Use 11pt font size or larger; allow your CV/resume to span multiple pages if necessary.

The application fee is nonrefundable but limited application fee waivers may be available. View information about the application fee .

Applicants to any Georgetown program may choose to submit an Optional Statement that addresses diversity, personal background and contributions to community. A detailed prompt for the statement can be found in the application.

GRE scores are not required, but we invite applicants to report these scores if they are available. View instructions for submitting official test results .

All applicants are required to demonstrate a level of proficiency in the English language sufficient to meet the admission requirement of the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. Follow the TOEFL/IELTS instructions in Admissions FAQ  to determine whether you need to send us test scores to prove your English language proficiency.

Tuition & Stipend

Biomedical Graduate Education PhD students can receive merit-based fellowship awards that cover tuition, stipend, student health insurance, dental insurance and mandatory fees. Visit BGE Ph.D. Tuition & Stipend for more information.

Applicants with external (third-party) funding guaranteed for the entirety of their PhD program (e.g., scholarships, sponsorships or fellowships through governments, employers or any organization) should include a copy of their award/sponsorship letter with their application. If the sponsorship is awarded after you submitted your application, please send a PDF copy of the letter to BGEAdmissions@georgetown.edu to be added to your application file.

Housing

The Washington, D.C., area offers a huge variety of accommodations, from relatively inexpensive to utterly unaffordable. You can find more information on the BGE Housing & Transportation page.

Training Grants

Students may apply to participate in Georgetown’s NIH-funded, externally peer-reviewed institutional training programs. Visit BGE T32 Training Grants to learn more about our programs.

M.D./Ph.D. Program

Our program participates in Georgetown School of Medicine’s M.D./Ph.D. in Tumor Biology. If you are interested in the M.D./Ph.D. program, please apply directly to the School of Medicine.

GU-NIH Graduate Program

Students who wish to conduct dissertation research at the National Institutes of Health should submit an application through the NIH’s partnership with Georgetown University Biomedical Graduate Education. Visit the BGE Partner Institutions page for details and application instructions.

Career Advancement

Our students benefit from the services of the Biomedical Graduate Education career office, including one-on-one advising, skills workshops, leadership programs and more.