Admissions Overview
Attend our hybrid 2026 Open House on Friday, Nov 6! We are coming to a screen or school near you — check out the graduate school fairs we are participating in this year. We would love to chat with you about our programs!
The IBS admissions committee seeks students with broad interests and experience in biomedical research to apply for graduate study in our PhD programs. We admit students once per year for the following Fall semester (applications open Sept 1 - Dec 1). Our programs require full-time, year-round, on-campus enrollment at our location in Washington, DC (part-time, hybrid and online programs are not available). The programs require a full-time, year-round commitment to research in an affiliated faculty laboratory alongside the prescribed coursework.
For international students: Please be advised that we typically do not review or accept international applicants. We are able to consider only international applicants who have fellowships that can support their graduate education on a case by case basis. Please contact us in advance to discuss your eligibility.
Guidelines For Applicants
- Watch our IBS PhD Programs Overview video (slides here) as a helpful starting point
- Review our Preparation for Graduate Study resources
- Select ONE of our five PhD programs to apply to (Cancer Biology – Genomics & Bioinformatics – Microbiology & Immunology – Neuroscience – Pharmacology & Physiology)
- Research our faculty trainers to identify matches with your research interests and goals
- Consider attending a recruiting event to speak with an IBS representative about our PhD programs and address any questions you may have
- Learn more about the GWIBS community via our social media posts on Bluesky and LinkedIn
- Review the IBS Admission FAQs and CCAS Admission FAQs
- Follow the IBS Application Requirements & Submission Instructions
- Provide the Letter of Recommendation Instructions to each of your recommenders
Admissions Timeline
Students apply in the late fall and begin their studies the following fall. PhD candidates are selected for admission after evaluation of their application qualifications and faculty interviews.
- Early September: Application Opens
- December 1: Application Deadline
- December-January: Faculty review applications and select interview candidates
- February: Selected candidates visit GW for interviews
- Mid-February: All applicants receive decision status notifications
- March-April: Offers of admission issued
- April 15: Deadline for candidates to respond to offers of admission
Contact: Colleen Kennedy, IBS Program Manager, gwibs [at] gwu [dot] edu (gwibs[at]gwu[dot]edu)
